I have an 88 IROC-Z28 with LS3 running back to a 12 bolt, the only improvement I have made with the suspension has been adding polyurethane bushings otherwise everything was replaced as stock. Even before that, the ride was punishing, it got a little better with Founder's camber plates added but still rough. For quite some time I have been very keen on adding adjustable coilovers to all corners for improved comfort and handling but they are pricey. Of note: I do have subframe connectors and a strut tower brace installed. This is my first time posting, so my questions are: Can I improve the comfort without compromising handling? And, Are Coilovers worth the premium?

 

Coil overs arent gonna make the ride more comfortable its a 3rd gen the ride wasnt ment to be comfortable u will feel every bump etc etc no matter what u do

 

I don't recommend coil overs period. I believe they are acceptable on drag cars but thats it. The strut towers were not designed to hold the load of the car, if you don't get torrington bearings the springs will bind when you turn and they can limit tires size.

No reason to get coil overs with weight jacks as an option.

 

polyurethane bushings makes the ride worse because its a harder material. If you wanted a smoother ride, you should have stuck with rubber. If you think your ride is bad, you should try my car thats set up for road racing. Your filling will fly out!

 

But are coilovers an improvement?

 

I don't think so, but maybe its just my setup. I've been running coil-overs on the front of my 89 for a couple years now. I used to daily the car and have had no issues at all. The only reason I installed coil-overs was for the height adjustment. But I do have to say going from a V6 to V8 I have not noticed a difference in ride feel at all with my setup.

 

Depends on what your intentions are. Drag car, sure. Don't get hung up on the glory of coil overs. In many cars they are the way to go, or the best option but that is not the case with our cars for the reasons i listed above. Please look at Ground Control Weight Jacks. They are all the pluses of coil overs, none of the negatives.

Also like mentioned above, it is difficult to to improve comfort and performance both in these cars. At a certain point you have to let one go. Eibach springs are a nice option, use them with konis or bilsteins and get extended lower ball joints, you may be happy with that.

Do you plan to autoX or do some HPDEs? Or just a street car?

I also agree, poly was not the right direction for you. I don't recommend poly in our suspensions either.

 

There's nothing magic about coilovers. They do the same job as the stock set up, they just place the spring over the shock. I can say that our cars are cool because they dont have a coilover type springs. The inboard springs our cars have allow us to run weight jacks, which just create more noise and harshness on a street car, but are awesome for a road race car.

The founders camber plates will also create a more harsh ride. Any time you make a connection to the suspension harder or solid, its going to make things more harsh. Those camber plates, which i also have, are steel bearings. That's the most unforgiving material there is... The only reason to run those camber plates is for race cars that need more camber and caster. You want to stay away from rod ends, polyurethane and solid mounts.

 

I'm used to coilovers being everything that I needed with previous cars that I have owned, as I've done a lot of time attacks and auto-x. What would you guys recommend as a good, stiff, setup for a third gen, in place on coilovers? Also, is there anywhere that sells complete front/rear coilover setups? I'd still prefer them if I can find a reasonable set, because of the ease of adjustability for stiffness and height.

 

Ground Control Weight Jacks and Koni yellows. All the perks of coil-overs, none of the issues.

 

Thanks for the recommendation! I just contacted them about spring rates.