I have Suspension Techniques springs on my car, which have a significantly greater spring rate than stock. I'm still running stock shocks however. I've been told that better shocks will help reduce the harshness of the ride. Is this true, and if so, how much will they reduce sharpness?

I keep thinking of how a new BMW handles & rides. Not harsh, but still solid in the corners (very little body roll, etc.).

Thanks!

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'94 White Z, A4 2.73s, 1/4th 13.5 @102.3, 1/8th 8.7 @81.6, 60ft 1.97sec
Mods etc. - Mac headers, 3" cutout, Moroso CAI
E.T.F.A. Message Board * (above times are before headers)

 

depends how they're set, but i think ride harshness is due more to springs than shocks, maybe 70:30 or 60:40

i went to eibach pro-kit and koni SA in a 94 Z28 and the ride got a little harsher, but adjusting rebound can really make it manageable (little softer than before) or near kidney-busting w/ rebound set near max in front and just mid-range in back.

 

It can be either and depends on the setup. I know there is a huge ride difference between full soft and full firm with my Koni DA's.

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98 Z28 1LE M6 | Autox/RR toy
01 Trans Am M6 | Daily driver, some mods
1LE.net

 

It can be both. However If I were selling you shocks that were matched to your springs I would gaurantee that you would get a smoother ride. Not only that but you will probably ruin the stock shocks in very short order.
BMW's are similar to the Strano autocross setup. Soft springs and large swaybars. This is what I run and it works very well. The ride isnt too bad on the street. Plus on courses that are bumpy like peru I can be assured that all wheels are on the ground steering or contributing to forward motion.
You definately want to upgrade you shocks. Off the shelf shocks are generally not up to the task. Your two choices are Bilstein and Koni.
Konis will work well with that spring out of the box. But they are pricey and you can sometime hurt yourself with the adjustment if you have not taken the time to test them.
Bilsteins are not adjustable. They also will need to be revalved. However the revalving is relatively inexpensive. You are still money ahead with the revalved Bilsteins. Plus you have a shock that is matched to your exact spring rate. Also the Bilstein is a more sensitive shock with a better (for performance) damping curve. This is because of there monotube design.
I think you will get a smoother ride with the Bilstein shock.
The Koni is an excellent unit. It just depends on its useage I geuss. If you had stock springs and were going to run the car in FS youre only choice would be Koni basically.

 

Springs and shocks are supposed to compliment one another, for best performance and handling, as well as overall ride.

 

To a point. That it not to say that there is a "best shock" for any given spring. There are many variables such as driver, surface, tires, type of event etc that determine "ideal" shock valving. Thats why I like adjustables.

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2001 Trans Am M6

 

Yep, I've got adjustables, and not many of us want the trouble/expense of swapping springs for every track visited

The general rule of thumb is to limit spring travel to one ocillation.

The shock is what would be "stiff" for the most part, the springs just hold the car off the ground, so with weak shocks the car will just bounce for the most part.