Suspension questions

[blown motor]

@70vert in another thread brought up that rubber bushings ride softer than poly bushings. My Charger rides stiff and clunky. How do I know if I have poly bushings? When I bought the car I was told it had Firm Feel steering and suspension. I think I can find the paper work for it. Does Firm Feel normally ride harder? The semi stock suspension in my Challenger rides much nicer. Both cars have Bilstein shocks.

[anlauto]

Hard to tell from that picture. Take your pocket knife and try to jab the bushing....rubber would be easier to penetrate then Poly bushings...

YES...I know I shouldn't use words like "rubber" and "penetrate" in the same sentence with guys like Jimmynick around

[blown motor]

YES...I know I shouldn't use words like "rubber" and "penetrate" in the same sentence with guys like Jimmynick around

 

[Brads70]

Lots of things effect ride quality.
Tire pressures
Torsion bar diameter/leaf spring rates
shock quality/Adjustable shocks go a long way in helping this
Tire sizes
sway bars
worn bushings
Ride heights, make sure your not riding on the bump stops.

[blown motor]

Based on the "poke it with a screw driver" test it would seem that they are poly.
@Brads70
tire pressures are the same
tires are 45 aspect ratio on Charger fronts and 40 on rears
           65 ratio on Challenger fronts and 60 on rears
Torsion bars are 15/16 on Charger and 1 1/16 on Challenger
Don't know leaf spring rates
Charger has front sway bar and Challenger has front and rear
Shocks are both Bilstein so I expect quite similar
Bushings are all good
Lots of travel to the bump stop

[blown motor]

The Challenger rides softer and quieter than the Charger so driving the Charger is not as enjoyable from that point, especially on roads with poor pavement of which we have lots.  Just wondering what I can do to soften it up.

[70vert]

if the springs came from Firm Feel I believe they default to rubber but you can choose poly. if you find the invoice it should say which. There is nothing wrong with Poly, and some prefer them for better handling, but they are a bit harsher feel and if you're just driving for fun they are not needed. As mentioned you can poke the bushing to see if it is rubbery or hard/plastic-y. And also as mentioned there are many things that impact the ride such as tire aspect ration (i.e. 60 series are softer than 40 series), and springs themselves can have different arches/stiffness, etc.

@70vert in another thread brought up that rubber bushings ride softer than poly bushings. My Charger rides stiff and clunky. How do I know if I have poly bushings? When I bought the car I was told it had Firm Feel steering and suspension. I think I can find the paper work for it. Does Firm Feel normally ride harder? The semi stock suspension in my Challenger rides much nicer. Both cars have Bilstein shocks.

[70vert]

the 45/40 tires will definitely give better handling and road feel than the 65/60, and be harsher because not as much sidewall to absorb bumps & holes.

[blown motor]

I prefer the 65/60 with less road feel. I just cruise along and the steering wheel rarely moves or needs to be moved. With the 45/40 I feel the road a lot more and I'm always working the wheel because the tires grab every imperfection and don't absorb anything. At least that's the way it seems to me.

[Bullitt-]

 I would suspect the tire sidewall to be the major factor... My '98 GT came with 225-55/R16 and I switched to 245-45/R17 and while it handled much better the ride was so awful that when it was time for new tires I went back to the 16" wheels but wider than stock tires.   

[blown motor]

Interesting. I have actually though of switching wheels and taking it for a run but the Charger wheels are a pain to take off because of the little studs that hold the centre caps.

[Brads70]

You mentioned air pressures are the same between both cars?  I assume the Challenger has 15" and the Charger has 17" wheels  ?  If so the 17" should require more air pressure but more air = stiffer ride.  I'm thinking it's the aspect ratio causing the ride quality issues then?  You did check the front upper control arms bump stops  with someone in the car right? When people lower the nose for           " stance/rake" sometimes the bump stops cause issues. 

[HP2]

Poly bushings vs rubber, 40/45 series tires vs 60/65 series, I'd say there are your differences in why the ride is different despite the Challenger having larger torsion bars.

[autoxcuda]

Poly bushings vs rubber, 40/45 series tires vs 60/65 series, I'd say there are your differences in why the ride is different despite the Challenger having larger torsion bars.

I agree.

Post the exact tire sizes and tire models front and rear if both cars. That way we can figure the sidewall heights.

For instance a 315/40 has a much thicker sidewall than a 215/40.

[jimynick]

"YES...I know I shouldn't use words like "rubber" and "penetrate" in the same sentence with guys like Jimmynick around"    Sorry boys, I was away and didn't get to participate in the witty repartee! Reminds me of back in the day when I was working in a GM bodyshop, the '73 Camaros came out with a large aluminum bumper. Well, one day my dad, the B/S manager, saw me removing the large and long bag off a bumper and being the wag that he was, we rolled the bag up like a huge (12" dia.) condom, found a box and took it up to the parts department and gave it to Les, the parts room manager. When he opened it and said "what the hell is this?!" dad piped up and said it was a condom, for a big pr-ck like him! We laughed about that for years. All good fun boys, all good fun!