Mark8 suspension/performance

NateRW21

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Mostly because I'm lazy... I'm not going to search the threads.

I've owned an LS for about a year and am pretty well versed on the LS, but the Mark 8 has been an interest in the back of my mind for quite some time. The neighbor accross the street has either a 97 or 98 and it seems pretty nice.

My questions are, what sort of suspension upgrades are out there? I see mention of it running an air-adjust suspension; does that work pretty well? Are there kits to delete the air ride?

I'm not sure that I'm in love with the front end of the car... any body kits? Or grills? (a grill might make all the difference)

Is there a sizeable aftermarket for the Mark 8?


After checking autotrader and seeing 98's with under 100k going for $8000 and less, I'm very interested. Might be a fun car to add to my collection.

Thanks for the help guys!
 
Well I am too lazy to post a response...

Thanks for playing though!
 
Well I am too lazy to post a response...

Thanks for playing though!


well... technically, you did post a responce.
How's Kaiserslautern? Snowing yet? I spent a little over two years in Bamberg; always seemed around the first part of september it started getting cold and by mid october we had snow!
 
There are a few options to delete the air ride. The two main options are a standard height and a 1.5 lowered option.

The 1.5 stiffens up the ride greatly and gives the Mark VIII much better handling in the curves...

As for aftermarket compared to the LS there is a lot. Generally speaking anything that is there for the Mustang is something you could do to the Mark VIII.

I'm sure other's will chime in with more modes that they have done. Marks are much easier to Super Charge or Turbo Charge.

In my opinion the Mark VIII is a more sporty ride than the LS, although the LS is a very nice car and fast.
 
our aftermarket could of been better but it is not a stang or camaro so a eldebrock intake is not sitting on the shelf anywhere the suspension is a love hate relationship if you don't know anything about it you are up a creak and if you like going to the dealer for everthing this is not the car for you
 
Thanks a lot guys! I may now be forced to look for a mark this spring! I love my LS, but I'm also a fanatical car guy... I like being able to do performance work and improvements... as mespock noted... the LS is kind of sad when it comes to performance options; all of which I've already done. Anyway, I think a black mark sitting next to my black LS would be pretty nice!!!

And I hate the Lincoln dealer in town; those guys tried to stiff me when I took my LS in because I didn't have the time to work on it. Tried to stick me with a $750 repair. Had the car towed home and two months later when I had the time to fix it, a $40 Throttle Position Sensor solved all my problems.

About the only thing I don't do on my own when I have the time is paint/body work and ring and pinion/diff swaps (there is just nothing enjoyable about then entire process)... I've even got a few ASE certifications (used to be a mechanic).

Sounds like you get great bang for your buck with a mark!
 
LIke this.

LSC still looks the same now, but my LSE looks different. This was shortly after getting it.

LSC Front&Drvr.JPG


LSE Front&Pass.JPG
 
that mark is exactly what i plan on making mine look like, sweet
 
Deleting the air ride.

For guys that deserve and should be driving a Thunderbird.
Opinions are like :q:q:q:q:q:q:qs.............

You would have a valid argument except that M8's have a pretty rough ride for being on air. In fact, my parents have a 98 LSC on air yet my 97 LSC is on springs. I prefer the ride of my 97.

I used to be one of those elitists that thought its not a Mark VIII once you switch out the air ride. Go for a ride in a M8 on springs.

Bottom line is: we are driving cars that have horrible resale value, are expensive to repair, and have a odd cult following at best. I am thankful of the air ride from the factory though. That is one of the main reasons these cars can be had for so little $$$$.
 
You can get the coil conversion kits from americanairsuspension.com.

BTW, you can't compare 10+ year old air ride versus a new coil conversion kit, get a brand new air ride setup and then feel how it rides and then you can have an objective comparison. Trust me, a brand new air ride suspension rides way more smooth than coils.
 
You can get the coil conversion kits from americanairsuspension.com.

BTW, you can't compare 10+ year old air ride versus a new coil conversion kit, get a brand new air ride setup and then feel how it rides and then you can have an objective comparison. Trust me, a brand new air ride suspension rides way more smooth than coils.
I've been in one with new air ride. Nothing special.
 
Go for a ride in a M8 on springs..

My buddy has one, I went for a ride not too long ago

I was amazed at how different his coil spring car, with new coil springs compared to my over 200,000 mile air springs.

His car would bounce and rebound going over expansion joints, so much that my head was bouncing like a bobble-head doll.

On braking the nose dived so much that his spoiler under the bumper cover has been almost ground away.

When he is in the car by himself, with me following the car leans to the side like that ship in the poseidon adventure.. just before it flipped over.

His car has less than 10,000 miles on his coils, and mine has OVER 200,000 on these air springs..
my car rides better than his.. hands down.

and..my car doesnt lean to the side like a ship about to capsize.
and.. my car doenst' bounce and rebound over expansion joints.

I have seen both sides of this debate and MYSELF.. I'd take my 200K sirsprings over coil springs.. any day.

