Anyone Researched Suspensions for Better than Stock *Ride Comfort*?

I'm approaching 120k and just a few days ago completed cleaning out my throttle body, intake manifold, and EGR valve+cooler assembly, + replaced my PCV valve (might as well while I was down there), all those gaskets, and the spark plugs. Changed coolant + oil, of course, and inv coolant + trans fluid are probably next, just to get all that stuff rounded out.

But I'm also still on the stock suspension. For the past maybe 5-10k, my RR corner shudders and gives a slight clunking sound going over even fairly minor road imperfections. While doing all the above, I checked down below and noticed it looks like this:
View attachment 222859

and this:
View attachment 222861
That bottom is glistening with fluid clearly leaking slowly.

By comparison, the RL (driver) side looks dry:
View attachment 222860

With the front strut assemblies, the insulators (accordion rubber) looks dried out and falling apart to pieces: View attachment 222862
but, from my ignorant just-a-glance inspection, I don't see anything visibly wrong with anything underneath those, and driving-wise they feel "serviceable" though for who knows how much longer. So I'm looking at replacing the old shocks for the rear at the least. And am researching what options there are for that and maybe the front depending.

Obviously, the simple option is the stock shocks + struts, which I believe would be KYB Excel-G (and Strut-Plus if go fronts too), and I'll probably look at this as the baseline option. But even back when this car was new, my mom was never that impressed with the ride comfort.

Now, I *do* drive slightly more aggressively than the average driver probably does (which didn't help passenger comfort), mainly just to pass painfully slower or distracted/hazardous drivers, but I'm also no street racer nor do I pretend to be, and use this as not only our daily driver, mostly for carrying passengers (family) or for carrying light to moderate loads, and just making long commutes for day trips around the Bay. I actually like the stock riding height, don't care for the look of lowered cars, and, if anything, would like to be able to raise the height (dynamically, if possible) since I creep on and off my driveway and still easily brush the bottom plastic engine covers on the sidewalks.

Also, the freeways and even public roads here in the Bay Area are getting rougher. They're increasingly full of potholes, trash, debris from wrecks and/or people illegally dumping on the sides and it blowing/tumbling out into the lanes (or possibly just chucking stuff out the windows or falling off the backs of vehicles, not very clear), and there seems to be less road maintenance.

I know there're air suspensions mainly for either performance/sport driving as well as the one used by the OffRoad along with their lift kit, which seems more like the ones used mainly by trucks/suvs for hauling, but I've only been able to find air suspension for improving ride comfort as options or standard on luxury cars. So I'm wondering if either there are any that are aftermarket, and if anyone here has experience with them, or if any of these ones made for performance can be configured mainly for comfort *without* lowering the car.

 

Yeah, got the impression this might be case, but thought it'd be worth consulting people with more experience having actually done it.

So higher sprung, lower *un*sprung => higher stability, etc.?

I'll check those out as it's a name I hadn't come across yet, and I wouldn't be averse to being able to handle a heavier loads.

Next time I'm down there, gonna prod an' check the bushings and other rubber to see as to their condition + the other elements in general. Bought some 2 years worth of unlimited alignments from the dealership, which I used after each 5k service appt, but lotta times the car seemed to wanna veer slightly to the right when let go and immediately after they'd done these "alignment" jobs, then after they scratched my windshield tint while replacing those service reminder stickers and refused to cop to it, I kinda just stopped going there for the rest of the service contract period and switched dealerships. Now that contract ended way back at 80k and I'm into the time where I'll just do my own oil changes an' such. Guess I'll look around again. Didn't seem like a bad deal overall, just got the sense they did as little to honor it as possible + that other issue.

Yeah, I'll probably still keep maintaining around 50mpg or higher as the top priority, and "ride comfort beyond stock" as 2nd or 3rd. Might just be a case where all these other options just aren't enough bang/buck over the simple cost of the OEM. This is mainly for my knowledge in finding out what's available out there, and for my mom, who loves to go on about how my uncle drove way "more smoothly than I do" (no kidding, mom—he drove those older expensive Mercedes and a lot slower than I do.. XD).