Rear suspension advice

My new bird rides alot rougher than my other one. Even little cracks in the road are more noticable. Bumps in the road feel like potholes. I swapped out the PRCs for a set of new non-adjustables and it feels the same. So is this a bushing or spring problem? Any advice would be appreciated!

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Nick Johnson
88'TC- Blackie
87'TC- Getting a fresh shortblock + header + intercooler...Woohoo!!
88'TC- Distributor gear sitting in the oil pan in pieces
"Educating Columbus, Ohio about the Turbocoupe; One stoplight at a time"

It could be anything, but my first guess would be to ask "What size tires are you running?" If you are running low profiles, they it will have a harder ride than the stock 225/60 - 16's. You could have stiffer springs if the car was lowered? There's not too much to the rear suspension that would account for the stiff ride.

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Tony Sceia -

HIS - Red 88 TC, Med Red with Raven Leather & every option, Walbro 255, 3" SS Downpipe with Magnaflow Dual SS 2.5 Cat Back system, 3-core Radiator, Star Stage 3 Clutch, Rebuilt T-5 Tranny, 4:10 rear, 140 MPH Speedo, New Paint, Headlights, Refinished Snowflakes & New Tires.

HERS - Blue 87 TC, fully loaded with every option, Gilies Valve, K & N Filter, 3-core Radiator...just needs a little body work & a new paint job.

87 TC - Bought as a Parts Car, & will remain a parts car now that I found the blue one.

I've changed tires and its still bad. I was looking at the springs just now and they look to be newer. There is a tag on one but I can't see what it says because I can't crawl around the parking lot here at work in my nice clothes [Image: wink.gif] . One thing I notice about the spring, the coils seem more collapsed at the top then at the bottom. Would that indicate something?
Thanks!

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Nick Johnson
88'TC- Blackie
87'TC- Getting a fresh shortblock + header + intercooler...Woohoo!!
88'TC- Distributor gear sitting in the oil pan in pieces
"Educating Columbus, Ohio about the Turbocoupe; One stoplight at a time"

That would indicate progressive rate springs. In other words, the more they compress the stiffer they get. If the previous owner went to the trouble of installing new springs, they may have also installed polyurethane bushings. That will significantly increase your "road feel" (and improve handling). Check your upper and lower control arm bushings to see if they are still soft (OEM) rubber or a hard plastic.

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87 TC, T-5 swap, billet quadrant / adj. cable, solid state IVR, fog light relay mod, PST suspension, KYB-AGX fronts, Gas-A-Just rears, K&N cone, billet alum BCV, med. red, 90's wing, polished snowflakes and centers, 195K+ Mi's., daily driver, feeding on ricers!

I was checking out the underside of the car when I had my tires put on. The bushings are definately the original rubber. Would the progressive rate springs cause the bone jarring ride?

Just going out on a limb, but if the previous owner put mustang springs in that don't have enough strength, would that cause this?

[This message has been edited by ILoveMyTC (edited 11-04-2004).]

Progressive rate springs by themselves are not necessarly harsh(er) If they are really higher rated than the car calls for then they would be harsher than stock.

If the springs are lower rated than what the car need, it would bottom out more easily.

I'm gonna try swapping in some OEM springs and see what that does for me.

If they have a black METALIC powdercoating/thick paint they could be eibach springs. It's hard to tell unless you clean them well and shine a light directly on them.

What make shocks did you put in?
If they are a 50/50 rate compression/rebound they will be harsh.
Look for shocks with a 30/70 rate. Much smoother.
Springs control compression, shocks should control rebound only.
For a smooth daily driver.