VX's BUMPY RIDE?!?!

[transio]

Let me tell you, I've been riding on these Bilsteins for almost a year now. They are the stiffest ride I've ever encountered. Stiffer, even, than my S2000 or M Coupe had. It's almost like a gocart. If anyone is concerned about ride comfort, don't get them!

[VehiGAZ]

Wow, I can't agree with Transio's comment on the Bilsteins. I found that they control the body motions very well, very comparably to the stock OEM shocks - FAR from the "go cart ride" Transio describes. And having had overly-soft shocks on my VX, I can tell you that going softer makes for an ugly, uncontrollable ride. Soft, yes, but that's no bargain when you're getting tossed left, right, and forward over ever undulation in the road. The Bilsteins gave my VX a softer and smoother ride than the 8-year old 145k mile Prelude SH that it replaced.

Transio, I wonder if there's a lot of difference between the actual performance (rather than the design performance) of our sets of shocks. Or maybe you don't have stock springs in your VX? I don't know how else to account for the discrepancy in our experiences with these Bilsteins.

[transio]

Gaz, do you have H1's front and back? Most people go with H2's on the front, which aren't as stiff. I have H1's, and the stiffness is noticeable.

[Raque Thomas]

Steve, your wheel/tire combo may contribute to the harsher ride as well. It made a BIG difference in my ride quality.

[t2p]

VehiGAZ:
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The KYB MonoMax is a better option for the VX than the KYB GasAdjust. The Mono Max is intended for SUV's, trucks, etc. The MonoMax is 'beefier' (larger shaft diameter, etc) and has a higher (rebound) damping rate.
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[transio]

Raque, I dunno, I've had 2 sets of wheels / tires with the same ride. Currently have 285/60s and very heavy wheels, so if anything it should make the ride softer (weight of the wheels would damper energy and big tires will deform a lot.

[VehiGAZ]

I have the H1's front and back. The ride was VERY comparable to Peewog's OEM setup, and she has about 75k miles on them. Tire size is one factor in the quality of the ride, but different tires are going give different rides due to differences in sidewall stiffness.

Transio, when it comes to suspensions, I know that designers try to keep "unsprung weight" (meaning the weight of the tires, wheels, hubs, brakes, and suspension linkages) to a minimum, because the more weight you have bouncing around under the springs, the more energy gets transfered to the chassis. Having "heavy wheels" therefore will make the ride worse. Lighter wheels will shake the car less.

[transio]

Transio, when it comes to suspensions, I know that designers try to keep "unsprung weight" (meaning the weight of the tires, wheels, hubs, brakes, and suspension linkages) to a minimum, because the more weight you have bouncing around under the springs, the more energy gets transfered to the chassis. Having "heavy wheels" therefore will make the ride worse. Lighter wheels will shake the car less.

Hmmm... I never knew that. I always assumed the opposite to be true. Now that you mention it, though, it makes sense that the heavy wheels would transfer more energy onto the chassis. They also seriously kill acceleration. They look pretty, though!

[VehiGAZ]

I just saw your pics... they sure do look good, Transio! It's all a balance, I guess...