CrimsonNJ

I have spohn SFC's and a 2-point strut tower brace. My car feels very rough now, like the springs or struts are dead. I'll hit bumps that I'll feel alot and around a turn by me the car loses alot of control with the VERY uneven/pothole roads on the turn. I have to go alot slower on rough areas than I use to.

I want to get new strutts on the rear and whatever goes on the front.
What would give the car are more firm feeling yet confortable. Would I need sway bars, etc etc? I never run the car on a "road course" or drag strip. But I do like to ride the car hard on the roads.

1998 camaro z28 6 speed. 142k miles

CheshireCat

It really sounds like you need new shocks. Given the rough roads you've described, I'd probably reccomend keeping your stock springs and going with Bilstein HD's or the SLP revalved Bilsteins. If you are looking for a sporty firm ride, you should probably talk to Sam Strano. www.stranoparts.com as he is the authority on f-body suspension setups...

Bigger sway bars (especially front bar) will keep you more level in corners. They don't make a big difference in ride firmness... They help control body roll...

Good luck.

CrimsonNJ

I thought it was my strutts. I'm looking for a suspection built for confort or railroad tracks or bumpy roads, yet sporty on hard turns and twisty roads.

CheshireCat

If you are talking about the 98 z28, it does not have "struts". 4th generation Camaro's (93-02) use shocks on all four corners. Older 3rd gen camaros had struts up front and shocks in the rear. Both shocks and struts act as spring dampers and that is the function that is probably in need of repair.

There are plenty of threads that explain the difference if you do a search...

As for replacement shocks, based on your description of what you want the ride to feel like, I'd say you probably want to buy a set of Bilstein HD shocks or possibly the SLP revalved Bilstein shocks. These are not an all out race shock, but rather a good quality shock valved for stock spring rates and travel. They are better than original equipment...

A set of these shocks will cost you between $300 and $400... I think the Bilstein HD's are available from stranoparts.com for $329 plus shipping.

I'd also reccomend upgrading to a better front sway bar... 35mm is a good choice

96cam4ro

There's no way a 4th gen Camaro is going to be comfortable on railroad tracks - get a Mercedes for that purpose. I went with Tokico/Eibach, very stiff and doesn't get much rebound coming up from a dip but your kidneys will take a beating. Sad thing is the car doesn't make any improvement with just the springs and shocks, you need wider, lower profile tires on bigger wheels and that makes it even more rough.

Sam Strano

You can have a Camaro that rides pretty damn well, the trick is in the proper shocks, tires and pressures. I'm not sure what you expected for ride with Eibach's, which are not only 25%+ stiffer in the front but also have a lot less suspension travel as well. Tokico's, well you could have done worse, but also much better too.

In other words, I'm sure that you car is stiff, but you can't say that you aren't able to have a very good riding car, because you certainly can.

CrimsonNJ

So you guys wouldnt get Monroe MacPherson's? any disadvantage to them? What bushings, balljoints, tie rods and other frontend components should I replace? Mind you I had my car from 80k miles to 142k and I didn't replace any suspention components.

Bud M

Monroe MacPhersons? These cars have stock absorbers, not struts. Brands like Monroe are going to be stock replacement type units. On this board you will be steered toward higher performance parts. But even something like a Monroe will be an improvement over your old OEM shocks.
As far as things like ball joints and tie rods you should replace, that would be the worn out ones. No one can tell you that without looking at your car.

Sam Strano

Monroes are not good dampers. Aside from the fact they have lousy performance, they don't ride all that great (not bad). The issue is they are quite soft and tend to wear quickly. If the shocks are too soft, the springs are underdamped (like they are now). So, they'd be better, but that doesn't necessarily equate to good.

And if you look at the cost of a set of Bilstein's @ well under $400 delivered, there is no reason to go with an inferior damper. BTW, Monroe is a brand I carry as well... but we only use them on cars when there is no other choice (Some Buicks are like that).

CrimsonNJ

I ordered a set of Bilstein's and a complete set of bushings (1LE) for my control arms from Sam Today. 460 for everything shipped. Pretty good price considering I priced B&M for 500 + tax for just the shocks.

Sam just got himself a Loyal customer today. I was thinking of ordering some other parts, spending alot more money. He advised me to just try to install the parts I ordered and see how it works, since my car will radically improve going from 142,000 mile shocks (completely worn out) to Brand new aftermarkets