Struts and shocks which ride the best

[Ford1]

Hello all, my car needs front struts, I've found a good buy on Sachs mounts and struts, anyone know how those will ride, drive, steer? I want to keep the original feel in the car. I now have Monroe Sensatracs on front and rear, I get a lot of road noise and a bumpy ride with them, more so in the front.

[wraithracing]

Welcome to FEP!

No experience with Sachs, so I can't comment.

Monroe Sensatracs are not bad struts/shocks for a OEM type ride. The big question is how many miles are on your Fox, what is it, what condition is it in, what has been done to it, what has been modified, what wheels and tires are on it, what springs are on it, is the car lowered, etc. etc.?

There's more to this than a simple strut and shock setup. If like most Foxes that are 30+ years old, you make have deteriorated bushings, ball joints, upper strut mounts, etc. that all will cause noise, vibration, bumpy ride, etc. even with the best new struts/shocks. More information is needed to try and help you.

[erratic50]

Welcome! What year and model of four eyed are we working on?

[Ford1]

86 Cougar V-6 engine all suspension is original, nothing changed but shocks and struts, 92,000 miles in excellent condition, Uniroyal 14" tires and original steel rims, car isn't lowered. I want to keep a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride, not interested in performance. If I change the strut mounts what difference in driving/steering would I have in one with a bearing and one without?

[homer302]

Monroe SensaTrac will provide the most comparable ride to what you had previously. Obviously, you should expect a MUCH firmer ride than what you have now if your 31 year old OEM units are still in place. That will be regardless of which brand you choose. They deteriorate slowly over time where you don't notice it so much.

[bwguardian]

86 Cougar V-6 engine all suspension is original, nothing changed but shocks and struts, 92,000 miles in excellent condition, Uniroyal 14" tires and original steel rims, car isn't lowered. I want to keep a smooth, quiet and comfortable ride, not interested in performance. If I change the strut mounts what difference in driving/steering would I have in one with a bearing and one without?

Not sure what you mean here.

When I went through my car about 5 years ago, I left the original shocks and struts on the car. They were actually okay at first, but slowly went south...mainly the front struts...and got very bouncy. I replaced them with the Monroe Sensatrac units a couple years back and have been very happy with them. One thing for consideration here, just as people have stated the bad ride for lowered cars, you might be experiencing something similar with the lighter V-6 engine and/or chasis. I do agree with wraithracing about worn suspension parts...my car still happens to be very tight and goes straight down the highway at 70mph.

[homer302]

I think he means the caster/camber plates. Some replacements have a bearing in them. IF that is a correct assumption and IF it is also correct that your car is not lowered, you should not need those at all. The OEM plates work fine on non-modified stock ride height cars. They do not "wear out".

[Patrick Olsen]

Sachs makes dampers for the OEMs (the factory dampers on my CTS-V were made by Sachs), so they know how to make good dampers. Now, whether their aftermarket offerings for a Mustang are any good may be a different story...

[Ford1]

I was asking if the dampers with bearings will make my car drive stiffer than dampers that are made of rubber, the original strut mount damper was made of rubber with no bearing. Anyway I think I'll keep everything the way it is for now and have my front tires rotated to the back, see what that does to the ride, it's possible I may have a bent wheel or a bump on a tire. Thanks for the input and info.

[Haystack]

A bumpy ride or a bunch of vibrations?

Oem and Steele style runs have more run out then alloys, just they way they are made. 14" tires are getting pretty pricey and stock sizes are getting harder to find. I'd upgrade to 10 hole or turbine style wheels in a 15" rim. The 10 holes were optional on 86 cougars and I think are an excellent long term upgrade.

And yes, a bearing will transmit much more road noise and vibrations then a rubber mount. One thing I've often contemplated was adding subframe connectors. They tie the front and rear suspension together and make everything work better. On our cars you can just use straight box tube with no bends at all making them much cheaper and easier then the mustang style.

[Ford1]

I've been looking at 10 hole rims and I'm sure this will be a great upgrade for my car, thanks for the suggestions and the info on the mounts, I'll keep that for future reference. Now that I think about it I have some vibration and some bumpy ride, so I'll keep working and taking notes. Thanks

[blueandsilver]

Is anybody running Koni Str-t shocks and struts in their cars? I´ve looking at getting them for my 83 convertible, wondering how compliant are they in rough roads, handling benefits, comfort...