Hi folks. OK; I drive about 60km's per day of which probably 45 of them are on back country roads between Cranbourne and Hastings VIC (Tyabb - Tooradin Road is the worst).

The car jumps all over the place and I see cars ahead of me doing the same. It's hard doing 100kmh simply because we're bouncing from bump to bump in the road. As well as wanting to swoop round trucks, tractors, horse floats etc. On a decent road (like the Monash etc) or at 50-60kmh, it's all good. But on these roads...

Novice at suspension (novice at a lot of car things really - I build and maintain networks for a crust - but want to learn). I was thinking of going to a suspension place and asking but don't want to get ripped off. :doubt: So, what I am after is some advice on how I get get a better, more stable ride, that's not too uncomfortable on me (and sometimes the family).

TF Magna Exec. Factory suspension. Did replace the shock absorbers or whatever in September 2006 (cost me about $1100 all up but there was a service in there as well). Don't mind spending some dollars, I intend to keep this car for as long as she goes (love my Magna). Rear sway bar maybe to tighten her up? Stronger springs?

Thanks for reading, and would appreciate any suggestions or directions to head in.

Regards, Tony

Do you want to lower it at all? SLightly lowering it gives you a lower centre of gravity and therefor better handeling.

Your shocks should be ok considering they are onyl 2 years old.

If you dont want to lower it at all then my first thing would be a rear sway bar.

A rear sway bar does wonders to stiffen up the rear in terms of less body roll.

If that isnt enough then maybe a better shock, more of a sporty one will help get rid of that wollowing feeling.

if you lower it, you will get a firmer ride, therefore you will feel the bumps more too. The only thing i could suggest is to run a rear sway bar, and a fatter front sway bar which will cancel some of the rolling in the turns and shouldnt affect ride comfort.

A fatter front sway bar? You mean there's one there now (sorry - never looked!).

A sway bar is something I can fit, or should a pro fit?

Familywagon; not adverse to lowering.


Regards, Tony

A fatter front sway bar? You mean there's one there now (sorry - never looked!).

A sway bar is something I can fit, or should a pro fit?

Familywagon; not adverse to lowering.


Regards, Tony

Rear Swaybar you can fit yourself its easy enough with a Rattle gun and some elbow grease the front one requires to lift the motor 2 inches or so to remove the old one and put new one in. (yes there is a factory one) also if you are replacing the front one be sure to buy a fresh set of links as the whiteline swaybars dont come with them (front anyays).

I reckon if it's jumping around it will be shocks first, then springs. Op does say bad country roads. Sway bars sure help body roll, and make it steer sharper, but will magnify the problem if it is something else.
Age of shocks doesn't matter, how many k's have they done? King springs at standard height and a decent set of new shocks might be all you need.
Tyre quality, condition and pressure needs considering too.

best bang for buck handling item i ever bought was a whiteline strut brace. if keeping the car flat when swerving/cornering is what you're looking for, strut brace + lowering the car = :D

i've pretty much done every suspension mod to the magna that you can find... strut brace, tried 2 different sets of springs (King Superlows & Pedders), Whiteline HD adjustable rear sway bar, and finally coilovers. obviously the coilovers made the biggest difference, but in terms of value for money, the strut brace is the clear winner.

from memory (and this is about 4 years ago) whiteline strut braces are $165.... i think (or maybe it was $220). but i highly recommend lowering the car at the same time to get the most out of it.

*edit*
Just read OP and if bumpy roads are the issue, then what i've suggested will probably make it worse.... sorry. i reckon a decent matched spring/shock combo will make things more comfortable, but at the end of the day, its individual preference. what may be perfectly fine for me, could be bone jarringly stiff for you.

Shocks are 16,000 kms old. When the oil change is done in 2 weeks, mechanic and me will find a rough bit of road to try out.

I'm wondering if all I really need is a better seat.

Regards, Tony

TWW,

having had std and lowered setups in a few vehicles,Ill go against the grain and say you need to softern the ride up instead of any of the other mods which will stiffen the ride,this is based on the idea the car is very "busy" or jittery over the bad set of roads ATM,stiffer will thump harder over bumps and send more shock into the cabin and certainly make the ride more jittery,softer tyre pressures etc will allow it to float over the imperfections but will sacrifice a little in handling,id try lowering tyre pressures to the minimum on the placard and see how it goes for starters

Steve

Now that's interesting. I generally set my tire pressures at 36psi - but that's based on me driving hostorically on decent flat roads all the time. Thanks for this suggestion, I'll drop all 4 back to 32psi for a week to try it.

Regards, Tony

Im not so sure, I used to always think that stiffer meant more uncomfortable. I find the suspension in my dads Mazda6 pretty stiff compared to your average car, but sometimes, after my stock Verada, I found the ride quite relaxing. After a while I realised, there are 2 things that affect comfort.

One is all the little jiggles and jarring, which is usually from stiff suspension, and the car always seems busy, though you dont really notice many big bumps. In my car however, I found it was very bouncy and floatly, and the car was moving for a long time after a bump, whereas the stiffer car you got a quick bump and it was over with. I think soft suspension and especially poor shocks cause this.

I think on fast coutry roads, its probably likely that it bounces and wallows over bumps. I dont know if you will get much benefit because your shocks are pretty new, but maybe slightly stiffer and lower springs, with some KYB shocks will keep the car more controlled, with the expense of feeling more of the irregularities of the road.

Ollie

I used to have a TF wagon. I set it up with Koni red dampers with 3/4 of a turn on the front and half a turn on the rear. Left the std springs in and ran 195/60/15's at 32 psi front 30 rear. Ended up with a very very supple ride (springs) whcih was well controlled on bump and rebound (the Koni's). Did not fit a stabiliser bar. And fitting one will do nothing to help the car ride bumps in a straight line, which I believe was your original enquiry. More cotrol on bump and rebound valvng is what you are looking for...

^ that's what I was about to recommend - Konis.

Great - thanks! Anyone you recommend in Melbourne to fit them? Guess I know where my tax refund is going this year. :)

Regards, Tony

This is the place I use.

http://www.centrelinesuspension.com.au/