Lack of iX suspension options?

[Earendil]

I'm here asking another question for a friend with an iX. He asked me the other day what he could do to stiffen up the ride and help make the cornering a bit more solid without sacrificing the height of the car. After I chuckled a bit, I told him to refresh all the bushings and that there might be a swaybar out there that would work. Everything else I told him was out of his budget.

But, when I got home I couldn't let such a wild guess stay wild. I went doing some iX research and seem to have found that there is a lot less than I thought!

So, can you guys confirm that for less than $500, that the only spring option is the iX version of the H&R sport spring, and that there is no front sway bar option?!

I realize the iX is not a regular 'i' car, but I still thought there might be something out there designed to stiffen up the ride but keep it sort of tall. What do off road rally guys do? Keep it soft? Go with coilovers? He doesn't really want to lower it, sense he actually needs all-wheel drive and height to make it out of his long driveway in the winter :D

[Kershaw]

you can use whatever springs you want.

it's shock options that are limited.

[Earendil]

you can use whatever springs you want.

it's shock options that are limited.

Really? I thought the different strut tower and angle meant that other springs didn't work very well in the front? I suppose maybe I read wrong. I'll have to go find what I was reading...

[nrubenstein]

Really? I thought the different strut tower and angle meant that other springs didn't work very well in the front? I suppose maybe I read wrong. I'll have to go find what I was reading...

What it means is that if the springs go too low, the car will ride like crap because there is very limited travel. ESPECIALLY with Bilstein HDs with stock length bump stops.

The truth is that even H&R Sports will drop the car a lot lower than advertised. I only got K's iX up to acceptable ride height by using 14mm spring pads top and bottom in the rear and a 9mm on top in the front. If your friend wants to stay stock, there really aren't *any* options. Coilovers with race springs are not a great option because the narrow ID springs really don't have all that much travel before they coil bind (usually around 50% is when they block).

And no, there are no front sways unless you can find an iX touring bar (which is NLA and unobtanium).

[nando]

You can get longer coilover springs, I cant see coil bind being a real issue.

[Earendil]

You can get longer coilover springs, I cant see coil bind being a real issue.

It's an issue for the pocketbook ;-)

[nando]

you specify length at the time of ordering, it doesn't cost extra. a GC kit is only $400, but you still need struts.

You won't be able to do a full suspension, any suspension, for under $500 anyway, unless you go with ebaj junk. Shocks alone cost more than that. the best thing to do IMO is replace all the worn parts and save for some bilstein HDs, they work well with the stock ix springs.

[nrubenstein]

You can get longer coilover springs, I cant see coil bind being a real issue.

*shrug* Block length can be an issue as I stated. Longer springs won't change the fact that race springs do have travel issues.

It'd be an interesting experiment to see if a 10" spring would work. At stock height, though, it'd coil bind around 5"... 2.5" of travel is probably used up in supporting the car (depending on rate, of course), leaving about 2.5" before binding. I don't think that would work.

[nando]

all I'm saying is I've had 6" springs for a few years now without coil bind issues. they don't compress when you put the weight of the car down, at least not significantly. certainly not 2.5".

there isn't 2.5" of travel on a lowered ix, anyway. you'll have 1.5" at most, unless you've sent your front struts to GC to be modified with shorter inserts. you're going to bottom out the front struts long before you hit coil bind. there might be 3-4" on a stock ix.

[nrubenstein]

all I'm saying is I've had 6" springs for a few years now without coil bind issues. they don't compress when you put the weight of the car down, at least not significantly. certainly not 2.5".

there isn't 2.5" of travel on a lowered ix, anyway. you'll have 1.5" at most, unless you've sent your front struts to GC to be modified with shorter inserts. you're going to bottom out the front struts long before you hit coil bind. there might be 3-4" on a stock ix.

What rate? There's 800-900lbs. on the front corners of an empty stockish iX. 900/375=2.4.

[nando]

600f/700r

375 is too soft for a linear coilover spring, especially with so little travel