*Warning - Extremely long post*

I got my A-Spec suspension installed yesterday. The suspension was ordered from Falconi Acura and I had it installed at Rallye Acura. ($750 parts + $395 labor). The labor included the install and the alignment. I know that the parts are at least $150 more than the cheapest price I've seen people pay but I thought it was worth it, plus the other vendors were not offering it anymore.

Ride quality:
The ride is surprisingly smooth. I expected the stiffer shocks to put a "damper" (pun intended) on the luxury ride. I thought the potholes would be more jarring. It is not, and I live in NY which is pothole-central. What I did notice though was that there was no rebound when coming off of a bump. The car absorbs the bump reasonably well, and continues on its way, with no further undulations. This was exactly what I had wanted. I am very impressed at both the ride quality and the lack of extraneous suspension movement when jarred.

The drop:
Visually, it does not make much of an impact. I did a crude measurement with a ruler from the fender to the edge of the wheel (and the car is lowered all around by .5 of an inch). I am certain it will not be noticed by 99% of the people out there. This is fine by me, I just hope that when I get 18's next spring the gap will not be more noticeable.

The handling:
It is much more neutral. I did not observe an increase in steering wheel however, but I did notice a marked reduction in understeer. It is still not what I would consider a perfectly neutral vehicle (and can probably never be), but the car can boogie with all that I can throw at it. To test it out, I was taking 90 degree turns at speeds faster than I'm supposed to be (to me making a 90 degree turn at 30-35 mph in a heavy FWD sedan is no joke). The car handled it well, and although I could feel the sidewalls shift under pressure, there was much less body roll and lean.

A-Spec vs. Tein:
I thought it would be good if I put my reasons for picking the A-Spec over the Tein coilovers.
1. A-Spec is designed by Acura engineers specifically for the TL. I read a great amount of reviews about how well it works.
2. The greatest advantage of the Teins (to me) is the height adjustment not the dampening adjustment (I would leave it as stiff as I wanted it, and not change it). However, I was not looking for a "slammed" look. I couldn't see myself taking apart my rear seat to adjust the height of the Teins to raise it up or lower it. The A-Spec kit offered me a slightly lower appearance, but not too radical that I would have a lot of trouble with bumps and steep driveways.
3. Lack of information on the Teins. There were only a couple of people who got them installed, and I did not have enough confidence in the ride quality with the Teins for me to go ahead and order them. I didn't want the TL to feel like a Civic with cut springs (I felt my kidneys were not ready for it) and although the Teins may not feel like that, I didn't have the confidence to make that gamble.
4. A-Spec is much easier to argue for during "warranty-work" if any arises.

Some of these statements maybe valid to you, some may not. To me, these were my reasons and my reasoning.

That ladies and gentlemen, are my observations so far. If I feel there is more to add, I will definitely let all of you know.

p.s. Since the A-Spec badge came with the suspension, and I did not take it out of the box I received from Falconi; the dealership installed the badge. I am torn between the badge and no badge right now. I don't want it...but then again, I can't make up my mind if it looks good or not. Chances are, I will be taking it off (I'm lacking the A-Spec steering wheel & wheels). I will most probably be getting the steering wheel as well, but buying my own wheels come next March.

Thanks for reading...have a great weekend.

 

how easy is it to get a dealership to break the suspension portion out of the whole package? I thought that they wouldnt do this. also, does anyone know a dealer in OC -Socal that will do this? Thanks!

 

Most dealerships won't budge. Try eBay. I believe Falconi Acura in NV is still selling them.

 

Thanks again Pooch. Great Review BTW!
Greg

 

damn i was so going to get them when the suspension parts were 600 a few months back. i was afraid cause i am in NY as well and didn't want a stiff ride like my last car. now i kind of regret not gettiing it. oh wells i wait a bit and see what happens.

 

After I bought them...I kept thinking...mann it was only $600 a few months ago. Unfortunately none of those dealers had any in stock...most had a two-three month waiting list.

About ride quality...I think you will be pleasantly surprised. It is not harsh to me at all. It is more buttoned-down than say...my old Altima SE...but the ride is no where as crusty and harsh. You won't notice it except for those bumps where you are expecting a rebound, but you don't get any large movement in the suspension.

Overall, I'm pleased with the ride quality.