There's a short cut out of my neighborhood that's peppered with whale-sized speed bumps. May be four or five of those bad boys, and it's always interesting for me to see how different test cars handle the hurdles.
I knew this weekend's test drive in the 2009 Infiniti FX50 was unusually harsh when my daughter commented from the rear seat, "When did they make these bumps bigger?"
Not everyone appreciates an ultra-stiff ride.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 9,345 miles
limeman says:
04:41 PM, 03/30/09
Like this is a knock against the Infiniti? Good grief Edmunds. Does it really take an automotive journalist to figure this out? Don't drive a vehicle equipped with a sport package and expect it will float over road imperfections. What's the next epiphany? Full-size truck means big? The Smart Car is small?
billt9 says:
05:43 PM, 03/30/09
The Sport Package has the Continuous Damping Control adjustable suspension.
Is it set on Sport or on Auto?
The Sport Package adjustable suspension should be as soft as a regular FX...
billt9 says:
05:47 PM, 03/30/09
The button is next to the Climate Control adjustments. Up for Auto (soft), down for Sport.
altimadude00 says:
05:51 PM, 03/30/09
You should have asked your daughter, "Wanna see if your Daddy can get the car airborn?"
carfreak8394 says:
06:44 PM, 03/30/09
altimadude00,
do you mean "your mommy?"
smilez says:
07:58 PM, 03/30/09
This is the most "Uh-Duhhhhhhhhhhhh" blog you guys have done in a long time.
Sorry for the immaturity on that statement, but I mean come on! A sport SUV, with 20's, with the sport package, has a rough ride?
I think this one should have been left out.
altimadude00 says:
09:21 PM, 03/30/09
oops. Yes, "Mommy."
dubaizen says:
10:31 PM, 03/30/09
"Sorry for the immaturity on that statement, but I mean come on! A sport SUV, with 20's, with the sport package, has a rough ride?"
Make that 21" :)
ace47 says:
03:07 AM, 03/31/09
I'm pretty sure I read a post saying the F50 offered a good ride despite those 21" wheels. Assuming that is true, the only reason for harsh ride may be overinflated tyres. Too much air in the tyres can make a Lexus feel like an EVO, especially over continious potholes.
billt9 says:
11:44 AM, 03/31/09
Big factory wheels should offer a good ride, since they're part of the original engineering.
What doesn't offer a good ride, is when someone changes a car engineered for 15" wheels, to 20" wheels aftermarket, because the car wasn't engineered with 20".
The whole "ride" includes the tire, wheel, shocks, struts, and other nonreplaceable suspension elements.
The FX is engineered to have 20"/21" to begin with.
Like the Cadillac Escalade. Engineered from the company to have big wheels. Perfect ride.
Wheel size only screws things up if it's aftermarket, since it's now butting heads with the shock/strut/non-replaceable suspension elements.
smilez says:
12:31 PM, 03/31/09
I fully agree billt9. Everything is true.
However, no matter the design, a vehicle like that, which is much smaller than the Escalade, and has the sport package is not going to ride like a Buick.
Read reviews of the previous FX (35/45). They scream for the consumer to go with the 18's over the 20's. And that too was engineered for larger wheels.
It's a look factor and nothing else. 21's don't offer a performance advantage. Quite the contrary.
IMO, they look awesome and they make the FX look exactly the way it should. An SUV designed more for the 'S' than the 'U'. And it makes it look proportionate.
But you can't make an SUV with that much power floaty.
Add the Sport package, and you are guaranteed a stiff ride.