GLE's ride is by no means "garbage". Mine with 60k miles runs like it did when new .. crisp and not floaty. The only change I would make is make it less jumpy over bumps. I don't believe it handles road imperfections very well.

 

[QUOTE=jeff5347]I can't comment on the difference between the SE & the GLE suspensions. However, I can comment quite accurately on the difference between 215-55/R17 and 225-50/R17 on the GLE, since I have two '02 GLE's.

First off, the 225-50/R17 is 3% smaller in diameter than the 215-55/R17, so your speedo will indicate a bit higher than you are actually going. It is within acceptable margin of error.

My wife's '02 GLE has the 215's and my '02 GLE has the 225's. Both are Bridgestones - wife has Turanza EL42's, I have RE960AS. Her car has ~56K miles and mine has ~70K miles. Both are stock and identical, except for color and her's has 6th gen brakes. Her car has a slightly softer, smoother, but floatier ride. Mine has a slightly harsher ride than hers and none of the floatiness (if that's a word). And that is driving them back to back. So, I can only attribute the difference in ride quality to the tires. Expansion joints on the freeway are more noticeable in mine. Neither car likes railroad tracks. The RE960AS's are quite confidence inspiring, even in the wet. The turn in is better with the RE960AS's than with the Turanza's (no surprise there.) It would be difficult to comment on braking between the two - her car has better brakes than mine and the brakes on her car are better than the driver has nerve, however, both tires seem to brake more than adequately, with no surprising lock up or skidding in the wet.

 

yea i thought the different tire size mat\y attribute to a difference in feel. Mine as well hates RR tracks. Smashes them like there are 2x4's for shocks.
The GLE isnt the worst ride ive been in but after seeing what an SE ride is like compared to my GLE, I like the SE so much better. Some ppl are saying they notice no difference and some ppl say the GLE is bad. Maybe my GLE has reached the end of its suspension road and needs new items. Now just need to switch to SE susp or maybe something aftermarket after the wife gets her job straightened out.

 

Ya hes been post whoring all day long. Haha seems like every thread ive read hes thrown something in. Lets just hope he doesnt start a worthless thread and get torn up by sooner.

 

in these past week, 5 people have gotten banned for post whoring to get to 15 posts.

 

i dunno, maybe i misread that, but it is still worded wrong if he is trying to say that the Max is more reliable than the Passat. bah, who cares.....with as many errors as i've made grammatically, i guess i have no room to talk.

jim

 

well for now i am still using stock struts/shocks. something tells me that changing those out with KYBs or Tokicos will not make it ride any smoother as they are performance oriented.

as for my ride comfort, it isn't bad when the road is consistent, notice i say consistent. the roads don't have to be perfectly smooth, but as soon as you hit a big expansion joint, pothole or bump, you will know it, no doubt. the 18's shouldn't change things too much, as a matter of fact they didn't, as i had my rims on before i lowered the car. but bigger rims + progress = ouch. there have been many times that i've said sorry to my car after driving. lol.

i've given up on ride comfort on this car now. shocks/struts are getting changed out, polyurethane motor mounts and rstb.........yeah, handling is more fun than comfort.

jim

 

The ride exactly the same to me But since i changed the tires and rims on the GLE the ride seems smoother.

 

I have the I30T which is the same as the Maxima SE. I bought the T because of the nicer body spoiler package, much nicer rims and tires, and overall just a more sporty look. It is a pretty rough ride though, and if you go aftermarket with what you are talking about doing, it will be even more rough. Yes, it looks good when the car gets lowered, and we all like a good handling car, but the stock setup with the SE is pretty good. If you try to toy with it, you are going to make the ride even more firm, you will get rattles, bend rims, and they won't last like stock. My I30T has 110k and still rides like brand new. I've talked to dozens that have modified their suspensions and have done so myself on many cars in the past. Unless you are a young guy who prefers style over substance, stick with stock. ESPECIALLY if you have rough roads, all the more reason not to go aftermarket.

 

I disagree with your entire thread. Very misleading to readers who are interested in improving their A33 suspension without sacrificing their ride. And this refers to all readers of all ages.

I have installed Maxspeed springs and Tokico HP's several thousand miles ago and have not sacrificed any ride quality. What I did gain was a lowered center of gravity, a more aggressive stance, and a smile on my face as I drive 120 miles a day round-trip 5 days a week for work.

By the way, this is my daily family car. I have a 6yr old and a 3 yr old. My wife has no complaints. She actually had no idea I changed the geometry of my suspension until I told her and she "hates" stiff cars.

All I get out of your thread is which translates to useless knowledge.

Great way to start your #1 post on the forum.

 

all of that information is uneducated opinion...you have stock suspension so you have no information to back your opinions regarding aftermarket suspension.

if you do suspension correctly, it improves substance. i could care less what it looks like...i did my for improved handling.

why do you think high performance cars have lower stock suspension?? look an an M3 vs other 3 series. anyone who know anything about cars already knows that a car that is lowered correctly will ALWAYS handle better in all circumstances. it lowers the center of gravity and improves handling during cornering.

if you and me where on the highway and had to do an evasive maneuver...i would be able to but your car wouldnt. your car's weight will shift to one side and the car will have huge body roll. when you turn back the other way, all the weight shifts and you have body roll the other way. your car is going to roll over because it isnt planted to the ground.

 

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