Best shocks for the smoothest ride

[warriorking]

Looking for suggestions on the best shock for the smoothest ride.

 

[warriorking]

1985 Corvette

 

[Live Wire]

So here's what I know, using my own car as an example. A smooth ride depends on two things. One is the shock absorber compression and rebound rate, and the second is the aspect ratio of your tires. On my 85, the original tire size is P255/50VR-16. When I bought my car, it had P245/45 ZR27 tires on American Racing wheels. The tires and wheels were brand new, so I'm using them for a while at least. With the decreased aspect ratio, there's less tire sidewall to absorb bumps, so the shock absorbers, which were spec'd for the absorption ability of the 50 ratio original size are now too stiff with the 45 sidewalls. For another example, a car using a 70 series tire needs less of a shock absorber than a car with 50 series tires, due to the softer sidewalls doing half the work. I'm thinking that the next tires on my car are going to be back to the 50 sidewall, as long as there's room in the fenders. I've tried looking for specs regarding shock compression and rebound rates from manufacturers but they seem to only be interested in selling based on original shocks for a specified car. I'll have to get deeper into the research when I go for replacement shocks. If I don't change the tires, I really need softer shocks. I hope this helps a bit.

 

[warriorking]

Yes it does.
Thanks