Suspension Questions

[1984Rampage]

Since my car is a daily driver and I want it to be reliable Im not gonna modify the engine much further than I already have. So Ive decided to spend my money on suspension upgrades. Rght now my car has the stock 186,000 mile shelby charger suspension and I want to REALLY improve the cars handling.

Could you guys explain to me how larger swaybars work?

What does a strut tower brace do?

What suspension upgrades should I make?

Ive been thinking getting some polybushings are those a good choice?

Im really a noob to suspension upgrades and want this car to handle Great. So please help me decide on where I should go with it.

Thanks

[moparfwdsleeper]

Im still a noob on this stuff also, but this is how I have taken the things i've read and/or been told...

larger sway bar stiffen's up the lower area of the front by allowing less flex then a smaller bar. I have an 86 Aries bar on my 85 GLH... and the rear axle and crossmember has been reinforced by adding material to the stock setup.

Upper strut bar's stiffen up the upper area's of the suspension, making it hard for the body to flex during turns. They also have a bling factor to them lol. I have upper bars in the front and rear of the GLH...

Koni's are on my list when the MP AutoX struts need to be replaced in the future(hopefully far future). I like the idea of adjusting the tone that they bring to the suspension.

PB.com bushings would be a great upgrade and probably a good one to do first as they are cracked up and rotted.

My GLH is setup for autocrossing, handles like nothing i've been in and havnt been told anything different from the people who have been in it yet.

Koni's, Eibach's, Strut Bars(front and rear), PB.com bushing all around, bigger sway bar and I think you'd be happy with the handling improvements.

[1984Rampage]

Quote:

Upper strut bar's stiffen up the upper area's of the suspension, making it hard for the body to flex during turns. They also have a bling factor to them lol. I have upper bars in the front and rear of the GLH...

Do they make rear strut bars? Ive only seen the underhood strut tower bars.

Also which polybushings do I need? Everything that Johnny sells?

[1983Rampage]

There are rear strut bars, I am uncertain as to where they can be bought though, maybe fab one. But for the size, you would need to measure your sway bar and see how big it is.

Another idea you may want to look at as well is the brakes. One thing that Clayton's car has that helps it out is the brake upgrade which also helps his handling.

[moparfwdsleeper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1984Rampage Do they make rear strut bars? Ive only seen the underhood strut tower bars. Also which polybushings do I need? Everything that Johnny sells?

PM Blue85GLH he is who built the car I have now. He can tell you where the rear upper strut bar came from(I think it was once for the front). I can provide pics if need be

Im not sure as to what all your asking with the first question, on the second question though... Johnny has great products and I highly recommend them. It was a sad day when I saw his post about leaving TD.com as a vendor. Im looking forward to a future order have always had a great experience with him.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1983Rampage There are rear strut bars, I am uncertain as to where they can be bought though, maybe fab one. But for the size, you would need to measure your sway bar and see how big it is. Another idea you may want to look at as well is the brakes. One thing that Clayton's car has that helps it out is the brake upgrade which also helps his handling.

I almost forgot about the brakes lol

88 Caravan fronts, stock 220mm GLH rear drums! She stops pretty well too

[1983Rampage]

Quote:

88 Caravan fronts, stock 220mm GLH rear drums

The fronts are the only difference from what the Charger already has on it though. I would upgrade the to the Caravan front brakes, and then find a setup of rear vented or solid disc breaks. The vented is the highest you could go in terms of brake upgrade, but the solids are not bad though. But make sure you get the later years of the solid if that is what you end up doing, that way you can use the stock setup for the e-brake.

But you want to make sure you get the 24 mm master cylinder atleast if you use the caravan front brakes. Plus with the disc rear. But if you want a little bit more response, use a D150 master cylinder, which is in truth is about 27 mm. That is what Clayton's car has in it.

[moparfwdsleeper]

D100

[speeduphoria]

many people start with control arm bushings, as they can help with traction and wheel hop.

this page shows how swaybar/tires ect.. change the cars handling tips for better handling

[moparfwdsleeper]

I need to do my control arm bushings need to check on the condition of the rear too!

That link is a good tutorial

[speeduphoria]

Quote:

Originally Posted by moparfwdsleeper D100

I have a D100 on the Spirit and feels nice, stops like hell 2, if you dont have vented rears its prob overkill

[1983Rampage]

yah, sorry, I keep forgetting which numbers it is

[1984Rampage]

Do factory cars usually oversteer or understeer?

Also, whats a good brand of shocks and struts? I dont have the money for konis but I dont want some POS bottom dollar equipment.

And whats a good sprng choice to go with for an aggressive daily driver?

Thanks for the help, you guys are the best!

[1983Rampage]

I would go with KYB, that is what I am looking at putting those on my Rampage

[speeduphoria]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1984Rampage Do factory cars usually oversteer or understeer? Also, whats a good brand of shocks and struts? I dont have the money for konis but I dont want some POS bottom dollar equipment. And whats a good sprng choice to go with for an aggressive daily driver? Thanks for the help, you guys are the best!

Factory cars tend to understeer, since they dont want people that don't know how to drive losing control(back end sliding out). This is also a reason most tire shops, when just buying 2 new tires, will put the new tires on the rear to lessen the rear sliding out(liability with unexperienced/most drivers)

Eibachs are great for daily driver and then some, but many complain that w/o Koni's they are harsh(due to shock/strut dampening limitations), basically the other available shocks/struts don't cope well(especially now that only the stiffer Eibachs are availalble). I'dont know what's available for leaf springs if you talking rampage.

[1984Rampage]

Im talking about my shelby charger. The rampage in my screen name is my project car. But for my charger whats a good spring rate and where can I get these springs?