Suspension issues

[Tommy in Brooklyn]

hello again,

I've had my 95 Neon Sport since day one and I have noticed that the suspension rides rough, real rough. The two other Neons in the family have the same problem. They don't bounce over the road, they bang into it, hard. I've been told by several mechanics that this is the way it is and there's nothing that can be done and there are no aftermarket parts to make the fix. Anybody have the same problem?

Tommy

[neon_rt]

The struts should be replaced about every 50K miles to maintain a comfortable ride. Have you changed yours or are you still riding on the original set.
One of the ride qualities you will notice when your struts are worn out is that when you hit a bump you get pushed up excessivly hard (sort of like an sudden impact). Then instead of feeling like you are following the contour of the road, you get a floating feeling for a second and then a wallowing or pumping up and down where there are no bumps in the road.
So you drive over on bump and you get slam, float, down, up, down from only one small bump. You should feel a gentle lift then settle back down, when the dampers (struts,shocks) are in good working order.
In the case that you are driving down the road and you are hitting bumps one right after the other, worn struts can make for a really rough ride b/c if you hit another bump while you are pumping up and down then your suspension will bottom out and impact into the bump stops (which are hard rubber) and really throw you around.
My '98 R/T is one of the most pleasant riding cars I've driven.