1995 Saturn Suspension Problems
In its relatively short life, Saturn produced a number of ambitious and quietly revolutionary car designs. Though underpowered by today's standards, Saturns with their all-independent suspensions have always been known as snappy handlers when compared with other domestic vehicles of the same vintage. However, technology marches on, meaning that today there are a number of ways to refine and improve even the best of the 1995 S-cars' suspensions.
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Chassis Stiffening
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Though plenty strong by 1990's standards, uni-bodies of the time were no where near as advanced in design as they are today. Saturns are a prime example of this, since their dent-resistant plastic body panels do nothing for structural rigidity and will definitely need some strengthening to restore the stock ride quality. Though technically not part of the suspension, a stiff chassis can make the difference between a race-ready ride and an uncomfortable death-trap.
Important Points
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The most important reinforcement points on S-cars (any Saturn produced between 1990 and 1998) are the front and rear strut towers. Since these large pockets above the struts bear all the weight of the car, using triangulated strut tower bars to tie the opposite sides together is mandatory for good handling. Though using straight bars to connect the towers together will help, triangulated front and rear reinforcement bars (which use bars set at 45-degree angles to the reinforcement tube to tie it in to the center of the chassis) will yield noticeable results in handling feel. A nice byproduct of chassis stiffening is a reduction in the squeaks and rattles associated with a flexing uni-body.
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Camber Plates
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If the Saturn suspension does have one major design flaw, it is surely in the all-strut suspension design. Though cheap and relatively effective, this design does not age particularly well and will need assistance after 100K miles or so. Installing adjustable camber plates (which allow the user to correct any excess inward or outward wheel tilt) will help you to at least restore your car's stock handling qualities.
Bump Stops
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Bump stops rest at the top of the shock absorber and prevent the suspension from bottoming out. Saturns use rubber bump stops from the factory, which was fine 10 years ago, but is sure to hurt your car's handling today. Since your factory bump stops have surely hardened to the consistency of reinforced concrete, replacing them with new aftermarket units will make your car much more stable and predictable at its handling limits.
Solid Bushings
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Bushings are the cylindrical rubber pieces that fit between any one moving suspension part and another, and are designed to absorb shock and increase ride quality. Even the best bushings become soft and squishy over time, so replacing your car's worn stockers with new units will yield better handling in and of itself. However, a full set of solid polyurethane Energy Suspension Bushing only costs $81.99 and will eliminate practically all unwanted suspension movement. With their all-MacPhereson strut suspensions, 1995 Saturns are quite hard on the lower control arm bushings, so these should take priority over any others.
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References
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Chris Chan
