There is good and bad in the G8 rear suspensiion. The design is first class but the bushings are like noodles. Lots of non compliance. But on th positive note, the biggest non compliant bushes are relatively easy to fix. The rear Xmember bushes have a serious amount of movement in them and is easily detectable with the serious driver.

But the goo part is the easiness in the repairs. There are some hige voids in the OEM units, We partially drop the cradle and install inserts top and bottom to fill the voids. It is really simple to install the inserts top and bottom.

The second non compliant bushes, especially for the guys who want to drag race, are the bushings that support the differential, These bushes, however, are aluminum cased, and a little more challenging to replace. A special tool is required. normal presses may damage the old bushings very easlily due to the aluminu housings. But the results of firming up these bushes are substantial. You can see the bushes in the pictures below

Any questions, just ask

mike
dms

Is that #1166 in the second picture?

My only peeve right now for occasional spirited driving is the little xtra lean on sharp maneuvers. This could be remedied by a drop of 2-3" I suppose and some tighter bushings.

But i'm thinking the extra drop will drop my bumper on the parking slab curb till i can get used to it again...That scraping underneath nearly dropped me the other day.

Any one try just the bushings and notice a decrease in lean?

Cheers!

Mike is there any Pedder authorized dealers/service around Toledo, Oh? Thanks!

My only peeve right now for occasional spirited driving is the little xtra lean on sharp maneuvers. This could be remedied by a drop of 2-3" I suppose and some tighter bushings.

But i'm thinking the extra drop will drop my bumper on the parking slab curb till i can get used to it again...That scraping underneath nearly dropped me the other day.

Any one try just the bushings and notice a decrease in lean?

Cheers!


Wouldn't a thicker anti-roll bar fix that issue?

Wouldn't a thicker anti-roll bar fix that issue?

That's exactly what would solve the issue, though some stiffer springs would offer some assistance.

I can definitely feel the movement in the rear end. Particularly during hard acceleration from a stop, I occasionally feel the back end squat with a "thunk," and during hard acceleration out of a corner the rear end tramps a bit.

Wouldn't a thicker anti-roll bar fix that issue?

That's exactly what would solve the issue, though some stiffer springs would offer some assistance.

That was my first thought but with an overall height of over 57” I don’t think a thicker bar can yield the desired results without turning like a duck on sharp turns.:drink:
I'm thinking that a 1.25”-1.50” drop and a stiffer spring rate and tighter bushings might be the only way to go.

I do love the current overall ride comfort thought, and I’m not sure how much those mods will affect that.

But someday I’ll have it all!

Cheers!

That was my first thought but with an overall height of over 57” I don’t think a thicker bar can yield the desired results without turning like a duck on sharp turns.:drink:
I'm thinking that a 1.25”-1.50” drop and a stiffer spring rate and tighter bushings might be the only way to go.

I do love the current overall ride comfort thought, and I’m not sure how much those mods will affect that.

But someday I’ll have it all!

Cheers!

Your ride will certainly be affected by stiffer springs and a ride height adjustment, whereas the only thing (negatively) affected by larger sway bars would be navigating over speed bumps, etc. (you would be tossed side-to-side more while crossing the speed bump).

^ I guess that would be the easiest thing to try, not really that much cost and can always put back the original if not satisfied.

Cheers!

Your ride will certainly be affected by stiffer springs and a ride height adjustment, whereas the only thing (negatively) affected by larger sway bars would be navigating over speed bumps, etc. (you would be tossed side-to-side more while crossing the speed bump).
It's my understanding that you have to be careful with changing sway bars - the front and rear should always be considered together. Changing one and not the other will alter the oversteer / understeer characteristics of the car.

It's my understanding that you have to be careful with changing sway bars - the front and rear should always be considered together. Changing one and not the other will alter the oversteer / understeer characteristics of the car.

True, and most aftermarket manufacturers take this into account when designing their products.

If the same front/rear ratio/relationship is kept while increasing overall (OD) diameter for each bar, the effect is better lean and yaw control with zero affect on straight-line ride comfort.

