Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Suspension ride quality-struts or springs?

what effects the bounce in the ride of a car? the springs or the struts? i think the springs....the reason i ask is because my car seems to have a stiff kinda bounce to it..i feel every little imperfection in the road, it is starting to get annoying.....i softened the struts and still feels tight. it handles awesome around corners at high spreeds but for everyday driving, i wouldn't recommend it...i gues it depends on where you live and how good your roads are. here in chicago, the road quality varies with every mile you drive. anyways, i was thinking about swapping the springs out with the BAT sport springs but before i do, i wanted to make sure that is it the springs that are to tight and not the struts........

any info is greatly appreciated.

If your car is "bouncy," it means your springs are too stiff for your struts. You need to stiffen the struts to match the springs. The goal is to achieve "critical damping," which means that any movement of the suspension is restrained to one up-down cycle by the damper. This is why matched sets (such as the BAT kit) are so nice.

If it is just too stiff for your comfort, you'll need lighter springs to go with your struts. I would recommend an OEM setup, if you don't have one.

If your OEM system is bouncy, you need new struts, since your old ones might be wearing out.

i have h&r springs w/ koni adjustables....i've firmed the struts and i've tried softening them....i can't find a happy medium that i like....does anyone have the BAT springs w/ koni's? i'm thinking it might be a better combo for everyday driving but still have flexibility to adjust them (konis) for racing... the h&r's, i think, are too aggressive for everyday driving..

I've heard that Eibach, BAT are both softer than the H&R's.

Or, get the Koni kit from Terry. Springs are made for Koni by a respected German spring maker, to Koni specs. The springs and struts are engineered to work together. Not sure on the "hardness" of the springs, though.

I like my factory suspension, go down Northern Pacific Avenue here and you can see cars bounce on every little dip and hill, but my Mystique stays glued to the road, it's nice... but I want the BAT kit soon...