hate the way my car rides..what shocks/springs will improve ride quality???
02-01-2010, 04:26 PM
#1
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hate the way my car rides..what shocks/springs will improve ride quality??? I've been planning on upgrading my suspension in the near future but the way my car drives you can feel every pebble and bump you run over. and the fact that i live in pot hole city only makes things worse.. some of the roads r so bad it feels like the car is going to fall apart...i finally said ive had it..its time for some new shocks and spring but i no very little about both so im hoping some1 with more knowledge can help me out...i dont care about lowering the car or making it appealing i just want it to be a smoother ride ..money isnt an issue...i heard good things about koni 4/4's and strange but i still no nothing about spring..any recomandations r appreciated...oh it will c the track ocasionally and current mods r in sig
02-01-2010, 05:14 PM
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what kind of track?
and any lowering spring will only make the ride more harsh due to higher spring rates.
best bet is a GOOD set of shock, they'll make a world of difference.
i suggest going with what you mentioned...Koni SA front and back.
they are truely amazing compared to stock crap. even with my stiffer springs the ride is smoother on all but the nastiest roads.
i did the springs to increase performance in the curves. but you'd probably be just fine going with just the shocks.
and any lowering spring will only make the ride more harsh due to higher spring rates.
best bet is a GOOD set of shock, they'll make a world of difference.
i suggest going with what you mentioned...Koni SA front and back.
they are truely amazing compared to stock crap. even with my stiffer springs the ride is smoother on all but the nastiest roads.
i did the springs to increase performance in the curves. but you'd probably be just fine going with just the shocks.
02-02-2010, 05:43 PM
#4
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I've been planning on upgrading my suspension in the near future but the way my car drives you can feel every pebble and bump you run over. and the fact that i live in pot hole city only makes things worse.. some of the roads r so bad it feels like the car is going to fall apart...i finally said ive had it..its time for some new shocks and spring but i no very little about both so im hoping some1 with more knowledge can help me out...i dont care about lowering the car or making it appealing i just want it to be a smoother ride ..money isnt an issue...i heard good things about koni 4/4's and strange but i still no nothing about spring..any recomandations r appreciated...oh it will c the track ocasionally and current mods r in sig
Are you on stock wheels? And what is your tire pressure set at? You may also want to take a look at your bump stops to see how they look and replace them with base Z28/TA ones if needed.
02-02-2010, 05:49 PM
#6
What kind of LCA's are you running? Also, do you have relocation brackets (not going to affect ride quality, but will help with drag racing)?
Last edited by 99FormulaM6r; 02-02-2010 at 05:56 PM.
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02-02-2010, 06:19 PM
#8
If you are leaning toward Koni, getting them now, while on sale ($100 or more off a set), would be the time.
I'm not sure you need Koni's. I mean stock shocks suck, and you don't seem to care about lowering, cornering in so far as you just want it to be nicer to drive. I wouldn't, in this case, rule out Bilstein's either. I have Koni's but also a batch of SLP Bilstein's coming in too @ $399/set.
Money isn't the issue, I know that---What is that your stock shocks suck. Yes, Koni's rock, if you are going to use them for anything they offer beyond Bilstein's. Maybe you will, but don't see much in this particular person's desires that indicates he will.
If you want to use the lower perch, or play with adjustments, or be able to account for future changes like lowering springs, etc then Koni's are they way to go. If not and you really just want the car to drive like it should have stock... then I think Bilstein's, here in this case, would be fine.
I'm not sure you need Koni's. I mean stock shocks suck, and you don't seem to care about lowering, cornering in so far as you just want it to be nicer to drive. I wouldn't, in this case, rule out Bilstein's either. I have Koni's but also a batch of SLP Bilstein's coming in too @ $399/set.
Money isn't the issue, I know that---What is that your stock shocks suck. Yes, Koni's rock, if you are going to use them for anything they offer beyond Bilstein's. Maybe you will, but don't see much in this particular person's desires that indicates he will.
If you want to use the lower perch, or play with adjustments, or be able to account for future changes like lowering springs, etc then Koni's are they way to go. If not and you really just want the car to drive like it should have stock... then I think Bilstein's, here in this case, would be fine.
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02-02-2010, 09:49 PM
#9
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took a look at my bump stops and their falling apart so definatly going 2 ichange those..i have UMI chrome moly double adjustable LCA's.....its not that i dont want to lower my car with lowering springs its that i heard its mostly 4looks and sacrafices performance and driving quality unless im wrong if so please correct me
02-02-2010, 10:20 PM
#10
it all depends on the springs you choose. they can help cornering quite a bit. you may sacrifice a little ride quality, but with a good set of shocks it will still ride well.
02-02-2010, 10:27 PM
#12
took a look at my bump stops and their falling apart so definatly going 2 ichange those..i have UMI chrome moly double adjustable LCA's.....its not that i dont want to lower my car with lowering springs its that i heard its mostly 4looks and sacrafices performance and driving quality unless im wrong if so please correct me
1) looks (and it helps this IMMENSELY on these cars), and
2) better handling (lower center of gravity)
obviously there's more to the handling part than just the center of gravity, such as spring rates, the shocks they're paired with and whatnot, but in general, the lowered ride should handle better when paired with good shocks.
however, lowering also comes with some negatives:
1) less ground clearance
2) worse weight transfer for drag racing (usually)
3) sometimes worse ride quality (if not dampened properly, such as using stock shocks with lowering springs)
4) less shock travel...depending on how much you're lowered, this can mean damage to the shocks because they're bottoming out
having lowering springs doesn't necessarily mean a worse ride, but it's all subjective anyway....what sucks to one person may be awesome to someone else.
