Ride Quality - Lowered Springs

[Mondo]

Hi all,
I'd like to hear from those with lowered springs.. particularly H&R. Also, if on stock shocks or aftermarket. I've had Eibachs on most my cars but understand it's not sold here (and is not as low as H&R). Seen some negative remarks on Corksport; probably due to spring rate it has to have as it's the lowest of the bunch. Too old for that, like the stock ride.
I usually changed shocks too but this car is new so would like to hold off on that.
I think we're pretty close to getting some adjustable rear control arms from a couple manufacturers and am just waiting so that alignment can be restored. Also, haven't seen any confirmation that 15 & 16 models are the same, springwise, though most people think so.

 

[MikeM.]

Too old for that, like the stock ride.

Since you like the stock ride, you should probably keep the stock springs. If you put shorter springs in with the same spring rate then the suspension will bottom out more easily.

 

[paris1]

If you do a search here you'll find plenty of discussion of this subject over the past 2-3 years. I have H&Rs and stock shocks, rims and tires on my 2013 Touring and have gotten used to the somewhat stiffer ride. I would characterize it as what some manufacturers (Mini) might call a sport suspension. CX-5s are already pretty stiffly sprung to begin with, so proceed with some caution. I thought about swapping the 17" wheels for 19s off the GT or the Mazda 6 and decided not to chance making the ride any stiffer. BTW, I run 30# of pressure in my tires rather than the recommended 34 to take some of the edge off the ride. It's fine on smooth pavement, but broken pavement is where you notice the difference from stock. I'm also experiencing some inner tire shoulder wear because of the resulting negative camber, but not excessive. I put up with the deficits because I can't stand the look of the car "up on its tippy-toes" in stock configuration. It looks much more planted with the 1.5" (average) drop. BTW, I see no reason to change the shocks. They seem to be holding up fine. I too am waiting for rear control arms to eliminate some of the negative camber.

 

[Mondo]

Thanks,
Like I said, most my cars have Eibach lowered springs so my comments on quality of ride may be from a firmer perspective than most people. Just don't like harsh (shocks can affect this) or bottoming out. Plus the biggest deal on my other lowered cars were speed bumps, driveway issues etc... I don't see that being a problem with the CX5 and a 1.5in drop.
I'm going to hold out a while longer for the camber arms, want to do it all one time.

 

[zoomie888]

Don't have H&R's on my CX-5 GT, but I've had them for years on a 2002 Toyota Rav4 matched with Koni Yellows. The ride was perfect.....after awhile. It took some getting used to. I literally felt my organs shaking. After getting used to that and the headaches that came along with it for weeks, I wouldn't want it any other way. The ride ride just stiff enough to take corners noticeably faster and quick acceleration (quick on a Rav4 isnt' saying much) mean the car didn't have to sit back (like it does on stock suspension on almost all cars then and now) before launching forward. If I was single w/no kids, I'd probably do the same thing on the CX-5. I'd definitely want something that has damping adjustability. In case the ride isn't perfect, there's some adjustability. With stuff like the TEIN basic coilover kit which I had on a different car, you eat it. No adjustability whatsoever other than height which has negligable impact on the ride quality and is purely for looks.

If you really don't know what to do, but are convinced up "upgrading" your suspension, I'd either go for springs only for budgetary concerns or something with damping adjustability. If you're new, you're not really going to know what you're getting into unless you're lucky enough to come across someone with your exact same car with the exact same setup combo who's nice enough to let you drive it for a week to actually get an accurate feel for it.

For most people, I'd say leave the suspension alone. The stock ride is pretty stiff as it is, at least compared to the current Rav4 and VW Tiguan that I also test drove before deciding on the CX-5.

Others will definitely enjoy a full on suspension replacement and will never look back. I used to be in this category when I wasn't married, didn't have kids and the car was all to myself. If you asked me 6 years ago, I'd say I would never keep a car with stock suspension for very long. I'm an addict and love the stiffer suspension and the lowered look to compliment it. If you're unsure, don't go all out. That's just my two cents.

