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The Optima has gotten a lot of dealership service. One of the most important service, the carbon cleaning service. The optima has 34K miles already. Isn't much for a 2011. So far this year we ran into one issue. One of the rear sway bar links was shot. Ordered some new ones which are fairly cheap for OEM stuff.
We didn't plan on doing anything else to the Optima however lowering springs on stock suspension was a no no. The suspension became way too soft and jolted over bumps in the road. I knew it was time to buy some good suspension. The wife wanted to go on coilovers and "slammmmm the shit" of the car. J's comment came to mind about women driving lowered cars = RIP. So, a vendor on the Optima forum had a deal going on for D2 coil overs paired with ultra racing sway bar and strut bar. I figured, this will overall improve the ride quality and handling of the car. Parts came in fairly quick and wifey was already out the door loading the car with the parts. I snapped some shots before helping her.
Walk into the shop to pick up the car
Looking good so far
Nice and easy access to adjust as needed.
The technician rolls out the car. This is where wifey says "NO! Needs more low.."
I'm looking at the front wheel and immediately say RIP.
I tell wifey lets go for a spin and take some photos.
Once home and I quickly cleaned up under the hood, snapped another two photos
Took a photo (shitty one) of the rear sway bar.
The ride quality is better overall. The handling has also improved. May have to raise the car once the suspension settles some over time. Right now the damping settings are on max stiffness. Seems to be perfect for the roads around here. It's going back to the shop tomorrow for a quick look over and to recheck the alignment.
Last edited by 04WDPSeDaN; 04-21-2016 at 07:00 PM.
Gus, that looks fantastic! I love how T wanted it lower
Thank you buddy. I agree, the look is on point. Definately flows nicely. Yes... about the wife.. I don't always agree with her choices, but this one I stand firm on. I can see a few fenders, tires and wheels needing replacement. You should ask her what wheels she wants next.
It's usually the husband/boyfriend who wants MOAR LOW.....I guess you lucked out to have a wife who shares the passion. Looks good.
I appreciate the kind words. Most are completely shocked when they speak to her about vehicles. She really knows her stuff. When I got home from work, I was almost 100% sure the car was sitting lower since the fronts were tucked. I asked her about it and she said "Oh maybe it just settled" she could be right, but less than 24 hours?
She went to take class at UFC yesterday and told me that the people we are friends with, came out to look at her car and were impress. Well.. all except the one dude that drives a new Yellow Jeep wrangler. He's all about the opposite life, LIFTED. haha
Originally Posted by Flipster23
Like I said in the other thread..... Keeper on your hands.... Wish my wife was into that....
sup Flip! Thank you man! I appreciate the kind words. That new Accord looks great man! My wife would tell you to slam it and throw some nice wheels on.
She already picked out Vossens (Forget the exact wheel) but they make it in Rose gold option. Expect in 2017 to see Rose gold wheels on this car.
Thank you buddy. I agree, the look is on point. Definately flows nicely. Yes... about the wife.. I don't always agree with her choices, but this one I stand firm on. I can see a few fenders, tires and wheels needing replacement. You should ask her what wheels she wants next.
Probably some Works or something baller
M can't stand my car obsession but she wants to mod the Tacoma I told her I have to "finish" the S2k before we start on the truck.
M can't stand my car obsession but she wants to mod the Tacoma I told her I have to "finish" the S2k before we start on the truck.
She wants to get the Vossen VPS-314T in vintage gold (not shown)
OR
Vossen VPS-315T in vintage gold.
Someone else I was with in life, didn't care for my passion in vehicles and or the work I put into my TL. I understand, at least M is open about it with the Tacoma. That's light years from someone I use to know.
Originally Posted by fsttyms1
Looks great.
Thank you!
Originally Posted by oonowindoo
looks great. any rubbing? it seems there must be some....especially the front.
Well...
Yes it does rub.
Surprisingly less now that the suspension settled and the wheels tucked in.
I have taken some update pictures in the driveway to show how it currently looks.
