I recently made a few mods to the suspension of my 240 and thought I would post
my reactions. Car is a '92 244 with Eibach springs and Bilstein HDs.

Previously I had 23/23 OEM swaybars (front 244 turbo, rear '79 242 GT). Poly outer bushings on front bar. This spring/shock/swaybar combination gave a really nice ride. Very silky and sinuous over bumps (though the Bilstein's could do with slightly less rebound stiffness) but with a lot of body roll in the front.

Recently added a set of 25/25 bars from IPD to reduce roll. Wasn't really expecting much difference, because the new bars didn't look much thicker--only about 1mm by eyeballing it. Effect was amazing though. Seat of the pants says body roll is essentially *gone* -- definitely the corner on rails thing. I suppose the poly center bushings account for some of that. Downside is that the car feels noticeably stiffer, has lost that really silky feel it had with the 23 bars. Trade off is worth it, but I think I'll try reaming some rubber inner bushings out to 25mm and seeing how those perform.

Have heard a lot of people express "Wow" reaction to IPD bars, but assumed this was mostly because they were upgrading from 19 or 21 factory bars. Was surprised to see this much difference moving up from 23 bars.

Then added a Cherry turbos strut brace and the strut to firewall braces. Lots of people say they don't feel much difference from this, but it seemed to me that this sharpened steering input. Hard to tell from SOP though.
IMO the Eibach's are the heart of the whole suspension. Very slight (and reasonable) drop, and an excellent balance of comfort and performance. Not teeth smashers like the more radical springs. Pity they quit making 'em.

Congrats Dave! Some of the finest work on the placebo effect that we've seen:
"Lots of people say they don't feel much difference..:
vs.
"Hard to tell..."
Definitive, thanks for the hard edged advice!
You know I'm teasin ya, the black beuty must be sweet with the upgrades (I agree they are worth it) and the Recaros, sublime? Now, with that windshield out of there and those aviators goggles on, I want a pic Red Baron!

You know, I was just thinking about that... pix coming your way soon.

I tell you what bruddah', suspension mods are the way to go on a 240. When the upgrade to 25mm bars was made on my 1990 it blew my mind... but, I was moving from 19mm. Crazy difference. The roll almost disapeared. Almost! Of course, new bushings make an incredible difference. Again, night and day. Ball joints, tie rods, and on & on... every part is a foundation for the proper functioning of another related component. The cool thing with suspension work is the idea of "tuning". Each time, on every upgrade, I see the investment. Money well spent, since I am keeping my Brick.

Got partial poly kits and really wished I had, as SternDogg (BB member) says, gone big or gone home. The upper & lower GT style braces were money well spent. Firmer steering, better road feel, tighter all around ride, etc, those are words I might use to describe the braces... since I am not grandpa-ing-it around in my 240. Driving the car is what it is all about. The floaty, under-steered feeling equates to danger in my mind.

In the end, if you want the best handling you can get, I am going to bat for ALL poly bushings. Reduced flex is good. Plus, having to change the trailing arm bushes every couple of years for optimum performance is not my style.

At that time too, I was rolling TMEs and Boge Turbos. Aweful combination, in my opnion. And, still, I have the Pro Gas (Boges best shock) in the back and they striaght SUCK! Stiff is a relative term... as is harsh... they are soft in my mind. Rebound is a term lost to Boge. They design cush factor into their shocks & struts. I would like to know the numbers/rates on the Pro Gas line compared to Bils. That is why I might say your Bilstein assertion -if you would call it that- is very similar to others. I just don't see it... as I roll them in the front. I like the ride too much! With the VX cam, I am driving around, like a freak, destroying on & off ramps like a crack head smoking rocks! All I need now is a Ford 302.

I would like to get a good, readable, & informative book on the subject... on suspensions, that is. Shit, I need to get a digital camera so that I can put up some photos... especially after the paint, body work, and Brick Stylz additions to come.

Peace, Jon

I second that camera thing. Also, on tirerack i think they might have some info on suspension modifications, but maybe i'm just thinking about Grassroots motorsports that has a bit of info on it. I've read most of it in my boredom time and what not. GET A CAMERA, i want to see it =D. Peace man,

GRM tech site:
http://www.grmotorsports.com/techmain.php

Kyle

One of the best books on the subject is "How to Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn... one of the developers of the Quantum A Sports Racer cars. It was published about 15 years ago, but I've never seen anything better in print. Check Barnes + Noble used book listings.