Curious if anyone had tried the Sport Lowering Springs for the 88 GT that are available from "The Fiero Store" ??? If so, how would you rate them compared to stock ?
Also curious if someone has a OEM Stock Frt. and Rr set for a '88 GT in excellent condition sitting around collecting dust, that they might be interested in parting with ?
I have them in my car and they feel extremely harsh. I suppose it is possible that the issue is my poly bushings in the rear, or perhaps the springs were not installed properly, but every time I hit even a small pot hole, it feels like the springs don't even exist. I have new Monroe struts and Fierostore 88 springs.
Thank you very much for that honest response. No one likes to admit that a change made a negative impact or didn't meet your expectations and I appreciate your post.
I have them in my car and they feel extremely harsh. I suppose it is possible that the issue is my poly bushings in the rear, or perhaps the springs were not installed properly, but every time I hit even a small pot hole, it feels like the springs don't even exist. I have new Monroe struts and Fierostore 88 springs.
I have all poly on the back of my '88GT with the stock springs and it doesn't feel harsh at all. Actually I feel the stock springs are too soft for me so will have to try some different springs. I still have the stock springs on the front too and I feel there's too much space showing in the front wheel well so was planning on cutting one coil off next time I have the suspension apart.
I know this is an old post and you've probably moved on by now but I was looking for this info years ago when I first installed my lowering springs and poly all around. 88 Formula. Since I couldn't find anything about it I figured I'd pull the trigger and see how it played out. Hope this stays in the forum and helps somebody else looking to do the same thing.
My set up is the Fierostore 88 1" lowering springs all around, poly bushings all around and the koni adjustable shocks all around. I installed it about 4 years ago. It was SUPER harsh. It was actually so bad that I retired my car for the next four years all the while putting off correcting the problem. Well now I've sold my truck, pulled my 88 out of deep storage and put it back on the road. The springs have settled in, and it looks good as ever. Nice and low. Unfortunately its still SUPER harsh. Felt like Fred Flintstone's car.
That was an accurate description since I've had it up on a shop lift I inspected the suspension to see why it was so hard, even with the koni's at full soft setting its riding like there was no shock. I can see that its the bumpstops! When I installed the springs I didn't check the amount of space between the bumpstops and since nobody told me to remove them or cut them down they got re-installed. I believe this is the problem and I will be removing them to see what kind of improvement I get.
------------------ Four Fans of Freedom "Fiero Fugit"
Originally posted by Leeloo88: ...When I installed the springs I didn't check the amount of space between the bumpstops and since nobody told me to remove them or cut them down they got re-installed. I believe this is the problem and I will be removing them to see what kind of improvement I get.
I wouldn't remove them. Just cut them down.
My 88 has 86 GT front springs (noticeably stiffer) cut down by 1.25 coils, in the front, and 88 front springs, cut by one coil, in the rear. I believe this is supposed to increase the spring rates by about 25-30 percent.
It's lowered by at least 1.5 inches, and rides very nicely, using Monroe Sensatracs. Fieroguru showed a diagram of where to cut the bumpstops. Essentially, you just cut the wedge off of the top. Reduces the height of the bumper by about half. ------------------ Raydar 88 Formula IMSA Fastback. 4.9, NVG T550 Praise the Lowered!
[This message has been edited by Raydar (edited 04-27-2014).]
I had a set of Fiero Store lowered springs on my '88 GT about 20 years ago and also thought they were pretty harsh. I have no idea if the current ones they sell are the same as what I bought in the 90's, but I'm not willing to try again. Also, they seemed to settle....a lot. I loved the stance/look, but it felt like the springs were fully compressed all the time and you felt every single pebble/bump on the road.
When removed it definitely gives a more normal ride. Still stiff with the Konis but a lot more manageable. Still have to get the rear bumpstops off to get the full effect but taking it down the highway I could feel a marked improvement. Now I've got the problem identified I can cut them down a bit and re-install them so there's some protection from bottoming out. Though it would have to be a huge hit to compress this setup. Now to find a sanding belt and get them a little shorter.
------------------ Four Fans of Freedom "Fiero Fugit"
I have the Fiero store springs on my otherwise stock front 88 suspension and I dont find them too harsh. They are stiff but in a good way. I think the poly is too much for an 88 and probably contributes more to harshness than the springs.
I have all poly on the back of my '88GT with the stock springs and it doesn't feel harsh at all. Actually I feel the stock springs are too soft for me so will have to try some different springs. I still have the stock springs on the front too and I feel there's too much space showing in the front wheel well so was planning on cutting one coil off next time I have the suspension apart.
I just cut a coil off my fronts, and if you use a small cut off wheel you can get in and cut the top coil with the spring in. I don't recommend it, but my lower ball joint would not let go of the knuckle so I had no choice. Didn't want to loose a good ball joint. Few tips if you do go that route, unhook the shock and sway bar, that lets the front drop an extra inch to release a little more tension. Also go SLOW and don't get your hand anywhere near the spring when you get most of the way through. It will pop when it lets go. Then use a pry bar to pull the spring down just far enough to spin out the cut coil.
