Suspension upgrade recomendations needed

[Anton CH.]

Hi,
I really do not like how my car handles on turns. Too much body roll. What would be a good combination? After searching the archives I found that a lot of people recomend the 'Sachs' kit. Am I better off putting something custom combination or just getting the kit? Anything else I should change in there while I am going to be redoing the suspension?

[632 Regal]

you do not like how it handles? Its a BMW it handles well, you want a ricer suspension or what? There is a lot we can do with the E34s but how your slammin into it makes it had to point you into any direction. Perhaps your suspension is whacked... who knows without more info.

[Randell]

Hi,
I really do not like how my car handles on turns. Too much body roll. What would be a good combination? After searching the archives I found that a lot of people recomend the 'Sachs' kit. Am I better off putting something custom combination or just getting the kit? Anything else I should change in there while I am going to be redoing the suspension?

that's odd, i think my 5 is the best handling car i've ever driven, and i've driven a lot of cars... it's so perfectly balanced and predictable around corners, mild understeer on the way in and mild oversteer on the way out, you can't complain about that!

i'm running on 235/50 ZR18 tyres, with the suspension dropped an inch at the front, but that's the only difference from stock.. i wouldn't think there's a need for 'performance' suspension, but i guess if it was even better i wouldn't be unhappy!

[Anton CH.]

Well lets start thing first off with that the car handles great on the freeway on corners (feels very predictable), however, at slower speeds and big corners (30-40 mph) I really don't like the extra body roll. It makes the car feel uncomfortable and unsafe. I don't know if this explains enough. If you want some info on my car then it has 120k mi, 16 inch tires and all original suspension. I am definetly not looking for ricer suspension-our roads are terrible here.
Randell, what suspension did you do? How is the body roll?

[Randell]

I haven't got anything non-stock in mine, apart from 1" lower springs at the front (which might even negatively affect handling!)... the shocks are Pedders, which are basically identical to stock..

it depends what you're used to i guess, there's a particularly tight freeway onramp here, posted limit 40km/h, i usually take it at 65-70, and it feels tight and steady to me, but to some it might have more body roll than they'd like

if you're unhappy with it then i'd start with something cheap, like swaybars.. a few years ago a friend of mine had an AE92 corolla gti, and with the addition of a rear swaybar the handling characteristics changed completely, the terrible understeer disappeared and the car felt much more balanced and steady in corners (it was good for a FWD anyway)

[bimmerd00d]

I have the H&R Sports and Bilstein Sports. Never been happier, now if only i could get rid of the shimmy from my old bushings

[Tiger]

Sounds like your bushings for the rear suspension links are shot.

[Jon K]

Bilstein Sport / H&R sport here too... bruno subframe plates and 750i bushings in control arms... stiff as hell. stock sways, but i forsee RD Sways coming soon. The car handles NOTHING like stock.

[632 Regal]

maybe you need to inspect what you have right now, maybe your sway bar links are broken, shocks are blown, bushings are all shot... what are you comparing the body roll to? What tires/pressures are you running?

[Anton CH.]

Well I looked at the rubber bushings today, they looked crack free and soft. What should I look for?
How does Bilstein Sport / H&R sport package compare to Sachs in terms of price and performance?
I am running 215/R16 and the body roll is similar to an Accord. The front seems to have the most body roll. My friend's l30 feels much nicer over bumps and on corners-he has stock suspension but the car is newer.