Suspension Performance and How to Improve it!

[Steve Ostrowski]

Hi All.
I've have my GT LTD for two weeks now in Toronto Canada. I was the first preorder in Canada and the second to receive the car. I love everything about it except the suspension. I am deeply disappointed with how soft it is and how little if any difference there is between sport and comfort modes. Frankly it is always in comfort mode as far as I can tell.
The vehicle geometry is excellent because it corners flat, and does not squat or dive. However, vertical control from the shocks (compression and recoil damping) feels non existent. I just went through a sweeping corner with a g bump in it and the car lost all composure. The body corkscrewed with the rear outside bottoming out and the front inside popping up. Very bad. Unacceptable frankly.
Other Stinger Owners: What say you?

edit by admin: If you don't want to read any further and just jump to the nitty gritty of what was done to improve the suspension, click here.

 

[westcoastGT]

Just drove it to Whistler in great conditions on one of the best roads in the country for aggressive driving and it was great . Lots of twisties and uphill straights for giving it a real good run .................I still have a huge smile on my face , didnt experience any issue you mention ?

 

[Steve Ostrowski]

Just drove it to Whistler in great conditions on one of the best roads in the country for aggressive driving and it was great . Lots of twisties and uphill straights for giving it a real good run .................I still have a huge smile on my face , didnt experience any issue you mention ?

I really hope mine is defective. It's to the point I'm going to take it to the dealer. Have you had sporty cars in the past?

 

[westcoastGT]

BMW - 535 MSport . 550 M Sport ,M5 , 650 Cab , 550GT , X5 5.L , X6 5L ......................I'll bet you have a faulty set up . I could never imagine pushing any car through anything as demanding as the Nurburgring . Good Luck !!

 

[Charly]

I am deeply disappointed with how soft it is and how little if any difference there is between sport and comfort modes. Frankly it is always in comfort mode as far as I can tell.

I'd take it to the dealer. I drove a GT RWD and while it was always comfortable and I never pushed it's limits, there was a noticeable difference between comfort and sport and even in comfort mode it seemed quite capable of handling the situation you describe. I drove it around some tight corners on a bad road in comfort mode and it handled them just fine.

 

[Euljiro1ga]

Sounds like a something isn't right with your Stinger there. I have not pushed mine to the limits, nor do I have the adaptive suspension. However, from all the reviewers out there, especially those who tested the Stinger on the auto-cross track - none mentioned anything close to what you experienced. I really hope it's a faulty suspension.

 

[Chris]

Sounds like a something isn't right with your Stinger there. I have not pushed mine to the limits, nor do I have the adaptive suspension. However, from all the reviewers out there, especially those who tested the Stinger on the auto-cross track - none mentioned anything close to what you experienced. I really hope it's a faulty suspension.

I actually did see a review, on this site I think, where the guy mentioned the rear end was a little squirrelly around the corners, If that's the case hopefully a fix is made available.

 

[Euljiro1ga]

I actually did see a review, on this site I think, where the guy mentioned the rear end was a little squirrelly around the corners, If that's the case hopefully a fix is made available.

Oh, I didn't know that, thank you. I actually didn't pay too much attention to the handling since I was looking at the Stinger as a family car.

 

[Steve Ostrowski]

Well westcoastgt, I trust you know what a performance suspension should feel like. The Bimmers in your experience are the benchmarks for the industry. So if you don't feel the letdown I do, that means something is wrong with my car. I just did a couple more turns in that sweeper at different speeds, and the car could literally lose control if I wasn't being careful. No bumps, no problem. Bumps make it squirrelly and it jumps off it's line. It's definitely the back end that's the problem. It's a familiar bump too. Heck. My 1970 Monte Carlo with G-60's handled it better. I guess that says it all. I'll keep you guys informed as I hunt this down.

 

[corradoMR2]

I actually did see a review, on this site I think, where the guy mentioned the rear end was a little squirrelly around the corners, If that's the case hopefully a fix is made available.

