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On Christmas night my father (unexpectedly) passed, and I inherited his baby; a 95 coupe. My mother and I said he stared at it more then drove it, it only has 46,000 miles. For the last 25 years, he has made me promise I would take care of after he was gone, which I now will. I love it as much as he did, It is in excellent condition but being 25 years old I have changed all the belts, hoses, fluids, filters, etc. I am also going to put on new shocks and tires, which is where I need the help.
I am not young anymore, and racing is long in my past. I am looking for the most comfortable ride and fuel economy. Can anyone suggest options for tires and shocks (struts?). I am not looking to break the bank but am willing to spend moderately for quality (and comfort). Any and all comments welcome and thanks for having me on here!
I'm sorry to hear you lost your dad. It's good that you'll be keeping his baby in the family, and taking care of it.
You'll get a lot of varying opinions about tires. I'll be looking into the same question soon myself. Regarding the shocks, are the originals bad? If they aren't leaking, or otherwise misbehaving, consider leaving them alone. The brake hoses should probably be a higher priority, if they're original.
My condolences about your father. As for tires, I got a set of Nitto nt555 tires about a year ago. Reasonably priced, comfortable, quiet... great tires.
My condolences about your father. As for tires, I got a set of Nitto nt555 tires about a year ago. Reasonably priced, comfortable, quiet... great tires.
I'm sorry to hear you lost your dad. It's good that you'll be keeping his baby in the family, and taking care of it.
You'll get a lot of varying opinions about tires. I'll be looking into the same question soon myself. Regarding the shocks, are the originals bad? If they aren't leaking, or otherwise misbehaving, consider leaving them alone. The brake hoses should probably be a higher priority, if they're original.
Live well,
SJW
Thank you, As for the shocks, I didn’t see any leaks and they all pass the bounce test, but being 25 years old I am worried about the seals(?). Also, if there is a set that will give me a better ride, I’m very interested. This will be a Sunday driver.
Sorry about your dad. But I'm sure he is glad you are taking care of the car. It looks great, and bright aqua metallic is a beautiful color. @SJW pretty much nailed it.
Thanks for the replies, I understand (this could be a stupid question) that I can put a thinner tire on? Like a 255? Is that correct? I’ll take the extra MPG over high-speed performance. Like I said, my racing and show-off days are behind me.
I use continental tires on my cars...they are basically the same price as the popular nitto 555's but provide me a better (smoother) ride. I enjoy driving my cars, I care very little about how fast i can go, I'm just a cruiser like you. I'd stay in the 25.7" to 25.94" outside diameter range so you don't mess with your speedo much.
I've been running BFG G-Force tires and for a cruiser they have worked out fine. Same thing on shocks, I put on KYB's and they've also worked out fine for me.
I agree on replacing the brake lines, in fact I'd suggest looking into stainless steel braided lines. I'd also check out the brake pads. I've seen some get hard over time and reduce their braking ability. Sounds like you've got a handle on most everything else.
I'm sure your Dad is smiling that you're taking care of his baby. He'll likely have the biggest grin on his face when you take her out for a spin, after all it's a beautiful car.
Take care of her and she'll take care of you.
I've been running BFG G-Force tires and for a cruiser they have worked out fine. Same thing on shocks, I put on KYB's and they've also worked out fine for me.
I agree on replacing the brake lines, in fact I'd suggest looking into stainless steel braided lines. I'd also check out the brake pads. I've seen some get hard over time and reduce their braking ability. Sounds like you've got a handle on most everything else.
I'm sure your Dad is smiling that you're taking care of his baby. He'll likely have the biggest grin on his face when you take her out for a spin, after all it's a beautiful car.
Take care of her and she'll take care of you.
I should have mentioned, replaced the brake linings. The lines look good, but will keep in mind about the options. Thanks again
I use continental tires on my cars...they are basically the same price as the popular nitto 555's but provide me a better (smoother) ride. I enjoy driving my cars, I care very little about how fast i can go, I'm just a cruiser like you. I'd stay in the 25.7" to 25.94" outside diameter range so you don't mess with your speedo much.
I think all of this is excellent advice.
Originally Posted by Woolis
I understand (this could be a stupid question) that I can put a thinner tire on? Like a 255? Is that correct? I’ll take the extra MPG over high-speed performance. Like I said, my racing and show-off days are behind me.
The short answer is that you could, but you won't get any noticeable gains in mpg from it. However, there may be another important reason to step down 10mm in section width both front and rear: tire selection. This depends on whether your car has the "staggered" 8.5"/9.5" wheel set that came standard on base 95 C4s, or the Z07/Z51 handling option wheel set that was 9.5" front and rear. If the former, the original tire sizes were 255/45r17 front and 285/40r17 rear. Those are a bit taller and "balloonier" than the 275/40r17 that came with the Z07/Z51 handling packages. They ride a little softer and "tramline" (follow grooves) less than the 275s. For your purposes, they are probably the better size, but there are few choices in tires in those sizes nowadays. You could step down to 245/45r17 and 275/40r17 and get better handling and (IMO) better appearance with a lot more choices in tires. However, the Continental ExtremeContact Sport does come in the OE 255 and 285 sizes, and it's a great tire for everything but snow. It has good ride quality, exceptional dry grip, and it may be the fastest rain tire on the market today. For you, I'd go with that tire. If your car has the handling package with 9.5" wheels and 275/40r17 tires front and rear, I'd stick with that size but still go with the Continentals.
In shocks, my experience is that spending a little more for Koni Sports (yellow) or Ridetech HQ can get you better ride quality than cheap shocks or Bilsteins. Both are adjustable for rebound damping, and when set on the lower end of their range they both provide a surprisingly good ride.
Last edited by MatthewMiller; Apr 27, 2019 at 11:47 AM.
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