To make this short, when I hit a pothole, it feels like I just went over a landmine. The ride in my IROCz is so uncomfortable, and I want to do something to fix that. Now, I am new to suspension (more of a motorhead myself) and was wondering what I could do to remedy this. Is it shocks that have gone bad? Springs that are too stiff? Did the IROCs come like this from the factory? If so, will getting a softer suspension compromise my traction?

_Clark

 

Perhaps trade it in for a cadillac?

You bought the wrong kind of car if you're looking for a cushy ride.

 

IROZ= Handling with a Hard & Firm ride. You want a soft ride get a RS.

 

Alright, I was beginning to suspect that something just wans't right, but I guess that everything is in order.

So the fact that I have such a firm suspension means I am getting firm traction as a result right? Stiff suspension = traction :: Soft Suspension = less traction?

 

yes most likely...but ones view on how firm a ride is very opinionated...

worn out shocks would prolly make the car feel more cushy...

My car rides very firm, can feel every rock in the road but it also handles like a dream...

Read around, youll find out what wears the most, the sound it makes when its worn out, pretty much anything and everything about the suspension on these cars right here in this forum.

good luck to ya.

 

I can not believe this person even said this. the reply was right get a caddie. i have one, it rides better than my iroc.

 

Are you talking about me? Hey, moron, I just explained that I didn't know much about suspension, but that I can do a top end rebuild on a 350 in my leasure time on a Saturday. I wasn't sure if the cars were THIS firm from the factory, or if this was an indication of worn out parts. Don't talk if you aren't going to contribute, I have already found my answer anyhow.

 

guitar, it's hard to quantify "firm". Your firm might be broken suspension bits that are a bad thing, and you need to fix. Seized shock will do that, and that's kinda what i'm suspecting now....
Or it might be standard Z28 firm.... Best way to find out is to drive a buddies 3rd gen, if that's possible.

do you know if you have any aftermarket suspension goodies? like über stiff aftermarket springs?

Try pushing down on each corner of your car, and watching it bounce back. Assuming non worn out shocks, you should be able to lean on it, and hop off, and get the car to bounce up once. If the shocks are worn it'll keep bouncing like crazy, but I don't think you'll have that scenario. If you can't force your cars corner to compress with just your weight, then there's most likely a problem.

 

Thanks Sonix, I appreciate your help. As far as I and the previous owner know, the suspension is stock...and looks like it (rust )

I'll try that tecnique and see what happens. The car definately springs back up without bouncing while driving, but I'll check for the seized shock issue.

Thanks again!

 

When looking for a camaro, I tested a 91 z28. The ride was so rough it felt like my a$$ was dragging on the road at 65mph. When I pushed down on the corners of the car with all my body weight (feet off the ground 180lbs), there was no movement. I'm figuring the springs were cut waaayy to short or were some how completely worn. I didn't buy that car (I got an RS, comfortable ride).

 

So if the car doesnt move when pressing down, is that a definate indication of the car needing new springs and shocks/struts, or just springs, or just shocks, or what?

 

if you can't move the car down with your weight, i'd put my money on seized struts. However, if you're really a light guy, or if the springs are HARD! then it might be normal. I really think you should be able to move the car down with your body weight.

guitar, a set of RS/sport coupe front springs, moog 5660 I think, are probably $50 for the pair (remember they sell in sets), and cheapy monroes or kyb gr2 front struts you can probably pick up for $50 per (yea, springs in sets, shocks each, go figure...) So for easily under $200 you can solve that problem.

I however got moog 5664 springs, they're for an S15. They are the stiffest stock spring level moog makes, that will fit in this car. I'm ansy to find out what they'll be like

 

Pushed each corner of the car down, and it sunk, and came back up with no bounce, so it seems that they are okay. It was just hard for me to believe that they'd leave the factory that way. And I'm not just sitting here like "Oh boo hoo, my car is firm and uncomfortable", I mean when I hit a pot hole, the rear could have fallen out for all I know. I'm not looking for a soft ride, I could care less, but I was worried for the safety of my car, and better yet, my own safety.

I do think that getting new suspension all around would help, I mean, it looks pretty bad, springs are badly rusted, but I will hold out on it until I can do it all in one shot and do it right. Motor is coming first, then I can address the suspension I suppose.

Thanks for your help guys!

 

Does it make a lot of loud metal banging noise when going over those potholes? My car did that when swaybar bushings were deteriorated to nothing. It would make a loud clanking noise over bumps and during turns. New bushings and its a different car. If you hear a lot of noise, you may need a lot of bushings replaced.

