One of my biggest peeves with my Box is the ride quality. Granted, I bought it as a commuter car, and knew I wasn't getting an S-class Mercedes, but I wish I'd taken it for a ride on the freeway before I bought it, considering what my commute was (160 mile round trip 3-4 days a week!).
Of course, most of the problem was my own fault, having enjoyed the little Toaster so much I immediately got hit with the Mod Craze and as usual, upgraded the suspension - Konis, sway bars, lowering springs, and wider wheels with performance tires. I specifically bought progressively wound springs for their superior ride quality, but I guess I didn't realize how much REALLY stiffer they still were than stock.
But on to the real topic here...
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I started to talk about taking a trip up to one of our favourite places on the planet, up on the central coast (of California for you out-of-staters) for a long weekend over Easter, which we go to 2 or 3 times a year, but hadn't been to since last June. I got to thinking about the recent spiking of gas prices ($3.65 locally), and wasn't too thrilled about the prospect of a 700 mile trip in my BMW or my wife's AWD CRV. Even though the MPG of the Toaster makes it VERY attractive in that respect, that idea was completely out of the question due to the uncomfortable ride; my honey would never go for it, and it really didn't sound like much fun to me either. The funny thing is, I've had it about a year and a half, have put 42,000 miles on it, but I've never driven it long distance! It has only been used to commute to work, or running local errands.
So, being the cheapskate that I am , AND the fact that I hadn't torn any cars apart lately, a couple of days before we were supposed to leave, I got an idea - why not take the aftermarket springs off and see how it rides on the stockers? I really only had them on the car for a couple of weeks after I bought it, so I figured it was worth a try to check them out. Then, I decided I'd also toss on the stock tires and 15" alloys, too, and go for the whole "stocker" effect!
Well, it worked out great. I left the Koni struts and shocks and the sway bar on, but it rides like a DREAM! It looked a bit "4-wheel-drive" at first, but I'm actually getting used to it. I took my wife out to dinner in it that night, and even she couldn't believe it. One of the first things she said was, "Let's take this on our trip!".
Mission accomplished! I get to take my beloved Box on a trip, and I get to save money on gas! Yeee-hawww!

Anyway, we had a great time. We ended up having a really comfortable ride on the long drives in each direction, plus we put about another 100 miles on it while we were there, driving the local country roads up into the hills, the xB slipping through corners like a sportscar. I'd forgotten how well that little car handled stock, and the Konis and sway bar added an even better measure of control without adding any harshness, the stock springs soaking up the occasional potholes without jarring the teeth out of our heads like the aftermarket springs did. The landscape was amazing this year due to all the rain we've had. We even picked up a "box lunch" , and ate it out of the hatch next to a nice meadow, shaded by huge old oak trees. The weather was even warmer than we've ever seen it...we actually used the A/C for a good portion of the trip!

Good times in the Toaster - here's a few pics for your viewing pleasure:

The little woman picnic-ing:

The Road Machine (really not as bad looking as I expected) :

Happy Toaster:

The view back toward the beach (check out that winding road! Yeah BABY!) :

Looking south down the beach where we stay:

The view north up the beach:

Sunset from our room:


All in all, a great time, and we averaged over 32 MPG! I hope I didn't bore anybody too badly - just had to share! :D

 

looks like you had some fun. Thanks for the pics.

 

wow, great pictures! excellent trip. i wish i could take a drive on cali's coast in my box.... but im here in nyc =P l0l00l

good stuff. i hope you're looking forward to more trips in the box!

 

Add some monroe shocks to the rear for a WAY smoother ride!

36.00 a piece at autozone!
-ken

 

Nice. Can't beat the gas mileage and interior size of the xB for road trips. It's not as comfortable on long stretches of highway, but it's nimble so it's fun to drive once you get there and the more scenic roads. Need to do some more sound deadening before my next drive.

 

not true I have had both and how I have mine set they feel about the same....and the konis can be adjusted to your taste......

 

nice to know!

 

very nice pictures and pretty wife! congrats all around!!!

 

Looks like you both had fun.
It's nice to see someone else do what I did as far as searching for the best possible ride quality the box can give. I found it now and don't see any lowering springs in my future. The best part is the handling is still there even without the lowered stance. NICE!

 

Exactly! I've got mine tweaked all the way to softest setting, and it's a pretty plush ride, yet seems to have better control than the stock struts/shocks. I'm really happy with it -

 

Im surprised. When i bought my box i had to swap out the stockers for something softer. I would take an hour road trip and have horrible lower back pain. Same for the GFs RS1. She went Goldlines ( later i installed Progress cause she like my ride ) and i installed Progress.

I also tried the Monroes in the rear, but couldnt use them as they were too soft.

If you averaged 32 MPG can i ask what was your average speed? I know when we made a couple trips to Ohio we would average 75 - 80 MPH and get about 32-33 MPG.

 

Well, that was an average for the whole trip, which was pretty much *****-out, no traffic for 300 miles on the way up at 75-80 MPH, then stop and go, puttering around town and through the very narrow, winding country roads at maybe 25-30 MPH average for a little over 100 miles, then 300 miles back home in a combo of 70-75 for a while and heavy stopped rush hour traffic for long periods. Much of the trip, I was also using A/C, which is almost unheard of up there.
It wasn't the best mileage I've ever gotten (I've managed almost 44 MPG commuting!); 32 is more like when I'm driving nothing but city streets, but it's still WAY better than either of our other cars would have gotten!

 

Thank you!
As I tell her - "Not bad for a 50 year old!"

And thanks for all the other nice comments. I knew some of you guys would appreciate the post.

 

This seems to be just a troll to show off that he has a BMW and a Honda CRV. I've driven my XB bone stock on 10+ hour trips up north from Virginia and it was very comfortable. What is your real reason for posting all of this other than corny box jokes?

 

Gee, I dunno - maybe to tell you to go F yourself?

 

You remind me of my old man. Loves to name drop and brag and give left handed compliments on an enthusiast forum that focuses on a certain brand. It's no BMW blah blah blah but it can handle a long trip ok blah blah blah here's a pic of my old lady, blah blah blah. Boomers...

 

Why do you care?

Back OT, nice pics of your trip.

 

Some of us just have to call BS; it's a fact of life. Keeps the grease ***** in check.

 

The only grease ball in this thread is you.
Nobody twisted your arm to read this thread. Now go away if have have nothing nice to say.

 

I've said what was required. Leg humpers can have at it now.