BTW,
It is my understanding that you must drop the engine cradle several inches to get the old front bar out and the new one in.
Have a nice day.
Ed

ROTFL! I’ve had hell days…this be a walk in the park!

It's all good!

Cheers!

ROTFL! I’ve had hell days…this be a walk in the park!

It's all good!

Cheers!

Not sure why you are ROTFL. Do you think dropping the motor cradle is not needed? It sure would easier to change if it wasn't needed. The rear is a piece of cake.

Lowering the front cradle is not that big of a deal. To Start, you support the engine well, then lower it alittle. It is not that big of a deal, if you are experienced, and have the appropriate tools. this can be done in your driveway carefully and using appropriate safey precaustions. Note that it should not be done if you are not qualified and knowledgeable


mike
dms

My only peeve right now for occasional spirited driving is the little xtra lean on sharp maneuvers. This could be remedied by a drop of 2-3" I suppose and some tighter bushings.

But i'm thinking the extra drop will drop my bumper on the parking slab curb till i can get used to it again...That scraping underneath nearly dropped me the other day.

Any one try just the bushings and notice a decrease in lean?

Cheers!

Bushings wil not reduce the body role, They wll, however, eliminate all the non compliant movement and make things more precise.

With our testing, struts and springs will reduce body role about 25%, sway bar 25%, and our ajdustable coil overs another 25%. We have been playing alot with the settings on Pete's G8, testing settings, ride quality, etc .One of the tests and observations that has been done, is ride quality with a full load of poeple and luggage. Pete started with neutral align specs, the went aggressive. Then started dropping the vehicle 5-10mm at a time. Pete will continue to do this until he starts bottoming out with a full load. But so far, looks like we will be able to go 100% low

mike
dms

Lowering the front cradle is not that big of a deal. To Start, you support the engine well, then lower it alittle. It is not that big of a deal, if you are experienced, and have the appropriate tools. this can be done in your driveway carefully and using appropriate safey precaustions. Note that it should not be done if you are not qualified and knowledgeable


mike
dms

Thanks for the input Mike. I'm letting Frank do mine whiles he does the Radius Rod bushes. Maybe EC-Ryder do his while he is ROTFL.:)

Bushings wil not reduce the body role, They wll, however, eliminate all the non compliant movement and make things more precise.

With our testing, struts and springs will reduce body role about 25%, sway bar 25%, and our ajdustable coil overs another 25%. We have been playing alot with the settings on Pete's G8, testing settings, ride quality, etc .One of the tests and observations that has been done, is ride quality with a full load of poeple and luggage. Pete started with neutral align specs, the went aggressive. Then started dropping the vehicle 5-10mm at a time. Pete will continue to do this until he starts bottoming out with a full load. But so far, looks like we will be able to go 100% low

mike
dms

The struts and springs reduced my G8's roll quite a bit and that is without the the Pedders bars, yet.

With our testing, struts and springs will reduce body role about 25%, sway bar 25%, and our ajdustable coil overs another 25%. We have been playing alot with the settings on Pete's G8, testing settings, ride quality, etc .One of the tests and observations that has been done, is ride quality with a full load of poeple and luggage. Pete started with neutral align specs, the went aggressive. Then started dropping the vehicle 5-10mm at a time. Pete will continue to do this until he starts bottoming out with a full load. But so far, looks like we will be able to go 100% low

mike
dms

I was thinking the bar would only contribute 5-10% on the body roll since OE looks adequate, hence my thinking of lowering the overall height by about 1.25-1.50”. But 25% looks real good since I don’t want to compromise ride comfort much for the once a month trip to the gulf coast.

Keep the info rolling on the adjustable coil overs...No pun intended, as that seems like a kick in the pants for fun on the GT…but I’m still waiting for my stimulus check...I think it got intercepted by a democrat. :whine:

Now it’s back to the drawing board…Err…ROTFL!

It's all good!

Cheers!

They (Pedders) sell adjustable bars. There are several holes where the links attach to the ends of the bars so I suspect there is some tunability with these.

If the lean reduction with my dampers and springs is about the same as new bars would provide, it will be a improvement you can easily feel and appreciate.