140 bricks

Ever since I bought my 145 a year and a half ago I have been somewhat annoyed at how stiff the suspension is, especially in the front. The guy who owned it before me had done all the suspension work, including lowering it, and I figured that well, it's really low, its got stiff springs and shocks---not much I can short of changing out those parts. Then AC began to gently insist that we really needed to find a way to soften it up a bit. So the next time changed the oil I started looking closely at the front suspension and quickly discovered something I should have noticed since the first time I looked under the car: The springs had been cut a LOT, like 3+ inches, but the bump-stops were still at full height, so when sitting still, unladen, the car was resting on the bump-stops, not the springs. No wonder it was so rough! After taking some measurements to make sure the fender wells could accommodate more wheel travel, I took out an old razor blade and carefully cut about an inch off of both stops. The result? Without the extra support from the stops, the car now sits about 1/2"-1" lower in the front, which is great because it closes the gap between the top of the tire and the fender, giving the car a much meaner look---and the best part: we now have over 1 inch (out at the tire) of travel before the lower wishbones hit the stops!!! (Most normal cars have no less than 5" of travel---looks and handling do come with a price). However, the difference in ride quality after trimming the stops is really significant, and handling is actually improved slightly since there is greater sensitivity to the contours of the road. Nice, easy fix. I like.