I'm very proud of Kia, I sure do miss mine!!! I do think Kia/Hyundai vehicles are very reliable... Only thing I ever had go wrong other than maintenance is both oxygen sensors fried out at 49,XXX miles... Bad jump start... Drove it daily the past year until 1/26/16, one of the worst things ever!!! 79,203!!!
I think i size smaller in tire width will solve your rubbing problem if you already rolled the fender. Hella stretch solves all your wheel fitment issues
Just noticed the post, so thought I'd reply. Great looking car.
Along with the '04TL and RX7 TII, purchased new, we have a 2008 Optima, also purchased new, knock around car and as of today, 284,000 miles, great car and now the daughter is using the car while her Hemi Grand is being repaired.
In Oct., a fellow was selling a '11 EX Turbo loaded, Infinity, Nav, heat/cool seats, heated steering wheel, etc so i picked it up.
What a blast to drive and with 275HP/3300 lbs the sucker sure moves out, great improvement over the '08, and sorry to say will leave the TL in the dust. Tried to drive in ECO mode, but couldn't stand the acceleration so forget about fuel mileage and let it boost.
A drop and wheels make a HUGE difference. OMG so clean man. Nice and simple. How it should be.
Thanks man, I appreciate the kind words!
Originally Posted by dallison
I think it looks sharp.
Thank you Dallison!
Originally Posted by TylerT
I love OEM+
Sometimes OEM is the way to be! They look nice as is.
Originally Posted by Turbonut
Just noticed the post, so thought I'd reply. Great looking car.
Along with the '04TL and RX7 TII, purchased new, we have a 2008 Optima, also purchased new, knock around car and as of today, 284,000 miles, great car and now the daughter is using the car while her Hemi Grand is being repaired.
In Oct., a fellow was selling a '11 EX Turbo loaded, Infinity, Nav, heat/cool seats, heated steering wheel, etc so i picked it up.
What a blast to drive and with 275HP/3300 lbs the sucker sure moves out, great improvement over the '08, and sorry to say will leave the TL in the dust. Tried to drive in ECO mode, but couldn't stand the acceleration so forget about fuel mileage and let it boost.
Hey Turbonut! Congrats on the purchase! We have the same vehicle except my wife's Optima is the 2.4L engine. I drove a few of the Turbo versions, and they are worth the upgrade! You got a rare gem, super hard to find an EX fully loaded and TURBO!. In case you get bored.. https://www.k5optimastore.com/ Lots and lots of aftermarket parts. You may also want to look into the LAP3 performance chip. I would recommend the 91 octane version.
Its been three years and all I can think is "God I love this Optima!" One of the best looking ones I've ever seen and it ain't even the top trim! The wheels, the drop, the interior detail mods, the CF, the brakes, I mean damn!!!
Sorry to post on your thread, but I have to share this with you...
Exact same trim you have with new headlights an an SX grille...
Love the look of your wife's Optima... It has inspired me on how to mod mine!!!
Looking great man!! I just posted in your thread, keep it up!
Originally Posted by majin ssj eric
Its been three years and all I can think is "God I love this Optima!" One of the best looking ones I've ever seen and it ain't even the top trim! The wheels, the drop, the interior detail mods, the CF, the brakes, I mean damn!!!
I truly appreciate the kind words! It might be going up for sale by the end of the year or early next year. Just saying
I know I haven't kept this thread active, just been incredibly busy with everything else.
Wife's Optima is currently at 52,000 miles and had a recall done for an SRS harness. The only upgrade I've done this year was replacing the old HID system with a Morimoto Elite HID kit from retrofitsource. I will say the quality was a huge upgrade, a bit of a pain in the ass to install due to extra things that are needed to run the kit. I cleaned up the wiring and installed the new ballast under the headlights. Other than that, its the typical weekend detailing and just enjoying the car. I parked next to a completely stock 2011 Optima just to show the differences between the two models.
Last edited by 04WDPSeDaN; 10-16-2018 at 08:19 AM.
Coilovers for this car seems cheap and plentiful...
How do you like the strut bar?
