Suspension advice for a daily driver

[Turbosix]

My 87 GN hardtop with 30,000 miles could use some tightening up in the suspension department. I have owned the car for 5 years. As far as I know the shocks and springs are original as is the rest of the car. I am getting new tires soon and wanted to go ahead and work on the suspension while I was at it.

The car is a daily driver, I'm not worried about 1/4 mile performance. I just want to firm up the ride considerably and take out the G body 15 year old suspension slop. I hope to have a car that feels solid and under control. Currently when going over bumps in the road it shakes, squeaks and rattles. When cornering there is major body roll. When going over speed bumps the car rebounds 2 or 3 times (underdamped suspension?). I would like a firm, not harsh ride for a daily driven car.

I would like to get good results without major cash outlay.

As far as I understand I need to start with a new set of body bushings, and a rear seat brace (kirbans?)
From there I was thinking of bilsteins and new springs (stock height or maybe up to 1 inch lower)

Will this do the trick? What other things are there to consider?
Any advice, opinions on current suspension set ups, links to good info pages etc would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[machinegun]

Well these were the things I did when my car was pretty much stock.

Bilstein shocks on all 4 corners. They are not cheap but well worth the money.

I replaced all the bushings both front and rear. Contact www.hrpartsnstuff.com for these. They have some excellent replacements that are not as harsh as enrgy suspension. Also well worth the outlay.

Last was to get a larger rear sway bar. This was very ehlpul in both daily and 1/4 mile performance. Although not needed on a daily driver you will be surprised how your car will handle.

Body bracing will go along way in helping. The rear seat kit is very helpful and will also be a great upgrade.

 

[strikeeagle]

Change the shocks 1st and see how things feel. You may be pleasantly surprised...

 

[azgn]

15 year old springs aren't doing you much good either....try shocks & bushings first...the big rear bar is a bit harsh for a street car

 

[tjthorson]

5660 Moogs, thermoplastic front sway bar bushings, body bushings, and KYBs all the way around. Cheap and it will drive like a slot car and still not be harsh over railroad tracks.

 

[Turbo Dog]

I have the 5660 Moogs in front, and Bilsteins. First I installed the Bilsteins at all four corners, and that firmed up the ride nicely. Then I wanted to drop the front end an inch, and installed the Moogs. The Moogs are a bit harsh for me. May go back to stock front springs.

 

[tc86gn]

I got a set of 4 for my GN from www.shox.com paid 205.00. I like them.
Tom

 

[Terbro]

Am I crazy?

...or did I read once that Bilstein makes two different shocks (one stiffer than the other)? I have Bilsteins up front and like them (major improvement over stock), but like a super stiff ride. I also have Eibach springs up front, but the car still bounces a couple times at freeway speeds as it trys to recover from bumps.

Terry

 

[Bens87tr]

Does Moog make a good stock replacement spring? I'm looking for a set that will be exactly like stock and not too stiff. I don't trust the parts stores computers, so if somebody has part #'s that would be good.

 

[Turbosix]

Thanks for the advice guys.

Couple of follow up questions.

-Is $205 the cheapest price to be found for Bilsteins?
-What is the part number for our cars?
-Is there more than one kind available in Bilsteins for the GN?

Can I get stiffer springs that ride at the exact same hight without cutting a coil off?
-How much are the MOOG spring?
-What about variable rate springs?

-What about replacing the front swaybar bushings?

Thanks