nerfbars Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 I dont have a problem with my rear suspension but should I put these on my 89 Cutlass anyway. Do they change the feel of the ride much? I do pull a trailer with my Honda TRX250R on it once in a while. Quote
Brian P Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 I had them on my car for 2 years, you could drop 500 lbs in the trunk and the rear will barely sag. Handling is greatly improved, especially noticeable if you dont have a rear swaybar. The only downside is a little harsher ride, like having stiff struts in the back. I took them out because I got another rear spring that can handle more than 1 passenger (old spring was a piece) Quote
Robby1870 Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 yeah and with the FE1 suspensions, 12mm sway bar, its like not having one.....lol Robby Quote
SuperBuick Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 My 1990 FE1 had NO swaybar, much less a 12MM one. -Tom Quote
Robby1870 Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 really? damn I got FE1 with the 12mm. Or maybe I dont have FE1, I'll have to check my RPO codes tomorrow Robby Quote
Brian P Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 FE1's didnt get them. You probably have FE3 Quote
Brian P Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 Wait, if you have the body kit on your GP I think they all had them standard Quote
Robby1870 Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 no I got the base LE model, not extra trim or ground effects. I may have FE3, I'll just check the RPO tomorrow, I just assumed I had the FE1, cuz its a base model GP Robby Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 From the way the picture looks, the spring helpers look like they'd be similar to riding on bumpstops. Are they solid rubber, or is there a spring inside? Quote
Brian P Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 They are rubber, but you're not "riding" on them. What it really does is more or less change the spot where the spring flexes. Instead of at the stock bracket, it flexes a little bit at the bracket, and more at the spring helper. Quote
GnatGoSplat Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 Oh I get it. I wasn't thinking. It just shortens the effective area of the spring and increases spring rate, right? I think it would be a similar effect to chopping coils off of a coil spring. Quote
DOHCRagtopguy Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 Do they lower the ride height or raise it in the back? I'm a little confused here. Quote
Robby1870 Posted March 25, 2003 Report Posted March 25, 2003 no I got the base LE model, not extra trim or ground effects. I may have FE3, I'll just check the RPO tomorrow, I just assumed I had the FE1, cuz its a base model GP Robby Yeah I have the FE1 suspension package, but I DO have the 12mm sway bar, very strange. Oh well, Im about to check out my spring rates and what not and see what everything on the RPO codes mean, Im a big dork like that. Robby Quote
nerfbars Posted March 26, 2003 Author Report Posted March 26, 2003 Ok so they'll improve handling but kill the soft ride. I think my Gabriel struts did a good enough job of killing my soft ride to begin with. I dont know if I want it any harder. Quote
djardeli Posted March 30, 2003 Report Posted March 30, 2003 My mechanic came up with a leaf spring assister kit for $40 which is nothing more than a set of plastic blocks to replace the existing (and cracked) rubber bushings for the mono leaf spring. This part got rid of noticeable sagging in the rear as compared to the front, and made for a slightly harsher ride. The leaf spring helper parts are $100 and this is different, they fit more towards the centre of the vehicle and have three adjustable rubber shims for each of the two parts to alter the height of the car. The heavier the load, the more shims necessary. Also these could correct left to right warpage of the leaf spring. Anyway, I'm quite impressed with the bushing replacement repair and think it accomplished what I was looking for, for less money. I dont have a problem with my rear suspension but should I put these on my 89 Cutlass anyway. Do they change the feel of the ride much? I do pull a trailer with my Honda TRX250R on it once in a while. Quote
Jon89le Posted March 30, 2003 Report Posted March 30, 2003 i also have an LE with the rear sway bar so your not the only one,lol. i cant see my RPO because that middle section of the spare tire board faded. But do these helpers (if you use it without any extra shims) raise the ride height? Quote
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