arbifox

If anyone can give me some advice on this, I will be eternally grateful.

I have been driving my fiancee's 2004 TL, and I keep telling her that there is something wrong with her suspension. I personally drive a 91 M5 with a very stiff suspension, and she tells me that I am just used to a stiffer ride.

The problem is, that at any speed, if you go over the smallest bump in the road, you get excessive lateral motion in the car, especially if you are on a turn. My first idea is that the tires are crap, which we are now going to exchange, but I feel the problem is much greater.

I am going to bring it to a dealer and test drive another TL to see if I feel the same issue, but I wanted to go in with some ammo, so I thought I would ask the folks here they experienced anything like this in their cars? Can something be wrong, should some part be checked?

If this is the normal behavior, any recommendations on how to improve the suspension? I was thinking of Adjustable Konis all around, maybe a stiffer anti-sway bar in the rear and a tower strut brace in the front.

It is beyond me how such a smooth car can feel so "sloshy".

Regards,

Thomas.

levon1830

Upgrade to A-Spec suspension ?

arbifox

What is A-spec? I just wanted to know if there are any aftermarket kits, has anyone used adjustable shocks? All I know is that what is on there now sucks. Maybe the dealer will have the answer, I just figured the group may have some ideas.

T

HiTEC

Search forum for "A-Spec"

arbifox

next time, search first, ask questions later. I would still love to hear from anyone that went another route. I am really not sure if I want an Acura solution, I rather go with vendors outside that make products for the car.

Still curious, is it normal for this car to have so much lateral motion when hitting bumps at high speed?

T

gqchicago

Upgrade the rear sway bar to the Comptech one...easy $100 upgrade takes 20 mins to install and improves the handling SIGNIFICANTLY!

As far as suspension either the A-spec Acura one...or Tein, Koni, Eibach, etc make good aftermarket kits.

The TL already has a front tower strut brace in the front.

Revolutions

i honestly don't think a the comptech rear sway bar will help at all...it's only 1mm more. not gonna make that much of a difference. plus i doubt your woman drives the car like a mad woman (taking right turns at 40mph, etc). it could be the shocks because the car is 2 years old now, and mind you it's a HEAVY 3500lbs car...so if there's a lot of miles on the car say....50k? then maybe it's time for new shocks. new tires will definately help if you're running on crap tires. but crappy tires will only degrade handling, and ride comfort, but i don't think it will solve your "slushy" suspension problem

if you have a m5, sorry, TL is no comparison. but i would definately check the shocks, you can check the shocks yourself by just going to the front of the car and pushing down on the front fender...or go to your trunk open the trunk, and push down on the frame of the trunk...if you see bounce, then it's time for new shocks. good luck trying to find a-spec suspension only, cuz majority of places now only sell a-spec suspension AND rims as a package.

arbifox

guys,

Thanks so much for the feedback. I know the comparison between a 91 M5 and the TL is not exactly the same, but I went through about 2 years of tuning the suspension on my car, and I have a good sense of what helps and what does not. My car handled like crap before I started to work on it, but now it rides just fine for a 3900 pound car.

The issue I have with the TL is that it is a great car, but I just feel like corners were cut in some areas. I read some of the other problems, and I never had any of those, but the handling problem has been there since day 1. The tires are crap, and I know that for a fact. I see someone who responded has the Michelin Pilot Sport, which I know is a favorite on the M5 scene.

The sway bar in the back . . . I upgraded mine from an 18 mm to 20 mm, and the difference is huge. I know the formula is complex, but the radial thickness increases the stiffness by a factor of a multiple, not just a simple product.

I am all over looking for an aftermarket kit, can anyone recommend any great vendors they used? I will search myself, but I am always up for using someone that is recommended.

My fiancee does not drive it exactly aggressively, but just to be clear to all, this is not an issue that comes up during performance driving. I take a turn at even 30 mph and hit a bump, the rear of the car just moves around. I honestly do not feel safe in the car above 90, and trust me, I can drive at 150 and not bat an eye.

I will definately look into the tires, that has to be done this summer. The rear sway, absolutely. I am going to research a Koni kit, since that is what I have in my car and the change was amazing.

Any other ideas are always welcome, and I will be sure to post the exact changes I made once I am done with them in July or so.

Thanks again to all . . .

Thomas.

MichaelBenz

iTrader: (2)

Check this thread for a starting point on suspension too....

most people in that thread have other than OEM suspension setups.....

you can search their screen names from there for more info>

https://acurazine.com/forums/ramblings-12/movie-recommendations-133164/

Revolutions

koni shocks, eibach prokit springs, comptech rear sway bar, BFG KDW2 tires...call it a day

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

The TL does have the pogo-ing effect if it hits a bump while cornering. I personally think it's because the shocks are too soft, the springs and/or the bump stops are too stiff or too progressive and also the rear bump stops are too long.

To reduce the pogo-ing effect, I'd get a set of Koni Sport. Don't lower it so it still retains the stock wheel travels so you maintain a nice firm controlled ride.

IMO, the swaybar should not reduce the pogoing effect at all. A swaybar is still a spring, in a different form. And a spring needs to be damped by the shocks.

The swaybar will help in reducing understeer though. I feel that the car is much controllable in turns with Comptech rear swaybar. It's easier to position the car in tight, high speed turns. It is also cheap, so it's not a good idea to upgrade.

The TL already has a strut tower brace. Unless you are going to stiffen the suspension by a LOT, the chassis is stiff enough not to flex.

RSA_Secure

Comptech RSB does make a significant difference for the price/effort.

It is 22mm thick vs 17mm (AT) or 20mm (MT).

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

I fat fingered it.... It should read "it's a good idea to upgrade".

K-Shawn

If you want a real responsive set up, go for the Tein Super Street Coilover suspension and Comptech RSB. With this set up your issues want be issues no more. The TL would feel like you are on a monorail train. When you get hook on the suspension, you can upgrade to the E.D.F.C for the Tein SuperStreet.

ililillilillilil

i just ordered H&r springs 1.4 f 1.3 r. i should be fine with just these springs, right?