Folks,
It's been a long time since I've posted here but I've been a little busy as of late. We moved to east of Albuquerque, N.M. this summer and my needs for the SVX has changed a bit.
I need to look into replacing my leaky struts and old tires. However, here's my situation: I live on top of a mountain, approx 6800' elev, at the end of a mile long dirt road (read washboards). The paved road to the beginning of the dirt road is twisty but it's only about three miles long. The last 100 yards of my driveway is a very steep climb, especially in snow/ice during the winter. The rest of my driving is on Interstate and in town.
Given my scenario, I'd like to, <gasp> not lower my vehicle. I'm not a racer but just an occasional "spirited" driver. While I find the worn out struts do provide a comfortable ride, I have a fair amount of lean on corners. However, there aren't that many corners in this town to speak of! I understand that the Konis or OEM struts are my only option. If the Koni's won't beat me up on the washboards too badly, I can go with them. Wouldn't mind some real life experiences with this type of road from other drivers.
Please don't confuse washboards with a road with potholes. For that one mile of dirt road, my car is being shaken like a Martini
. In order for me to have a decent ride, I need to run it at a min speed of over 45 mph. Otherwise, it's a torturous ride to the pavement. So far, my rims are still true
The road gets worse after a rain fall or snow and we're at the mercy of the county to grade the road.
Tires: I'm very afraid of having my nice after market rims be trashed by a protruding rock on this one mile of dirt road. Should I consider getting <gasp> higher profile tires? I may need a little more meat between the rims and the road. The only caveat I see with this is not being able to use the spare tire in case of a flat. No, calling AAA for a flat is not an option for me or my wife
This is more of a principle thing more than anything else! I prefer an all season type of tire with a good price point. I'm not a racer so Z rated tires are wasted on me I'm afraid!
The vehicle has 120k of easy miles. The front sway bar bushings were replaced about 8k miles ago. The suspension is still original. Vehicle drives great, gets alignments quite frequently, no loose tie rod ends. I am hearing the usual knocking from up front which I can only assume to be the strut tower bushings.
I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts!
Thanks.
Ali
ps would love to meet up with the local SVXers!