Are we riding on a cloud ?

I have read many reviews on automobiles from aesthetic, interior, power, warranty, options, etc. points of view. I believe an important, but always neglected area, though is from a steering and suspension system point of view, and let me tell you, most people are missing a very important part of researching a prospective major purchase by not being well enough informed in this area. You can find some very well engineered and built suspensions these days, but all the same some very weak and suspect ones in my experience, and my purpose is to help you make a more informed decision.

What you get underneath the Oldsmobile Eighty Eight is one of those well built and engineered systems. It is nothing radical or special, just a true four wheel independent suspension system. Up front it has typical MacPherson strut style units with some quality components chosen. Lower control arms link the strut and steering knuckle to a fine sized anti sway bar which will aid in your comfort and keeping things on the level while cornering.

A Rack and Pinion steering system gives you crisp and predictable response and inspires road handling confidence. General Motors seems to have finally cured the old "morning sickness" problems of old with a better designed sealing system in their racks, because I haven't replaced a rack for quite a while, especially on the 88 and 98 lines of Olds vehicles.

The rear suspension looks quite a bit like the the front, in that it is a strut type with lower control arms and adjustable tie rods. One difference though is the rear struts on most models are an air adjustable type. Located on the rear control arms are links which will sense the rear ride height and adjust accordingly via an onboard air compressor. If you load the trunk down, or have a couple of "healthy" passengers in the rear, you will not have the rear squatting look because the compressor will kick in and raise the rear to the proper level. A somewhat weak anti sway bar graces the rear suspension, but at least an attempt was made.

Keep your eye on the rear struts, though to make sure an air bag or an air line hasn't ruptured or been damaged . Before you know it, the compressor will burn up if a leak in the system has developed, and this repair is expensive. If you suspect a leak, take it to a qualified expert right away to be safe.

The front lower ball joints on this class of vehicle, unbelievably enough are greasable. There are not many vehicles made today, foreign or domestic, which actually let you maintain your steering and chassis parts with grease , but the Olds and other G.M. cars in this class make up for that with grease fittings-a-plenty. As are the rear ball joints and all four tie rods. If properly maintained with each oil change, all of the chassis parts will give you well over a hundred thousand miles of complaint free service.

When you have your oil changed, hopefully every 3,000 miles, make sure the mechanic hits all eight grease fittings, now days with hardly anything serviceable on suspensions, kids at the quick lubes especially, will not even bother to look for fittings and will do you a tremendous disservice by this. It just pays to be sure.

You should be very happy with the comfort and the ride quality given you by the Olds Eighty Eight, It's like riding on a cloud. It is very trustworthy when taken care of properly and should give you years of happiness. If everything else stacks up to your liking when looking at other aspects of the Eighty Eight, don't worry at all about the steering and suspension system, it won't fail you.