Agree. I remember reading or hearing that comment somewhere but here are a couple of reviews that show the float/bounce I think Steve is referring to. I almost wonder if this is normal...

At: 7:12

From: 6:53 to 7:00

 

[westcoastGT]

Well westcoastgt, I trust you know what a performance suspension should feel like. The Bimmers in your experience are the benchmarks for the industry. So if you don't feel the letdown I do, that means something is wrong with my car. I just did a couple more turns in that sweeper at different speeds, and the car could literally lose control if I wasn't being careful. No bumps, no problem. Bumps make it squirrelly and it jumps off it's line. It's definitely the back end that's the problem. It's a familiar bump too. Heck. My 1970 Monte Carlo with G-60's handled it better. I guess that says it all. I'll keep you guys informed as I hunt this down.

Good luck , something definitely fishy ! You should be able to throw it into a hard corner at medium speed and feel like your on a roller skate ????
Feeling for you bud !

 

[Steve Ostrowski]

Uh Oh. That's my problem. The back end is doing exactly what I see in the videos. I'm not okay with that. A GT needs competent road manners. NO POGO STICKS ALLOWED! Hey westcoastGT, check out the videos. Is that what you have too? Maybe your roads in BC are too smooth for it to matter...?

 

[westcoastGT]

heading out for a few hours , I'll watch the vid in the morning !!

 

[Chris]

Uh Oh. That's my problem. The back end is doing exactly what I see in the videos. I'm not okay with that. A GT needs competent road manners. NO POGO STICKS ALLOWED! Hey westcoastGT, check out the videos. Is that what you have too? Maybe your roads in BC are too smooth for it to matter...?

If you end up taking it to the dealer let us all know what happens. I'm definitely interested to see if there is a resolution. Doesn't look like an easy fix.

 

[westcoastGT]

Pretty sure I'm not experiencing the Hop , its icy here today but I'll check it out again now that I've seen the video

 

[Steve Ostrowski]

Good luck , something definitely fishy ! You should be able to throw it into a hard corner at medium speed and feel like your on a roller skate ????
Feeling for you bud !

No bumps no problem. Thanks for the well wishes.

 

[Jesse]

My buddy drove it. I let him have loose (he's a much better driver than me). He hit a corner in a rough, patchy spot of road and the ass end kicked out and the tires spun (in the AWD version). We wiped hot rubber off the tires when we parked it. I would definitely say there's a suspension issue there with yours. Unfortunate, but I'm sure they'll fix it up right.

I mean you're also not driving an NSX here... it's a 4100 pound four door car.

 

[Steve Ostrowski]

Thanks for the insight Jesse. I'm not expecting an NSX. I have no intentions of taking it to a track. I just want to drive quickly and have the car behave with aplomb. Suspension is complicated and most are not aware of what to 'feel' for. In my case, I just sold a high milage Saab 9-5 AERO with Eibachs and new rear shocks. The moment one of the shocks failed I knew it. The back end of the car came up faster on one side than the other. And that's what I'm experiencing in my new Stinger GT. Unfortunately, the problem must be mechanical because the electronics say everything is fine. I need to find a way to show the dealer the problem. I'm concerned they'll say 'no fault found'. But I have not given them that chance yet. So stand by.

 

[bucktown]

Be interested in what they have to say.....

 

[MarkyMark]

I currently own a Mazda 6 (2014 Touring). The base Stinger looks like it will be about 2 seconds faster 0-60 than my Mazda. NO COMPLAINTS WITH THAT! But the Mazda 6 has a nimble, much smaller car feel, giving me a lot of confidence behind the wheel.

I previously owned a horrible 2006 Nissan Maxima thinking it would be "sporty." Nissan had lost their way as it was a heavy, big, lumbersome beast that felt sluggish and handled like an old Buick...

Any thoughts on how the Stinger would feel behind the wheel? I'm talking 2.0l engine here, NOT the V-6 (out of my price range).

Would it feel better in terms of being sporty, nimble handling, fun, quick, like my Mazda 6 or will it feel like a boat, heavy, with not much feel/connection to the road?