How To; Change ride height and ride quality?

[ck1984]

I have 84 cutlass supreme brougham that came with 14s from factory. When i got it this spring it had old camaro wheels 15s, with whitewalls and good tread but old cracked cuz it was stored 4 yrs.
So i hummed n hawed about getting 16s or 17s, not wanting to affect ride quality, which with 15s , was good, it just floated over broken pavement and washboards despite leaking shocks that were probly completely blown.[ this was also when the old SBC was still in there, probly 100 lbs more than current LS]

I ended up geting a set of aluminum 17s, a plus 3 upgrade. they look great but it did affect ride big time especially with 42 psi in tire[max is 49]
i lowered the psi to 34 and that helped but still not great like b4. How low can a guy go on inflation?

next i put in factory replacement shocks. that too helped a little but still not as good as before.

the car sits about an inch higher in back, which i would like to level out.

So whats best course of action to lower rear 1 inch and maybe improve ride quality?

i considered coil overs but at nearly $900 cdn for a pair of rear coil overs , its a bit much

Ive also heard old A body springs will swap right in but no exact details about ride quality and ride lowering or spring rates, which cars to look for...

 

[64nailhead]

B6 Bilsteins all the way around. They aren't as cheap as budget shocks, but not coilover price - they will be a GIANT improvement. If you want ride, then lower spring rate, if you want handling then higher spring rate.

 

[403Olds]

I'll agree with the Bilstein's, just put them on my car this spring. What rims did you go with? Do you know what springs are on your car now? If they are stock, they have probably sagged, so any suggestions might give you the results that you want. 5409 and 5413 Moog are common rear spring replacements.

 

[565bbchevy]

I went from 15 to 17 rims on my Regal and even though I had new gas KYB rears and Gabriel fronts they had a much harsher ride with the bigger tires so I tried the
Bilsteins and they made a big difference.

 

[Rt Jam]

It depends what you mean by ride quality. Smooth ride comes from many things. Tall sidewalls, separate body from frame, low spring rates and soft shock valving. This all equals terrible handling. So bad, today it's considered unsafe. That is why even the most mundane low performance car from 2021 will handle better than a base model G body.

You made one change from a tall sidewall to a low profile. Sure the small cracks in the road will feel harsher but you still have all the other things.

I have a 02 Silverado 1500HD. The HD comes with very high rate springs. Even with the frame separated to the body by rubber, the tall sidewalls. Since the tire are tall, they are super strong and I have a terrible ride.

I feel like your only option, especially if you want to lower the rear if find a lower spring rate, (that will be hard) that is also shorter. This will come at a cost of handling, nose dive and control.

 

[scoti]

Ride 'quality' is subjective.....
One guy might love the way his car rides where another might feel it's too harsh/too soft (there's an a$$ for every seat). Suggestions will likely be biased toward what that person likes so it's something to keep in mind. I suggest seeking out other forum members in your area & get together. Riding in someone else's car where you like the ride quality can help dial in what parts you need/want to target.

As far as ride height....
While some do, not all lowering springs increase the actual spring rate so a 1" drop coil in the rear can help w/ride height since you want to level it out. The issue w/drop springs is the amount of drop is measured vs. a 'stock/known' height. A 1" drop (from a new dropped coil) can possibly yield no change vs. a stock coil spring that's been on the road/under a car for >30yrs while offering 1" drop vs a brand new stock-height replacement spring. This needs to be factored into the decision making if going this route.

Tires & shock manufacturing....
Different tires (of the same size) can have sidewall stiffness variance. The same size tire from 2 different manufacturers can yield 2 different compliance rates (a 275/40-17 Pilot Super Sport from Michelin can ride better vs. one from BFG). More options will yield more possible variances.

Similar thing w/shocks. Not all 'direct replacement' shocks are equal. The same 'type' of shock (E.G. generic gas shock) from 2 different manufacturers can yield 2 vastly different valving rates. Those valve rates impact the ride quality.

ck1984, I just wanted to add this info so that as you're navigating possibilities it can help you make better decisions.