Not too sure about them being cheap, at least when it comes to this vehicle. At the time, I purchased new D2 Racing RS Coil overs, front strut bar and an upgrade performance rear sway bar with new links and bushings. A bit more than 2K for all the parts. The handling was by far much better. Ride quality was improved over lowering springs on stock struts, but not as comfortable as I would like. I don't drive this car often, my wife does. I'm over the lowered car life. I prefer the quality of a very smooth ride. My daily is a Mercedes ML350 and I love the quality of ride and how well insulated it is to cut down exterior road noise. I guess i'm becoming an an fart now.
Not too sure about them being cheap, at least when it comes to this vehicle. At the time, I purchased new D2 Racing RS Coil overs, front strut bar and an upgrade performance rear sway bar with new links and bushings. A bit more than 2K for all the parts. The handling was by far much better. Ride quality was improved over lowering springs on stock struts, but not as comfortable as I would like. I don't drive this car often, my wife does. I'm over the lowered car life. I prefer the quality of a very smooth ride. My daily is a Mercedes ML350 and I love the quality of ride and how well insulated it is to cut down exterior road noise. I guess i'm becoming an an fart now.
I found some lowering struts last night for $271 and springs for $179... This is at the K5 store...
I also found coilovers for under $800, and it seems. shops charge a few hundred to install...
Thinking of just running a front strut bar and maybe a rear sway bar...
Do the struts later... I don't want to lower it much if any at all...
I found some lowering struts last night for $271 and springs for $179... This is at the K5 store...
I also found coilovers for under $800, and it seems. shops charge a few hundred to install...
Thinking of just running a front strut bar and maybe a rear sway bar...
Do the struts later... I don't want to lower it much if any at all...
From what I kept reading on the Optimaforums, these are the best bang for buck suspension. Very important to make sure you verify the 2011 suspension code. I had to verify the code based on the vin. They changed something mid way in 2011 or in 2012 which doesn't make all 2011 struts the same. https://www.k5optimastore.com/produc...s-struts-combo
From what I kept reading on the Optimaforums, these are the best bang for buck suspension. Very important to make sure you verify the 2011 suspension code. I had to verify the code based on the vin. They changed something mid way in 2011 or in 2012 which doesn't make all 2011 struts the same. https://www.k5optimastore.com/produc...s-struts-combo
Oh, ok, good to know, thanks for the hrads up...
Mine was built in Korea in 12/10 on the vin sticker...
In fact, the seatbelts say 12/10/10, and all Optimas before 12/5/10 required different headlights, I had to replace the etire headlight housings...
I don't want to drop the car more than .5", and definitely no more than 1"... Really, I don't mind it stock...
I may end up lowering it one day, but I need 25+ other things more importantly...
I'm liking the idea of the throttle body spacer, seems like a really good deal for $76!!!
Today, I was fallowing someobe around town in the RDX, and had to do some heavy city driving... Really appreciated how much torque it has, given my car is full to the roof, moving...
Averaged 31.4 on the highway today... Lots of construction, passing, merging, ect...
Sure can see the SaaB in those cars! Inside and out! The dash is totally Saab and the rear door c-pillar configuration. Always thought these were attractive cars.
Bump from the dead. I think enough time has passed to show the aftermath of the Optima.
It was the 1st week of Dec 2019 my wife was heading to work. She was in the middle lane when a semi truck in the fast lane didn't see her and changed lanes quickly. The semi's front struck the optimas drivers side rear door and the semi's front wheel lug nuts locked up the optima rear wheel causing the car to slide ass end under the trailer and then nose into the barrier at 50-60 mph. The optima bounced around a few times against the guard rail til it finally came to a stop facing traffic. A few drivers stopped to see if my wife was OK. I got a call from one of them saying my wife was in a horrific accident. I left my job site and rushed there. took her to the hospital where she suffered some neck and lower back disk issues. The optima saved her life, she's still dealing with pain and gets medical treatment til this day. Life is too short. Everything can change in a blink of an eye.
Hire a good attorney. Make sure the trucking company pays for pain and suffering. Im sorry to say, but, In one way or another, your wife will suffer from her injuries for the rest of her life.
08-13-2015, 10:54 AM
I told her I have to "finish" the S2k before we start on the truck.
Gorgeous! 
