phil0618

Hoping my esteemed Rennlisters can point me in the right direction.

I've just acquired a beautiful 1994 Guards Red 968. The previous owners really cared for the car and some of them decided to make some serious upgrades including;

BW Motorsports 18 " Turbo look alike wheels 10" in back, 8" in front
Pirelli Pzero Assimetrico's 265/40's in back and 225 somethings in front
Koni Yellow's all around
Eibach 200 springs
Weltmesiter sways front and rear

Here is rub. The car is really a bit too stiff/aggresive for me as a daily driver and I'd like to "detune" the suspension somewhat or at least tune it to a softer ride.

My questions is/are where should I start this project and where would I get the most impact in terms of taking out some of the stiffness/harshness?

Springs - go back to OEM?
Adjusting shocks to softer settings?
Higher profile tires/smaller rims?
Different tires? (Pzero Neros seem to get high marks and are all weather too)

I love the rims so I'd rather not lose them although I'd consider something similar in a different size with higher profile tires

I have changed the front shocks to their softest settings, but have no idea about the rear settings.

I suspect the suspension is lowered, but not completely certain.

Also are there other pieces of the suspension that simply age and contribute to a harsher feel over time? Bushings? Stops? etc that I might look to replace?

I've read numerous posts that indicate that "mismatches" can occur in the suspension - in particular between shocks and springs, so advice in this area also appreciated. For instance if the Koni's are a bad choice with the stock springs that would be nice to know.

I know that I'll be considered a wimp by some, but that's ok. I marvell at the car when I'm in the twisties on a smooth road, but sadly those roads are fewer and farther between than I'd like...

Thanks in advance,

Phil

Geo

OK, a few things here.

First, check the tire pressures. I've found that most people over inflate low profile tires. They shouldn't need much more than the factory recommendation for the stock wheels/tires if any. I've run my super low profile tires at factory recommended pressures (for other cars) and never had a ride problem that some people report with low profile tires. I'm convinced a lot of ride problems are due to this.

You've set the front damping rates, but you have to be careful front to rear. It's possible to set them up so the car kind of seesaws over bumps. My G20 did that when I first put on the coilovers. A little playing with the adjustments took care of a lot of it.

To suggest much more I think a little more description of what the care is doing that you don't like is in order. Is the ride bouncy? Does it "crash" over bumps? High speed? Low speed? Large bumps? Small bumps? I rather doubt that front spring rate is too harsh. I'd be more concerned about being lowered too much and either bottoming the suspension or coilbinding. You didn't say if you have coilovers and those are the only ones I'd really worry about coilbinding (just as harsh as bottoming).

Bad bushings could give you a harsh ride, but long before that I'd expect you'd have really really sloppy handling.

Swaybars should not affect ride if they are installed properly. Jack up the car and disconnect the end links. Make sure the bar rotates pretty freely. If it's really bound up it's adding to spring rate. If the bar rotates freely, next I would connect one side of the bar (end links) and leave the other free. Put the car back on the ground and adjust the end links so there is no pre-load on the bar.

Without a more detailed description of what you don't like about the ride, this is the best I can offer.