Suspension suggestions to reduce body roll?

[ootdega]

Yet another thread by me. I'm trying to gather as much information as I can so I can plan ahead.

So, I have considerable and uncomfortable body roll through just about any turn. Taking the turn off the highway at 15 mph feels like I'm taking it at 35. So I'm looking for options to reduce that and improve handling.

I've already had the rear air suspension system replaced entirely, since...it just kinda fell apart. The replacement shocks were $20 each on clearance from Amazon. Work fine.

I've heard about Energy Suspension bushings, and those seem like a good idea. I don't think I want sway bars, since that would impact my terrain capabilities, from what I understand.

The thing had sat in a garage for a long-ass time before I got it, so anything needing replaced is more likely due to dry-rot or rust than abuse or wear.

So what else can I do?

[sly]

the body mount bushings may also need replacing... this is an expensive (if you have someone else do it) and definitely time consuming job.

other than that... adding the beefier Addco sway bars front and rear will help loads. The energy suspension bushings help with reducing suspension jitter and tighten up control arm locating which helps with driving precision and road handling but won't reduce sway much at all.

one quick check is the sway bar links... if they are shot, the car will sway pretty easily. You can get a set of energy suspension end link bushings at most parts stores for less than $15. I put those on my 88 and it helped loads, but then my end link bushings were almost completely gone and it all had a good inch of play on both sides... so it was a great improvement. I still need to replace the bushings on the bar cause those are about shot now too.

[Piece-it pete]

My experience, going to cargo coils in the back helped keep the cars flatter on say freeway ramps. X2 on the sway bars too.

Pete

[ootdega]

the body mount bushings may also need replacing... this is an expensive (if you have someone else do it) and definitely time consuming job.

other than that... adding the beefier Addco sway bars front and rear will help loads. The energy suspension bushings help with reducing suspension jitter and tighten up control arm locating which helps with driving precision and road handling but won't reduce sway much at all.

one quick check is the sway bar links... if they are shot, the car will sway pretty easily. You can get a set of energy suspension end link bushings at most parts stores for less than $15. I put those on my 88 and it helped loads, but then my end link bushings were almost completely gone and it all had a good inch of play on both sides... so it was a great improvement. I still need to replace the bushings on the bar cause those are about shot now too.

Holy shit those sway bars are expensive...

About how much would the body bushings cost to be replaced? There's no way in hell I could do that myself.

And, wouldn't sway bars make it more difficult to manage uneven terrain?

[Mr Bean]

Addcos is a single best mod you can do to eliminate body roll.

[ootdega]

Addcos is a single best mod you can do to eliminate body roll.

Well if that's the case then it'll be pretty much necessary to ensure future drivability.

I'm still wondering how it'll affect handling in harsh terrain though. The thing obviously isn't going to go rock-climbing, but a lot of the roads around here are...less than ideal. And if I find myself in Buttfuck, Nowhere I need to know what I can and can't do.

[L1011tristar17]

Start with sway bar bushings and endlinks on the sway bar that's already on your car. That would be a big improvement right there. My car may not be a sports car, but it handles the country roads pretty well.

[sly]

Holy shit those sway bars are expensive...

About how much would the body bushings cost to be replaced? There's no way in hell I could do that myself.

And, wouldn't sway bars make it more difficult to manage uneven terrain?

Expensive because time consuming. at least $1000 at any shop.

with sway bars, the more better you make your car turn flat, the more worse it handles uneven terrain. that is the trade-off without going to very expensive or active suspension (also expensive).

Start with sway bar bushings and endlinks on the sway bar that's already on your car. That would be a big improvement right there. My car may not be a sports car, but it handles the country roads pretty well.

+1 This is the least expensive way to help using what's already on the car.

[slack]

...adding another +1 to checking the existing end links and front sway bar bushings. If those are toast, the car is going to roll on turns. Also new end links and sway bar bushings are cheap to replace if they do end up being shot.

[gadget73]

Add a rear bar if you don't have one. The lack of one in the back makes things pretty leany.

No big problem with stock bars on crap roads. The biggest ones may cause problems, but likely more because they amplify other suspension problems. Worn control arm bushings make things extremely unstable on bad roads. The back end especially floats and jives badly on uneven road. The rear axle location is crappy at best, but with bad bushings its pretty much non-existant.


The body mount bushings don't actually make it handle that bad. It makes noises, it makes things feel generally loose, and your fenders might dance and shake but it doesn't really affect how much the body rolls. My bushings were badly shot. I could change the space between the frame and the inside of the fender a good inch depending which direction the last hard turn was in. The fenders danced when driving down the road, and the headlights had a visible quake to them. If you had your finger up at the top of the door, it would get pinched if you hit a pothole due to things moving and shaking when they should not have. The car still didn't have significant body roll though. The body bushings were the last ones replaced. The car felt tighter and more solid, but I wouldn't so much say it handled better afterward. It just felt a bit more predictable.

And yes, they would be expensive to pay to do. Its not actually terribly difficult, its just very messy and time consuming.

[ootdega]

In that case the body bushings are fine. I don't have any of that.

My main problems are I feel like ragdoll physics were enabled whenever I make a turn faster than 8 mph and the dips in street corners make the body shake a lot more than it used to. I have no problems turning whatsoever, it's just not very fun. I also feel bumps and railroads more than I used to.

So I'm guessing I should get a stock rear sway bar, and replace the control arms and their bushings.

[ootdega]

If I were to replace the control arms, what should I look for when shopping for replacements?

And where do you think I might find a compatible bar?

Google isn't being very helpful.

[slack]

Looks like we're in the same boat. My car is a rattle roll mess on uneven road as well..

I plan on keeping all the current arms but swapping all the bushings to energy suspension poly bushings. I know you can get at least brand new lower front control arms from rockauto.com but I've already replaced my balljoints with some moog replacements. ES bushiings are going in before Sept.... hopefully it will fix my ride issue. Might be something to consider for you as well. New arms besides the front lowers are hard to find.

[ootdega]

It doesn't rattle, it's just whenever I turn it swings like a news van and when I turn into street dips it shakes like a metronome. It didn't used to do that.

I'll probably replace the bushings with new rubber ones, since I've read that the poly pushings are uncomfortable at best. Might put them on the bar when I can get one.

One of the reasons I liked this car is because of how well it handled things like this before. Now, not so much. Driving over railroads used to barely be noticable, and now there's a rather harsh THUDTHUD over them.

[dmccaig]

Dear Panthers, I live at the end of a 12 mile dirt road and though it's really set up for interstate cruising at sheepdog trials, I routinely take my 89 wagon across hayfields and up very rough farm lanes where the only other vehicles are snorty diesel 4wds. Swaybars front and rear. Poly bushings and good shocks were the next best improvement. (Turned out one of my coil springs was busted too.) New body mounts made it feel a little solider on tight turns but since the body's got to lift off the frame for that repair, leave it until last - if ever.

Donald