Restoring Ride Quality on Older Cars

[mda]

Hello,

Just wondering what suspension parts should be checked when we want to restore car ride quality to be like new:

1. Shock Absorbers - Front & Rear
2. Shock Mounting - Front & Rear
3. Stabilizer Links - Front & Rear
4. Control Arms (upper/lower, if applicable) - Front & Rear
5. Tie Rods/Rack Ends - Front & Rear
6. Engine/Transmission Mounting

Anything I missed?

Thanks!

[dr. d]

Hello,

Just wondering what suspension parts should be checked when we want to restore car ride quality to be like new:

1. Shock Absorbers - Front & Rear
2. Shock Mounting - Front & Rear
3. Stabilizer Links - Front & Rear
4. Control Arms (upper/lower, if applicable) - Front & Rear
5. Tie Rods/Rack Ends - Front & Rear
6. Engine/Transmission Mounting

Anything I missed?

Thanks!

the tires! not all tires give the same ride quality.

[mda]

the tires! not all tires give the same ride quality.

Indeed, thanks for this. Noticed this din when changing to other brands.

1. Shock Absorbers - Front & Rear
2. Shock Mounting - Front & Rear
3. Stabilizer Links - Front & Rear
4. Control Arms (upper/lower, if applicable) - Front & Rear
5. Tie Rods/Rack Ends - Front & Rear
6. Engine/Transmission Mounting
7. Tires

Anything else? Making a checklist lang. Lumuluma na mga kotse namin haha.

[jaypee10]

Indeed, thanks for this. Noticed this din when changing to other brands.

1. Shock Absorbers - Front & Rear
2. Shock Mounting - Front & Rear
3. Stabilizer Links - Front & Rear
4. Control Arms (upper/lower, if applicable) - Front & Rear
5. Tie Rods/Rack Ends - Front & Rear
6. Engine/Transmission Mounting
7. Tires

Anything else? Making a checklist lang. Lumuluma na mga kotse namin haha.

ball joints.
wheel bearing.
velocity.or cv joint
swing arm, trailing arm

[StockEngine]

ball joints.
wheel bearing.
velocity.or cv joint
swing arm, trailing arm

Stabilizer body mount bushing.

[lowslowbenz]

If you can replace the shock absorbers with the same brand as OEM, the better.

[Lew_Alcindor]

Indeed, thanks for this. Noticed this din when changing to other brands.

1. Shock Absorbers - Front & Rear
2. Shock Mounting - Front & Rear
3. Stabilizer Links - Front & Rear
4. Control Arms (upper/lower, if applicable) - Front & Rear
5. Tie Rods/Rack Ends - Front & Rear
6. Engine/Transmission Mounting
7. Tires

Anything else? Making a checklist lang. Lumuluma na mga kotse namin haha.

tie rods/rack ends are for steering right?

check all the bushings. replace with good quality parts.

[crosswind]

engine support?

[mda]

ball joints.
wheel bearing.
velocity.or cv joint
swing arm, trailing arm

Stabilizer body mount bushing.

Thanks for this. Checking these out as well.

If you can replace the shock absorbers with the same brand as OEM, the better.

Oonga eh, made the mistake of replacing the FD liquid type shocks with KYB gas type shocks. Layo ng ride quality, went back to OEM.

Doon sa Camry naman, the KYB ones work very well.

tie rods/rack ends are for steering right?

check all the bushings. replace with good quality parts.

engine support?

Yeah the tie rods, rack ends and engine/tranny mounts are not necessarily suspension related pero sinama ko na rin, as these may(?) introduce unecessary vibration in the car?

Hehe

[dr. d]

i remember years ago...
a car aficionado once remarked, "when you restore an old car (he was refering to VWs).. whatever else you do.. no matter how much money you pour into the project.. she will still feel like driving an old car!"
yeah, you can restore the car... but only up to the level of technology that designed that car.. no more..

[miso_honi]

hoho nga
baka kaya ni dr. belo

[dr. d]

hoho nga
baka kaya ni dr. belo

dr. belo is just a physician. she is not a magician.
clients should always keep this in mind.
"doc, gusto kong maging kamukha and ka-katawan ni marimar (remember her..?)"...
heh heh.

[bloowolf]

What is Rigid Collar?

This supposedly will stiffen & strengthen the chassis, reducing NVH & improve the handling. It only cost approximately P2,500 online & is not difficult to install. Has anyone here ever tried using this? Those into modifying their ride for racing/ rallying?

[szekan]

For me the first thing while restoring ride quality in a used car is to get rid of All the rattles inside the car made by plastic covers, door covers, etc. In one of my previous project, I kept on replacing parts and the rattle on rough road wouldn't go only to discover that the passenger side front bottom plastic cover underneath the glove compartment was very loose and made it sound as if the suspension part was worn out.

[ice15]

My personal take on restoring an old ride...

1. How old is the car? IMO, 10 years old with no major accidents, then you can replace everthing underneath to restore the car back to (as close as) original state

15 years - depending on the brand

2. Is it a spare car (pang coding) or is it a daily driver?

3. How long do you plan to keep the car? - if you plan to sell the car a year later... buyer might not see your efforts and may not increase the value of your car...

Based on experience...

Way back 10 years ago, my big body Corolla was due for a replacement. The car was from my dad way back in college and my wife and I decided to have it replaced with a 2nd Gen Jazz.

Then while shopping around, sobrang sama na talaga ng suspension... We decided na nakaka hiya naman sa dad ko kung ibabalik ko yung car as-is (car was seldom used 2nd hand but I used it daily for 6 years)

So we decided to have the suspension + 4 tires replaced (spent around 45k)

After having everything replaced... It was still not "good as new"... Body was already old and when manuvering in very uneven roads, you'll feel a slight flex/twist so body. (felt it in Tagaytay and Baguio)

I received a call for overseas work transfer months later so napaaga return ng car sa dad ko... My dad joked na he posted the "for sale" sign on his way back home from the airport.

Car got sold and kahit anong receipt and meron ako to prove the repairs, it was sold at market value.

[Dragoon119]

First thing first check the bushings on the control arm mounts. And work your way outward, as these aareas often get overlooked and become worn out from road grim. After that you will want to look into either the springs or shock absorber. Primarily the springs as these metal rings distort over time. Following that you want to look into your shocks. And then tires.

[Hibiki]

Body mount bushings. This is true for ladder frame vehicles like older pajeros or land cruisers. Through time, the bushings that connect the frame to the body gets compressed or sometimes become brittle and cracked. Every bump on the road will get transmitted to the body-- and to the passengers.