I've been reading some posts on this, but I still wanted to ask these questions directly. I went to the dealership last week and the guy in parts told me he thought the Aspec suspension was a waste of money. He said that for what you pay for it, all it did that he noticed was make the ride rougher and the drop wasnt that substantial. So to those of you with the Aspec suspension:

-Do you still prefer it over stock suspension
-Is the ride that much rougher than the stock suspension
-Is the drop substantial enough that if you saw a car with the drop, you could automatically tell that it had been dropped vs factory suspension from the exterior appearence
-Does the drop still look pretty nice with 18" vs 19" rims (in your opinion)
-Does the tighter suspension make driving more fun (in your opinion)
-If you've had it for a while, is there any unusual wear on the tires or maintenance factors that might not occur by staying stock

Thanks in advance, sorry for all the noob questions.

 

Definitely a drastic improvement over stock suspension.
You can tell it's been dropped a bit ... IMO just right.
You don't really give up any of the smoothness at all.Hardly noticably rougher ride.It is negligable,especially considering the improved handling,flatter and surer cornering and steering/braking.
Driving is helluvva lot more fun now.
I haven't had it on long enough to see if theres any tire wear yet.Did not have an immediate need to get an aligment done.I'm still on the original Bridgestone EL 42Turanza's (wich suck) and will hopefully be upgrading to 18" A-Spec rims and a set of Pirelli Zero Nero's.
I can only imagine how much better it will feel then.The Bridgestones are really some of the most awful tires I've ever experienced.
Do the A-Spec suspension upgrade.You will not be sorry.

 

I just had mine installed today. The ride is slightly rougher. It's hardly noticable at all. For some reason, it feels a little smoother in a sense over potholes. The steering has greatly improved. There is less effort to turn around corners. I can tell that there is a slight difference in drop. Overall, as mentioned by the poster above, you won't be sorry at all.

 

Do a search here for more opinions.

Then just do it. Great, and probably first mod anyone should do.

 

The guy in parts has probably never driven or ridden in an A-Spec TL, so doesn't know what the hell he's talking about.

Just do it. End of story. It is definitely the best of both worlds. In addition, when you buy it from an authorized dealer, even one on eBay, you get a warranty with it and the dealer should know how to service it. Yes, the ride is a little harsher, but it is really tolerable. My in-laws and wife can't tell much difference in the ride from stock, believe me, they're sensitive to this and noticed it with my 2G TL when I dropped it with Comptechs. The drop is barely visible, but who cares, the suspension is for improved performance.

 

I currently have the stock 17 rims with Michelin Pilox MXM4 93Ws. Would the A-spec suspension upgrade still be worth it with this set-up (i.e., without 18s and high performance summer tires)? I'd like to upgrade my wheels to the A-spec 18s eventually, but can't justify it until my current all-seasons are ready to be replaced. I'm hoping the suspension upgrade alone at this point would improve what I consider to be a slighly mushy and non-responsive ride (coming from a 330i with performance pkg, i.e., 18s, summer tires, M suspension...). Thanks!

 

The a-spec suspension is going to make the difference in the handling, not the 18" wheels. I'm currently riding on 17" stock wheels with all-season rubber with the A-Spec suspension. I do have the wheels and summer only rubber, but won't put it on until the winter is over. I bought my car stock and drove it for about a month before I had the A-spec suspension installed. It was a night and day difference, and I'm totally glad I did it.

Wheels don't matter, do the suspension!

Also this is probably one of the most commonly asked questions, and if you're looking for more opinions do a search (this question is asked at least twice a week).

 

I fully agree with HiTec and NuronBob, the ASpec is absolutely the right thing to do. A little stiffer but not uncomfortable and well worth it. Probably the 2nd best bang for the buck, the best bang for the buck is the Comptech Rear Sway Bar (RSB). My ASpec suspension (suspension only) was $650 on ebay from Curry Acura and my local dealer did the install for $400 including a 4 wheel alignment. The RSB was $110 at Comptech and I had them install it for $45. I couldn't be happier with either one.

 

I agree with HiTEC. My A-Spec suspension has been coupled for almost two years with stock 17" wheels and good all-season rubber and it's been all good. In about two weeks, I'll be on 18s and with a RSB (FINALLY) to complete the suspension picture.

I also agree with emracer, the suspension is not that expensive. It provides serious bang for the buck.

 

I agree with Bob, you'll be kicking yourself if you don't do it.

I am also looking forward for the 2 week mark to hear what the 18's do to Bob's ride before I decide.

 

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll wait on the rims and do the suspension and RSB first.

 

Would you guys suggest getting the a spec suspension over getting comptech springs with koni yellow shocks?

 

HiTEC,

I'm thinking about installing the A-Spec suspension on my '04 6MT TL. Does this come with just the coil-overs or does it include sway bars as well.
Also, I noticed that you have a 6MT, could you list the A-Spec suspension part numbers for the 6MT as I understand that the A-Spec suspension parts for a 5AT are different (something about the weight of the automatic transmission).

Thanks,
TL-Rocket

 

I just installed the A-SPEC suspension on my car and CompTech RSB. The upgrades are well worth it. I'm very happy I did it.

To answer your questions:

- Yes

- The ride is not rougher. Over a series of bumps the car feels more firm, could be the lower profile tire. Otherwise, the ride feels just like the stock suspension.

- The drop is subtle but noticeable. It's definitely lower than when I had it on the stock suspension and 17s. I can tell by looking at the ground clearance. The nose of the car is lower as well.

- Looks nice on my 18s!

- Yes, it makes it more fun. The car has far more capable handling. I personally think that it's easier to point the nose of the car with the new suspension. But, I have to give credit to the RSB as well.

- Don't know yet and can't really say that I care. I love my car with the new setup.

 

I would strongly suggest not adding road racing parts to a 35k luxury sedan, instead add a factory tuned street performance upgrade (aspec)

 

For you 5AT owners with A-spec suspension, did you install the AT version of the A-spec or the MT version? Because i hear that the MT version suspension on a 5AT will give it a more even drop and have any 5AT owners thought about putting the MT version over the AT one for a even drop cuz thats I thinking of doing.

 

For you 5AT owners with A-spec suspension, did you install the AT version of the A-spec or the MT version? Because i hear that the MT version suspension on a 5AT will give it a more even drop. Have any 5AT owners thought about putting the MT version over the AT one for a even drop cuz thats I thinking of doing and i have a 5AT

 

I believe mine was an AT suspension for my AT. The drop looks good to me but now I'm giong to measure it when I get back from skiing!!

 

I really like it, but I bought it straight from dealer with it on, so I can't really compare it.

I say go for it. And the sales person doesn't know much......

 

I was a little skeptical about getting the A-spec suspension. I did my research and I also thought the ride would be a little ruff. All in all, it's going to be 2 weekends since I installed the suspension. Boy oh boy, I love it and I love taking the corner roads!! It's the best thing you can do for the TL. I'm with the A-spec crowd. Nothing to worry about. Just do it!!!

 

How much drop will the a-spec do?

 

half an inch - one inch

 

That's what she said!! Wait a minute, I probably shoudn't have said that...excuse me!

 

emracer do have the AT a-spec suspension or MT?

 

I told Curray Accura what car I had and told them I wanted the A-Spec suspension for it and they ordered it for me. I believe it is an AT suspension since mine is an AT car(at the time I did not know there was a difference). If someone can get the part numbers for both shock/spring set ups, I'll check mine...but I'm leaving my TL for a week to go skiing. My real rough estimates are 2 1/2 fingers gap at the rear wheel to the fender and 2 fingers gap at the front. It looks good and handles great!!