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Harsh ride, great in corners, need advice

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Phx 69 camaro

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
I have 2" hotchkiss lowering springs, 600# spring rate, monroe sensatracs,
1 1/8" swaybar, stock arms, sb, aluminum heads. The ride heighth is perfect, front fender lip center is 24" off the floor. I am running 17" rims.
Car corners great but is to harsh with bumps and small potholes. Looking
at the car tonight I only have 1/2" clearance with the bumpstops. Should
I remove bumpstops, really not much travel at all. Would QA-1 coilover
shock system work better? I would be willing to go up an 1". I'm looking
for a softer ride without changing stance, kinda seems like it's hard to
get there without the big hunt for the perfect coil. Rear needs to soften
up a little, I have 5 leaf 1.5" drop McCoys, again perfect height but to
harsh. Any ideas welcome. Thank's again
 
#2 ·
I almost hate to suggest this, cause it's expensive, but...

My setup is similar, except qa1 shocks instead of the monroes.

Big difference tho is friction. I got global west lower arms with del-a-lum bushings, and sc&c uppers with greased steel. There's zero resistance to movement in my uppers and not much more in the lowers.

If you have poly bushings now, or stock rubber, going to del-a-lums will make a huge difference in how the suspension deals with small bumps.

The bump stops aren't going to be the problem
 
#3 · (Edited)
What shocks do you have now ? It may just be a simple shock change. Sorry, I reread post and saw that you have monroe sensetracs. I have a very similar set up, only I have Monroe gas-matics. The ride is firm, but manageable.
 
owns 1969 Chevrolet Camaro
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#4 ·
Use the QA1 adjustable shock for over all control(most expensive), Hotchkis has there own tuned shocks made for the TVS set up(less expensive), KYB Gr-2 shocks (least expensive) I have used all 3 and any will improve your ride
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
Is it the 600# lb spring rate just to firm for a sb car? If I go QA1 should
I get the lighter spring? I think stock springs are 260, but not progressive to a 350 spring rate like the QA1? I won't be racing, just crusing. I have
a Gm zz383, pretty light front end.
 
#6 ·
if your not racing just get the KYB GR-2 shocks, cheap (about 25bucks each summit or any speed shop) and work well I run them daily to drive my 68 to the shop (freeway and city roads) and swap in my QA1's for track day
 
#8 ·
I would rate the sensatrac's better than a KYB. Hotchkis valved their Bilsteins to work with their springs. Sounds like you need to increase your travel, you can trim the bumpstops if you have clearance and the shocks won't bottom out internally. Watch your tire to wheelwell clearance too.

Stock coils are around 325 lbs/inch. I often recommend the Moog 6308 380lb coil for street use with a small block, assuming you won't be running autocrosses and that your tires are not huge.
Check on your A arm and sway bar friction if you are using poly bushings, they can add a lot of stiffness to the suspension movement.

I'd get the Hotchkis Bilsteins, try them, and if that combo doesn't ride good enough, try the Moog 6308's with the same shocks. The 6308 has a ride height at 14.75" fender to wheel center on our 68 Camaro. Would probably measure shorter on a 69 due to fender lip differences. 6320 is slightly taller with 380 rate. Both are Z/28 springs.
 
#9 ·
I have the Hotchkis drop springs and use Koni Classic adjustible shocks on the light setting on all 4 corners. The bump stops are not a problem as far as ride comfort goes, the only time I have hit the bump stops is hitting a speed bump going too fast.

I'd recomend using Koni's or the Hotchkis valved Bilsteins with your 2" drop springs
 
#12 ·
make sure your links for your sway bar are not too tight. i had mine tight enough so i could only rotate the spacer with force- too tight.
i backed them off so i could just start to turn them freely by hand. it made a huge difference in the ride but still handled well with a 1 1/8 way bar.
at the time that was with stock springs,stock control arms and monroe sensitrac shocks.
 
#13 ·
You can trim some rubber off the frame side of the sway bar bushing, or shim under the sway bar straps. I'd be afraid to run long with the bolts loose, the frame threads are shaky at best and known to strip, they are only 5/16" plus I have even heard of the frame tearing in that area. If the end links are too tight it can cause binding, especially on lowered cars where the bar ends are not level.
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
Thank's you guys for the help, this suspension stuff can drive you nuts.
I think thats where I'll go next is the front sway bar, maybe binding. I saw
a couple 69 camaros at Barrett Jackson today with same setup and they
only had a half inch between frame and bump stop. One just took the bumpstops off. You would think the suspension needs more travel than
1/2". Lot of camaros coming up for auction this week out here, seems
like more than usual.
 
#15 ·
Hey Bill - don't worry over the bump stops... I've put over 30k miles on my car with the Hotchkis springs and never had an issue and the new bump stops I installed with the springs are not even showing signs of wear... You'll need to be hitting some really big pot holes at speed or flying over speed bumps to cause problems and we typically don't do that in these types of cars.

If your sway bar is binding you'll most likely be hearing squeeking when you go over a bump. If that's the case do as David suggests and trim the flat side of the 2 bushings.

I'm really thinking your shock choice is the issue, I know you don't want to spend more if you just bought shock but I've never heard of or met anyone unhappy with the ride from Hotchkis drop springs if the installed Koni's or Bilsteins but a lot of folks are unhappy when using other shocks...
 
#18 ·
I have GW Stage-3 front/rear suspension package on my 68 with Koni adjustables on all four corners. I know it's not apples to apples as you have Hotchkis setup but I really do wish the Konis were a little softer. My ride is harsh, especially in the rear. I have the Konis set at softest setting. I think I'll eventually try the QA-1 12 way adjustables.
 
#19 ·
Not a track racer and was simply looking for a good compromise between handling and comfort for my '68 hi-po-cruiser and went with QA1 coilovers up fornt with the 12-way adjust shocks and a set of 12-way QA1s out back. All new polyurethane bushings, subframe connectors, polyurethand frame bushings, thick sway bar (the stock threads are a joke and do strip so do recommend putting a nut & large washer behind the sway bar mount bolts and use some grade-8 hrwr.) Anyway - I'm very happy with the ride and could't imagine being any better for my purposes. Love the height adjustability and have flexibility to fine tune the stiffness. Oh ya - Before instlling the coilovers I reinforeced the stock A-arms with varous gussets and also fabbed a plate to go over the stock shock mount to strenghten that area up. QA1 says not necessary to modify stock A-arms but I say do it if you don't want to spend extra dough on new tubular arms.
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
I'v heard it's a good idea to beef up the lower arms. A lot of good ideas so far from
everyone on this post. Will start trying them when all the rain clears out of Az. Took
my mind off the front end today and installed my vintage air system, great setup.
Sometimes when a part of your car frustrates you, it's better to leave it alone for
awhile. Thank's, Bill
 
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