Smoother Highway Ride for Coilover Conversion

[dhutton]

Originally Posted by piratebaseball

I could be wrong, but did you go with Art Morrison front clip and IRS rear suspension? How does it compare to the ridetech ride? I've got the coilover system and 4 link, but it is the older style from back around 2008. Not really pleased with the ride quality of it.

I built two Camaros. A 69 vert for my wife with full Ridetech and a 69 coupe with Art Morrison IRS and front subframe. Difference was night and day. The AME car is the nicest riding first gen Camaro I have been in by a wide margin. The Ridetech ride was harsh and we sold the car because of it after trying several spring rates. Even had Brett drive the car after doing all the things he recommended. Biggest issue was any discontinuity in the pavement.

It’s a shame the Art Morrison IRS is so expensive because it could be a real game changer imho.

Don

[SSLance]

Originally Posted by NOVA

I have the Ridetech Coilover Conversion W/TQ Shocks,W/Truturn on A 72 Nova, its all original Ridetech components/shocks etc. that came with the Kit, nothing has been changed, I have tried some adjusting on the shocks, it does not seem to really do that much, kit has been on the car for about 3 years now, I think it is the latest/current generation, but not positive on that.

You say above you have TQ shocks but mention rebound valving only later. Do you have remote reservoirs on the shocks and if so, the 2 knobs on them adjust compression valving which can really affect ride quality.

[NOVA]

Originally Posted by SSLance

You say above you have TQ shocks but mention rebound valving only later. Do you have remote reservoirs on the shocks and if so, the 2 knobs on them adjust compression valving which can really affect ride quality.

Their HQ not TQ - Thanks

[SSLance]

I'm assuming you have coilovers front and rear because you talk about pushing on the rear bumper. Can you tell if the harshness is coming from the front or the rear?

I would suggest the following to see if it helps before start to change out any parts. Soften rebound up fully, knob all the way counter clockwise on all 4 shocks and lower the air pressure in the tires some. If at 32 psi, lower down to 28.

Then test drive over a road you are familiar with and see if it makes a difference. If it's still harsh, to you...try to determine if it's coming from the front or the rear. Do you feel it in the seat or the steering wheel?

I've found everyone's ride expectations and sensations are different as are different cars as well, the nice thing is this setup is very tunable to your taste and preferences...you just have to decide which way you want to go.

[randy]

I didn’t realize the ride quality difference in my ridetech coilovers till I switched my rears to jri and had Jj valve them at ultimate performance. I wish I would have went with the jri from the beginning

[NOVA]

Originally Posted by randy

I didn’t realize the ride quality difference in my ridetech coilovers till I switched my rears to jri and had Jj valve them at ultimate performance. I wish I would have went with the jri from the beginning

This is Interesting ..... glad it made a noticeable difference in your case, how did it change, do you feel it took the harshness out of the ride or ?

[Mad_Monte_Carlo]

If the president of Ridetech is telling me the adjustments don't really work due to the high spring rate, it would lead me to believe it would be time to try a lighter spring rate.

[dhutton]

Originally Posted by Mad_Monte_Carlo

If the president of Ridetech is telling me the adjustments don't really work due to the high spring rate, it would lead me to believe it would be time to try a lighter spring rate.

Bit of a misunderstanding. There is no compression damping adjustment because they are monotube shocks and high spring rates aren’t affected by adjustable compression damping is what I was told.

Don

[randy]

Originally Posted by NOVA

This is Interesting ..... glad it made a noticeable difference in your case, how did it change, do you feel it took the harshness out of the ride or ?

Yes. When hitting a bump it was just smoother instead of instant Jolt. I also felt my rear suspension gripped better on the autocross track as well coming around a turn. Now understand my car is very low and for a simple coilover change I felt a huge difference. I prob have 5-8k miles on my new setup.

[NOVA]

Originally Posted by randy

Yes. When hitting a bump it was just smoother instead of instant Jolt. I also felt my rear suspension gripped better on the autocross track as well coming around a turn. Now understand my car is very low and for a simple coilover change I felt a huge difference. I prob have 5-8k miles on my new setup.

it is encouraging to know the JRI change and/or the re valving made a large difference for the rear, encouraging to hear smoother.

Question, did you do anything with the fronts as far as changing or re valving or are they still the original Ridetech that came with the coilover kit ?