Any other ST-R owners out there experience something of a floating front suspension sensation (think Cadillac) going down the freeway seems to happen more on rolling bumps regardless of the speed esp. at freeway speeds though. Car is a 03 S Type R 92k Miles CATS shocks.

Thanks for any insight !
Paul

 

Has it suddenly happened?

Any recent work done on the car that might be relevant?

 

Nothing done lately, just notice it more than i used to, perhaps it is the front shock losing their dampening ability, at lower (around town) speeds I do not notice it as much. Lately I have checked as best as I can for any visible leaks from the front shocks and cannot find much of anything other than road grime buildup which is to be expected. As I have never seen a faulty/ leaky CATS shock before I am not aware of how much goop laying around the area would prompt concern. Was hoping to put the mina springs on it when the weather warms up but am having second guesses here as that may just exasperate the situation.....

 

The CATS struts tend to seep over time. Brutal told me that at 80K miles and up you can expect some small seeps and a light film of oil on the strut body. What you don't want is anything dripping.

I would unplug them and take a drive. When unplugged they go to full firm. Maybe they are not switching from soft to hard but are staying in the soft position?

Also we only recently found out that the CATS struts can be rebuilt by Bilstein. This is a good bit cheaper than replacement but you have the waiting factor of your car being down when the struts are being worked on.
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Hmm thanks for the tip on the rebuild, there is some oily black buildup underneath the boot that is visible. On a separate note Bilstein confirmed that their B4 ACD shocks are fully compatible with the CATS system, alas the jaguar OEMs are a bit cheaper by 40 dollars or so, go figure. I'll pop off the plugs on the fronts to see how firm it gets. Anyone ever have a quote on a rebuild / time to complete? I'd be tempted if it doesn't take two weeks etc.

 

Your limited description of the floaty ride quality sounds like worn dampers to be honest,

Where has it been confirmed that the factory CATS dampers can be rebuilt by bilstein or anyone else for that matter?

Last time I checked, we were only throwing that idea around and looking for potential shops to handle the rebuild. Didn't see confirmation in any of the threads that someone is willing tackle this CATS rebuild, or that its been successfully performed for that matter.

No doubting it feasibility, just wondering what the latest news is regarding CATS rebuilds.

 

for a ride description best I can compare it to would be an 80's caddy or town car etc, more of a spongy feel to the front suspension overall and on rolling bumps on the freeway it seem's to float up and down almost uncontrollably until the road surface smooths out (for Houston at least). I'm likely leaning towards the shocks also, due to the significant cost I just wanted a few opinions on the matter. Thanks!

 

Curious if anyone has replaced the cats with the sport bilstein and mina springs, I remember the posting about a member who coupled H&R with the CATS and promptly reverted. The car only ever really goes on the highway with no twists and turns

 

Sounds like blown dampers for sure,
putting mina springs on them would only make it worse,

many STR owners on this forum seem to run factory CATS + mina springs/h&r, myself included, and they're your typical 10% stiffer 10% lower sort of deal, par for the course, im pleased with them,

if your primary use is highway and comfort is a priority, you are better off not lowering the car, instead, reuse your stock springs from your CATS equipped STR, and have the CATS bilsteins rebuilt, or replaced.

the floaty suspension problem going away will make your STR 100x more enjoyable to drive, as it soaks up the long stretches of highway like a new luxury sports sedan, and not a bouncy 80's cadillac,

 

If I need to replace my CATS I will check into getting them rebuilt. I like that it's the OEM (Bilstein) that does it!!

Service
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So when I unplug the fronts, i presume this will make them go into full stiff mode and if they do indeed still stay stiff I presume the shocks may be ok after all? Coming from a lifted jeep that road like a rock this thing seems to ride like a wallowing land yacht. Overall it seems to have gotten worse could just be my mind playing tricks