I am after a softer ride, plain and simple. Starting from base 1995 FE1 car. Ride is probably made worse as well by the 315/35/17 rear tires. Where I live in Pothole USA the ride is getting to me. Stock Bilsteins only have 43K and I have been on track and auto-ex with them for fun runs and they are great indeed but in real world the car gets upset and loses tire contact to easy and more importantly hurts whats left of my spine and these days I find myself mostly just wanting to cruise.

I read a ton of threads and came to the conclusion as usual in 400 threads everyone has an opinion.

I think I have narrowed down to Edelbrock IAS or single adjustable QA1.

And not that money is no object but let's put that aside for second and focus on objective. Does anyone have direct comparison experience on these?

 

I replaced my 70K mile Bilsteins with KYB's, and certainly got a more comfortable ride. Then again, my car never sees the track. I've got no regrets on the KYB's.
Save the Bilteins in case you ever want to put them back in for a track day.

 

Yeah I'll save the Bilsteins. I had about 40 minutes on Road America this year pushing pretty hard past 100 in straights and taking turns harder than I thought I could and the car suprised me how well it did. Unfortunately that is once a year at best, the rest of the time I drive on the surface of the moon.

Found a couple guys who like the AC "premium gas chagred" not to be confused with just "gas charged" ones. They actually read a lot like the edelborcks with a valve that changes dampening but cheap enough at $120 for four that not much lost to try them as well.

RoadResponse ™ Technology:
Helps respond to changing road conditions with motion-sensitive valving
Provides a more comfortable ride during normal driving conditions
O-Ring Piston Seal that does not allow oil blow-by, providing improved resistance and control
Custom tuned gas-charge optimizes vehicle comfort and performance
Electrostatic paint allows for excellent coverage and better corrosion resistance in hostile environments
Drawn Over Mandrel tubing reduces wear component wear internally for longer durability
Hardened chromed Piston Rod provides superb corrosion resistance and product life
Piston rod seal is permanently lubricated for greater durability
Validated to meet fit and function specifications

 

Any condition issues with the suspension rubber bushings?

 

No, car is pretty mint 45K car and I replace any warn items as necessary. But sure it is old and I am sure non of our bushings are as pliable as new of course but overall no issues. I stay on top of it pretty well.

The roads around Chicago here are the worst I have ever been on. It's terrible given how much we get soaked in taxes but that's a discussion for the politics forum.

 

Y'know, for the price of a full set of good shocks, you could probably buy a 20 year old Buick...
(Kidding!)

 

About the only way to go softer is to install the base 1996 springs and shocks. After that coil overs, but $$$ Since you do get the car out to play a little bit, I'd go the QA1 route. I have adjustable Koni's on mine and there is a clear difference between the settings.

 

Should you proceed with the QA1's, please keep us posted on the results. I'm thinking along the same lines as you and would look forward to your feedback.

 

Yet again, many are replacing old tired and worn out shocks with anything new and "love the ride".
So its difficult for one to find conclusive info to buy with.
My 86 has been re-shocked what, six times now looking for the best road and off road performance.

KYB's - Cheap, easy to find overall OK performance/ride. Anything over 65MPH and these do not respond well.
Koni's - (two sets Red & Yellow) My favorite for low and high speed performance/price. Not for soft tushies...
QA1's - Superior in every way except price. Ext adjustment is standard. Gonna need to reset for each condition.
Bilsteins - IMHO the best combination of comfort/performance/price.
OEM - Delco? or whatever. Horrible ride, shook, bounced. Oh sorry can't compare worn shocks to new....

 

Go back to standard size rear tires and lower your pressures as well. 30psi is good. The tires make a difference. My street tires Kumho ride better than my auto-x tires BFGoodrich.

Also, if you intend to do track days/auto-x your going to be at odds with smooth ride and good handling in a C4. Best compromise is FX3 which I love, FYI. Soft in touring, firm in Performance, nice balance in Sport.

95 had some of the softest springs. Only 96 is softer and not much.
No C4 (or most Corvettes for that matter) is going to ride Accord smooth.

Stay off the expressways, back country roads are typically smoother and have less potholes. At least that is my experience.

 

When I pay my tolls going around chicago, the tristate seems fine to me

This chart indicates there were two different "base" suspensions in 1995 ... http://vettenet.org/susp_chart.html

 

If your Bilsteins have 43k on them they are worn out.

That said, the ride is mostly about the springs not the shocks.

Check the codes on your springs. When I switched mine out I discovered that somebody had previously switched in harder springs. Or else the charts are wrong...

I have the IAS shocks and would not buy them again. Were much better than the worn out bilsteins when installed, but went downhill within a couple of years. In other words, same lifetime as bilsteins at much higher cost.

When I first moved here (SWPA) my vette was pretty much unusable on these roads. Switching to HA / RHZ springs made it usable again.

Softer springs + stiffer chassis (camber brace and cross-bar) = run circles around the kids with the harsh springs.

 

Ok, lots of good info to consider, I will circle back. Also interesting about the 2 different FE1 suspensions in 1995, I thought thre was only one. Is there a marking on the springs you'd find to figure out?

 

I bought 'other' Bilsteins and did not like them, and two sets of gas Monroes were garbage.

I am quite happy with a rebuild/revalve job by Bilstein to Challenge specs, tho cannot attest that they still do it.

 

Yes, there are three digit codes stamped into the springs.

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...ion-chart.html

The softest ride will come from 96 springs.

 

Any tricks or things to be aware for the R&R of the shocks. Looks straight forward to me but can't hurt to ask.

 

Nope, easy as pie, an hour each end, with the right tools, if you have air, that will move it along quicker. I used the AC/delco black shocks not the premiums. I got em from another online corvette vendor. I have owned a few vettes in my time, and I find that the rear shocks of the C4 are 80 percent of the car's ride, get them right, and you are good to go, the fronts are there and as long the spring is good, you will find less ride harshness up front, but the back ones, close to Your backside, is where all the difference is felt. I don't track or race my car, so there is no need for stiff Bilsteins, for my cruiser. But I would really talk to guys who do that, to see what their best advice would be. I would think someone has dialed in a good Spring, Shock, and control arm bushing combo, that will make you happy. Best, Derek

 

I want the softest ride with my '86 also, where did you get the AC/ delco shocks?

John

 

John, Those shocks can be found anywhere Buicks are sold.
I your not sure where to find a Buick dealer, ask my GrandMa

 

The shocks and springs work together. The purpose of the shocks is to ABSORB the sudden changes in your suspension.

If you just put in looser shocks the car will bounce more. For the extreme version of this situation, take all the shocks off and see how the car drives... ;-)

You need springs with a lower spring rate and the appropriate shocks to go with them.

There's a C4 suspension chart around the Internet somewhere... A good memory and a ton of good Safari bookmarks are my best friends:

http://corvetteactioncenter.com/tech/c4/susp_chart.html