Gumby

You ever feel like a basketball

With a slew of new parts and all the slop gone, I kinda feel like a basketball at times.

more so on the eway when I hit those pressure ridges made by ice freeze that go side to side across the lanes.

a few I know so well, I have to hug the cement wall to my left, as when I hit them at 70 the whole car jumps up and moves over 8-10 inches [the right/semi lane in the area is 3ft deep pot hole city]

feels like im boncing into the next lane at times...........

Guess its a side effect of a good handling, a squishy caddy ride it will never be just real evident as I notice things more.......

DeltaElite121

just a sign you need to drive faster In all seriousness, my car always feels better the faster MPH I'm going. Going slow = feels every damn thing on the road imaginable.

Gumby

ya know its like riding a 4 wheeler across a corn field at times, you got the whell point where you want to go, but under you the thing is jumping n skipin around on the bumps.

cept I can get up on my toes on the pegs and leg my legs absorb it.

hellz_wings

iTrader: (2)

ever driven on Montreal roads? Engineers come here to learn how to NOT build the roads like ours lol. Yes, there is nothing we can do about it. Solid rear axle, stiff as hell springs. We are doomed to feel every pothole in existence.

TTOP350

iTrader: (8)

On the street use,
a V6 rear swaybar, rubber end links and a rubber bushings in the control arms/panhard bar (I use rodended stuff, it doesn't bind but its noisy) with good shocks.
It will help stop the hop!

Gumby

Ive found that 3/4 of a tank of gas will make it plant its self as part of the road, but you can really feel the extra weight.
Car feels twice as heavy.

I normaly only run half a tank max

Alice89

iTrader: (6)

Just out of curiosity, how is your suspension? What kind of shocks/struts do you run? I used to live in new york and had similar roads like what your describing, but my car never skipped over the bumps at all, it just stayed planted. I never felt like I was going to fly into the next lane, what your describing just sounds scary man!

Gumby

stock spec struts n shocks, nothing real fancy on those yet.

id say it has to be mostly the new frontend parts, all the slop is gone, so slop isn't absorbing part of it, like before.

230K car

Gumby

more info to the riddle, I didn't think about my tool box I carry in whatever car im driving, that 75-100lbs of tool in the very back must be putting the springs in just the right zone to bounce. [more weight with gas takes it out] I changed cars do to the torque arm mount bolt coming out and I had moved it to the back seat as I didn't want to open the back. And the rear end was not jumping anymore.

Alice89

iTrader: (6)

75-100lbs of tool box weight in the back probably would ad to the bounce of your car, but the reality is your culprit is more then likely your rear shocks. They are probably totally toast and are practically allowing your car to just ride on it's rear springs. Hence your bounce...

Flip 2

iTrader: (1)

I'm with ALLGO. Try some rear shocks. I just changed my rear shocks (from good to better). It helped the situation a lot. Mine was never jumping around, but it did not make you smile- quite the opposite.. Much better, now.... but still, occasionally, lets you know it is a live rear axle.

Gumby

Ill check and see if they are still under warranty, rear shocks are only about 10 years old. free is always better

Base91

iTrader: (1)

Would a nice cushion help?

ImBrandon

10 years is a long time lol

Gumby

Is 10 years old for shocks? Maybe im just to use to struts that last nearly forever.

did do the bounce test, old trick, use full weight on a corner and if it bounce 3 times or more, bad shocks.

front don't even bounce one, rear about 5-7 times after full body weight jump.

[Doing rest of front end and torque arm this week, shocks will be next.]

Alice89

iTrader: (6)

Damn! 5-7 times lol? Yea that's probably a huge portion of your problem right there..

Also the bounce test has never really worked that well for struts. What I mean is the front of my car didn't bounce at all, yet it had 80,000+ mile original struts that were near dangerous to drive on in my opinion. (Lack of control)

After replacing them it made a massive difference, in a very good way.

Gumby

Its coming up on the list but gotta do things in stages or sets.

can't just do struts with out, springs n strut tower bearing tops. Gonna hafta group all that into one project for later.

RaverRacerX

huh, standard style suspensions are able to handle well without beating you like tht. harder does not = better.

Gumby

Just ordered new shock n sway bar end links from rockauto, got it all for the price of one shock else where.

Though I did drive out of my way to day to goto advance auto for the front sway bar end links as they have the blue ones

Gumby

shocks will arrive today, so I got the rear up in the air while waiting. very obvious now. drivers side lower shock bolt, rust as F as expected, pass side is shiny slick in shock oil.

Gumby

note when a nut or bolt that your just gonna replace gives you trouble, the drill is the best best lest you have a oxy cuttin torch.

air chisel, hand chisel, trying to break the nut n save the bolt for what? 30min one side, 5min other.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

This is EXACTLY what shocks are for. They dampen spring oscillations so your car doesn't bounce.

Get good shocks. If you hae cut springs then it will bounce even worse and you will need better shocks and struts to control the higher spring rates. Get good shocks and struts. Even new ones will be crap unless you spend on some good ones.

Gumby

Rears are on and what a difference, now just the front still hop's, so I ordered new struts from Rockauto, same deal, got them and ball joints shipped for same as one strut local.

im using MONROE Sensa-Trac all around.

never been let down with MONROE shocks ride quality.

Gumby

Started the struts with the left side, Seafoam Deep Creep WORKS, had those nasty crusty things come lose like they were new. Plus I worked smarter not harder, used a 4ft bar and just sat on it, just used body weight to get it moving. Nothing esier then sitting come on fedex, im ready.........

Gumby

Well that went well, top nut for strut was easiest to just slice down the middle with angle grinder then split it off.

Gumby

Total spent at RockAuto $216.46

2 RAYBESTOS innrer tie rods
2 RAYBESTOS outer tie rods
2 RAYBESTOS adjuster sleves
1 RAYBESTOS center link
1 RAYBESTOS idler arm
2 MONROE Sensa-Trac rear shocks
2 MONROE Sensa-Trac front struts
2 rear sway bar links
2 lower ball joints

about $40 of that was shipping as I made 4 orders over a few months, doing parts in stages.

Gumby

Hmmm what to do, notice today the left rear is an in lower then the rest, I can fit 4 fingers between top of tire and fender lip, on left rear no go 3- 3 1/2 fingers. [like your gonna shake hands, stick hand into space]

once all apart the right rear shock was leaking but it still kinda worked, left shock was 100% gone, did nothing.

Gumby

I measured and left rear is 3/4 of an inch lower then the rest of the car, and man is it buggin me, though not easily seen by eye.

T/Aperformance

But your tool box in the right rear of your car.
Sounds like you need new springs now

Gumby

The little misses has done poo pooed the the paper work for funds on new springs for something only I can notice.

I did some searching and allot of people use those rubber or metal spring boosters to level a ride when its just a in or so change. Only down side I could find is some say the metal ones can break a spring but that was a truck board.

T/Aperformance

You could also cut a half a coil off the spring that is to tall.

Gumby

funny you mention that, while doing things, I notice the right front spring is broken on the bottom, very bottom coil about 6in from end. That side was also missing a bump stop. [ I replaced]