I picked up my '87 T back in February. Now that I've got a few hundred miles on it, I've realized the ride is pretty sad. The car really sags in the back (I can lift it up 2" by myself), braking is lackluster with nose dive even under moderate braking, and handling is weak. There are no marks above those rear axle tube snubbers, but it still looks/feels really soft. I know the body bushings need to be replaced, but that's being tabled for now.
The day will come when I'll look into doing a full suspension/"handling" upgrade, but for now, I just want to make it better. So I'm not looking to dump thousands into it just yet. I'd like to stick with replacing the shocks and springs. Of course, if anything else is toasted when I'm having these changed, I'll obviously replace those parts as necessary.
From my days of motorcycling, I've always felt that progressive springs were the way to go. I've been doing some research here and on line, but it appears that any progressive springs for these cars is going to lower the ride height. I understand the concept of having a lower C of G to improve handling, but I'm not sure I want the ride any lower. Maybe I don't have a good basis of comparison from what it would normally be since it already sags in the back, but I definitely don't want to go any lower.
I think I'll probably go with Bilstein shocks on all 4. I know there are cheaper(and more expensive) brands, but I don't mind spending a couple bucks on the Bilsteins.
I'm not very mechanically inclined, so I appreciate any feedback or suggestions on what I "should or should not" do when replacing the springs and shocks.
Am I giving up that much by sticking with constant rate springs?
Is there a brand of progressive spring that won't drop the ride height (and won't break the bank)?
Again, keep in mind I'm basically looking for something to just get me by until the time comes that I address the suspension properly.
The day will come when I'll look into doing a full suspension/"handling" upgrade, but for now, I just want to make it better. So I'm not looking to dump thousands into it just yet. I'd like to stick with replacing the shocks and springs. Of course, if anything else is toasted when I'm having these changed, I'll obviously replace those parts as necessary.
From my days of motorcycling, I've always felt that progressive springs were the way to go. I've been doing some research here and on line, but it appears that any progressive springs for these cars is going to lower the ride height. I understand the concept of having a lower C of G to improve handling, but I'm not sure I want the ride any lower. Maybe I don't have a good basis of comparison from what it would normally be since it already sags in the back, but I definitely don't want to go any lower.
I think I'll probably go with Bilstein shocks on all 4. I know there are cheaper(and more expensive) brands, but I don't mind spending a couple bucks on the Bilsteins.
I'm not very mechanically inclined, so I appreciate any feedback or suggestions on what I "should or should not" do when replacing the springs and shocks.
Am I giving up that much by sticking with constant rate springs?
Is there a brand of progressive spring that won't drop the ride height (and won't break the bank)?
Again, keep in mind I'm basically looking for something to just get me by until the time comes that I address the suspension properly.