the bottom line is this:
if you ever think you may end up lowering the car, even if it's not gonna be lowered right now, then i would go with the Koni S/A's and not look back.....there's no sense in paying for a set of non-adjustibles now, then having to buy new shocks again later on if/when you get lowering springs.
not only that, but even if you keep the car at stock height, the adjustable shocks may be worth the extra cost to you.....with a non-adjustible shock, you're pretty much stuck with whatever damping the factory chose to provide you with. if you don't like that damping, you've either gotta deal with it and keep them, or spend more money on different shocks....and you also have to go through the hassle of swapping the shocks out again. with adjustible shocks, you can simply turn a **** to get them exactly where you want them, usually without even having to remove them.
but if you are absolutely certain you will not be lowering the car, and you want a large performance upgrade without breaking the bank, then Sam's Bilstein shocks may be just what you're looking for.
personally, i will always (and did) go with the Koni 4/4's.....there's nothing quite like having almost absolute control over how your car handles at the turn of a ****. plus Sam has them on sale right now anyway, so this would be the ideal time to get them.
02-03-2010, 07:47 AM
#15
lowering your car provides 2 main benefits:
1) looks (and it helps this IMMENSELY on these cars), and
2) better handling (lower center of gravity)
obviously there's more to the handling part than just the center of gravity, such as spring rates, the shocks they're paired with and whatnot, but in general, the lowered ride should handle better when paired with good shocks.
however, lowering also comes with some negatives:
1) less ground clearance
2) worse weight transfer for drag racing (usually)
3) sometimes worse ride quality (if not dampened properly, such as using stock shocks with lowering springs)
4) less shock travel...depending on how much you're lowered, this can mean damage to the shocks because they're bottoming out
having lowering springs doesn't necessarily mean a worse ride, but it's all subjective anyway....what sucks to one person may be awesome to someone else.
the bottom line is this:
if you ever think you may end up lowering the car, even if it's not gonna be lowered right now, then i would go with the Koni S/A's and not look back.....there's no sense in paying for a set of non-adjustibles now, then having to buy new shocks again later on if/when you get lowering springs.
not only that, but even if you keep the car at stock height, the adjustable shocks may be worth the extra cost to you.....with a non-adjustible shock, you're pretty much stuck with whatever damping the factory chose to provide you with. if you don't like that damping, you've either gotta deal with it and keep them, or spend more money on different shocks....and you also have to go through the hassle of swapping the shocks out again. with adjustible shocks, you can simply turn a **** to get them exactly where you want them, usually without even having to remove them.
but if you are absolutely certain you will not be lowering the car, and you want a large performance upgrade without breaking the bank, then Sam's Bilstein shocks may be just what you're looking for.
personally, i will always (and did) go with the Koni 4/4's.....there's nothing quite like having almost absolute control over how your car handles at the turn of a ****. plus Sam has them on sale right now anyway, so this would be the ideal time to get them.
1) looks (and it helps this IMMENSELY on these cars), and
2) better handling (lower center of gravity)
obviously there's more to the handling part than just the center of gravity, such as spring rates, the shocks they're paired with and whatnot, but in general, the lowered ride should handle better when paired with good shocks.
however, lowering also comes with some negatives:
1) less ground clearance
2) worse weight transfer for drag racing (usually)
3) sometimes worse ride quality (if not dampened properly, such as using stock shocks with lowering springs)
4) less shock travel...depending on how much you're lowered, this can mean damage to the shocks because they're bottoming out
having lowering springs doesn't necessarily mean a worse ride, but it's all subjective anyway....what sucks to one person may be awesome to someone else.
the bottom line is this:
if you ever think you may end up lowering the car, even if it's not gonna be lowered right now, then i would go with the Koni S/A's and not look back.....there's no sense in paying for a set of non-adjustibles now, then having to buy new shocks again later on if/when you get lowering springs.
not only that, but even if you keep the car at stock height, the adjustable shocks may be worth the extra cost to you.....with a non-adjustible shock, you're pretty much stuck with whatever damping the factory chose to provide you with. if you don't like that damping, you've either gotta deal with it and keep them, or spend more money on different shocks....and you also have to go through the hassle of swapping the shocks out again. with adjustible shocks, you can simply turn a **** to get them exactly where you want them, usually without even having to remove them.
but if you are absolutely certain you will not be lowering the car, and you want a large performance upgrade without breaking the bank, then Sam's Bilstein shocks may be just what you're looking for.
personally, i will always (and did) go with the Koni 4/4's.....there's nothing quite like having almost absolute control over how your car handles at the turn of a ****. plus Sam has them on sale right now anyway, so this would be the ideal time to get them.
02-04-2010, 02:28 PM
#16
i've seen plenty of posts where people have mistakenly (or intentionally) left out the bumpstops, and/or their bumpstops are all torn up....in which case, there is plenty of potential for the shocks to bottom out
02-06-2010, 08:37 PM
#17
Having had 3 4th gens the best riding one was no doubt Bilsteins on stock springs..... Having said that I would never get rid of my current setup because of the fun factor it gives me and the looks I can put on my passengers face with it
Last edited by SOMbitch; 02-07-2010 at 09:49 AM.
02-07-2010, 02:14 PM
#20
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it is probably the best ride setup you can get. I liked it alot, but just wanted it lower after having been on the DMS springs. The DMS stance is awesome. I sold the DMS springs and now went with Strano springs. Haven't finished getting them right yet, but so far I like them. Not quite the awesome stance I had with the DMS, but the ride may prove to be better.
