Picked up an 06 Fx35 AWD had few questions

T

tlegend

Member
Been lurking for past few weeks ever since i purchased new to me 2006 fx35 awd Ivory Pearl with everything except sports pkg.

got few questions.

I currently have a Lexus rx330 that my wife drives. few things i noticed on the FX it is not as comfortable as my lexus (i can feel lots of bumps on the road) is that normal? I dont have sports package so i have the stock 18"

Also, my steering wheel was bit loose, so after research i got my wheels aligned tighten the steering wheel 24 MM bolt and did a 4 wheel alignment. At first the steering wheel did not turn back automatically but after i loosened it does turn back. But i do feel steering sometimes is tighter then my lexus is that normal on the fx?

Should i go back and loosen the steering 24 mm bolt bit more?

Thx again for the info...
 
FX ride is definatly stiffer than the Lexus and steering is a heavier feel all aimed towards a more sporty drive experience over cushy luxury feel.
 
thx for the info. it reminds me of my g37s coupe very rough ride and stiff steering wheel. my 05 g35 coupe 6mt was not too bad.
 
Totally agreed with MNT said about the FX rides and steering feels. :good:
 
I bet the Lexus won't keep up for any "Spirited Driving!"

But, it's never going to be Lexus smooth. Invest in a memory foam cushion for really long drives. ™
 
If the ride still feels too stiff, go with BC RACING coilovers. Adjust it to a comfortable setting and you'll still have MUCH better performance than the LEXUS...
 
Coilovers are not going to improve ride quality based on what the OP is looking for. If he's comparing to a Lexus, higher spring rates and damping rates aren't going to improve the ride. It's going to be rougher; maybe more planted in rough corners, but rougher. The only part of the ride that coilovers improved is the underdamped rear OEM suspension. The FX rear doesn't get sketchy in rough corners with coilovers as it will with OEM springs.

There is no adjustment on coilovers that would make them more comfortable. The OEM spring rate is what is causing the "rough" ride. Increasing the spring rate isn't going to help. You can only adjust damping and if you go too light on damping, the car is only going to get bouncier, not smoother since the springs will overpower the dampers.
 
Perfect explanation shadow. Coils helped my sketchy in the rear overlarger bumps at speed, which is the main reason I bought them. I enjoyed the Eibachs when I had them, but felt it wasnt rebounding well.
In rear, the oem struts just didnt work all that well with aftermarket spring.

The coils are still better overall and I would have done from the start if they were avail. Don't know why I waited so long

Height adjustment is also a plus.
 
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Is that what the hell that is...?
Whenever I would move quick over a small bump and rear felt like it swing side to side, I thought I was just old

Sent from my SM-G935T
 
Yeah, the rear shocks are underdamped which causes the motion-the spring rebound isn't as controlled as it should be and that combine with the forces from cornering. I think I have a thread from 2010 asking about it. Only real solution is coilovers since there aren't any performance shocks out there. I remember it getting a little better with H&Rs but still there. With coilovers it pretty much went away.

g0ldm4g3 said:
Is that what the hell that is...?
Whenever I would move quick over a small bump and rear felt like it swing side to side, I thought I was just old

Sent from my SM-G935T
Click to expand...
 
Wow!
Now i feel like pulling the trigger on some coilovers ! BC coilovers here I come lol
 
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shadow191 said:
Coilovers are not going to improve ride quality based on what the OP is looking for. If he's comparing to a Lexus, higher spring rates and damping rates aren't going to improve the ride. It's going to be rougher; maybe more planted in rough corners, but rougher. The only part of the ride that coilovers improved is the underdamped rear OEM suspension. The FX rear doesn't get sketchy in rough corners with coilovers as it will with OEM springs.
Click to expand...
I'd have to disagree with you on the ride quality... You can actually go with softer springs if you go custom spring rates with BC coilovers and get pretty cushy... But even with the stock spring rate on my first set of coilovers (crappy MEGAN's) at 12K front and 8K rear, setting the dampening rate roughly at middle, the ride was MUCH more comfortable on my 07 FX35 (which from what I've read already had a softer ride than say an 03)... I tried REALLY soft, and yes, it was completely unusable since I was bouncing everywhere, but a couple of clicks to the softer side from middle and it wasn't a LEXUS (cause really... who wants THAT???) but it was a pretty soft ride. I kept mine on the harsher side, and although it was stiffer than OEM, I still felt the ride was more comfortable... Can't really explain it right now but I did when I first got them on the other site...

Anyways, I think we can all agree coilovers > OEM suspension...
 
Ride quality is subjective, what you prefer and I prefer doesn't seem to be what OP is looking for. And stock coilover spring rates should be 8k front and 12k rear. I'm not sure softer than that would be good since the coilovers are shorter stroke than OEM springs, you would bottom out a lot. I went the other way and swapped for 12/14k.
 
shadow191 said:
And stock coilover spring rates should be 8k front and 12k rear.
Click to expand...
I thought it was supposed to be that way, but the technician at BC told me it was the other way around for the FX... Maybe cause it's so front heavy? I dunno...

shadow191 said:
I went the other way and swapped for 12/14k.
Click to expand...
Ditto! I also went with the Extreme Low kit... Wanted to try the SWIFT springs, but couldn't afford the added cost at the time... Anyone here have experience using SWIFT springs? I've heard they're great from a few reviews online, but I'm still skeptical at how good they can be compared to how much more they cost...
 
It's lower rate in front because of suspension design. Rear has more leverage than front since it's not a strut and needs higher rate. Surprised that the BC technician would tell you that, their own spec sheets list 8kg/mm front and 12 kg/mm rear. Pretty sure springs are marked with rate as well. FX front isn't that heavy relative to a G/Z. But almost every car with front strut and rear link suspension has higher rates in rear. It's even that way on my BMW. Don't think anyone here has Swift springs. I considered it but it wasn't worth the cost especially since the BC dampers are relatively basic. Not really a point to having fancy springs and mediocre valved dampers.
 
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