Bumps are very harsh....

[farley556]

What kind of springs/struts should I get. I am trying to find some that are not too expensive and are good quality. I dont want to lower. I just want a smooth ride. Mine right now suck, bumps are very harsh! My rear feels like it is all over the place. Thanks for the help.

 

[MI-SHOFEAR]

Try The new Monroe Reflex. I have heard good things. You should replace your strut bearings and mounts while your at it.

Jeff

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

NO, DO NOT use the Monroe Reflex struts. They are even softer than the Sensa-tracs.

I have a Moog CC/Monroe Sensa-trac setep. Very nice, and very responsive. The only harshness I have is from my TPR bushings. You can feel every crack in the road because of them.

But again, I would never go softer than the Sensa-tracs, safety wise

 

[MI-SHOFEAR]

In that case I agree with the Kung-Foo-Ninja. I was unaware that the reflex were shorter.

Jeff

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

Not shorter, just valved softer. By no means a good setup for the SHO.

 

[farley556]

notsoslow..how much ??

 

[F-22 Raptor SHO]

You really should consider the tokiko eibach set up. I dont notice any real lowering as my springs and monroe sensitracs were pretty darn worn. I used to high center my driveway on approach....now I dont. The rear end is actually higher....front is a tad lower...but barely.

Price: 600 for the struts and springs. bought some sway bar endlinks front and back for 65.00.

Mounts looked good. Thats another 60.00 if you swap those out.

this is a parts price list only as the labor is what can cost lots.

 

[DemonNeno]

Replacing only half of the deal is like rebuilding only half of the motor. Mounts and bearings are wearing parts that deserve replacement, especially when over $500 is invested in a system. The cargo coils add a hint of firmness, without the over exaggerated qualities of many other options. The KYB struts are a great alternative for the OE struts and dampen the ride just as well, if not better.

A step up from that would be the Eibachs and Tokicos. This will lower your car, indeed. However, I personally don't see how Eibachs are good for a whole 1" drop. I'd say more a 3/4" drop... These won't make the raised side streets or driveways a handful to deal with and will lesson the car's behavior along with it's response to everyday defensive driving... Especially if that means having to wind it out a bit more around the curves to get to work on time.

 

[francis_sawyer]

Hey what about MidwestSHO?

I have the same problem, I've had locals replace struts and other various suspension parts. Now my ride is harsh. This spring after I get the T-Bird out of the shop I want to fix my suspension, upgrade the brakes, and get a Quaife put in. Oh, and finally throw the new Y-pipe and exhaust on.

Anyway MidwestSHO has a complete suspension kit starting at $600:


# 4 Struts (Choose brand below)
# 1 Set of Springs (Choose brand below)
# 2 Strut Bearings
# 4 Strut Mounts
# 4 Strut Rod Bushing Kits (Polyurethane)
# Bolts, Washers, & Misc Hardware

Then upgrade options:
Springs:
Moog, Standard
Intrax, +120.00
Eibach, +130.00

Struts:
KYB, Standard
Tokico, +200.00
Koni Inserts, adjustable, +320.00


My car is used as daily driver/street racer/stoplight racer. I just like to burn V6 'Stangs/F-bodies and ricers. I want to get it up to where I can easily burn a stock 5.0 liter mustang at the line (sometimes I can already if it's a kid who doesn't know his car), and be competitive with the new four doors coming out. Which is getting harder BTW. Those Altimas are getting fast. And I haven't met one yet, but something tells me the 6-speed Mazdas 6's are gonna be real trouble on the race track.

So my overall picture is to drop the weight to about 3000lb (tsk, tsk, front seats gotta go, with the quaife and bolt ons get about 275hp/250fp at the wheels.

Anyway, I want to get the suspension cleaned up to where it's comfortable to drive on nasty Nebraska roads once again, but at the same time upgrade performance.

What say you? Does Midwest have a decent deal? And what upgrades if any would you pick?

 

[Doug Waschenko]

If you want the least harsh ride, I think that you have to use the Ford SHO specific struts and either the stock springs or the Moog replacement springs.
I have used the original Fords (I'm the original owner), Gabriels, KYB, and curently Tokico/Intrax. Ipersonally wouldn't waste the time with the Gabriels and KYB. I don't have experience with the Monroes but would presume they are valved for the SLO which is too soft.
The current set up is very firm (harsh) especially now with the roads frozen and sub zero temps. The firmness adds to new rattles in the car. The doors rattle a lot now. I hope that the warm weather loosens them up a bit.
The Ford SHO specific struts are firmer then the SLO but softer then the Tokicos.
I have not used the Koni struts in the SHO but I would presume from other Koni experiences that they would be rock hard, even set dead soft, this time of year (winter).
The Konis really tend to be southern California type shocks where it doesn't really ever get really cold.