Sooo... comfort is really the main thing that I'm looking for right now. I managed to get some money off the guy that hit me finally. Budget it around $1000-$1500 or so. Not planning on dropping the car anytime soon either.

The ride quality in my car right now is WAYY too rough.. I avoid taking anyone in my car now because everyone complains about it. I think maybe the shocks are blown or something, but does anyone have any suggestions on what I might be able to get to replace my old stock shocks and struts?

 

Do you have stock wheels on?

 

Nope. I've got a set of Varrstoen ES2 18s

 

If you find out your shocks do not need replacement, the issue will be your tire/wheel selection. Remount the stock 17's or 18's with the highest profile (fattest) michelin touring tire you can find. The tire should have with as narrow tread as possible on those wheels (215's?). Use the tire guides to determine which setup won't mess up your speedometer or VDC. If that fails and you still don't have it comfortable enough, look into an aftermarket shock, have a professional install it and have him explain to you what all the dampening adjustments do (post what you find, I don't know about these things) or buy a lexus.

 

Bilstein PSS-9's are supposed to be excellent coilovers for comfort. I had Impul Ohlins but they will be more pricey and a bit more of a sporty feel. Both will lower your car but not an insane amount. Or you can upgrade to better shocks. Also you may want to check all your bushings, make sure they're in great condition. You can also upgrade them for Energy Suspension or Whiteline bushings.

 

I agree that once you hit aftermarket wheels, you will no longer have the comfort level as when you first bought the car.

I would make sure you have good alignment, check your compression rod/control arm bushings, replace shocks with at minimum Tokico HP Blues, and last case scenario, switch back to your stock wheels.

 

hmmm.. Thanks for the replies! But the thing is it was never this bad before when I did get my new wheels and tires awhile back. It actually felt smoother after the change. Running on Hankook V12s right now. I was looking in some coilovers too and Bilstein PSS-9 was one that I was considering. Either that or BC coils?

I changed out the LCA bushings with Whiteline and my compression rod bushings i've had SPLs in. The SPL bushings make the ride harsh over small bumps, but it was never this bad until recently. Also changed out that spindle ball joint bushing maybe 3 months ago or so.

Those should be all the major ones right? My car got hit on the right side, but not too bad. Do you think that could of had an effect on anything? I'll have to get a new door and a new panel and have my sideskirt repaired. The middle support pillar got dented a little bit because of the door, but that seems minor. Have yet to get an alignment, but wanted to get that after I get coilovers or shocks. Would prefer coilovers incase I get an urge to lower my car later down the road.

 

The other thing is that if your aftermarket wheels have any offset other than stock, you run the risk of wearing out your wheel bearings and putting stress on your hubs. This will overtime deteriorate your suspension quality, which is what you might be experiencing. You might also want to try to replace the front hubs/bearings (As a set) and then just the rear bearings. That will also improve your ride quality.

Edit: I would also check that SPL bushing... my understanding is that they can come loose and make clunking noises, etc. I would stick with Whiteline if you are going to switch out.

 

I'll jack up the car and check everything out, but I hope that's not the case lol. I just replaced the front bearings not long ago though and that did make my car a good amount smoother. One of the bushings was leaking pretty badly and the other was right about to go out.

I'll check the bushings too plus clean and lube them up again. I regret buying those


Did alot more reading and searching and really leaning toward those Bilstein PSS-9s, but not sure of a vendor that sells them on here and they are pretty pricey

 

Since you're running 18" wheels/tires regardless if they're aftermarket wheels or not they should be comfortable. Shocks, I ran Bilsteins on SLICK and my wife's Vette, that's not a comfortable setup & they're expensive. You could buy Tokico Blues, they're very close to what your sedan came with and should be a comfortable ride. You don't need to spend a lot to get what you want....Gary

 

Thanks for the info on the Bilsteins and I looked into the Blues and H-tech combination, but i'd have to drop the car a bit and that would require me to get a camber kit too.

 

^ no, you don't need camber kit. anything below 1" doesn't necessarily require camber kit. and h-tech i believe only gives you .6/.7" drop

 

Well said!

 

For a coupe it's a .6/.7 drop I've got a sedan though and it says the drop would be 1.4" for the front. Also that's not always true.