 

Lol, the links arent even there anymore...yet another thing I have put off thanks to being at college.

 

If you are saying that your swaybars arent connected, get on that! Garaunteed huge improvement. I got Moog endlink for $5 a piece at Autozone.

 

Yeah, I've tried getting them at autozone but they say they dont have them in stock...I'll check it out next week. You think it will help out a bunch?

 

My rearsway bar bushings are still intact. Front was the opposite.
I found out just how deteriorated my front endlink bushings were by grabbing them with my hand and shaking them. They were so loose that during reagular driving, they were not connected. During suspension movement from normal driving, the washers would come in contact with the metal of the sway bar and a arm with a loud clanking/popping noise. The car would bottom out easily on bumps and all the ground effects would hit EVERY parking lot.
After the endlinks, the car has never bottomed out (even at the same spots where it used to, at the same speed and going faster), and the ride is tight and quiter. Driveways and parking lots still require slowing down, but bottoming out is now avoidable.
All for $10.
With the unstable suspension, it is dangerous to drive it fast, and boring to drive the car slow, so the car won't be enjoyable until you have it riding nice. That's my .

New endlink compared to old. Notice how the top inner bushings on the old one are ground to nothing.

BTW, the bolt is in two pieces because I had to cut it with a sawzaw.

 

Ha, thats exactly what my last remaining one looked like when it popped off. When I first got my car and didn't know much, I had it on my friends lift and Im looking at the sway bar with the missing link...looking at the A Arm...back to sway bar...back to A arm...and going "Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like that should be attached to that".

Cool though man, this is sometihng I'll take care of next monday when I'm off of work.

Oh btw, are those poly bushings? If so, do they squeak at all?

 

The poly end links I run don't squeek one bit.

 

mr. guitar

i didn't mean for it to sound the way it did, and i apoligize.

 

There rubber.

 

I am in the same boat my Iroc is to stiff for the streets here in Nyc
RS is the answer for softer ride for these mean streets..

By the way Stevo thats one sweet looking machine ..

 

I'm down in Philly, and there are streets here that make the RS seem like a tank. But I definetely agree that the RS is more comfortable for city streets.

 

Guitar Junkie,
My 88 Sport Coupe has Bilstein shocks and the Eibach ProKit springs and is so stiff I can feel every rock in the road but handles like a formula one car. My 90 RS has Koni adjustable shocks with Moog replacement springs and is softer and more comfortable but not as much rattle. It depends what kind of ride you are looking for.

 

Well, I finally got the swaybar links put in. Difference is night and day, now it doesnt feel like my car is going to flip over! But it sucks because now I have to learn how to drive a brand new car. I got used to the sloppy suspension before. Also, my traction increased a bit since the axle is being forced into the ground when I get weight transfer, so my time off the line was cut a bunch.

Who would have thought something so simple would have such awesome benefits?

 

I would have never thought the sway bar bushings could have made such a huge difference. After hooking everything up and taking it out for a test drive, my camaro finally drove like a camaro.

Glad we could help your camaro drive like a camaro .

 

Yeah, not only did I have the traction and anti body roll as a result, my original problem of feeling like i was driving over landmines isn't as apparent. I purposely hit some rocky areas on my streets and the CD player didnt even skip...not to mention the fact that I dont have a headache right now either .

Thanks guys.

 

If an IROC lives in the "land of potholes" the suspension, even with all new parts and in great shape, can be a jarring experience. Hawaii roads are like downtown NYC for the most part. My '87 5.7 IROC does ride like a haywagon on rough roads, but oddly, my '92 5.7 Z28 rides smooth by comparison. In fact, it rides like a luxury car compared to the IROC. Both cars have new shocks, polys, are in great condition, and seem to have about the same cornering ability.

I've not checked the parts numbers in catalogs, but might it be possible to transform the '87-90 IROCs into smoother-riding cars by replacing the suspension components with parts salvaged from a wrecked '91 or 92 Z28?

 

The stock 91 and 92 z28 moog replacement springs have a spring rate of 750 lb/in. I'm not sure of the source, but I've read that IROCs had 550 lb/in.
Also, I remember reading 91 and 92 f-bodies had some kind of glue around a lot of joints to keep things tight and to quiet some of the body movement. I was just running speaker wire, and there was black gunk around where the gas tank hump met the trans tunnel, and along where the rear quarter runs along the rocker. (I'm recalling this from memory, so someone correct my glue theory if it is bs).

You could swap all suspn. parts from a 91 or 92 z into an older camaro, but I'd be wary of bad bushings and high mileage springs, struts, shocks.