What to buy for the EIGHTIES WAGON

[Altron]

Well, had the EIGHTIES WAGON over at my mom's friend's garage. He's a mechanic and he said that I should consider replacing the brakes, shocks, and tires. The tires are worn like crazy, the brakes are just above being worn out, and apparantly the shocks are bad.

So, what do you guys think I should do? Dunno about the brakes. It probably needs heavy duty shocks, because it's a very heavy car. Dunno whether to get similar shocks or different ones. I find that the car leans too much for my liking. The current tires are P235/75R15, but I don't know what size is the best, or what type to get.

Since you all seem to know tons about cars, I was hoping to recieve some enlightenment about what to do. BTW, my friend can get me 20% off at Pep Boys.

 

[Luis G]

Don't give a second thought to brakes and tires, it is your safety that is in game.

As for the shocks I believe you should use the spec ones, the suspension gets the nasty job of holding the heavy car. I'm skeptic on putting greater performance parts on an old car without upgrading some others, but then again I'm no car expert.

Hope helps.

 

[Inkara1]

The car will drive like new if you replace the shocks, it will handle and ride much better... but it's still safe to drive with worn shocks unless you're doing high-speed cornering or something. Brakes and tires, on the other hand, are vital to your safety. A blown-out tire can often cause an accident and a bald tire won't get traction on a wet street, while it's obvious what will happen if you don't have brakes.

Which are closer to being worn out? If it's an issue of money, replace whatever is closest to being completely worn first, then replace the other item with your next paycheck. The shocks would be the lowest priority, since they're not what actually hold up the car (the springs do that).

 

[paul_valaru]

you should call pimp my ride



sounds like get spec parts, maybe get high end discs and drums for the brakes, they last longer

 

[unclehobart]

Brakes first, tires second, tiger stripe shag carpet third, a small disco ball fourth, shocks fifth.

 

[chcr]

First off, remember that in your car, the shocks don't hold up the car. They really don't in any car but sume folks will argue the point in cars with MacPherson struts. That said, you probably still want something heavy duty, and I personally prefer gas charged. This will probably not improve the body roll significantly. That's a separate issue. An anti-sway bar would help there, but it's a big, heavy car and there's only so much improvement you can make without impacting other aspects of handling and ride. I'm with everyone else here up to a point, Brakes first, tires second and shocks third.

Oh, screw the disco ball, get a blacklight and a strobe and leopard print shag carpet.

 

[paul_valaru]

8 track

 

[Slim Pickens]

Orange soda dispenser

 

[paul_valaru]

rapping rabbi bobble head?

(In montreal all the orthodox jews drive wagons like that, I don't know why)

 

[Professur]

Tires, brakes, shocks.


And jsut to be different, I'm gonna tell you, the shocks are very important. The don't hold up the car, but they do keep the weight where it belongs. If you've been driving long enough, you'll eventually see a small car come to a stop in front of you, and bounce three or four times. That's bad shocks. And while it's less obvious on big heavy cars, your car is doing it too. And every cycle up, the sprung weight of the car is reduced, and you're more likely to lock the wheels and skid instead of coming to a smooth stop. Drive on a cement road. Hear the whup, whup, whup? That's it. Your tires actually flexing and popping, instead of staying glued to the road.

What to go for? Sorry. I'm one of those rich assholes that insist on the best I can afford. I pay $80 a tire for the heavier touring tires. I pay the extra for the cerametalic brake pads. I have the rotors changed, instead of turned. I get the brake fluid bled and changed while I'm there too. But for shocks, OEM is what I put. The suspension geometry is designed with a certain amount of damping expected. Increase it, and you've probably done worse than leaving the busted shocks. Instead of the wheels popping up and down, they'll be stiffer, and transmit more road vibration and shock to places that weren't build heavily enough to take it. Instead of the car bouncing up and down as the wheels try to follow the uneven road surface, the wheels will tend to skip over the low spots. Same result; less constant sprung weight, and less constant road contact.

 

[HomeLAN]

Tires, brakes, shocks.


And jsut to be different, I'm gonna tell you, the shocks are very important. The don't hold up the car, but they do keep the weight where it belongs. If you've been driving long enough, you'll eventually see a small car come to a stop in front of you, and bounce three or four times. That's bad shocks. And while it's less obvious on big heavy cars, your car is doing it too. And every cycle up, the sprung weight of the car is reduced, and you're more likely to lock the wheels and skid instead of coming to a smooth stop. Drive on a cement road. Hear the whup, whup, whup? That's it. Your tires actually flexing and popping, instead of staying glued to the road.

Yup! And don't waste time. Make the tires and brakes your top freakin' priority. Unless you load the hell out of the back, gas shocks are the way to go. If you do load it down, cosnider air shocks in the rear.

235/75 R15's will be just fine. You mess around with tire sizes, and you'll find that it will affect your speedometer, odometer, and gas mileage. Get the best you can afford.

 

[chcr]

Hate to disagree, Prof, but shocks are one of the most ignored parts of a suspension (that's not the disagreement part) including by the OEM. A good set of progressively valved, gas charged shocks are 1000% better at keeping tire contact and damping spring oscillation than anything GM put on there at the factory. Frankly, I'd be shocked (pun not intended) if you could get anything OEM for something that old anyway.

Good point about bleeding the brakes. I've got a vacuum bleeder and I bleed 'em until I get fresh fluid every time I change any. Small price to pay for a little added safety.

 

[Professur]

I'm hardly gonna disagree, but the OEM was what they had in there when I bought the car.

 

[Altron]

When did I start talking about performance shocks? I am saying that the mechanic said they should be replaced soon, and that I notice that the car leans a lot, probably a result of the shocks needing replacement.

 

[HomeLAN]

Leaning could also be your springs.

Gas shocks aren't really what I'd consider "performance" shocks, though. They're fairly standard fare for aftermarket parts.

 

[rrfield]

I had an 80's mean machine once, 1983 Cadillac DeVille, and in one shot I had the brakes tires and shocks done. Replacing the tires and shocks did wonders for the ride, though it was kind of cool that the car, pre-shock replacement, would bounce for about 200 feet after hitting a pothole or bump.

 

[Altron]

Actually, TBH, I don't remember if he said it was the shocks or the springs that were bad.

To be more honest, I thought they were pretty much the same thing. Isn't a shock an oil filled piston inside of a spring?

 

[Inkara1]

It would be in the center of the spring but it's a separate part. Does the back have coil or leaf springs?

 

[HomeLAN]

I'd bet on 4 wheel coils.

 

[Toolbox™]

Call Exhibit and have him "Pimp Your Ride". It'll be a dream to drive after that.