FL5 owner's poll

[Zone47]

I have a Mk6 GTI and Mk7 GTI. I was actually happy with the softer Mk6 until I got the firmer Mk7 and then I didn't like the Mk6 any longer.

The R is firmer than the Mk7 on the softest setting and I love it! It's like a big go cart. It has a more sure grip than the Mk7 GTI because of those fat tires and it feels so planted, it's amazing. I use sport and +R mode too just for kicks and I'm glad there is a pronounced difference between all 3 modes.

I can't speak for the track guys, but for the street I wouldn't change a thing.

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[RacingIsLife]

I drive my cars hard on the track and on the touge. Haven't driven the FL5 on track yet, but have driven it plenty hard on my local touge roads. The FL5 in R+ mode is much too stiff in that application as observed by the tires skipping and actually losing contact due to bumps and undulations. I follow Mike Kojima of Moto IQ, he's a suspension expert and is hired by OEMs and racing teams to help them tune suspensions for high performance applications. Like he says, stiffer isn't always better, you want to be as soft as possible where you still have grip. He has a 3 part series on suspension adjustment starting with this video



I do have the ITS ADS module, and in R+, it is perfect. Plenty stiff and controlled yet in control over very bumpy and rough roads.

 

[EJHonda]

So I voted 'it's fine' (bought my FL5 as a track toy), but in my head rings the words of Car & Driver, who said they got their FL5's best lap time at VIR when they put the suspension at its softest setting due to wheel skip. Stiff is fine in certain performance driving situations, but you need some suspension compliance on bumpy or wet tracks. I'm going to keep my eye on my track experiences and reevaluate replacing the module down the line.

 

[Jester04]

I have had more issues on the street than at the track. Some bumpy roads are just brutal in R+. But I just go with it and it really does not bother me. Most of the time I’m in individual mode anyway.

 

[RacingManiac]

I wish it rides more like the FK8....

Also the fact that it rides on the same hardware as the Type S they could have done both, in having both a stiffer sporty mode and a better calibrated comfort mode.....just seems like poor ride tuning to me...

A super stiff car is unlikely to be the fast way to go around the ring, and we already know Honda cheated on the Nordschleife time anyway....

 

[Zone47]

I have had more issues on the street than at the track. Some bumpy roads are just brutal in R+. But I just go with it and it really does not bother me. Most of the time I’m in individual mode anyway.

I actually like R+ on normal to smooth roads for moderate periods of time. I feel more connected with the car for some weird reason. On rough roads, comfort is stiff enough.

 

[optronix]

Agree. Definitely not a track car. It's a misnomer for sure but people are running with it.

This right here ^. I don't have an FL5, I have a DE5, and one of the primary reasons for that is the stupid suspension. It is not a Porsche GT product, it is a 4-door Civic, I don't know where this thought of "race car stiff good" comes from. People validating their $5-20k markups they paid because it's "special"?

What I can directly relate to though is Audi did something similar with the B9 RS5, which I have owned. It is hilariously overdamped in its firmest setting to the point where it is 100% useless and will actively piss you off. The FL5 seems WORSE because at least in the RS5 as long as you stayed away from the firmest setting the suspension was great- watching literally any YouTube review of the FL5 it is immediately clear that the driver is put through a vortex of pain in ANY setting on a canyon road. But even then, why have an adaptive damper if you can't use it in all settings? It's a nonsensical decision from the manufacturer and shouldn't be rewarded even with a sense of "it's fine" from owners.

Asking this question on this board is also a fool's errand. Too much confirmation bias on here. Search your heart. You already know the answer. lol.

 

[VLJ]

A "vortex of pain"?

Ummm...no. Let's not go overboard here. An overabundance of vertical oscillations? Yes. Pain? No. It's also not true that "any canyon road" triggers the bounciness in any mode. It needs to be a bumpy road, and you need to be in Sport or +R. The road has to be extremely rough to make Comfort excessively bouncy.

Even then, there is never any pain. Not even close.

On the flip side, there are plenty of canyon roads on which the FL5 is an absolute joy to drive. They aren't all rough and bumpy. There are some smooth roads too, you know.

 

[Greas]

I only use it for street use and have it full time in comfort mode. I think it feels just fine.

That being said, if we didn't have the ability to set custom mixed drive modes my answer might be different.

 

[atucker80]

This right here ^. I don't have an FL5, I have a DE5, and one of the primary reasons for that is the stupid suspension. It is not a Porsche GT product, it is a 4-door Civic, I don't know where this thought of "race car stiff good" comes from. People validating their $5-20k markups they paid because it's "special"?

