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Coupes & Convertibles Pontiac GTO Pontiac GTO Strut Problems
124 messages, Last post on Nov 10, 2009 at 1:07 PM
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Your front inner tire wear is a function of excess movement, and weak and collapsed strut bushings. Pedders Suspension pioneered the repairs for this. The primary problem is a collapsing and migrating upper strut bushing problem. The upper strut shaft is migrating towards the engine compartment, adding negative camber, but worse of all, allowing the strut shaft to move all over the place, thus increasing camber and toe change, which are both disasters for tire wear. The front radius rod bushings will allow upward of 2 inches of fore/aft movement, thus again creating excess toe change and increasing tire wear issues as well. Do not be underestimate the need to get a alignment after the parts are replaced!! Pedders has special alignment numbers are are very specific. Maintaining stock coils and dampers, and good tire wear, changes to the factory specs are required |
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Replying to: dmsdesign (Nov 08, 2009 9:49 am) I still have weak springs on the back and I guess they are next. But the biggest concern is that, after the pedders strut rub bushing install and front struts, my tire is still sitting less than a pencil thickness from the bottom of the strut....so now the strut will not move around but if I bottom out or hit a pot hole, the tire is still going to connect with the strut. I am on to wheel spacers in front to get the tire out of the way. To be sure, the problem isn't ever totally fixed unless you have about 3k (installed price) to get at least the Street Kit with new struts, shocks and springs all the way around. I hope the fat lady starts singing soon. I am running out of fun money. |
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Replying to: xtranaut (Nov 08, 2009 10:26 am) i too was shocked to have had to discover "tire-shredding" on my new car at 15,000 miles. somehow my ongoing tire wear is not bad - i am getting 25k per set of tires - yet my strut-towers/bushings must be trashed/squished/failed as bad as anyone's.
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Replying to: elias (Nov 09, 2009 6:39 am) STILL..even with the fix, the bottom of the strut (now the selec track Monroe) is less than a pencil space from the top inside of the tire. I am gathering that the design of the pedders coilover is the ONLY ONE that doesn't have that spring cup at the bottom. The coil is also smaller than the OEM and any replacement. THIS IS THE REALLY UNDERSTATED VITAL PART TO THIS WHOLE FIX. Not only securing the strut and under-suspension parts with the new bushings but trashing those old shocks and getting the PEDDERS. So here I sit with a poor man's fix. i have the bushings, etc and have thus kept my cheap new Monroes from moving around but I have done nothing to get the strut out of the way of the tire. THAT will cost me about 1600. for the kit and just as much to have installed. I have abandoned the idea of spacers. I read too much bad stuff. GM just plain stiffed everyone on the engineering (or lack of it) of this car. The LS engines are the only thing they did right. And- look how many cars make it over from foreign countries that have to be tied down in transport where the suspension doesn't get totally trashed. The fact that GM admitted nothing and never even issued a bulletin to warn people is inexcusable andm in my view, criminally negligent, in the case of those who have been killed and injured as the result. It is an outrage to see the former GM CEO idiot doing the GTO introduction and talk about how much planning went into this car, earning his millions a year to ruin an auto empire, when this car is only a Commodore with a GTO badge. The decision on the wider wheels (said to be one of American preference) is BS..that decision was made to carry the excessive weight of the car in relation to the power under the hood... but they KNEW the crummy Monroe struts and Opel parts was an obvious dangerous combination before they ever released the car to be sold. I'd like to locate some of the newer versions of the Pedders coilovers (extreme), rear springs and shocks that somebody wants to sell at a right price. I am "on hold" doing the best I could have done so far but the PEDDERS struts are the only real fix. |
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Replying to: xtranaut (Nov 08, 2009 10:26 am) extranaut, how many miles do you have on your gto. also, yours is the first person to say that there was more noise on the highway with the new strut bushings and the front radius bushings. did you do any other upgrades? thanks, rr70
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Replying to: roadrunner70 (Nov 09, 2009 4:26 pm) If the suspension deal hadn't have happened and need for new tires, I would have liked to have put a blower on it but that is the future. I bought the car with 16k on it..it has about 18.5k now. Sorry I can not help you with the numbers but it is certainly worth a specific post to solicit them. I am sure there are lots of goat owners who have done self installs on the rub kit who can give you this info. Good luck and let me know how it turns out for you! X |
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My 05 has not turned out to be expensive for me to own so far.. By 100k miles I do expect a grand or two of suspension work would be required for this sort of car, so pedderization anywhere near 100k seems reasonable to me. I knew the poly bushings will have some noise/roughness but I'm hoping the overall ride will remain excellent. Highway driving is my top use of the car, so I am thinking twice but still leaning towards full pedderization. Somehow things are holding together ok at 70k miles on factory parts. tire wear is OK (i only rotate once every 10k, if that!)
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Replying to: elias (Nov 10, 2009 5:45 am) mike dms
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Replying to: dmsdesign (Nov 10, 2009 8:36 am) Luckily I noticed it at 15000 miles, just before the front inner edges had worn through to the belts. And just in time to rotate the tires side-to-side and get 25k out of the factory set. Also, pontiac insisted on paying for the re-alignment at 15k.
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Replying to: elias (Nov 10, 2009 9:48 am) Th obvious design flaws are there. The first GTO should have looked like the 06 from the vented hood to the larger tire and rims as standard equipment. VDO and Oil omission is just idiocy to me in a performance car. But over-all build (The Commodore) is very good. Paint looks better than average and the interior is a real selling point (especially for those who expected the new GTO to look more progressive-retro in it's comeback) My son came down from Nashville this past week. He is doing a ground up custom on an S-10. I showed him the car (which he had never paid much attention to after seeing it's debut in MT) His first response was, "that's a nice looking car." (as if to attempt a polite compliment to something that didn't really knock his socks off). I said, "it's time to drive it" and gave him the keys. He opened the door and his eyes got wide. He said nothing, then sat in the drivers seat and turned the key. He perked up and tuned into the car. From then on, his opinion changed about what this car was.The first impressions were obvious. No Overdrive tranny ! 4 speed automatic? This IS your dad's GTO. Where are the oil and VDO gauges? Then the conversation moved to the suspension debacle. For him, not a big problem to fix. He is a born mechanic and spontaneous engineer but he couldn't believe that GM could royally screw up the way they did and try to ignore it. For as much as he liked the car, he said that for someone like me who has to depend on finding the right mechanic to do the work and pay the price, he would almost get rid of the headache and get a Honda or something. That remark didn't surprise me. It's coming from a mechanic who has seen the reality in the cost of owning hi-po cars...even when you are not modding them and just correcting stupid manufacturer mistakes. He was also being my protective son. And then...what about a trade for a car in the same price range? How do you know the repairs won't be just as bad? When you at the point where you have put just the necessities in the car and you have another 50% to go, you start to get real cautious about what you spend. Do I trade it now or spend the extra money that I will never get back...and will that just be the end of that and on to more? So, my car rides much better and all bt passed the pencil test. The strut is still the OEM design with the cup at the bottom and that is the only remaining problem besides rear coils. But that job for the front will cost me in excess of 2 grand. Were this not my everyday car, I wouldn't be so stressed about it but you never feel comfortable about knowingly riding in an unsafe car. |
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