PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

The big lesson of the day: no matter what magazines say, it's best to find out by test driving the car.

I think no one would buy a car (unless it's an exotic or collectible) without finding out the truth for themselves.

shoei

"And knowing is half the battle, Yo Joe! GI Joe a real American hero!"
Sry had to throw that in there!
I also put too much weight on what car mags say so it is good to get reminded about testing out
the car for yourself!

iStyle

The IS isn't designed to ride like a luxo-barge.

That's what the ES is for. I drove my grandfather's ES for a few weeks while my IS was being repaired. The ride is silky smooth, the driver is completely isolated from the road, road/engine noise is about as loud as a TV on mute, and I absolutely hate it.

Frisco

If I want to ride in something smooth and quiet, I just jump in my wifes 4-wheel drive pickup. Big difference in braking, performance and handling though.

philippp

yea i have an is350 with sports suspension and it was pretty bad at first, but by now it softened up just a little bit. overall the ride quality is not the highest selling point of the car, but everything else is pimppp

ff_

Totally agree. On top of that, the tramlining is pretty severe compared to what I'm used to (S2000, 330i). I'm not at all into modding my cars, but I'd very much like to start exploring suspension upgrades that'll calm the car down, and keep it better planted, reduce body roll, etc.



I'd prefer the firmer seats. Firmer = better control of body movements when cornering, less fatique on longer trips, and better for your back/posture. I was surprised to find that the seats in the IS are even much softer than in our ES330. I thought that was really odd.

Obviously, these things weren't enough to keep me from buying the car, though

Bichon

With the 18" OEM wheels and Dunlop SportMaxx tires? Or something aftermarket?

ff_

Yup, 18's w/ the Dunlops.

ISMaximus

It is fine on smooth blacktop but on grooved concrete with expansion joints it is pretty noisy and bouncy.

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

Yeah we're not talking about firm rides here, guys. This car by no means has an overly firm ride; it's actually pretty gentle over bumps. We're talking about tramlining over expansion joints, and the bounciness of the vehicle over these expansion joints. I get firm, I love firm. I'm coming from a rough-n-tumble RSX and a tightly suspended SLK350. Both cars will jostle you but they will not bounce you up down up down over freeway joints like the IS does. I'm hoping a new set of springs will fix it; I heard the Eibach ones get rid of the bounce a little?