What is the Key to good Ride Quality vs a Harsh Ride

[Hotwire]

I have a 64 chevelle 4 door that mainly rides like stock until you hit a sharp bump in the road.

When Mark Savitske was still in business (SC&C) I called and sat through his long winded sales pitch. He had a lot of great information that he would openly divulge. Basically mimic modern suspension. Good shocks, moderate spring rates, aggressive sway bar, good bump stops.

I'm running stock moog springs, cheap KYB gas-a-just shocks, tubular arms w/ upgraded bushings (delrin/poly/solid heim), and large sway bars. In a straight line it feels like a well controlled 64 chevelle, ride is smooth, but controlled, no lateral movement. Roll into a curve going hot, the car will just start to lean then the sway bars catch it and stays flat. I'm not running some level X package, don't have a ton of money thrown at it, just some good parts that I purchased second hand for the most part. At some point I will be upping the spring rate as I have the car low and if I have 3 large guys in the car it does squat and rub, but that will increase the car's harshness.

I'm running 500 treadwear tires (Bridgestone Potenza RE980AS) so I'm not really competitive when it comes to events, but damn if I don't get the most I can out of it and have more smiles per mile than I should. I've taken the car through Tail of the Dragon in TN, Suches Loop in GA, do a couple of SCCA autocross events, and drive the country backroads around my home with little concern. With the above suspension, 2007 Nissan Maxima seats, this car drives, rides, and is more comfortable than my daily driver. It makes me WANT to drive it not just because of the power to weight ratio (No where near your Camaro!).