CheshireCat

I've done a lot of searching on the subjects of shocks, sway bars, bushings, springs, subframe connectors etc...

I have a bone stock 94 Z28 convertible with 125,000 miles with all of the original suspension parts. I have noticed that the ride is very harsh and that the car tends to float and roll when rounding corners. I know that this is symptomatic of bad shocks.
I am looking for a setup that will give me a smooth, well controlled ride on the streets. The roads I drive aren't the best so I don't want to get springs that are going to be too firm. I've looked at a variety of options and have read many of the posts from Sam Strano. I currently have a set of "take off" DeCarbons sitting in my garage, but have been thinking about buying a set of Bilstien HD's and getting a ST 35mm solid front roll bar. I think I'd like to lower my car a bit, but fear that the reduced suspension travel and higher spring rates would work against my goal for the feel of the suspension.
What would you suggest for a suspension setup that would address my goal of a very smooth controlled ride for street driving?
Thanks
Steve

Ken S

call up Strano.. and then whatever he says.. He's a good guy and knows alot.

blackztpi

for shocks, you can't go wrong with kyb. many will suggest hal qa1's and others, but unless you're going to be doing some competition driving, you don't need to spend 500 bucks on shocks. you can get kyb's for a really good price and they will perform right up there with the best of them. I can give no advice on the swaybars.

Sam Strano

Steve,

Given what you posted (and I'd like to know more), I'd say that a set of HD's and a bigger front bar would suit you well. Whether you want to go with other shocks (more control, less float) or not, or options like hollow bars to save weight are thing I discuss with all people. On the face of it, yours is a pretty good plan.

KYB's are NOTHING compared to Bilstein's. I have them, and they are on my winter beater Celica. While they do Japanese stuff pretty well, presumably because they are OEM on a lot of them and have that information to work with, they lack more than a little on most other cars..... They are cheap, and if you have trashed shocks, certainly better than those. However there is a joke that while not all true has some validity. "Keep Ya Bouncin'..."
All you need do is look at what KYB GR-2's and Gas-A-Just cost vs. known quality like Bilstein's. They look at what their AGX line of adjustable shocks cost not only vs. knowns like Koni, but also vs. a quality non-adjustable Bilstein. What you find is the AGX is about the same price as the Bilstein HD. Knowing the quality of the part with the Bilstein, you have to wonder (I don't, but you might) how KYB is making an adjustable shock for so little. Then consider they are about twice as cheap as Koni adjustables. Just more of the same. Bilstein and Koni share top quality, but the Koni's cost more due to the more complex shock design (more parts and machining). So what is KYB skimping on? Short answer, a little of everything, but they miss pretty big on valving rates and durability. The number of KYB's and Tokico's I get back vs. Koni's or Bilstein's is amazing. A fair number of the former, hardly every of the latter.......

CheshireCat

I'm still in the budgeting/planning phase, so I don't want to bother Sam till I'm ready to buy... That being said, if he happens upon this thread and offers up an opinion at his convenience, I'd appreciate it...

Edit: obviously Sam posted while I was posting ... Thank you sir! I will take that under advisement and call you when I'm ready to put my setup together.

Steve

Chewbacca

Yes you can.

I assume you are giving such advice to this gentleman because you've tried a number of different shocks?

Listen to Sam. He knows a few things.

As for myself (an EXTREMELY satisfied Strano customer) and my experiences...

OEM takeoff DeCarbons were a waste of my time and money.

Strano Bilstein revalves were simply awesome with factory springs. The car handled way better and actually rode much smoother than with the new Decarbons. At the time this simply astounded me (Sam was just beginning my re-education process ).

I now have single adjustable Konis on all four corners. Although Sam told me at the very beginning that this was the way to go, I had doubts. I thought that I wouldn't be able to tell an expensive shock from a cheaper one. I thought there was no reason to spend such money and that I would have no need for such a shock.

After installing these SA Konis, I can only tell you three things for certain...

1) I was never more wrong in my life.
2) You get what you pay for.
3) The Konis are simply amazing to drive.

You wouldn't understand if you haven't tried 'em. Don't pretend for an instant that cheap shocks will do what these can.

CheshireCat

I'm going to talk to Sam some more about my goals. I'm not sure if I'm willing to go all the way ($$$) to Konis, but might be willing to step up to the Bilstien revalves... I really need to understand how much they will benefit me given the reality that my Z sees 0 track time. I have to figure out how much I'm willing to budget and where that budget will go. I also have to thoroughly inspect my suspension to determine if I need to replace any of the ball joints, tie rod ends, hubs, bushings, etc... to determine how much of my budget they will consume... I really want to plan the set up and do it all at once but at the same time, I don't want to spend 20% of the value of the car on high end suspensions parts...

Sam Strano

See, the "I don't go the track" attitude isn't really accurate. I'm not sure why (and you might not be doing this, but some do), but folks want handling. Well, handling is handling whether it be on a road course, an autox, or on the street. Sure, there are degrees of differences, but those are dealt with more in terms of different spring rates and ride heights.

The car when driven weighs a certain amount. That body movement, rolling, pitching and so on needs to be controlled well. That's how you get a stable platform, one that is confidence inspiring instead of scary. This is a HUGE reason why shocks are so important. They are what keeps the body movement in check. They have a huge effect on ride and over rougher surfaces traction too.

Feel free to call me, I certainly do not mind. I prefer when folks know why things work and for what reason they need things. I only mentioned this so that you realize that the suspension is just as "there" and at work on the street as it is anywhere else. Sure the parameters change, and that's where tuning comes in. But don't rule anything out at this time. Koni's are great street shocks, that are very capable on a track as well. We offer alternatives for those seeking them as well so you have lots of options. But picking from them requires information. Which requires a conversation.

CheshireCat

I appreciate the feedback Sam. I do understand that the technology and quality of dampers that are good for the track will also benefit me on the street... I'm just trying to determine if I can convince myself to increase my perceived budget and if so, how much it will cost me to get the quality ride that I'm looking for. I believe that new dampers and a stiffer swaybar are in my plans. After doing a lot of reading, I am curious about the Koni SA/Bilstein HD package that you sell... From several posts that I have read, using that package with my stock springs, I can get a high quality ride while lowering about a half inch or so and keeping the stock spring rate and most of the suspension travel. That sounds good in a lot of ways to me, but I haven't yet convinced myself to put $600 in shocks, $150 for a Sway bar, ?? bushings, ?? baljoints, etc... I'm also trying to decide if my money would be better spent on doing the LS1 brake upgrade. I know that it isn't a suspension improvement, but as much as it rains here in Florida, the added braking power could be really valuable.