sleeping91ser

So I have been a member for a long time but don't get a chance to post much. Let me start this question by stating I have no performance upgrades to my stock 05 tl. I love my car and one of the best parts about it is it's like driving a cloud and so smooth over the busy and banged up nyc streets. About four months ago I got a bubble in a front tire from hitting a pot hole.. At first I thought the car was handling rough cause of pot holes and the rough nyc winter but eventually I began to notice its a much rougher ride.. From doing my research I see a lot of people upgrade to the aspec suspension. My fear in doing that is I will lose the cloud like feel the car had before the stock suspension went bad. I wouldn't mind gaining better handling but not at the cost of the smooth ride quality I love so much. Thoughts and opinions much appreciated, sorry for the long winded post!

01acls

If you love the ride then stay with stock struts. New ones will be much firmer than your current old ones. They maybe firm enough to give you the handling you want.

Or go with a good aftermarket Sport strut insert... Koni or Bilstein. They will give you the added handling you want without the undesirable choppyness that you don't. However, you will lose that cloud type of ride. It will be a firmer ride but not harsh.

sleeping91ser

I will either get the stock or aspec.. I guess the main question is, will the aspec setup be too harsh for someone who likes the smoothness of the stock setup? Thanks!

01acls

Since you like the stock setup then you will not like the aspec strut/spring combo. The aspec setup will be a lot sportier with a little bit of harshness. It will be approximately 30% stiffer.

If you like the stock ride then I think you will love the sport strut. It's the best compromise for you.

01acls

Think of it this way. If you do majority city driving then strut only. If mostly non-city then aspec.

Wharbone

The aspec isn't super harsh, but it will definitely be harsher than your current setup. If you want it to be as smooth over bumps as possible, stick with the stock setup.

Also check your other suspension components & motor mounts to see if something else may be contributing to the harshness of your current setup.

ExcelerateRep

You could also consider a KYB GR-2 replacement shock as it will provide maximum comfort without a harsh ride. They are designed to be a comfortable oem replacement.
KYB GR-2 / Excel-G Gas Shocks - Excelerate - HOA - Japanese Performance Specialist

sleeping91ser

I wish I could feel what the aspec suspension felt like. I have 105k miles on the car and I can def tell over the past 4-6 months the ride quality had been harsher especially over bumps in the road, etc. I don't mind losing a little bit of the cloud like feeling but would had to replace the suspension with the aspec to find out its going to be as harsh as the stock blown suspension, where I feel every bump in the road