 

[paris1]

I was on the fence for a year before going the H&R route. I poured over every post I saw on this forum from owners who had done it and did my best to "read between the lines" of their assessments afterwards. A lot of folks are not very objective about this kind of thing as they've gone to a lot of expense and trouble to lower their CX-5s for one reason or another and will often claim that ride quality has not been affected at all. Read their posts a year later and you begin to see the admissions that it really did make an already stiff suspension somewhat stiffer. I finally bit the bullet about a year ago as I just couldn't stand the stance of the car as it came from the factory. To me it just looked just plain goofy sitting up on its suspension and the only time it looked OK to my eye was when it was loaded down with some sort of payload or passengers and the suspension settled. Your comments here are pretty spot-on zoomie888. The ride on my 1.5" lower CX-5 has never given me a headache, but I do have to be extra conscious of speed bumps and broken pavement and other types of rough road surfaces. Well-paved freeways are no problem. I would characterize the ride as similar to some manufacturers' (Mini comes to mind) "Sport" suspension option, which road testers report can be a bit brutal at times. As you mentioned, I've pretty much adjusted to all this by now and do not regret the drop. I'm much happier with the appearance of the car and it does seem to handle better on twisty roads. I am experiencing a bit of inner tire wear because of the increased (non-adjustable) negative camber, but that's the same negative camber that sharpens the handling, so now I'm undecided as to whether or not to invest in rear camber arms and (though no one over speaks of these here) front camber eccentric bolts. Thanks for revisiting this subject and giving your perspective. Even though you don't have a lowered CX-5, your experience and comments are still very relevant.

 

[Mondo]

Man, looking at the ride height I was hoping speed bumps and rough surfaces wouldn't be that much different with what seems a minor drop...
I was driving an Infiniti Coupe with lowered springs (car was low when stock) and with the front overhang it was really getting to be a pain. Those drainage dips across roads were even cause for major slow down. Hmmm may have to think about this a little more as the wife does not want to go thru that again.
Thanks for the candid replies

 

[zoomie888]

Paris, no problem. Figured I'd share and perhaps save people some money. If anyone is like me, we just want to tweak and tinker nonstop. It's an addiction. If I'm able to do enough research to find that indeed I do NOT want something, that's probably the best case. I remain satisfied by learning enough about something to realize it isn't for me and I get to keep the money (for other mods of course, haha).

Yes, I did fail to mention the thing about negative camber and tire wear. This can be a big deal. When I lowered my 2005 Mercedes c230 Kompressor Sports Sedan on TEIN Basic Coilovers, it needed new tires once a year and sometimes even more often than that! It was horrible. It's much worse when your car has a staggered setup (meaning the rear tires are wider than the front) and the tires themselves are directional (meaning they are only designed to rotate quickly in one direction) b/c that means tire rotation isn't an option. Gotta get new tires every time. Even with cheap Kumho tires, it added up fast and I finally bit the bullet a few months ago and spent money on a camber kit to correct it. All is well so far and tires are in optimal condition. Just wish I did that 4 sets of tires ago.

Another thing to consider when lowering the car, particularly on new struts/shocks or a coilover system, the color of the suspension will most likely show through. Unless you're slamming your CX-5 on air suspension (and or installing JDM aftermarket fenders), there will still be a wheel gap and a bright yellow or green shock will be very visible and some folks will hate that. Keep that in mind.

For those that went with the 4WD version like myself who plan to take it to the slopes for winter season, lowering will obviously reduce the ground clearance. You may have chosen a crossover for its practical crossover application and picked a small one for the sportiness. The balance is a good one and that's probably why the sector is picking up. Unless you're very certain about all the drawbacks of lowering a car and have plans to respond to those, don't do it. Again, it's awesome for some folks but most will want to steer away.

Also think about how long you plan to keep the car and what you will do with it. It might be harder to sell a modified vehicle, particularly one with suspension "upgrades."

 

[paris1]

zoomie: Funny you should mention the "color of the suspension" because one of the reasons I wanted to lower mine was that I hated seeing those yellow neoprene bump stops on the rear shocks from across the parking lot every time I approached the car! With a 1.5" drop you can just barely see them now peeking out from the top of the tire. As for resale, I kept the OE springs so I can change it back to stock if someone insists. Fortunately, it's not that hard a job on this vehicle.

 

[V8toilet]

zoomie: Funny you should mention the "color of the suspension" because one of the reasons I wanted to lower mine was that I hated seeing those yellow neoprene bump stops on the rear shocks from across the parking lot every time I approached the car!

A cheaper mod for that is to just paint them black.(thumb)

 

[paris1]

A cheaper mod for that is to just paint them black.(thumb)

It was only "one of the reasons".