Drop spring ride awe full.

[kirt70camaro]

I have a 1968 GTO convertible that I put the 17” year one wheels on. I had new springs in but the front tires hit the bottom rear edge of the front fenders. I bought 2” drop springs for it which dropped it where now I have lots of clearance. Problem is it now rides like there is zero suspension when you hit a bump it is awe ful. I was thinking about some Viking or Qa1 coil overs. Would this help with the ride? Then I could also adjust the height of the front end a little higher than what I have now. The 2” went a little more than I wanted. Or is there a reasonable cost air ride for front only that I could manually inflate vs a compressor that would be a good option?

[andrewb70]

I have a 1968 GTO convertible that I put the 17” year one wheels on. I had new springs in but the front tires hit the bottom rear edge of the front fenders. I bought 2” drop springs for it which dropped it where now I have lots of clearance. Problem is it now rides like there is zero suspension when you hit a bump it is awe ful. I was thinking about some Viking or Qa1 coil overs. Would this help with the ride? Then I could also adjust the height of the front end a little higher than what I have now. The 2” went a little more than I wanted. Or is there a reasonable cost air ride for front only that I could manually inflate vs a compressor that would be a good option?

In order to answer the question, you need to figure out what's actually happening with your suspension. Is the spring compressed so much that it's in coil bind? Is the suspension so low that your hitting the factory bump stops?

What is the spring manufacturer?

Andrew

[kirt70camaro]

I ordered them straight from BMR. It doesn’t appear to be on the bump stops.

[Bruce1968]

What is the spring rate?

I have QA1 single adjustable coil overs with 500 lb springs in my 68 Camaro. It’s firm but I have the adjustment on the shocks all the way soft and I like it. I think if had a little softer spring it would be a really smooth ride but I wanted to higher rate for better handling.

[andrewb70]

I ordered them straight from BMR. It doesn’t appear to be on the bump stops.

Have you spoken to BMR about it?

[kirt70camaro]

I originally told him I thought they were on the bump stops and he said buy a 1” spacer. After I double checked it was t on the stops but I haven’t ever called back. Thought about even buying EZ air suspension that way I can get ride height perfect. Just need to investigate more on that system. This is strictly a cruise car never on a track.

[dhutton]

Maybe your shocks are too long and bottoming out. It will ride very harsh if it is...

Don

[kirt70camaro]

Maybe that’s the problem. I guess I should call them back and ask what shock they recommend.

[stab6902]

Sounds like you have the BMR SP034 2" drop springs, which are 520 lb/in. I have them on my 1972 Skylark and like them. They ride slightly firmer than stock, but that's necessary with the reduced travel from the lower stance. The ride frequency is still lower than a lot of newer cars, so it definitely shouldn't ride "awful."

I agree with the others - sounds like you have some bottoming/binding going on somewhere. I put different bump stops on my car because the stockers were almost touching the frame with the lower ride height. The car definitely rode harsh when the frame was an eighth inch away from the hard stock rubber bump stops.

All the shocks I've used in the past have had plenty of compression travel available to handle lowering springs and shorter bump stops. Does the car feel "normal" when you bounce the front of the car up and down by hand? You can diagnose a lot of suspension issues with this simple test. If you don't know what normal should feel like, bounce a couple of other cars in your driveway to get a feel for it.

Viking or QA1 coilovers (the kind with the tapered springs) will ride worse than a well setup stock type spring and shock and not last as long due to the side load the springs put on the shock. You're way better off diagnosing the issue than throwing parts at it. Pics would help us help you.

[BMR Sales]

Yeah our Springs are 521 lbs/in and I think they provide a nice ride which is confirmed by thousands of customers.

What Brand of Shocks are on the Car?

[kirt70camaro]

I’ll have to check what shocks I have on it. They were on the car when I purchased it. The previous owner had rebuilt the entire front end but the shocks aren’t anything special What shock would be recommended with this set up?