I have a 92 rs v8 tbi and last year I changed the struts and shocks for some kyb gr2 and got some spring iroc eom style from sphoon,

I have a better ride, I would definite it as correct but oh my *** its bad on every bad road, mudholes, etc...

is there something I forgot to change ? do you have tips based on your experiences and your suspension work

thanks

Cedric

 

Bushings.

 

I have come to the conclusion that "comfort" and "handling agility" don't really get along very well. My wife's car (Grand Prix) is much more comfortable, but it handles like a pregnant yak on roller skates, in comparision to my GTA. I'm sure new suspension stuff will help a bit on comfort, but I think it will never be as comfortable as say, a luxury car, without seriously hampering the car's agility. It's just one of those things you deal with, in owning a performance car.

 

hummmh ? bushing ? expensive ? hard to install, ?
No more question I promise .
..............................................................oh what make you say that it could be the bushing

thanks a lot guys

 

Performance Suspension Technologies (for example) makes bushing kits for the front and the back ends of the suspension, they're not terribly expensive, but the hard part would be to extract the old bushings out of the various suspension 'bits' of your car. A co-worker of mine was trying to use a press to extract his stock units and had to take the 'a'-arms to some tuner shop to have them do it.

So, no, they're not expensive, but they can be a pain to do. I hope you don't mind you car being down for a day or so while the bushings are being swapped out.

 

buy a gmpp kit from gm that comes with a good spring rate and koni adjustables and your grand prix will ride very nice with good performance assuming everything else is in good shape. i had an eibach pro-kit and kyb's on my 97 gtp and it was a complete joke how it drove down the street. just don't ever put larger wheels then 16", it really ruins the ride on those cars.

as far as thirdgens. the same goes for all cars, you need to properly match the components. i personally do not like kyb on anything having them on my thirdgen with stock z28 springs and then on my gtp as a last ditch effort to save money. for a stock suspension setup eibach pro-kit and bilstein hd's are unbelievable. bushings are also nice to replace if they are shot.

as far as bushings themselves stay away from poly type bushings unless your racing. they are harder and work for performance but they aren't worth it on a street car. i'd stay away from PST as well as they are on the more expensive side. just search around for moog parts as they are some of the highest quality which are used in almost all kits anyhow and you can save buying direct. gm is good for the last ditch effort but you'll pay.

 

I think its the bushings because you already replaced your struts/shocks and springs, kind of a process of elimination. You also mention about a horrible ride over uneven roads, potholes, etc. I've experienced this same feeling over bad roads and potholes, and it was the bushings. You can buy a bushing kit, but you might be wasting money. You can also buy the specific bushings and only replace the ones that are bad. If I were you, I would get the car on jackstands, get under it, and visually inspect the bushings. If you see ones that look malformed, those are probably the bad ones. Another test is to put the car down on the ground and physically push the chassis side to side, up and down, farward back. There should only be minimal play when you push the car. Depending on what part of the car you're pushing around, you should be able to determine what parts are bad (example, if the rear is really loose, check the LCA and panhard bushings). The OEM pieces were nice and soft for a great ride, over time they deteriorate and become mushy, sometimes even coming apart. I would agree with Jeff and replace only the worn out bushings with the MOOG parts if you want the best ride. You can get em through Napa. If you want the performance bushings (like Ian said, you'll sacrafice some comfort) look into PST or Hyperflex.

 

thanks a lost for your input. I m thinking about changing all the bushing anyway since I m sure in the long run it will be a good thing.
how many hours do you think a mechanic should honestly charged me to install those ?

do you have a link to a kit I can get online ?

and finally should a get the billstein or maybe intalled the bushing first and see if i m pleased with them ?

I know its lots of question, so thanks again for your help

Cedric

 

if you didn't have kyb i'd say bushings but the kyb aren't the greatest for a strut/shock so you'll notice enough right there if you match your springs right. bilstein hd's are a great piece however if your on a budget and need to do the bushings try those.

 

for removing bushings without a press, take a drill and a drill bit and drill some of the material out. once you take enough out the old bushing will fall right out.

 

I think my GF's RS car has excellant handling and some cushion. She has all new poly bushings, new front struts and shocks out back and WS6 sways. But we left the stock RS springs in there and I must agree its smooth compared to my Formula

 

so if I understand you guys say that my kyb are not the greatest for a conforatble/good ride, but that still bushing will help?
so I should get moog bushing from napa ?
also I looked at bilstein there a few on them for our cars, which one do you think if the best for my application ?

thanks
Cedric

 

you said you have stock iroc springs right. the hd's would be best. sports for more lowered vehicles, say 2" below stock height. hd's are good for stock height and the 1.5" pro-kit drop.