Too rough a ride. Need advice.

[02roushstg3]

I have a 2002 Stage 3 Roush. The car has the full roush suspension. I drive the car daily and take it on the highway. At highway speeds over any bumps the car is a bit violent. It really shakes you up a bit. I dont see any adjustments on these shocks. (Blue Roush Shocks). Is the harsh ride caused by my springs (Blue Roush Springs) or shocks? Would adjustable shocks set on the softest setting help me out? Any suggestions on the type of shocks to use? I know the car pulls nearly 1g on the skidpad but I care more about straight line performance at the track and a softer ride than the twisties. Any advice would certainly be appreciated.

 

[GreekStang85]

i dont think it is your shocks it is most likely your springs, if you want to change your suspension i would recommened eibach pro kit springs with tokico 5-way adjustable shocks and struts. with those you will get 1.2-1.5 inch drop

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

yeah any time you lower the car, you're going to get a ride that's not as smooth as stock. A set of adjustable shocks set to the softest setting isn't going to make the ride less hard but will make it more refined if that makes any sense. There will be less up and down during bumpy roads. It will be much tighter but not a harsh tight. Hard to describe but a night and day difference between aftermarket shocks and stock ones.

 

[01GT eibach]

How much some softer shocks will help will depend on your springs. If you got some real hard-core racing-type fixed-rate springs, new shocks won't make as much a difference than if you had more street-oriented progressive-rate spring. Where your specific Roush springs fall in that range, I don't know. But I think your choice of 5-way Illuminas is the way to go to have the best of both worlds. My car currently has Bilsteins which is a fairly firm shock (similar to Illumina on 4). I love the Bilsteins but my car is part-timed with my wife who does not enjoy the firm ride quite the way I do. I will likely be replacing the Bilsteins with Illuminas to get the best of both worlds ... firm or soft when you want it to be.

 

[FastRedPonyCar]

Yeah the springs make a big difference on how it's going to ride. Even if several different springs give the same drop, the big difference in handeling is going to be what spring rate they're rated at.

Now, I'm not sure what spring rate roush uses but I would assume that if it's the full stage III, then it ain't got factory shocks and struts.

 

[02roushstg3]

Unfortunately Roush doesnt give you the spring rates. They probably want to keep them "secret". Here is the link to the suspension I have. http://www.roushparts.com/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=SM01-3K000-V8
Look how much they charge for this stuff. What a shame to take it off. The car came with this suspension. If I did go with different springs as well as the 5 way adjustable shocks, what would be a good rate for the street? I found a website that states the springs have a "linear" rate for best handling whatever that means. Thank you.

 

[01BlkGT]

I'd say look into chassis stiffening as well as other strut/shocks and springs. If you get full length subframes, STB, then the car should shake as violently b/c it will allow the suspension to do it job rather than the body of the car deflecting itself over the bumps. I'd say look into H&R progressive springs with Bilstein HD struts/shocks. Lot's of people claim a good, responsive ride quality. I've ridden in a car with this set up and I'd say it would be more than comfortable for day to day driving on crappy city roads.