Want a smoother ride, Is this possible? Options

[jack20]

I returned to a 914 after 32 yrs. I don't remember my last one, a 74, riding so rough.
This new 74 rattles my teeth. I did the old school bounce test on the fenders to check the shocks and it only bounced once. Is this a valid test on these cars?

The PO did lower the front and that may account for some of the rough ride. Not sure how old the shocks are...could be original...yet they did pass the bounce test...
Should I replace them for a better ride?
Thanks,
Jack

[Andyrew]

First check your tire pressure. If your running 40psi, drop it down to 30, if your running 30 psi try 25 but check your tires every couple thousand miles for odd wear.

Grab some bilstein or koni shocks, Adjust them to full soft.

Take out the front torsion bars and check if they are stock/stock diameter.

Replace your bushings with nice new ones. Something that gives less resistance can help, but you want to make sure they are installed properly if you put poly or stock bushings in (check for binding)

Also getting the suspension back to an appropriate ride height will help, if its lowered you might be seeing some bump steer (hit a bump, suspension arm bottoms out and steers the car) There are kits for this.

The stock suspension is pretty plush, with 65 series tires you really shouldnt be seeing much of a rough ride no matter what your suspension is..

[jack20]

First check your tire pressure. If your running 40psi, drop it down to 30, if your running 30 psi try 25 but check your tires every couple thousand miles for odd wear.

Grab some bilstein or koni shocks, Adjust them to full soft.

Take out the front torsion bars and check if they are stock/stock diameter.

Replace your bushings with nice new ones. Something that gives less resistance can help, but you want to make sure they are installed properly if you put poly or stock bushings in (check for binding)

Also getting the suspension back to an appropriate ride height will help, if its lowered you might be seeing some bump steer (hit a bump, suspension arm bottoms out and steers the car) There are kits for this.

The stock suspension is pretty plush, with 65 series tires you really shouldnt be seeing much of a rough ride no matter what your suspension is..

Thanks for weighing in with these tips. I'll tackle them in $$ order.