2003 Spyder GTS - Rough Ride

May be a dumb question but my Spyder rides rough as hell. I can drive over a lane divider and it feels like a huge rock. Is it my suspension or shocks or both? Is this common to Spyders?

May be a dumb question but my Spyder rides rough as hell. I can drive over a lane divider and it feels like a huge rock. Is it my suspension or shocks or both? Is this common to Spyders?

Well I have a 2001 spyder and it also has a rough ride. I think and I could be wrong be it rides like a sports car. When I am on the interstate or something it seems to ride just fine. I was down in Texas last summer and it seemed liked you had some pretty rough roads down there. Sorry I can't be much more help then that.

Well I have a 2001 spyder and it also has a rough ride. I think and I could be wrong be it rides like a sports car. When I am on the interstate or something it seems to ride just fine. I was down in Texas last summer and it seemed liked you had some pretty rough roads down there. Sorry I can't be much more help then that.

Mine rides like the Hummer I drove in Iraq!!!!!

How many miles are on it? Do you know if the suspension has been changed at all, or if everything is stock? Did the car always ride like this, or is this a new thing? Any info to help us think of anything might help. Welcome to the 2000+ club! This forum is actually pretty good so I hope your questions get answered.

if you can push down on the rear or front of the car and it bounces noticeably, the shocks are out. if it is firm and won't budge it is normal

it is a sporty car, it is not designed to drive like a mercedes but rather to perform a small bit of performance and ride somewhat aggressively.

As for your question about convertables possible being more bumpy then coupes, I would tend to think it may be the other way around. Convertables are usually a little softer than coupes because they are inherantly more flexable than coupes which tends to make them a little softer. Does it feel like it's bumpy rough (like motion ocean rolly) or stiff (bruise your kidneys). If it feels like when you go over large rolling bumps that the car continues to bounce after the fact then your shocks are prolly shot. Does your car nose dive real bad when you brake hard...again, shocks/springs shot. When I put my Eiback/AGX's in I get almost no nose dip when I brake which is fabulous.

How many miles are on it? Do you know if the suspension has been changed at all, or if everything is stock? Did the car always ride like this, or is this a new thing? Any info to help us think of anything might help. Welcome to the 2000+ club! This forum is actually pretty good so I hope your questions get answered.

Everything is stock and I have 64K on it.

if you can push down on the rear or front of the car and it bounces noticeably, the shocks are out. if it is firm and won't budge it is normal

it is a sporty car, it is not designed to drive like a mercedes but rather to perform a small bit of performance and ride somewhat aggressively.

That may be the problem since my last car was a Mercedes 300 SDL

As for your question about convertables possible being more bumpy then coupes, I would tend to think it may be the other way around. Convertables are usually a little softer than coupes because they are inherantly more flexable than coupes which tends to make them a little softer. Does it feel like it's bumpy rough (like motion ocean rolly) or stiff (bruise your kidneys). If it feels like when you go over large rolling bumps that the car continues to bounce after the fact then your shocks are prolly shot. Does your car nose dive real bad when you brake hard...again, shocks/springs shot. When I put my Eiback/AGX's in I get almost no nose dip when I brake which is fabulous.

No ocean motion but bruisin kidneys for sure.

i would imagine that having had a mercedes, that is what your problem is. i drove my friend's mercedes and it is a whole world different than my car, but i wouldnt' trade mine for his.

I would imagine everything is fine, it's when the ride starts getting real bouncy that your shocks are going.

Ride comfort, in many cases, relies heavily on the tires you are running. The suspension setup, of course, is a contributor to handling and control, but at the most elemental level, it is the tires.

Different tire types and brands, sidewall thicknesses and profiles are major factors that regulate the drive of a car feels. After I took off the stock 16" rims and replaced them with 18's with low pro tires on my 1993 3000GT, the ride became notabley stiffer, noisier, and rougher. Suspension remained stock. The same thing with my Spyder. Even though I upgraded only to 17" rims (with 225/45/17s) from the chunky 16" stockers, the ride became less forgiving over bumps and dips. With the car lowered, I put my stockers back on, and the the car felt close to stock over bumps, but obviously a little stiffer due to the aftermarket gas shocks.

If you really want to do something about it, try to get chunkier or better quality tires. In my experience, switching to different tire setups has always resulted in a better ride than just the suspension.