Suspension / ChassisQuestions about your suspension? Need chassis advice?
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Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
2 years ago I put on the Moog spring set available from Spohn (I believe they are the 5662/5665). After 2 years of driving on them I've decided 2 things, they are a tad too high for my taste and they are too damn rough. Every time I hit those yellow road bumps/reflectors it shakes the whole car and it feels like it's going to fall apart. Feels like I'm driving around on metal wheels. I know everybody thinks their roads are the worst, but I'd put Bay Area roads up against any in the country, things can get pretty bad. (I-80 between S.F. and Sacramento? Half my teeth already fell out.) The point being, the ride is just annoying and I'd be willing to sacrifice a minuscule amount of performance for some comfort.
Is there a kit that will give me a mild mild drop (1") and make things a bit softer?
The same time I did the springs I installed stock replacement rubber strut mounts, stock replacement rubber front A-arm bushings, Koni Reds, and Poly everywhere else on the car.
PS - Am I wrong in assuming the springs are the source of my rough ride? I figured everything else was relatively mild.
28-1/2" to the rear fender lip! Front is only a little better. YES they are seated right...
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
It rides rough cause it's a third gen. They aren't the most solid chassis design, and the car is old. Those two facts add up to alot of noises and rattles. If you want to lower the car, you don't want to drop the spring rate too much or you'll be hitting the bumpstops all the time and that's not any better than having springs stiff enough to keep you up. There aren't many springs you can get that'll be lower and softer. You might want to look into the Sportlines, but most people warn against them, especially on roads like you are talking about. My car rides fairly rough with the Yellows and ProKit. You might want to consider some sound deadener- in my experience, the rough ride is proportional to the ammount of noise you hear from the car.
__________________ KONIs I Eibach Pro-Kit I 36mm/24mm sway bars I Spohn: Adjustable PHB I Wonder Bar I SFCs Custom LCAs I LCARBs I J&M Products Camber/Caster plates I Hawk's Ceramic Pads I 4th Gen 3.23 Posi I LS1/LT1 Brakes
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
Are those 17" rims? I can only see the end of one spoke, but those appear to be 17" sidewalls.
Go with a taller sidewall tire that still fits. Possibly going to 16" or even 15" wheels, to get an even taller sidewall, without the car sitting higher.
If your looking for a Cadillac ride, your driving the wrong car.
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
They're 285/40/R17s. Hafta look real close lol. I'm guessing ZR1s.
__________________ KONIs I Eibach Pro-Kit I 36mm/24mm sway bars I Spohn: Adjustable PHB I Wonder Bar I SFCs Custom LCAs I LCARBs I J&M Products Camber/Caster plates I Hawk's Ceramic Pads I 4th Gen 3.23 Posi I LS1/LT1 Brakes
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
If you go with Stephen's idea, I may buy the wheels and tires.
Anyway... I wish you luck lowering it and making it ride softer. I think the best thing you can do is put sound deadener everywhere and replace all the seals. It will remove all, or at least a very large majority of the outside noises from bumps, gravel, air, and squeaks. I guarantee you will think the ride got softer.
My dad has a 1938 Dodge pickup with a built 455 and he was having wheel hop like crazy and the exhaust was unbearable on long trips (it dumps just behind the cab). After putting Dynamat all over the cab, it is a lot nicer to just cruise around in. The exhaust is notably quiter and you can still feel the wheel hop is there but you can't hear the tires chirp nearly as well. I wanted to use the scraps in my car, but he gave them to a friend as payment for the shifter he got. Oh well...
Mike
__________________ Suspension - far from stock, Brakes - far from stock Drivetrain - upgraded, Engine - bolt ons
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
I agree. I'm intalling something all over my car this summer. I hope it makes less people cringe when they ride with me.
__________________ KONIs I Eibach Pro-Kit I 36mm/24mm sway bars I Spohn: Adjustable PHB I Wonder Bar I SFCs Custom LCAs I LCARBs I J&M Products Camber/Caster plates I Hawk's Ceramic Pads I 4th Gen 3.23 Posi I LS1/LT1 Brakes
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
Thanks. I think you're probably right about interior noise. Although I do have sound deadening mat all over my car, there is also a lot of loose interior plastic and my passenger side door hasn't been deadened yet (did my driver it noticed a huge difference).
I'll also look into the pro kit. Seems the spring rates are about the same as what I have now which will be fine if I can tighten up the interior.
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
No help here, just an FYI. With the Moog 5665's my IROC sat about where yours does in the rear (I believe 27 1/2" is OE ride height). After removing the isolator, which dropped the car a 1/2", I eventually cut approx. 3/4 of a coil, which dropped the to 27. The front with the 5662's out of the box sits at 26 3/4. Long story short, the springs in question, though advertised as stock replacements, really aren't in my mind. I also question Moog's rates for those springs.
JamesC
__________________ "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet
"Convictions are more dangerous enemies of truth than lies." Nietzsche
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
I have the pro-kit in my car, and I wouldnt consider it soft. Its fine with me, the car handles good. Problem is, you're wanting to lower a car that in front already has clearance issues from wheel travel so if you run softer springs you're going to hit the bumpstops over any bad bumps and I would not call that a good ride. I will say the back of your car is WAY high though.
What shocks? I've found that the valving in the Bilstein helps soften the ride over cheap gas charged shocks. I dont know how the Monroe sensa tracs or anyone elses fare though.
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkshot
The same time I did the springs I installed stock replacement rubber strut mounts, stock replacement rubber front A-arm bushings, Koni Reds, and Poly everywhere else on the car.
PS - Am I wrong in assuming the springs are the source of my rough ride? I figured everything else was relatively mild.
You may want to replace the poly bushings with rubber bushings, that will help with comfort.
Re: Looking to lower my car and make my ride SOFTER....
its a sports car and it rides like it. i put all new everything that was not metal under it and it still rides hard. looking for a cheat sfc to use to righten the body up.
but i did notice that after i put on 255/60 15 and 275/60 15 on the rear and it softened up a little, but it still rides like a sports car.
not as bad as my lotus - but close.