OE Front Strut Mount/Guide/Hat Questions

[wyatth]

Hi all,

Getting ready to install some Dinan fixed camber plates, and have a few questions regarding front strut mounts/guides/supports/hats whatever you may call them (PN 31302283650).

- As we know, the Dinan plates raise the car 1/4''. Not the end of the world, but not the direction I want to go either. Is there anything simple that can be done to offset this, short of other springs/coilovers? One shop thought that the OE mount from another model would do the trick, but forgot which model they'd come from. I reckon the Dinan mount (or similarly machining OE units) increases travel but does nothing to ride height. Alternatively, maybe I'd throw in a slightly thicker rear spring pad, if possible, to at least maintain the factory rake. Any ideas?

- How durable do the OE mounts seem to be? Mine have no obvious issue, but if they are wear items then Ill replace "while I'm in there." I have 50K on my street-driven CA car. At $230/pair, they are classically overpriced for what they are (and unfortunately no TRW or other alternative). I'll also probably replace the bump stops ($40/pair) even though they shouldn't be too bad, but that's cheap/easy enough at this time.

Thanks!

[simpleM3]

Don't replace mounts (guide support) at 50k unless there's obvious signs that they're not functioning properly. 50k is way to premature. Most people swap for adjustable aftermarket plates because they want/need to achieve specific alignment specs unachievable with stock mounts

[Z K]

I put in new OEM mounts when I did my Dinan camber plates. I had 60k miles. The old mounts were fine but I just did it for piece of mind and ease of install. I installed the plates to the new mounts and swapped the old ones out. I do track my car and the car has coilover suspension so the rubber components are worked hard under cornering. If you're on a budget, I wouldn't bother replacing it.

As for ride height, the difference is very minimal. The plate is 1/4" thick but once on the car, it does not raise the height 1/4". The actual difference is more like 1/8" once installed. I can adjust it by lowering the coilover height but the change is so small, I just left it.

I really like it so far. The Dinan plate is the only camber plate I've seen that retain the stock upper mount so you can get more negative camber for handling without adding any NVH. With the alignment pins removed and the Dinan installed for maximum negative camber, I am able to run -2.5 degrees which is good for a street/track set up. Without the camber plates, I could only get -1.3.

[wyatth]

I ordered the parts before seeing these responses, but will follow up anyway.
Yup, at 52K, my original hats and bump stops looked just fine as well. Oh well.
The Dinan camber plates feel great and I cannot notice the increase in height. I'm a happy camper.

[SAMM3Y]

Originally Posted by wyatth

I ordered the parts before seeing these responses, but will follow up anyway.
Yup, at 52K, my original hats and bump stops looked just fine as well. Oh well.
The Dinan camber plates feel great and I cannot notice the increase in height. I'm a happy camper.

*happy camber

[wyatth]

Hahah!! Nice alley-oop!!