Full Roller Suspension Vs Coil Overs

horse sence said:

if you have play in the steering it is most likly the idler arm or a loose box.
the box can be tightened at the top with the stud and nut

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sometimes the box can be tightened up. if not then it needs to be rebuilt.

The coil over systems I've seen do not keep the spring perch, but the rod end of the coil over shock acts like a spherical bearing.

People that have used OpenTrackers or SoT's roller spring perches do not indicate the ride is harsher than with standard rubber bushed perches. some indicate the ride is smoother after the change. According to some of the information I've read, the Ford spring perch in the 60's was originally designed with a brass bushing, but was changed to a rubber bushing for cost reductions.

I vacillate back and forth over the two paths (modern coil over vs. roller perches, etc...) and keep hoping someone with a well set up roller perch setup, switches to the SoT setup and gives a good before and after review. In the end I'll probably go with the roller perches, since I can upgrade components one at a time.

rbohm said:

why not do both? all a coil over system is, is a kit that allows the coil springs to be mounted directly on the shocks themselves, and there are coil over shocks available for the stock mustang suspension. the rollers only indicate the use of spherical bearings at movement points. understand that when you do that though, you will have greater ride harshness due to the lack of compliance in the bearings compared to rubber bushings.

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these days yes, swapping to the roller perch may improve ride quality on some cars because the old perches were bound up and not moving. but if you were to compare the original equipment rubber bushed spring perches that were operation properly with the roller spring perch, you would notice a difference in ride quality, the rubber bushed perches being the better riding ones.

The rubber bushed perch in "new" form also has binding because of what it is and the fact it can't rotate w/the shock and spring travel. So, I suspect in many driving situations the ride is not rougher with a roller perch. One consideration to this contradictory situation (one would think rubber is a better damping tool that a roller bearing) is that the shock is now moving more freely and the whole suspension can do its job better. I'll never know for sure though because I'll never have an "as new" suspension with rubber perches that I swap to roller perches.

rbohm said:

these days yes, swapping to the roller perch may improve ride quality on some cars because the old perches were bound up and not moving. but if you were to compare the original equipment rubber bushed spring perches that were operation properly with the roller spring perch, you would notice a difference in ride quality, the rubber bushed perches being the better riding ones.

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