My buddy asked me if I wanted to drive it.. I couldn't get past the crappy ride in the passenger seat.. I had NO desire to drive the car after that.
 
Let's face it. Some guys are just too cheap to own Marks (and quite frankly don't deserve to own them). You guys need to be driving Chevy Cobalts or something like that.
 
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I have had to replace my front air springs and am know replacing my rears. I got reman's from Strutmasters.com. Very affordable and come with a one year warranty. I have had no problems from my front ones. Did them 2 years ago.
 
Let's face it. Some guys are just too cheap to own Marks (and quite frankly don't deserve to own them). You guys need to be driving Chevy Cobalts or something like that.


Strong words from a guy driving a car that's not worth as much as pretty much any Cobalt. Face it, Marks are cool cars that can be gotten for cheap. Don't act like your driving an Aston Martin or something. The fact is, you can pick up a Mark for cheap, and it's a cool car. Don't hate on everyone because they want to do whatever they can to be able to drive this cool car, yet not spend an arm and a leg on it. If you want to be an elitist, maybe you should drive a more elite car.
 
I bought my Mark because I saw one for sale, hadn't really ever noticed them, and fell in love w/ the styling. It didn't hurt that it was right in my price range. I didn't know about the 'Cobra' motor, or think it was a race car. I thought it was a beautiful car, inside and out. And I don't regret buying it. And truth be told, I don't really care for the coils all that much. Given the chance and the money, I would most definitely switch back to air ride. But for now, I will do what I can to keep the car on the road, and enjoy driving it as much as I can. I have other, more important things to spend my money on right now. And, for the record, I don't race or hot rod my car around town. I drive it and enjoy it, failing tranny and peeling clear coat and all.
 
And, for the record, I don't race or hot rod my car around town. I drive it and enjoy it, failing tranny and peeling clear coat and all.

Well, like you said, you can pick up a pretty good example for cheap that has good paint and a tranny.

I just bought new headlamps with bulbs (YES!) from Jeremy, (thanks J), and am busy sprucing and upgrading where needed.

It just pisses me off when people talk about the cost vs benefit of the air ride.

Show me any tricked out show car and they are all sporting air suspensions. Look in custom magazine after custom magazine, these guy are selling air kits for $2-3000.

With the Marks, when you buy new air bags in the front, you get new shocks. The rear bags last longer but need the shocks replaced sooner. Adding larger rollbars is a must for handling and cheap to do. Of course Upper and Lower Control arms are a necessary evil as with any 10-15 year old car.

These cars haven't let me down a day since '94. I've put hundreds of thousands of miles on the 3 Marks VIIIs I've owned. Was stranded once in winter couple years back when the car wouldn't start. Turned out to be worn spark plugs after chasing the usual cam/crank sensor solutions.

The support you can get from the community is priceless. I love to work on my own cars and with this car, I can do almost everything short of the computer (but I am working on that).

I just get a little peeved when people put the car down. Crap, it is 15 years old now. It is not new but I still get the stares and the compliments and I never get the car confused with the crap look-a-like junk they make now. Can't even tell the difference with half the new cars now. I know, I'm looking for a car for my sister and she wants a Jetta. They all look the same (toyota, honda, kia, etc.) to me.

I like being unique and the Mark delivers that in spades.:D
 
I tend to agree with MonsterMark. Although I don't have a ton of money I make sure I save up and do my upgrades and mods right. It may take a bit longer but they money is well spent. Why would you swap out air, it's not an upgrade. A new and well maintained air system feels great and handles great. Get an ASHAM 8 and Konis in the rear and you have tons of adjustably as well.
 
Air suspension not too bad

I recently had the upper and lower control arms replaced. It made a noticeable difference, but here in RI I cringe when I have to do anything but drive on the highways. I try my best to avoid bumps but it almost feels like the front doesn't react well to bumps, like the ride is very hard in the front. "Check air ride system" has always turned on but the car can sit for days without lowering. On the highway the compressor does come on and lower the car, and when I park it lowers as well, is it normal for the ride to be rough in the front? I've never driven any other Marks or anything besides old clunkers anyway.

Whenever I'm not going over bumps, it gives a great ride though.
 
I've been in one with new air ride. Nothing special.

To truely compare apples to apples on the air ride, u would need to have a Mark with a completely rebuild front and rear suspension (bushings, swaybars, ect). Try the air ride, then swap out for coils and compare. Most of the air suspensions today are 10+ years old as well as most of the suspension. The main reason for a rough ride in these is the flexible unibody. If your car is flexing, the suspension can't absorb thr road impacts, it just transfers it to the body. The original platform came out in 1987; the unibody isn't the quality of todays cars. You can improve that though. Subframe connectors, engine cradle brace, rear shock tower brace. I don't see how air ride can give a harsher ride then coils. It is most likely another factor.
 
What's with the "check air ride system" Rev? I suspect that your compressor may be on it's way out. Vent not functioning properly and also sticking open would cause the front to fall too far giving a bad ride and also tripping the check system light. When you replace your compresso also get the Spider valve and you will be set for life.
 

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