April 28, 201015 yr Is/was there much of a suspension on these when they were new? I did a drive yesterday, 100 miles on a gravel road, hammered me to death! THe front wasnt quite as bad as the back. Bang, bang, bang in the back. Granted the shocks might be the original, I need to look. Can you make these ride decent on gravel roads? Mind you, I still have hard, studded snows on, which contributed to the rough ride.
April 28, 201015 yr Is/was there much of a suspension on these when they were new? I did a drive yesterday, 100 miles on a gravel road, hammered me to death! THe front wasnt quite as bad as the back. Bang, bang, bang in the back. Granted the shocks might be the original, I need to look. Can you make these ride decent on gravel roads? Mind you, I still have hard, studded snows on, which contributed to the rough ride. Sounds like you answered all of your own questions. While the suspension was not designed for luxury by any means it shouldn't beat you unless it is in need of replacement. New shocks/struts are available but getting harder to find. Tires contribute a lot to comfort of drive. But, the softer the tire the less life it will have off-road.
April 28, 201015 yr Is/was there much of a suspension on these when they were new? I did a drive yesterday, 100 miles on a gravel road, hammered me to death! THe front wasnt quite as bad as the back. Bang, bang, bang in the back. Granted the shocks might be the original, I need to look. Can you make these ride decent on gravel roads? Mind you, I still have hard, studded snows on, which contributed to the rough ride. I never drove one when it was new, but I drove mine before and after the 20-year-old suspension was replaced with KYB struts/shocks. I feel mine does a good job of being very stable at 70mph on the freeway and pretty capable at 20mph in the dirt. Your suspension is height-adjustable, which affects how it handles bumps and rocks and stuff, too. You can search on here for how to adjust it and what effect that may have on the ride harshness. My shocks were rusted solid when I got it, so adjusting probably wouldn't have helped, but I'd look into that first, then start replacing that old stuff. Jacob
April 28, 201015 yr guessing broken torsion bars my severely rusted gen2 BRAT rode good with no rear shocks
April 28, 201015 yr I never drove one when it was new, but I drove mine before and after the 20-year-old suspension was replaced with KYB struts/shocks. I feel mine does a good job of being very stable at 70mph on the freeway and pretty capable at 20mph in the dirt. Your suspension is height-adjustable, which affects how it handles bumps and rocks and stuff, too. You can search on here for how to adjust it and what effect that may have on the ride harshness. My shocks were rusted solid when I got it, so adjusting probably wouldn't have helped, but I'd look into that first, then start replacing that old stuff. Jacob The '87 does have height adjustable unless it was replaced at some point in the past. guessing broken torsion bars my severely rusted gen2 BRAT rode good with no rear shocks If it had broken torsion bars it would not be driving down any roads let alone a gravel road at speed. Broken torsion bars mean broken, sagging, on the bump stop suspension. Edited April 28, 201015 yr by Qman
April 28, 201015 yr It did come with it. About half were replaced with non-adjustable after market struts. Fixed it.
April 28, 201015 yr I hear Autozone of all places carries the heigh-adjustable front struts. Possibly made by Monroe since that's one of the only aftermarket brands I've seen that stayed true to the Subaru design with the adjustable lower spring perch. And I guess they are cheap too - like $40 each is what I was told. Mind you that's second hand info but from a good source. Worth checking out if you need a set. GD
April 28, 201015 yr Direct link: http://www.autozone.com/autozone/catalog/parts/partsProduct.jsp?itemIdentifier=229062_0_1759_1200&skuDescription=Gabriel+Ultra+/+Shock/Strut+-+Front&brandName=Gabriel+Ultra&displayName=Shock/Strut+-+Front&categoryNValue=&sortType=&store=2219&isSearchByPartNumber=&fromWhere=&fromString=&counter=1&itemId=660-0&navValue=14600660&filterByKeyWord=&productId=229062&searchText=&categoryDisplayName=Suspension+%26+Steering&parentId=46-0 GD
September 17, 201114 yr Bringing up an old post I know, but it says that the shocks from autozone are not adjustable for the front even though it shows the adjustment parts. Anyone get a set lately and can confirm this?
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