jmsurpri

I just purchased an 05 GT. I like it a lot, but the ride quality seems very stiff. I can feel every little pebble on the road, and when I go over small bumps, the car can really jar you.

It has the following modifications from the previous owner:
20" rims (255x35zr20 tires)
Steeda front upper/lower strut tower braces, rear shock tower brace, panhard bar, front and rear sway bars with graphite bushings, aluminum lower control arms, aluminum drop links, springs

I am planning on replacing the 20" rims with 18s. I'm also wondering if the springs are also contributing greatly to the ride quality. Are steeda springs stiffer than others? I like the ride height so I don't want to go back to stock. Is there anything else I could replace to smooth out the ride?

Thanks for any help
Jason

Simon1

New wheels and tires will make a big difference. The steeda springs are like any others. Your ride will be firmer than stock but not jarring with the 18's. Get a 40 series tire also, it should help. If the shocks haven't been replaced or you are still not happy with them, buy some adjustable Tokico D-Specs. You can soften them up for DD or firm them up for the track or whatever.

CrazyAl

BY FAR the biggest reason for your rough ride is the 20's. Sell your 20's and get 18s or 17s and that will make a huge difference.

Do you have the stock shocks? If so, they are a very poor match for lowering. A set of shocks designed for lowering will make a big difference. The D-Specs that Simon suggested are fantastic.

Something else to consider is do your have LCA relocation brackets? Lowering the car without them will make your rear suspension bumpy.

And I know you didn't mention this, but if you have the opportunity to get rid of the aftermarket front sway bar and put the stock one back on, that will reduce your bumpyness and improve your handling at the same time. The stock sway bar is extremely good. The aftermarket ones tend to be TOO stiff. (Leave your rear in, however. The rear one is an excellent upgrade)

jmsurpri

Thanks for the feedback! I believe the shocks are stock. I will look into the D-specs. Should I replace the struts as well?

Yes my rear suspension is very bumpy. If I go over a speed bump at > 5 mph, it feels like the the car is bouncing right off the road. It's almost painful. Will just the wheel change to 18" help this?

Anyone have a good recommendation for tires?

CrazyAl

Yes, replace the struts as well. They come as a kit with all four (front struts and rear shocks). People say "shocks" but we really mean a full set of shocks and struts.

jmsurpri

I'm reading up about the d-specs, and I see a lot of references to rear damper adjustments. Is this a separate part for the rear suspension that I should buy?

Simon1

The D-specs are adjustable. They come with a booklet that explains how to adjust them. It is very easy and takes just a few minutes to adjust all 4. No need buy anything extra for the adjustment mentioned above.

jmsurpri

Got it. Wasn't thinking straight. Thinking of struts, I assumed only the front shocks were replaced.
From what I can gather, in terms of order, it almost seems like I should do the shocks first and see how well that improves ride quality. If it can significantly improve bounce I may just keep the 20s (however those deep dish bullitts are looking really nice)

Since I'll be under there, are there any other parts I should replace? I read that camber adjustment plates should be added.

Simon1

Shocks will help it. Allthough I don't care for the looks or the ride of the 20's. The only other thing I would suggest, from the info provided by CrazyAl, is a LCA relocate bracket.

jmsurpri

OK so here's an update on my quest for better ride quality.

I first replaced the stock springs with Tokico's. That helped a lot, but still the ride was harsh. I found that 5.5 turns out up front, 6 out back gave an acceptable (although bouncy) ride quality.

Next I added the LCA relo brackets. Didn't really help ride quality, but helped keep the tires from spinning.

Yesterday I replaced the 20s with 18s. Unfortunately they didn't help as much as I thought they would. With the above settings on the Tokico, the 18s seemed even harsher than the 20s. I found that firming up the Tokico's smoothed it out well. I'm currently at 3 up front, 3.5 in the rear.Inotice that I don't feel every single pebble in the road anymore, but the more pronounced bumps in the road are still quite jarring. I'm going to play around with the Tokicos and see if I can find a good setting that'll smooth out the bigger bumps, but also give acceptable firmness.