Suspension upgrades to improve ride
 

Having fitted the Whiteline rear subframe bushings and being surprised at the slight unexpected improvement over bumps and potholes, I am now wondering what other suspension doodads I can install to address the "crashiness" of the suspension and the general flex and rattle of the whole structure. Things I have installed so far in regards to suspension are coilovers (Meisterr Zeta CRD), diff, trans, and the aforementioned subframe bushings. I am not looking for handling improvements or cornering grip or anything like that. Just don't want the car to sound like a dishwasher tumbling down a set of stairs when I go over a series of bumps (exaggerating for dramatic effect, of course). Yes, I have toyed with tire pressures (to positive effect, might I add), and while I do have 18" wheels and realize their negative contribution to ride quality, I'll be keeping them cause I like the looks. I scoured through FT86speedfactory's suspension section and see so many things and have no idea what half of them are for. So what do you know, or have done, that yielded an improvement to structural integrity (pretty sure that's a construction term) and ride pliancy/comfort? Thanks!

Sound deadening. Damplifier and Luxury Liner Pro in my case. When I drove 100 miles to TireRack with my rear seat folded down, it made me realize how much louder my exhaust was with the seats down. I actually had a headache by the end of the trip. By comparison, with the rear bench up (which has a sheet of Luxury Liner sandwiched between it and the carpeting that lines it), the exhaust noise almost disappears.

Good suggestion. My trunk is completely bare so the noise level coming from the back is significant.

Yeah. The trunk has a lot of noise in general. A lot of people deaden the whole trunk area, but I decided to cheat by just deadening from the rear bench forward, including the rear deck. Unless you're riding with the rear seats folded, that's all you need to do, really.

I'm planning to do the Shrader rear seat delete, which now comes with sound insulation as standard. Should I bother doing the trunk or wait until then?

You saw NVH improvement with the Whiteline rear subframe bushings?
Improvement in ride quality, did I read wrong?

Yeah, this confused me as well. That stuff usually makes NVH WORSE. It's one of the reasons they aren't OEM equipment!

Yes it was a bit of a trade off. What I gained in vibration and noise, I lost in clunking and clattering over bumps. My theory is that since there is quite a bit of play without the bushings, the contact between components is what gives that clunking effect. With the bushing in place, everything is nice and tight, so nothing is hitting against other things

Probably due to your suspension upgrade the factory bushings give more clunk and clatter, I doubt except the STI bushings for BRZ/FRS there are aftermarket bushings closest to OEM ride quality!

entirely plausible, definitely makes sense. So now I'm wondering what else I can install that'll continue the trend.

Can you fit oem top hats in the rear?

Never crossed my mind. What would be the benefit?

OEM top hats have rubber to help isolate NVH. If your coilovers came with aftermarket top hats, they're probably just solid mounts and transfer a lot of NVH to the body.

How many miles are on your car? None of those bushings should've improved ride quality from a comfort standpoint. All those stiffer bushings should increase NVH and harshness of the ride. I'd be more likely to bet that the "crashiness" you were experiencing is due to worn out OEM bushings. The coilovers are likely the largest contributor to a rougher ride, and as you noted the 18" wheels with lower profile tires will play a role as well. In order to increase ride quality you'd need to undue a lot of what you've done, which it doesn't sound like you want to do.