05 Euro Luxury Factory Suspension

Rang Honda today to find a price on 17inch rims as fitted to the new 05 Euro luxury, with the idea of putting them on an 04 model.

no dice - dealers have been told by Honda Australia not to fit them as they are "not compatible with 04 models due to revisions in suspension".

I couldn't find out the exact specs, but I did get a list of parts that were changed on the 05 model:

left and right upper front suspension arms
front shocks
front springs
rear sway bars and bushes
both rear control arms

I'm sure the official honda line is bullshit, especially given some of the rim sizes some of you are running without dramas. Anyway, it seems if you want 17s or larger on a 04 honda euro, go aftermarket!

JJ

ps - my brother is ordering his 05 lux in Graphite on Saturday.

what a load of crap from your dealer.

That's BS. I read somewhere in this forum that someone was quoted $550 for each of the 17" rims. So you can get them.

For $550 a rim u can get some bad ass looking after market ones instead with tyres :)
Whatever they have done in the 05 model with the suspension revision turning circle sux now compared to the base model 05 and previous models b4 :(

haha, thats hilarious! reminds me of the time i went to honda for an oil filter and asked for 5th gen prelude vti-r oil filter for my accord....he then said i needed to provide him with a vin number to access the honda computer data base, I had to explain to him that if i gave him the accord VIN that it would be no good to him as i had a prelude engine in it.

he then told me that i needed a prelude VIN and i replied that i couldnt give him that either.

This was ages ago and i think he ended up going and getting help from a more experienced staff member that had been there long enough to know what filters fit what engines etc.

moral to the story is- the parts boy at the counter doesnt always know as much as the title on his shirt says.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by as001

Whatever they have done in the 05 model with the suspension revision turning circle sux now compared to the base model 05 and previous models b4 :(

---

Makes sense, because the tyres are wider, so they have to limit the amount that the wheels can turn, otherwise it will rub against the firewall.

aaronng,

as001 is talking about base model 05 VS base model 04

I thought they have the same 16" tyre & alloy combo.

Yup only the Luxo have the 17inch rims...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by baboo

aaronng,

as001 is talking about base model 05 VS base model 04

I thought they have the same 16" tyre & alloy combo.

---

as001 said:
"Whatever they have done in the 05 model with the suspension revision turning circle sux now compared to the base model 05 and previous models b4"

From this, I thought he was talking about the Lux 05 model.

wait a few months for someone with an 2005 lux to get some aftermarket 18"s and keep your eye on the trading post, or place a 'wanted' post in here.
Once someone has new wheels, the originals are not much use to them, and they should be happy with whatever they can get for them.
Still, someone has some accord euro 16's + tyres in the trading post this week for $850, which is more than I would pay (if for some reason I wanted them) but you would probably find them open to an offer for much less.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jimmyjames

Rang Honda today to find a price on 17inch rims as fitted to the new 05 Euro luxury, with the idea of putting them on an 04 model.

no dice - dealers have been told by Honda Australia not to fit them as they are "not compatible with 04 models due to revisions in suspension".

---

Hi Jimmy, welcome to the forum.
I was at Honda dealer yesterday test driving 05 Euro Lux.
The dealer told me the similar thing as you stated above. He said the revised suspansion is to accommodate 17" better. So he keep stressing to me that I wont feel much of difference on ride quality between 05 model and older models.

And as for 05 Base model, I am not sure if Honda has made any suspansion change to it? If they did, then theoritically 05 base model with 16" will have softer ride... :confused:

Part department at Austral Honda (brisbane) quoted me $635 each for 17" rim (inc. GST)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by aaronng

Makes sense, because the tyres are wider, so they have to limit the amount that the wheels can turn, otherwise it will rub against the firewall.

---

Nah - I have the 04 model with the exact same size 17" rims and tyres on the -05 lux. No rubbing at all.

I was actually told something different by my dealer - the suspension changes for 05 model were to make the ride softer as some people found the ride on the earlier models too harsh.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yfin

Nah - I have the 04 model with the exact same size 17" rims and tyres on the -05 lux. No rubbing at all.

I was actually told something different by my dealer - the suspension changes for 05 model were to make the ride softer as some people found the ride on the earlier models too harsh.

---

Oooh... ICIC.

Hmm, then that makes our 03/04 models more suitable for hard driving! :D

so if 04 models chuck on 05 17 inch rims, what would be a list of things to change back to its original height, accurate speedo etc

As long as you keep the rolling diameter is the same, the speed will remain the same...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yfin

Nah - I have the 04 model with the exact same size 17" rims and tyres on the -05 lux. No rubbing at all.

I was actually told something different by my dealer - the suspension changes for 05 model were to make the ride softer as some people found the ride on the earlier models too harsh.

