Rep Power: 348

Ok, my ride quality has degraded substantially, my ride is very bumpy, tires squeek when cornering (slow corners say 15-20 mph) and when in 1st gear from a stop. I'm taking the car to the dealership tomorrow but I'm affraid they might tell me they're not blown. I know they are. Is there anything else I can tell them as a "symptom" to make sure they change them?

 
Rep Power: 412

You can push down on the rear shocks and see if the butt bounces. It should go back to "resting state" after about one and 1/2 bounces. Any more than that should be an indication that they are blown. Other than that bumpy ride, bad handling, etc.

 
Rep Power: 348

Rob, it's not the back, it's the front ones. Same applies, tho. It feels way too soft, it should be firmer.

 
Rep Power: 0

My 2001 OEM sedan doesn't bounce too much, it just sways and rolls with the road a lot. Is that a strut and spring problem or is it just bad 7th generation suspension design problem?

 
Rep Power: 0

It's completely normal for a Civic. It's called body roll on the outside, and spring compression on the inside. Spring compression controls how much the car leans side to side. Soft springs allows it to roll, making the ride comfortable in normal conditions. Stiff springs prevent more "roll" and improve handling while compromising with comfort quality.

"Body roll" generally comes from the rear. When a car is turning, the weight distributed to the rear suspension is being depended on for a healthy turn. If the suspension in the rear is not stiff enough, the rear of the body causes it to become more unstable and uncomfortable to turn hard. Not to mention more difficlt.

The only supplemental device used to decrease spring compression in a car are anti roll/sway bars. The thicker the bar, the more stress from "rolling" will go on it than the springs also improving handling in the rear.

Keep in mind that it's a supplimental device. A bar too thick on a car with springs too soft can potentially damage your car's rear subframe. A bar too thin on stiff springs will do nothing for the rear.

The front anti sway bar does a similar job but offers different results in how well a car will steer. If you're curious about it, we can get into that.

 
Rep Power: 412

Anti-roll bars aren't the only device. A nice set of stiff lowering spring and high set dampering shocks will greatly reduce body roll more than ARBs.