Show of hands. Im I the only one that likes the cushy suspension? It serves a purpose right?
Show of hands. Im I the only one that likes the cushy suspension? It serves a purpose right?
poorman1 (02-06-2021)
Dirk - You need to pick up an old Buick LeSabre (grandpa car)! That just might be your dream car! My parents had one years ago.
Helper springs (mostly used on pickup trucks) are a not a bad concept. You can have the nicer ride of a half-ton pickup truck while having the carrying capacity of a 3/4 ton pickup.
If I needed to haul 3-4 large adults quite frequently, the Mirage would not be my vehicle of choice. Better springs in the rear would help, however. I could see the value of something that helps stiffen up the rear springs for some people.
In my case, I seldom have passengers. I've only had one person in the back seat since owning my Mirage. My rear seats have been folded down for months now. The Mirage serves me well as is.
I seldom have passengers aswell, but when I do, or I have my mtb in the back, it rubs as I go over speedhumps or whatever (especially with 195 tires). So these helper springs are good when I want to keep the looks and handling of wider tires, but don't want to be afraid to pop a tire.
Forgive me for being late in the game...
I dont think there's something wrong with the car out of the factory. Most of everyone who purchase the mirage are happy with it. However, some of us want a little more - or better.
The suspension and wheel/tire modifications that I have done on my mirage gives me better confidence, control, and overall experience. Gone are the days where the vehicle feels like it may tip over, bottoming out on the slightest dip or when loaded with more than two people.
Last edited by 18slcmirage; 11-15-2020 at 04:53 AM.
In my early 20014 with 2 medium sized passengers and 2-3 suitcases in the back mine used to bottom out too frequently - so no, count me out for enjoying the cushy suspension.
With the cheap but stiffer Yaris springs in the back I have never bottomed out. The Yaris springs plus my 200lb/inch springs in front, stock ride height, the car handles very neutral when driven moderately hard - almost wants to rotate as opposed to push but its pretty neutral.
My car lightly bottomed out the other day on the freeway, I had 4 rotors for a murano and a tool bag in the back. Far from being overweight. For the most part I'm the only one in my car and once in a while I drive my two youngest around a little. I wouldn't mind a little less bobbing around going over bumps and the car not feeling like it's gonna tip over in corners but I'm used to it.
One thing I wouldn't want is to stiffen it up to the point of getting over steer, especially in the winter. I think I'd rather have a little under-steer than over-steer. Though the later is more funner if it's controlled.
Do a lot of people with stiffer springs or rear swaybars drive in a lot of snow? I'm not sure why I care, there's no way any mirage could drive worse than some of the gems I've used in the winter.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)
I just feel like the soft suspension has its advantages too though. Handles speed bumps and road dips like a cloud. If I hit a pothole it feels a lot less seismic than in a Fit or Spark I guess, as those cars are touted for having stiff rides.
18slcmirage (11-15-2020)
The special shock absorbing steel(chinesium) wheels help with that too lol. This has been a bad year for rims out here. I tossed about 8 so far. Some were just way to bad to even try to straighten and others that I tried to hammer back into place still wobbled pretty badly on the when I'd spin them on the balancer. I usually have pretty good luck with the hammer method.
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View my fuel log 2014 Mirage SE wussie cvt edition. 1.2 automatic: 37.7 mpg (US) ... 16.0 km/L ... 6.2 L/100 km ... 45.3 mpg (Imp)
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View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)