So I know this has been discussed before. Probably enough to where I shouldn't even bring it up, but my idea seems so simple I gotta ask. Here is my idea even though I know the forth gen front suspension is a completely different set up it seems like it does have some things in common with the third gen. Here is my picture example to try and help explain things.



Forth gen front spindle is pictured. I have scribbled two green lines on the image. One line is where the spindle mounts to the lower a-arm on a ball joint. The other is for tie rod to connect for steering. My thought was that if these points were the same angle and distances from each other when comparing 3rd to 4th gen spindles you could cut at the red line on the picture. Then either grind away some metal and drill holes to make it look more like a third gen spindle up top or maybe you would have to make a bracket to attach the strut to the spindle. I'm not real sure. And I am basically typing right off the top of my head.

Reasons I am even pondering this is it would allow you to run 4th gen brakes and 4th gen wheels without 2in spacers on front assuming that the 4th gen wheels bearing hub assembly is 2 inches thick.

Thoughts, opinions? I would love to compare the 3rd and 4th gen spindles side by side but have no interest in pulling apart the suspension on both my 97 and 89 to do so. Especially when it's rained all week here and I would be doing the job in the back yard.

 

depends on if the 4th gen spindles are cast steel and not iron. if they can be welded on.. you could, in theory, adapt them to the 3rd gen. the 3rd gen spindle is turned from the front, not back. the strut mount, among other things would need to be taken care of.

 

This depends a lot on wether these spindles are in fact 2" "wider" which loking at them I would doubt.

 

Given all the never ending troubles the fourth gen guys are having finding wheel bearings that can last longer than their oil, I would definitely stick with the 3rd gen spindle. The tapered roller bearings we have are vastly superior to what the 4th gen guys are able to run. We complain about some things we are "stuck" with, but compared to most of our complaints, the wheel bearing issue is a pretty severe one.

General concensus at frrax is that the best of the best new replacement sealed bearing kits for the fourth gens will last around 3k miles, or one autocross unless all you do is literally drive it on the highway and drag race. The OEM factory ones are far better than the new replacement but apparently the junkyard bearings are getting harder and harder to find. Its to the point that there's all kinds of crazy fabricated solutions involving putting a 3rd gen spindle arm into a 4th gen spindle assembly as safely as possible, and there's a lot of back and forth debate over how to do that safely and durably. The idea is to be able to use 3rd gen bearings.

 

one reason i would want them is for the wheel speed sensor setup.