DriveV8Faster

So I just picked up a nice 92 6 speed and I'm looking at what kind of tweaks I can make to the suspension to make the car feel more planted on the road. Aside from changing out the complete springs themselves what would you guys recommend? Would lowering be a good start to make the car tighter/not as floaty on bumps?

Nowhere Man

are the shocks wore out? standard suspension or

carguy604

First Mod - Find a suitable R-D Racing Camber Brace to remove the flex (and shake) out of the front end. R-D Racing is out of business so you'll need to find someone on here who's selling one. There are versions for the L-98 engines and the LT-X engines, get the correct one.
Second Mod - Find either an R-D Racing Cross Brace or the OEM Chevrolet cross brace from a C4 roadster (they never came on coupes). The cross brace goes under the car and ties the left front to the right rear and vice-versa. It helps to stiffen the car.
Third Mod - Lower the car.

Done in this order you'll get the biggest bang for your buck.

hcbph

Replace if needed then look at: https://www.banskimotorsports.com/

carguy604

Sorry, I was presuming that the shocks were already dealt with. In a car this age, you need to ensure that the shocks and all the bushings are good, first. THEN you can begin doing the mods that I listed. These guys are correct - start with normal wear items like shocks and bushings, first!

DriveV8Faster

The car is a base model and I believe it might be the original shocks on the car so yea they might be pretty worn. What are the best shocks out there for c4's nowadays?

Edv92c4

81c3

Its probably a matter of choice and opinion..... but I swapped some new Bilsteins on a couple of my C4's and it was a huge improvement. Ive also used KYB & Konis on my Z28's in the past.... they were also great improvements over stock.

3JsVette

Check the date code on the tires. Old tires need to be replaced. Then you can decide how sticky of a tire you want to go with.

FAUEE

Shocks, tires, swaybars, springs, braces (crossbrace, harness bar, etc). In that order.

Figure out your budget and plan ahead, so you get the right combination of parts for your purpose.

Lowering will do nothing good for you in terms of handling. It's purely cosmetic.

DriveV8Faster

Thanks for the replies. I guess the shocks are toast, can't believe I didn't realize that earlier. Looks like I'll be ordering a set of bilstein sports!

TorchTarga94

rfn026

I would avoid the RD brace. It's heavy and it resides pretty high up. Lots of weight high up is not a good idea.

Shocks are normally a final tuning device. If you have the the yellow Bilsteins you can get them rebuilt. I actually bought four in a salvage yard and had Bilstein rebuild them. Here's the Bilstein site.



Check your front sway bar for ease of movement. Disconnect the end links and see if you can rotate the bar. A lot of times rust build up at the clamp.

Avoid all the poly bushings. They're basically a waste of money because they won't hold up. I know.


Vette Brakes Poly Bushing

Springs are a huge deal and you don't need the Challenge springs for the street.

Tires will be the single greatest improvement you can make to the handling of the C4. Tires and a good alignment will make your feel like Superman.

Richard Newton
C4 Rear Suspension

Edv92c4

I agree with Richard...with the original tires my car went sideways easily and got rubber in second gear (auto @ WOT). Put on Michelin PS2's and have to really try if I want to spin tires or go sideways...it just launches... good to hear about the shock rebuilding...some others have mentioned this too...my car is a little bouncy in the back so I'm sure the 25yo shocks need it. BTW Richard...other than keeping the originality what do you find is the advantage of rebuilding the Bilsteins over complete replacement with new units?

rocco16

Can't go wrong with Bilstein, but I replaced my Bilsteins with Koni at about 60K. Car is much more planted with the Koni.
Since I lived in the town where Bilstein is located when I did this, I talked to them about rebuilding the Bilsteins. It would cost as much to rebuild them as it would to buy new ones from shox.com.

This ^^.
And not just swaybar bushings; ALL rubber bushings in the suspension, including control arm bushings and even tie rod ends and steering rack mounts.

QCVette

I went to that site and it looks like the rebuild is expensive. I bought new Bilsteins (Z51 version) for about half that price. In addition there is a note stating lead times are about 12 weeks.

Why would you want to have them rebuilt instead of getting new ones?

For the OP's original question, I agree with some of the others that 1st it to make sure the suspension is good. Either confirm the parts are good or replace the bushings, tie rod ends, ball joints, etc.

If all are good, then tires make a big difference.

Shocks can be a big improvement, but if yours are good, there may not be as much improvement. If they are bad, then the improvement is huge. The problem is that shock performance can go away gradually so it is difficult to tell how good or bad they are until they are completely gone. In practice, I usually replace shocks with a good shock like the Bilstein Z51 unless I know the shocks are new or nearly new and I have been pleased with the results.

After those changes, I like to do sway bars and then springs last. However, depending on the purpose of the car, many times these are not needed since the our cars when in good shape with good tires and shocks are pretty good handling cars.

Good luck.

MrJoelieC

Pass me some of that... Here let's have a beer and see how this goes cause I'm wondering the same... LOL

aklim

Many people are swayed by the "low dollar out today" and don't ask about the cost tomorrow. 10 year old FX3 shocks on my car. I called to tell them one was leaking. Later on, called again to ask if they can check the other one out. They sent me 2 new ones. Rebuild is 90 day warranty, IIRC.

Can they be gotten from Shox.com or Eshocks.com? Those seem to have the lowest price. VBP isn't too bad either. I would check all 3 and buy from the lowest bidder.

QCVette

So is the rebuild better for tomorrow than new ones?

aklim

Here is my issue. Rebuild or custom valve is considered "modified" and warranty is 90 days. So if you get stock configuration (you can get custom valve if you have a need) and in a few years time, something happens, and it probably will, you have some sort of a recourse. With rebuilt, you have 90 days. If you are keeping the car, I'd go with new. If it is being sold in a year or two, WGAS. Get whatever is cheapest since it will break OUT OF YOUR HANDS.