clove86

I want the best option of suspension for my vette.
91' L98 coupe Bilstein shocks on it now.
I bought the car very used. It's been through a few hands.
I don't know how old the bilsteins are now. I can assume 27 years old. There car gets floaty at speeds 80-100.

I noticed good prices on rockauto. And several options.
Are the acdelco shocks junk? Kyb?
Bilstein are the most expensive but OEM I believe.
What are the general feelings on the different options?

I do not track. It's a weekend joy ride project

65Z01

My prior '88 came, at 96k miles, with KYBs; this '88, with 50k miles, came with Bilsteins.
The KYBs seemed ok as do the Bilsteins.

What inflation do you run in tires? I like 35psi cold for best road handling.

clove86

Yes 35psi
Forgot to mention the cat has 94k on it

hcbph

My 86 had the stock suspension on it. It has KYB shocks and the Banski rear suspension kit under it. It handles well and I'm pleased with the way it handles curves.

When you say the car gets floaty, what exactly is your perception of what's happening? if the car is lifting at speed, that's not a function of the shocks, rather the aerodynamics of the vehicle. If the car is lifting at that speed, first off that should only be on a track but IMO you want to hold it below that speed as it could become dangerous until the root cause is corrected.

C6_Racer_X

For a 1991 with unknown (possibly neglected) maintenance history, especially if it's feeling "floaty" or "shakey," I'd recommend a thorough inspection of all the ball joints, suspension bushings and all the steering components.

If you find worn parts, it's almost always better to replace everything that moves than it is to just make piece-meal replacement of the most worn parts. If you replace all the moving bits, it will drive and handle like a new car for a lot longer. If you replace the most worn out part(s), then it will still be a lot looser than new, and the looseness will lead to excessive wear of the new parts, too. You'll be chasing your tail and it never will get that "feels like a new car" handling and ride quality doing it piece meal.

Shocks are very high on the list of "wear parts" that should be inspected, tested and replaced if necessary.

And the parts for a total "suspension and steering rebuild" job aren't usually outrageous in price. If You're doing your own work for the replacement of parts, the labor you can't do yourself is mainly a good alignment when you've finished everything, plus maybe a couple of trips to a machine shop or mechanic with a press to get old parts pressed out and new ones pressed in. Labor cost for paying someone to do the entire job can be excessive, especially if they go by "flat rate book" for every piece (which is a total ripoff, because it's mostly the labor for the deepest part you replace, and just installing new parts as you put it back together).

clove86

I do appreciate all the guidance.
I am in the process of putting together suspension sets... bushings

What are the feelings on kyb? Are they as good as bilstein?
Anybody uses acdelco shocks? They are cheap

C6_Racer_X

Which AC Delco? They have so many "lines" it's hard to keep up. Advantage = cheap, Chineseum, usually trash.
Professional = low priced, usually comparable to middle-of-road aftermarket (in shocks, think Monroe, Gabriel)
"Original Equipment" where available is the good stuff, that's the same parts that were factory installed and/or available at dealer parts counters. On older models, these might be "obsolete" and NLA at $tealerships, and discounted while still available in the channel, but they usually go away soon after the dealerships show the originals as NLA.

There are other lines, but those are the main ones.

My experience with KYB is all on German and European cars. They start out OK for street driven equipment that never sees track time and never or rarely sees autocrossing. They don't last as long as OE shocks. Overally, they aren't bad if your funds are limited, and the KYBs can hold you over until you've saved up for the Bilsteins you really want.


If the factory installed Bilsteins, I replace with Bilsteins (even if someone has downgraded in between). I won't consider anything else, for example on a Mercedes Benz. I'd be hard pressed to consider anything less on a C4, but it's your car.

I'm sure there are other opinions, but that's my experience.

zachaeous

I bought a set of Gabriel OEM replacement gas shocks for my early C4. Price was great and they seem to be holding up well with a good ride.

I have used AC Delco and they seemed to hold up well.

JrRifleCoach

Coil over shocks are the best option if 2K$ is in your budget.
Then tires shocks springs and bars are your next best option.

A good set of Nitto NT5's are a "choice" dry/summer tire. Others will soon chime in with their experiences.

Shocks and bars are easy the change and reasonably priced.
When it comes to shocks, the Bilstiens are your answer. All the other 150 bucks for four deals are basically crap and will return you to that floaty feeling at speed. I believe that Bilstien has the best C4 sport valving. You could go to QA1's with adjustable valving, for a bit more $.

This chart will familiarize you with your current setup and other packages that might suite your style.
https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com...usp_chart.html

PatternDayTrader

I put the cheapest ac delco shocks money could buy on my 95 car and I love them. I don't think Bilstein's have enough rebound damping and it feels like being in a canoe on an ocean with white cap waves.

clove86

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+absorber,7556

Good prices

mtwoolford

I think your car is probably showing its age, as versus its mileage; assuming all original, I would suspect that most of the rubber in the various suspension bushings have deteriorated. The metal stuff like ball joints are probably serviceable. You don't have to do everything at once but it maybe time to inspect / replace the various bushings.

C6_Racer_X

I second the recommendation for RockAuto.com.

And if you put 8533508176743213 in the "How Did You Hear About Us?" box at the bottom of your shopping cart, it will save you 5%. That code is good through August 12, 2018. I try to keep a current RockAuto discount code on my profile page here.


I'll also share that I've experienced worn out Bilsteins that seem to wear out more on the rebound side than on the compression side, and it does make the car very "floaty" when that happens. The thing jacks itself up as you run over a rough surface, and it takes some time after you hit the smooth again for it to unjack itself.

clove86

clove86

Thx for the code.

It pretty much pays for shipping




On the other hand what is the best bushing kit I can get for the C4?

clove86

Anyone have experience with corvette central bushing kit?
What does it not have

rocco16

Bilsteins are the best value; better than KYB by an amount exceeding the increase in cost.
KYB's are better than AC Delco/Monroe/Gabriel/etc.
Best are QA1's and KONI, among the readily-available performance units.
They are also the most $$.

grandspt

I am extremely pleased with Ridetech shocks. Single adjustable.
I had issues with QA1 double adjustable shocks (fit in rear shocks needed spacers, bouncing, poor customer service) returned them and replaced them with the Ridetech's.
I can't express how much better my car handles now.

car addict

The most noticeable improvement in ride and handling with my car (96 coupe) was from replacing the tires. I didn't expect that. I have also replaced the shocks.

JrRifleCoach

Agreed.