Torroba

Inherent to our cars with the solid rear axle is that unsprung mass of energy that ends up bouncing up and down on less than perfect roads. Any way to minimize this; firm it up without it becoming to harsh? I'm not a racer, but like a responsive feel for back road driving without all the bobbing drama. Love the suspension on some BMWs as they are a nice mix of comfort and feedback, but of course they have an IRS. Any suggestions?

Sam Strano

That's not a solid axle problem, it's a crappy damping problem. You want better struts and shocks. You are lacking rebound control, period.

My recommendation for this is Koni Sport, which are $769.99 shipped. Lifetime warranty, but more importantly a lot more rebound control... and it's even adjustable so you can dial in more or less to suit. Side benefits of better rebound damping, slower roll and pitch rates (not less amount, but less "floppy").

Allupinya

You'll feel the affects going around turns in the SRA over bumps then anywhere else. If you're getting the "bouncy" affects just driving normally then it is a dampening problem. Koni yellows are by far the best option in this price range although I think you can find these for much less than 769 if you just google the part numbers.

Sam Strano

First of all, my Koni pricing is pretty good. Will I say without doubt that it's the cheapest? No. But then again, I think $769.99 shipped (in the US) isn't a bad deal, and it's only make that much better by the fact that I've owned multiple S197's. I've driven them daily, I've won multiple SCCA National Championships in them. I know the cars. I know how they work. I'm not some goober working hourly behind the parts store counter.

When the Koni's are on sale, they are significantly less, but that isn't the case now, and won't be for many months (if they opt to do the shock value sale again anyway).

And btw, it's damping, not dampening. We aren't making something wet. We are talking about damping motion.

UPRSharad

I can vouch for the Koni Yellows. I installed them on my 06 GT and my 11 GT. They made a world of difference. I felt like upgrading the control arms also made a huge improvement in stability and grip, as did the swaybar upgrade. But all of these upgrades will impact ride quality in some way. My car is fairly stiff, but the tradeoff in handling is more than worth it!

outceltj

I purchased my konis from Sam and they have been great. I was able to get them during the sale. Sam answered many of my newbie questions and I was pleased to have dealt threw him

Sam Strano

For me, dampers are where it's at. That's where I always start my builds because it's the most problematic thing for the most people. Wheelhop is for many, but lowering alone tends to kill a lot of that, so I don't jump right to control arms most of the time.

ModBargains

I totally agree, 100%. Also agree with the recommendation on Koni Yellow's, that's going to be your best bet OP

moosestang

Just get a pair of performance rear shocks. Just replacing the rear shocks will make a nice difference.

Not sure why everyone wants you to spend a fortune on adjustable. The bmw's you've drivin probably had performance shocks and struts from the factory. I'm willing to bet most people won't be able to tell much difference between a SRA and IRS, it's all in your head.

Sam Strano

That's quite a statement. In fact more than one.

Uh, well to be honest I'm looking at your sig and see a lot of things *I'd* not generally bother with myself. To each his own.

Why would I always recommend a known good adjustable damper to someone serious about making a car drive the way he wants? Because it's a huge help in that regard. Funny you say to just get rears. I guess Ford nailed the front and missed the rears? I don't recall the OP saying his floating isn't only from the rear. The front is the heavier end of the car, and the end more folks feel "roll" from. Dampers won't cut the roll amount, but they do slow the roll rate, enough that I get calls all the time from folks who put something like a Koni Sport on and tell me that the car "doesn't roll anymore".... well yeah it does, but that's how much change there is.

Sure he could do to something like a Koni STR.T which isn't adjustable. But I know from experience that those with Sports tend to run them firmer than not... and they have the choice to put them *where they like them best*. That's telling to me.