---

read somewhere that the ride in the 05lux model is firmer, but better in comfort and control.. honda might have soften the springs and made the shocks firmer:confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yfin

Nah - I have the 04 model with the exact same size 17" rims and tyres on the -05 lux. No rubbing at all.

I was actually told something different by my dealer - the suspension changes for 05 model were to make the ride softer as some people found the ride on the earlier models too harsh.

---

That's what the dealer told me too. softer suspansion for 2005 version, so it can accommodate 17" better.

dealer told me that the suspension was stiffer..

lol

OK - I can sort this out now!

My brother and I drove an 05 lux for 2 hours on Saturday, all over Adelaide from grange to brighton to blackwood and back to the city. We drove on good and bad roads, over tram and train lines and on the twisty bits coming down from blackwood to Old belair road.

then we drove the 05 standard with 16s on it.

verdict - the 17s and firmer lux suspension is MUCH firmer than the 16s and normal suspension.

I was fine with it (I drive a Renaultsport Clio) but my 50 year old brother was looking for something more comfortable since he's old (;-)) and he drives 80kms a day for work.

So he bought a new 05 standard auto for $36000 flat on the road with mats, and a full tank of fuel. I think that's a pretty good deal.

There is no question the car looks WAAAAAY better with the 17s but it meant nothing to my brother, ride comfort was his no1 priority.

cheers
JJ

JJ - sounds like fun. Part of the difference you felt would have to be related to the lower profile tyres, wider footprint and possible differences in tyre pressure. Eg I know that my car became firmer and more harsh with bumps changing to 17".

JJ: Thanks for your input. testdrive both 16" and 17" on the same day is the only way to feel the difference. Tell your brother to join the forum too.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by yfin

I was actually told something different by my dealer - the suspension changes for 05 model were to make the ride softer as some people found the ride on the earlier models too harsh.

---

Thats the same feedback as what my dealership said about the suspension changes.

Also been quoted $550 per rim but would be able to get some discount if I went ahead with it.

I was quoted $550 per rim a while back but that was ex-gst you need to tack on another $55. so its $605 per rim.

Hmm... the Euro lux with 18 inch rims I drove/demoed was very firm (great actually) thats why I ordered the 18 inch wheels on my 2005 standard. I wonder now if it will handle differently than what I expect given that I will have the standard on 18s in a week or so...

One car review I read (I think on drive.com.au) said that the 05 model had stiffer suspension settings -- and that there was far less body roll as a result.

I'm not surprised at the line about not officially putting on 17s on older models which have different mechanicals: Mitsubishi used to have a similar line about Magnas until the later models where the suspension mechanicals were changed. The official line was something about "under extreme conditions" certain components could touch. To certain extent, you can understand where they're coming from because they have to warranty the vehicle...

i just picked up an 05 standard and its firmer than the luxury model which i test drove.

the salesman said they softened the suspension to cope with the 17s.

Ok Ok I give up :confused: . I will wait and see. Like I said the Lux demo was great on 18's, very firm

. But 50% of people here say lux is stiffer and 50% say its softer than standard. :o

Hence, Im going to wait and see then if im not happy order the A-spec from the US to jkeep it as stock as possible. cheers

well, softer suspension makes sense for the 17's since the profile of the tyre is lower..

guys, the 2005 euro lux was the euro to get revised suspension due to the fitment of 17" wheels. The coils were changed in the lux, giving it a firmer ride.

The Euro standard was not changed at all.

I hope this helps some of you out.

P.s the Type S we just got in the showroom is really growing on me now lol. i love it!

Type S? Euro Type S or Teg type S

I think with this info and the info from the 2 brothers that tested 05 Lux vs Std for a few hours... it's fairly conclusive that the 05 Lux suspension is harder. But it may have been progressive suspension used where it's softer for normal driving but stronger resistance when cornering etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by UNLS1

guys, the 2005 euro lux was the euro to get revised suspension due to the fitment of 17" wheels. The coils were changed in the lux, giving it a firmer ride.

The Euro standard was not changed at all.

I hope this helps some of you out.

P.s the Type S we just got in the showroom is really growing on me now lol. i love it!

---

*EuroAccord13 Edit*

No Selling or EOI in this section, only available in the Market Place :)

CHEERS

I've owned both 04 and 05 Luxury Euros.
The 05 is a firmer ride overall. This is subjective feel.

But there's also a low profile tyre feeling - noticeably more feedback through the wheel which some people may not like.

The overall result is a much better cornering ability at both low and high speed using my favourite piece of road going from the Westgate Bridge freeway up onto the Bolte Bridge in Melbourne. That's a 270 degree curve. It's most noticeable at the back as it sits flatter and the steering doesn't lighten up as much at the limit.