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

[TheBandit]

Decades ago when I rebuilt the stock suspension on my Nova, the only changes I made from stock were poly bushings and KYB shocks. The thing rode great - very smooth and comfortable going down the road. Over time as I've changed things piece by piece I've come to recognize some of the tradeoffs between ride quality and performance. Above anything else, the wheels/tires were the single biggest factor. Going from 15" wheel with ultra-tall 60 series sidewalls to 18" wheels with 35 and 40 series sidewalls was a game changer for handling while simultaneously introducing ride harshness and noise. Stiffening up the suspension with heavier springs and swaybars certainly took some "Cadillac" out of the car, but it still rode pretty well and I think was worth the tradeoff. For what it's worth, I ran my stiffened and lowered suspension on 15" wheels/tires for about a year and the ride was still pretty smooth compared to when I put the 18s on. That's not to say that low profile tires can't provide a smooth ride when combined with a modern suspension - obviously there are lots of cars on the road now that achieve it - but I think the easy button for getting a decent ride out of an old car is to plan around taller profile tires. I would still shoot for higher spring rates and consider adjustable shocks, but keep all the bushings rubber. And while it should go without saying, I think it's important to emphasize for any project car you should start by getting everything into good repair and safe - putting kickass shocks on a car that has worn out bushings, sloppy steering, or crap brakes is not going to help anything.