upgrading suspension on a 1995 Olds Eighty-Eight
 

Hey guys- I just picked up a low mileage Olds Eighty Eight. It is the base model, although it's still pretty loaded. Enjoying the car and great ride, however handling could use some improvement. I've "heard" that the LSS model (w/ supercharger) had improved suspension, so I'm interested. Can anyone explain what it entailed? I've heard it may have had an RPO code...?

Olds 88 like the LeSabre, are made to be mushy rides.....

Cars like Bonnevilles, same H car platform, has a stiffer ride, by using stiffer coil spring/struts, and a thicker stabilizer bar.....

Indeed... are the Bonnie parts direct fit onto the 88? any specific details would be great, else I'm still digging.

They should be if the parts are from a car of the same year......

why would it need to be same model year "donor" parts? According to wikipedia, the "10th" generation Olds 88 was from 92-99 model years, and coincided with Pontiac Bonneville and Buick LeSabre... so any springs from those years could be interchangeable... However, upon looking at RockAuto, which has some pretty good data regarding springs, including constant and variable rate, etc. From there, it appears that the front shocks on Olds are a bit taller, statically, than on a Bonnie, of the same year (1995). Interesting, and more complicated that I'd have thought. My goal was to zero in on some used parts...

While the models may be the same, parts are sometimes changed from year to year, as options change, and as suppliers change........

Let's face it, if you really want to change the suspension, and do it the right way, are you going to take suspension parts off another 23 year old car? If you are, don't even bother....

I'd be comfortable swapping springs and sway bars from a used same-platform car, but I'd check for damage, rust, and see if they sit the same height standing side-by-side (since the junkyard donors are often up on blocks). I have a set of sway bars from a 1997 Bonneville waiting for their turn under my 1997 LeSabre . I'll probably do springs at the same time as soon as I find a good set.

Find SSEi sway bars.

You do a search here, you will find the RPO code for the stiffer sway bars and other various 'upgrade' posts.

I have to agree with Mike.

Find some sway bars, and you will likely have to go to a custom set of springs to get the best out of it.

Also, think about what your end goals are with this car. How low do you want it to ride?

Also, if you are running 15" wheels, you will likely need to ditch those too.

I have a '95 88. Here is what I have done. Everything will depend on your budget and skill level. I did all my own work. As mentioned, if you have 15" wheels, go to 16's with good tires. I got a nice set of wheels/tires from Discount Tire. IF you get new wheels, make sure you keep a set of stock lug nuts and the "special" lug nut socket in the jack compartment. 16's make a BIG difference. I installed Moog Cargo Coils in the rear. There are a progressive rate spring. More load=stiffer spring rate. There will raise the rear of the car some but work really really well with full load of people and a full trunk. I do not think ride quality suffered much but it really cut down on the wallow. If you don't hunt down bigger sway bars, replace all the bushings and end links on what you have now. Easy install, not expensive (Rock Auto IS your friend). Your stockers are junk by now. I went with Uni-Struts by Monroe. I sure the Monroe haters may surface here but there are not too many options for a Olds 88 and they have a life time warranty. Heres where the big bucks are. Uni-struts are one piece, fully assembled struts. For the fronts you get, new strut, springs, boots and top bearing. Your OEM springs are most likely sacked out. Rears are struts only but your still get all new parts. I dispersed the money outlay by buying them when I had the cash and played games with discounts and rebates from Rock Auto and Advance Auto Parts. These can be installed with common hand tools but you will need to get a 4-wheel alignment when your done. The 88 will never be a great canyon carver but with a tight suspension (check your ball joints and wheel bearings), well tuned engine, good tires and some skill and confidence behind the wheel, it will surprise you. I have aced my share of Tuna Cans with bazooka exhaust and 2ft tall, erector set spoilers, both in the corners and in a straight line. The last thing they expect is a white haired old guy in a four door luxo barge nailing it off the line or dive bombing a corner at twice the posted speed limit. I like to tell people, "you might be surprised how slow it isn't".