What I can directly relate to though is Audi did something similar with the B9 RS5, which I have owned. It is hilariously overdamped in its firmest setting to the point where it is 100% useless and will actively piss you off. The FL5 seems WORSE because at least in the RS5 as long as you stayed away from the firmest setting the suspension was great- watching literally any YouTube review of the FL5 it is immediately clear that the driver is put through a vortex of pain in ANY setting on a canyon road. But even then, why have an adaptive damper if you can't use it in all settings? It's a nonsensical decision from the manufacturer and shouldn't be rewarded even with a sense of "it's fine" from owners.

Asking this question on this board is also a fool's errand. Too much confirmation bias on here. Search your heart. You already know the answer. lol.

I'm assuming you've never driven the FL5 if you thinks unbearable. I also think a lot of the "it's too stiff" is overblown. I wouldn't even have noticed if it wasn't for all the complaining on this forum.

 

[fenix-silver]

coming from a 10th gen Si that I always drove in sport mode, I'm really interested to see how the FL5 is in comparison

 

[RacingManiac]

Coming from dailying FK8 for 75k miles, its definitely noticeable...

Its also noticeable just by watching most of the review and noting how much the driver bounce around...

 

[Brittania]

This right here ^. I don't have an FL5, I have a DE5, and one of the primary reasons for that is the stupid suspension. It is not a Porsche GT product, it is a 4-door Civic, I don't know where this thought of "race car stiff good" comes from. People validating their $5-20k markups they paid because it's "special"?

What I can directly relate to though is Audi did something similar with the B9 RS5, which I have owned. It is hilariously overdamped in its firmest setting to the point where it is 100% useless and will actively piss you off. The FL5 seems WORSE because at least in the RS5 as long as you stayed away from the firmest setting the suspension was great- watching literally any YouTube review of the FL5 it is immediately clear that the driver is put through a vortex of pain in ANY setting on a canyon road. But even then, why have an adaptive damper if you can't use it in all settings? It's a nonsensical decision from the manufacturer and shouldn't be rewarded even with a sense of "it's fine" from owners.

Asking this question on this board is also a fool's errand. Too much confirmation bias on here. Search your heart. You already know the answer. lol.

Don't make me hop on integraforums.com and start talking s$%t about your seats.

 

[optronix]

A "vortex of pain"?

Ummm...no. Let's not go overboard here. An overabundance of vertical oscillations? Yes. Pain? No. It's also not true that "any canyon road" triggers the bounciness in any mode. It needs to be a bumpy road, and you need to be in Sport or +R. The road has to be extremely rough to make Comfort excessively bouncy.

Even then, there is never any pain. Not even close.

On the flip side, there are plenty of canyon roads on which the FL5 is an absolute joy to drive. They aren't all rough and bumpy. There are some smooth roads too, you know.

Dude lighten up, it was clearly hyperbole. The fact I have to explain that is sad, honestly.

But... it's not just me that notices this.

Coming from dailying FK8 for 75k miles, its definitely noticeable...

Its also noticeable just by watching most of the review and noting how much the driver bounce around...

Seriously, just pay attention to any review. It's pretty funny actually the amount these dudes get shaken up. I've posted enough examples of this, if you don't care to validate my assessment that's fine. Meanwhile, enjoy replacing your dental fillings.

Don't make me hop on integraforums.com and start talking s$%t about your seats.

I welcome this assessment, because I mostly agree. I'm looking to replace my seats with Bride or Recaro at some point. I suppose it's a fair comparison to the CTR suspension, some people don't mind the seats, some people swear they hate them. I don't hate them at all, in fact I think they're actually very comfortable for their intended purpose and look nice- but I won't argue they could be better for track use, so I'll likely replace them.

That wasn't very difficult, right? If you present a valid argument, we can have a conversation.

 

[VLJ]

I presented a number of valid arguments. I didn't only speak to your "pain" hyperbole. Like I said, on rough roads, yes, Sport and +R are overly bouncy. On normal-ish roads, Comfort mode is perfectly fine. On smooth roads, all three modes are fine. It takes an extremely bumpy road before Comfort is also too bouncy. The thing is, it's a rare "fun" road that's that bumpy. Most roads that are that bombed out really aren't Type R-type roads anyway.

I think there's a lot of truth to what some people here are saying, in that were it not for the video reviews showing the drivers bouncing around so much, many owners wouldn't think twice about the FL5's ride quality. They expect it to be stiff, and it's stiff. They bounce a bit. No biggie.

I want a little better than that. Some of my favorite roads are, in fact, too bumpy for the FL5 module. I want more composure over more roads, and I want to be able to use all three modes, so I ordered the ITS module. Will it make for a night-and-day difference, or will it be something minor, and the Placebo Effect will account for the rest?

I don't know. According to Topher and a few others, it's a Miracle Cure, so I'm willing to give it a shot.

We'll see.

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