Sport Suspension Too Stiff
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Although I love a good sports car, I bought our week old '04 LS for the wife, and she just wanted a comfortable luxury car. When I came across our LS, I was a little hesitant since it had the sport suspension. We looked at the car anyway, and of course test drove it. It was indeed a more firm ride than a non-sport model, but it was livable, especially for the price that we paid.
Today I was going over the entire car, and found that the seller underinflated the front tires by 10 psi, and the rear's by 5. I pumped up all four tires to the recommended 33 psi. The car now rides incredibly stiff. So much so, that my wife now says she doesn't want the car.
I'm now faced with the decision of either somehow softening the ride, or trying to sell it and look for another model.
Is it possible to soften the ride of this car without dishing out tons of $$? If so, where would I start? Thanks.
Craig
Today I was going over the entire car, and found that the seller underinflated the front tires by 10 psi, and the rear's by 5. I pumped up all four tires to the recommended 33 psi. The car now rides incredibly stiff. So much so, that my wife now says she doesn't want the car.
I'm now faced with the decision of either somehow softening the ride, or trying to sell it and look for another model.
Is it possible to soften the ride of this car without dishing out tons of $$? If so, where would I start? Thanks.
Craig
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Craigtaz - I feel the same way as your wife. I have both, an '05 regular suspension and an '05 with the euro sport tuned suspention and when I drive the regular one for a few days and then get into the sport, it feels like driving on stone tires. The sport suspension sounded like a good idea to me as I like tight cornering, but it just takes "that Lexus feel" away from the car. I am seriously thinking of asking the dealer to install regular shocks and see if that cures the problem.
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Another thing you might look at is the tires. They can make a HUGE difference in how a car feels. HUGE. They can definitely make or break a luxury car ride -- I've personally done it on my own vehicles -- put the 'wrong' tires on an MB once and it destroyed the luxury ride and feel, so I had to go back to the tire shop the next morning and get the OEM style tire. Depending upon what tires you presently have, you might be able to get some much softer ones. As a less desirable option, if you're willing to switch to the 17" wheels and corresponding tires (such as Bridgestone ER33s or some appropriate Michelins), it'll probably make a big difference too.
That being said, I'm surprised that you notice so much difference. When I drove the Sport and standard back-to-back I didn't notice that much difference on our billiard-table-smooth roads here in Florida. However, I don't recall what tires were on each one -- I just know they were both the factory size 18s. And again, our roads are very smooth here.
That being said, I'm surprised that you notice so much difference. When I drove the Sport and standard back-to-back I didn't notice that much difference on our billiard-table-smooth roads here in Florida. However, I don't recall what tires were on each one -- I just know they were both the factory size 18s. And again, our roads are very smooth here.
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Although I love a good sports car, I bought our week old '04 LS for the wife, and she just wanted a comfortable luxury car. When I came across our LS, I was a little hesitant since it had the sport suspension. We looked at the car anyway, and of course test drove it. It was indeed a more firm ride than a non-sport model, but it was livable, especially for the price that we paid.
Today I was going over the entire car, and found that the seller underinflated the front tires by 10 psi, and the rear's by 5. I pumped up all four tires to the recommended 33 psi. The car now rides incredibly stiff. So much so, that my wife now says she doesn't want the car.
I'm now faced with the decision of either somehow softening the ride, or trying to sell it and look for another model.
Is it possible to soften the ride of this car without dishing out tons of $$? If so, where would I start? Thanks.
Craig
Today I was going over the entire car, and found that the seller underinflated the front tires by 10 psi, and the rear's by 5. I pumped up all four tires to the recommended 33 psi. The car now rides incredibly stiff. So much so, that my wife now says she doesn't want the car.
I'm now faced with the decision of either somehow softening the ride, or trying to sell it and look for another model.
Is it possible to soften the ride of this car without dishing out tons of $$? If so, where would I start? Thanks.
Craig
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Another thing you might look at is the tires. They can make a HUGE difference in how a car feels. HUGE. They can definitely make or break a luxury car ride -- I've personally done it on my own vehicles -- put the 'wrong' tires on an MB once and it destroyed the luxury ride and feel, so I had to go back to the tire shop the next morning and get the OEM style tire. Depending upon what tires you presently have, you might be able to get some much softer ones. As a less desirable option, if you're willing to switch to the 17" wheels and corresponding tires (such as Bridgestone ER33s or some appropriate Michelins), it'll probably make a big difference too.
That being said, I'm surprised that you notice so much difference. When I drove the Sport and standard back-to-back I didn't notice that much difference on our billiard-table-smooth roads here in Florida. However, I don't recall what tires were on each one -- I just know they were both the factory size 18s. And again, our roads are very smooth here.
That being said, I'm surprised that you notice so much difference. When I drove the Sport and standard back-to-back I didn't notice that much difference on our billiard-table-smooth roads here in Florida. However, I don't recall what tires were on each one -- I just know they were both the factory size 18s. And again, our roads are very smooth here.
You are correct, tires play a HUGE role in the ride.
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