Car rides like a Mack Truck

[thoughtitsacadillac]

I have noticed that this '95 Grand Am has a very rough ride. It is the SE 3.1l and i am curious is this normal? over the course of my travels to and from work the road is riddled with cracks that are tar filled, however when the car hits them it is constant thump thump,thump... etc and is annoying. Is this an SE curse or do new shocks have a future in my car? inspection said they are good but you know..

 

[melsg5]

How much air do you run in the tires when cold? How many miles on the shocks?

 

[thoughtitsacadillac]

well i bought the car a month ago, i imagine the shocks are original, it has 205000km on it (128000miles)i leave the tires with 5lbs lower than psi rating on tire.

 

[brothergc]

sounds like its time to replace the struts and rear shocks , that where I would start.

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[melsg5]

You dont go by the PSI on the tires, the tires are used for many different kinds of cars with different weights. Dont you have the sticker on the drivers side door post with the correct pressure? It probably is 30 lbs but you should find the sticker. The comment on the shocks/struts I second, unless you know they were replaced by previous owner, time for new ones.

 

[thoughtitsacadillac]

Thanks for the responses!