My car is an '03 and has 17 inch wheels. It's not the "Sport" model, with the blacked out chrome, etc., but I'm thinking maybe it has the "sport" suspension, partly due to the bigger wheels. It seems to ride rather rough and I've been thinking of replacing shocks/ struts, etc., with the "comfort" ones -as my wife has a bad back & complains about how the bumps seem worse in it than in our Hyundai Santa Fe (AWD) I know the tires have a lot to do with this. It has Goodyear Eagle "all season" tires. I was thinking of replacing them with some Michelin "touring" tires. Basically, I'm looking for a softer ride. What do you guys recommend? -and how do I tell if it has a "sport" suspension or not?

..... and, if it does, can I replace components with the "comfort" shocks, struts, etc.?

 

my understanding is that the non-sport model has chrome bumper moulding (near the reflectors) and the sport model was body colored, thats an instant tell

 

foxbottom, go to the back of the car and look at the rear coils (can do this on the front springs, but the rears are easier to see). If you look on the springs, you should see some colored tape or paint. If the spring is green, that is a comfort spring. If you see another color, then you have the sport spring. If you are lucky, there should be a sticker on the spring that will have a number on it. Does the number say C2S20845 or C2S20846? If you have the 845 spring, then you have the comfort spring. if you have the 846 spring, then you have the sport spring.

The last check you can do is with the car unloaded, you can measure from the center of the wheel to the top of the wheel well should be at 370mm +/-15mm. If it is at 330mm, then that would be the sport suspension.

 

Thanks Thermo -I got the bright green paint on the rear coils. My question now is: Are the "comfort" shocks the same as the "standard" ones?

Oh, and I know what the "sport model" looks like, but it's my understanding that you can have an optional "sport suspension" on a normal base model, and that they always came with the 17" wheels.

 

foxbottom, 17" wheels really means nothing. You can get a standard (aka, comfort) X-Type suspension setup with the 17" wheels. Now, if you have the sport limited rims, then that might be a good indicator that you have the sport springs.

 

Here's another way to check. Pull front wheel and look at the lettering on the strut. I've not seen a Sport suspension but to me STD=Comfort.

 

So all other things being equal, are the different strut-spring combinations the same, as far as dimensions and mounting? I have an '04 x-type with both strut springs broken, and am having trouble locating a pair of preferably loaded struts. Also, what kind of nightmare am I facing in replacing these Struts?
Thanks, Butch

 

I don't think you'll find loaded struts available. I bought the Bilstein struts from Rock Auto, then did the work myself. I'd call it as level 3 or 4 on a scale of 5 wrenches in difficulty. Tip: the axle nuts are 32mm and are on pretty tight. An impact gun helps mightily. Here's a video of the process: