Eibach's springs & sway bar kit soft setting.....sucks!!

[Dochidalgo]

My commute round trip....
First image.....A good performance suspension when taking the 3 curves highlighted in red at +/- 125 km / hr, better than stock suspension...

Second image....A bad performance suspension when taking this curve at the same speed, tested last night. I was driving in the high-speed lane and when I got to the curve, I had to divert my path into the low-speed lane because I felt I was losing control ...

So, I am going to change the sway bars setting to stiffer setting.

My former 2016 Nissan Maxima SR had a better calibration of the suspension and chassis and a very well calibrated electronic aids......

 

[NS_Stinger]

So if I’m reading this correctly you’re saying you could take the same curve at a higher rate of speed with your stock suspension? Or are you only comparing against a previous car you had on the same curve?

 

[AV8R]

If you are going to do track type driving then hard setting is better.

 

[SteveCo]

Those don't look like very tight curves, and 125 km/hr isn't all that fast - plus yours is the first report I've read where someone has even felt dissatisfied, much less feeling it's worse than OEM.

You might want to review that everything was installed correctly, and there are no glaring mistakes - e.g. the two sides of a bar using different holes, or a spring not seated. Can you expand on what was happening with the car when you said 'I felt I was losing control'?

 

[TwinSnails]

Are you AWD or RWD, might have missed that.

The rear sway bars could increase rear rotation. You could always remove the rears and leave the front, if that’s what you are feeling.

 

[Dochidalgo]

So if I’m reading this correctly you’re saying you could take the same curve at a higher rate of speed with your stock suspension? Or are you only comparing against a previous car you had on the same curve?

..... Do not even think about taking those curves at that speed with the stock suspension( No problem at 90 95 km / hr).
The Maxima was well planted in the same curves at 125 or more km/hr....

Those don't look like very tight curves, and 125 km/hr isn't all that fast - plus yours is the first report I've read where someone has even felt dissatisfied, much less feeling it's worse than OEM.

Yes, indeed....but no, it is not worse than the stock suspension performance, I just expected a much better performance with the eibach's kit in those curves at this speed...

might want to review that everything was installed correctly, and there are no glaring mistakes - e.g. the two sides of a bar using different holes, or a spring not seated. Can you expand on what was happening with the car when you said 'I felt I was losing control'?

Good point, altough I was observing the installation by my trusty mechanic and we went for a ride to check that everything was properly installed, what it was like.

I felt that the car does not turn enough on the high speed lane (where I was circulating) and leaves it, so I have to take the slow speed lane in order to follow the path forward....I release the acceleration pedal for a seconds and continue straight...... seems to me that a kind of understeer....if you know what I mean....

 

[Dochidalgo]

Are you AWD or RWD, might have missed that.

The rear sway bars could increase rear rotation. You could always remove the rears and leave the front, if that’s what you are feeling.

It's RWD....with sport selection....

In my former 97 Trans am (RWD), the upgraded front sway bar was beefier 32 mm than the rear one 22 mm and both beefier than stock...if I recall, well....and I had totally control on curves.

So I expected the same with these Eibach's plus the lower springs in my Stinger...but no....bad shock absorbers/springs combo??????

 

[TwinSnails]

In that case pull the front bar off. It will tighten the turn in I’m pretty sure. Or set the rear only to firm... that would aid in rear rotation meaning lighten the turn in on the front.

 

[SteveCo]

I felt that the car does not turn enough on the high speed lane (where I was circulating) and leaves it, so I have to take the slow speed lane in order to follow the path forward....I release the acceleration pedal for a seconds and continue...... seems to me that a kind of understeer....if you know what I mean....

So classic understeer? I.e. when you increase your speed in the left lane of a left hand curve, you cannot hold the car in the left lane because the car is understeering, and the front end is pushing out into the right hand lane?

 

[Dochidalgo]

In that case pull the front bar off. It will tighten the turn in I’m pretty sure. Or set the rear only to firm... that would aid in rear rotation meaning lighten the turn in on the front.

Oh, good suggestions, I will try to set the rear to firm, in first place. Thank you Sir.

So classic understeer? I.e. when you increase your speed in the left lane of a left hand curve, you cannot hold the car in the left lane because the car is understeering, and the front end is pushing out into the right hand lane?

Yes Sir, in fact I felt the car was going to roll over the passenger side......creepy.....I release the acceleration pedal for a seconds and adjust the movement of the steering wheel with short movements right to left to continue straight

 

[SteveCo]

I'm surprised that Eibach would have dialed in that much understeer, as the bars should be a performance matched set.

I would expect mild understeer, but it's sounds like yours is excessive. Make sure the front bar isn't set to 'hard' and the rear bar set to 'soft' - that would definitely push.

 

[DaJackson]

Did you get an alignment after you put the springs and sways on?

The rear will rotate much easier after the sways, so if your getting understeer it’s an install issue or driver error.

 

[Dochidalgo]

I'm surprised that Eibach would have dialed in that much understeer, as the bars should be a performance matched set.

I would expect mild understeer, but it's sounds like yours is excessive. Make sure the front bar isn't set to 'hard' and the rear bar set to 'soft' - that would definitely push.

I'm pretty sure the both bars are set in soft...however, I'll follow your advise, thank you Sir.....

Now I am surprised that others fellow members are not have similar suspension behavior like mine. I'm a 64 years old "fart" and I like to drive fast when and where is secure to do it. So, I am truly dissapointed about the Stinger stock suspension and that (Eibach's kit) I trusted it was to improve it even I was reluctant to lower the car...

 

[Dochidalgo]

Did you get an alignment after you put the springs and sways on?

The rear will rotate much easier after the sways, so if your getting understeer it’s an install issue or driver error.

The Kia dealer has not the alignment specs in its machine, so the master mechanic did the job manually (old fashion) after the springs install, the sway bars were installed some weeks later but the master mechanic did not consider necessary the alignment check, .... Here in Mexico, in my region, no tire shop has the alignment specs even the laser machines.
I am going to check the installation with my trusted mechanic.
Altough I have some kind of drive experience even with sport cars (if a Trans am qualifies like one and the Maxima of course not), a driver error it is not ruled out...

 

[MerlintheMad]

My commute round trip....
First image.....A good performance suspension when taking the 3 curves highlighted in red at +/- 125 km / hr, better than stock suspension...
View attachment 18885
Second image....A bad performance suspension when taking this curve at the same speed, tested last night. I was driving in the high-speed lane and when I got to the curve, I had to divert my path into the low-speed lane because I felt I was losing control ...
View attachment 18886
So, I am going to change the sway bars setting to stiffer setting.

My former 2016 Nissan Maxima SR had a better calibration of the suspension and chassis and a very well calibrated electronic aids......

Welp, that seems like a rather precipitous decision. There could have been great differences in the surface of each of those curves. Your eye could not see, but your butt certainly did!

Yesterday evening, I took an interchange from I-80 west onto I-15 south; it's bridged, and the surface is rather up and down. There is no way that any sway bar is doing to defy gravity. Take each curve as a separate event and adjust accordingly.

 

[TwinSnails]

@MerlintheMad it does sound like he’s understeering though... just needs to tighten the rear or remove the front.

 

[MerlintheMad]

@MerlintheMad it does sound like he’s understeering though... just needs to tighten the rear or remove the front.

Here's what is really happening: too many mods at once. You should put something on, then go run the car over your familiar ground. Change something else, ditto. Don't put lowering springs on and do a manual alignment; then throw on the full sway bars kit on top of that, THEN go out and hit the curves. When it feels squirrely you won't know what is causing it.

 

[Dochidalgo]

Here's what is really happening: too many mods at once. You should put something on, then go run the car over your familiar ground. Change something else, ditto. Don't put lowering springs on and do a manual alignment; then throw on the full sway bars kit on top of that, THEN go out and hit the curves. When it feels squirrely you won't know what is causing it.

You're not without reason, however..

- I have tested my cars behavior in my commute round trip since 30 years ago....
- I was used to taking those curves with no problem of control at 125 or more km/hr with my Trans Am and my Nissan Maxima
- My brand new Stinger stock did not behave well on those curves, and passing on the speed bumps neither....
- Replaced the springs: the speed bumps have not been a problem anymore. But taking those 4 curves were still a problem of control.
A few weeks later, the rear wheels camber was more than evident since the springs lowered the car. Kia dealer and other tire shops has not the Stinger alignment specs yet, so the Kia's dealer master mechanic did the alignment manually (about 4-5 months ago) and it seems a good job, being that, the rear tire treads are even until now.
- Replaced the sway bars a month ago in soft setting and I get the control on the 3 curves described in the first image.....but, I did not get the control expected on the 4th. curve described in the second image.

So....

 

[MerlintheMad]

So....

It seems to me that the stock Stinger is a good performer, but you compare it to earlier, more sporty or better handling rides.

So you put on lowering springs (I don't know why, other than to make it look more cool; because I think that lowering an inch or inch and a half is going to produce marginal at best improved cornering; you would know more about this than I do; but I have been reading what people are saying on this forum about the effects of lowering springs and the expected performance "improvements", and I'm not hearing much about that at all: just, "looks great!").

After a time the effect is not good enough; but now you are noticing increased camber wear on the tires. In other words, your springs mod did not produce the improvement in control that you sought.

Instead of switching back to the OEM springs and trying out the rear sway bar upgrade, you slapped on both sway bars, on top of your unsatisfactory previous lowering mod.

So I don't see how your qualifying of what you have done is some kind of a denouncement of the Stinger's handling potential.

If it were me, and I had, in my enthusiasm, added on two or more modifications, and I was still getting a poor result, I'd go back to square one and try the other one: i.e. just the rear sway bar first on the OEM springs, in "soft", and then in "stiff" if I was unsatisfied with the result; then the front bar, going "soft" and "stiff" just to see. Then, if that felt good enough, ditch the lowering springs.

Or, just for grins and giggles, since I have them anyway, put the lowering springs back on to see if they improve anything: but not expecting any improvement, because I've already been there, done that.

Meanwhile, keep hoping that Kia Mexico gets the specs/software to align by computer instead of by hand; but if not, oh well, you do what you can do. You might get up to the States and get the computerized alignment done there.

 

[Never thought]

@MerlintheMad there are plenty of people on this forum that say the Eibach springs improved the ride and improved handling dramatically. Some said they didn’t see the point of sway bars in addition. I am getting my springs on this week so I’ll report back.