Handling Mods

[Mr. Land Yacht]

So, what can I do to Magna to get it to handle a little stiffer?
make it take turns tighter and so forth...

Springs?
Shocks?
Lower it an inch or 2?

I was thinking of getting some 15x8s for my summer wheels with some 235/60/15 or so tires.

I have air shocks ion the back, are those good or not?

I also have a 1" rear sway bar I have yet to put on..just been lazy getting the bolts for it.

any ideas?

[LTDMan83]

Definitely get that Rear Sway Bar on there, not only will it keep the ass firmly planted, it will also increase your traction during cornering dramatically.

[Dave84]

Lowering the car as well as small stuff like bushings, tie rod ends, sway bar end links, etc...

[Nathan in MI]

http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=4073

[torquelover]

235-60-15 is too short. And get all '98 PI springs/shocks.

[DuceAnAHalf]

235-60-15 is too short. And get all '98 PI springs/shocks.

for just about the same money or a little more you can upgrade to aftermarket race parts.

[gadget73]

16" wheels instead of a 15" will help some too, less sidewall with the same overall diameter tire. The standard stuff in the faq also helps a lot, the sway bars, replacement shocks if yours are old, etc. A front end overhaul if yours is all virginal also does wonders for the general driving experience.

[Archangel]

what they all said - new poly bushings, new ball joints, my front springs, Afco 1020s, wagon front bar and PI rear, 245/60-15s on 15x8s.

[P72Ford]

I made a few minor changes, and got mine to handle decent for a 4000 lb brick.

I swapped out the rear springs for Wagon straight rates. The ride height is just OK; I'm not a huge, huge fan of the rake. I used F150 Monroe reflex rear shocks. I'm not sure if they are quality or not, but they have done well thus far. I switched the front shocks to Afco 1020's, and did the ball joints about 18 months ago. The front shocks are very nice, and I don't find them too stiff. They are good for spririted driving. I believe my front springs are 700 lb/in from the factory (P72 police)?

I also have the police UCA's, with maintained solid upper bushings (greased every oil change). No deflection there. The lowers are probably dead though. I'm thinking of going with new, higher rate front springs, maybe poly lower bushings, and new ball joints (because I know the boots will get wrecked when I take the old springs out).

When I have the rear out, I might as well go with poly bushings back there too.

Maybe next year I'll try and lower it, and roll the fender lip (and more than likely destroy it...) and put more aggressive springs in the back. More power first...

Also, right now I have 225 70 15 tires on it. It does well. Not sure how the 275 60 15's will do (on the rear). But, the new springs gave me some clearance for those...

[murphmobile2]

PI swaybars, poly sway bar link bushings for the front, and some KYB's from Advance Auto.

[88Vic]

Aren't variable rate springs good for handling, since they get stiffer as they compress?

[85crownHPP]

235/60/15 will be fine on the front, might look funny on the rear if its raised up any though. I ran those on mine no prob...

70 profile tires are like jello. Lower profiles = less sidewall flex... the 225/50/17 I have on the 85 barley give at all... and wont look too short once the front is lowered a tad.

[over2tonsofFun]

I am running 215/60-15s on the TC. will be looking into other handling mods soon.

Tim

[Mr. Land Yacht]

thanx for all the info mangs.

I tell ya, TireRack sure has a limited selection in 245/60-15s.

but this is just something I am thinking about...may/may not happen this year..but maybe.

First thing to take care of this year is De Rust.
Second is the cracking Vinyl top.
then maybe suspension.
and whenever I get the money for it, the WR AOD buildup....but that can wait.

[Mr. Land Yacht]

question mangs...if I did get say 15x8 wheels and 245/60/15 tires, would I likely have any issues with the tires rubbing the wheel wells on turns?