I have an '02 TL-S with ~63k miles. Totally Stock and no previous problems.

Seems to me the suspension is too loose. Too much play in the steering wheel and the ride is not a firm as it seemed to be when new. Or is it just me - we got an '07 TL-S a couple months ago - the 2G feels looser since driving the 3G.

There is also a shimmy at moderate-to-highway speeds. That may be related to tires and/or alignment - we are putting new tires on sometime in the next week or two and will get alignment at the same time.

I am mostly interested in your advice on whether the suspension can be firmed up without "modding" the suspension and, if so, what needs to be done?

TIA.

 

i would imagine the ride could be a trick of your perception given that you have a new car in the garage. are your shocks original though? if they've been taking a beating it could just be wear and tear.

as far as play in the steering wheel goes, unless the rack is bad i believe that any garage can make some adjustments to that when they do a thrust alignment. that might be worth looking into.

 

^^

Yeah, shocks are original. Car doesn't seem to "bounce" up & down - the dampening seems OK. More like it "floats", where I think it should be "firm" - feels more like my Impala than my '07 TL-S.

In part, I am sure you are right - it is more noticable with the new TL-S in the garage. That car comes off the lot *tight* - firm steering, pedal feel and ride.

Local shop I work with has been pretty good to us, so I'll ask them about the steering wheel play (and maybe checking/tightening suspension connections) when we get the tires and alignment in a couple weeks.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

You just might need an alignment and some air in your tires.

 

Stock to stock comparison, the handling of the '07 TL-S is way ahead of the '02 TL-S. So the '02 will definitely feel loose after driven the '07.

 

my 02 TLs felt pretty floaty at highway speeds, but it turned out my front-right shock was leaking and pretty much doing nothing for the suspension. once i replaced it all was well.

not that this is necessarily the problem, but you should take a look. mine had oil and dirt all over the shock cylinder, so i knew it was definitely bad.

 

and shocks and tires would be the cause of any floating on the TL. Its HIGHLY possible that your shocks are in need of replacement. Just because the ride isnt bouncy doesnt mean they arent bad.

 

Shocks problem.

 

OK guys, GREAT help. I've got something solid to look for.


Assume for the moment that I do replace the shocks. If I go with OEM or "OEM equivelant", roughly how much should I expect to pay, total parts and labor?

Car is bone stock and no real plans to upgrade wheels/tires or do a drop. But, is there a non-stock "upgrade" I should consider? If so, what and at what price?

 

200-600 aftermarket
KYB is the oem equivalent

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/S...lar=&brand=all

 

Thanks. I've been doing a little searching as well. OEM are ~$135 per corner for Shock plus Spings. KYB shock is about ~$30 cheaper than Acura OEM. I've emailed our local dealer for replacement cost.

I've found some posts on Tokico struts and also on the Tein Coil overs (Basic and SS). Tokico are ~$75 per shock shipped via e-bay and seem to have pretty good reviews here.

I'll post back how things are after Tire replacement and Alignment in a couple weeks. At least if I need shocks, I won't be surprised.

 

OK.

Tires arrived Monday and had them put on today. 215/50R17 Bridgestone Potenza RE460 Pole Position AS. Also had them Road Force Balanced and got an Alignment.

The ride is much improved. Steering is better - more responsive - and the ride is much improved. Cornering is also much better. I'll put a lot of that to the tires (new, proper inflation, balance, etc). The old tires on the front (Yoko ES100's) were worn nearly to the nub,

Ride is smoother, quieter and not as much "float" over bumps. No more shimmy at highway speeds, either. (Although there is a shimmy/shake on moderate braking around 50 mph - WOOHOO!! Coming soon: new brakes!! Can you say "ROTORA"?)

Steering and suspension is still a little softer than I'd like and there is still a little play in the steering wheel. So, when I can convince SWMBO, I'll be looking at some Tokico Shocks (Blue) with (probably) Tanabe Springs.

Here's a couple of pics with the new rubber:

 

Acura garage did my alignment. Actually did it 3 times since they just couldn't get the steering wheel staight. I realized that after the alignment the car still didn't steer right even with new tires. The problem was a bad tie rod end on the steering rack. It was not real loose but did have some play in it. I replaced both inner tie rods on the steering rack and now it's nice and tight again. Hopefully when they did the alignment on your car everything on the front suspension was checked out by the mechanic. The Acura garage mechanic didn't catch the tie rod end play. Apple Tree Honda/Acura lost my business forever over that.