I just found a 2002 I-35, 29,000 miles, great condition. I love the car, but when I test drove it, the suspension seemed a little less than what I expected. Going over a speed bump, I could really feel it in the wheel (the way you would expect in an MG or smaller sports car where you "feel" the bump in the wheel) but not something you might expect from a "luxury" car. When I read the reviews, they are uniformly great except regarding suspension and handling.
What I am trying to find out is whether this is expected with that car, how bad it is, and is there anthing that can be done to address it in the shop (different shocks, suspension, sports tuning, etc). I love the tight steering (I have a rental Kia which is like flying a plane...) but this seemed a little much. Any ideas would be much appreciated.
Question: Considering '02 I-35. Love it, but have question re: suspension.
Re: Question: Considering '02 I-35. Love it, but have questi ... (lcmedia)
Welcome to NICO, Bill! I can't speek for the 5th gen(00-03) owners, but I will tell you my personal opinion.
First off, it all depends on what you want your car to feel like. If you like a tight suspension, get a front strut tower brace (FSTB); that will stiffen the front suspension significantly. If that's still not still enough for you, look into getting lowering springs and struts/shocks. (You don't want to use lowered springs with stock struts/shocks.)
If you are looking for a more relaxed (luxury) feel, I would suggest getting some adjustable struts/shocks such as Tokico Illuminas or KYB AGX's; and set them up for a sorfter rebound rate.
First off, it all depends on what you want your car to feel like. If you like a tight suspension, get a front strut tower brace (FSTB); that will stiffen the front suspension significantly. If that's still not still enough for you, look into getting lowering springs and struts/shocks. (You don't want to use lowered springs with stock struts/shocks.)
If you are looking for a more relaxed (luxury) feel, I would suggest getting some adjustable struts/shocks such as Tokico Illuminas or KYB AGX's; and set them up for a sorfter rebound rate.
My I35, with stock suspension, wasn't like you described.
My I35 now, with Tein H-Tech springs and Illuminas feels like you describe. As for doing things to change the suspension, realize that short of SFCs, chassis stiffening, and maybe a real nice set of properly set up coilovers, this car won't handle all that well. And pretty much anything you do to the suspension will degrade the ride quality.
If you're looking for better control/rebound/etc., I'd do what Maxhopper suggested, and simply replace the struts with adjustable Tokico Illuminas.
My I35 now, with Tein H-Tech springs and Illuminas feels like you describe. As for doing things to change the suspension, realize that short of SFCs, chassis stiffening, and maybe a real nice set of properly set up coilovers, this car won't handle all that well. And pretty much anything you do to the suspension will degrade the ride quality.
If you're looking for better control/rebound/etc., I'd do what Maxhopper suggested, and simply replace the struts with adjustable Tokico Illuminas.
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Re: (MetaOrbit)
The way I take it, his stock suspension seems to pull the wheel when he hits bumps.