Took my G in today for some warranty work on the recirc. air button. Got a loaner sedan with 15000 miles on it. My G has 19000 onit and the loaner feels/drives altogether different. The steering is much tighter and the car seems more rigid. My G was built 12/02 and the loaner was built in 1/03. Has anyone noticed a huge differnce when they got a loaner?

 

I don't have a G but yes, there are definite differences in build. I have a 96 Mustang GT Convertible and my dad had a 94 GT Convertible. His chassis was definitely much tighter than mine. I even added a ladder style subframe connector kit but it was still as loose as a soggy noodle. I guess it's just the luck of the draw. I learned my lesson to thoroughly test drive any new car before accepting delivery. But with a new, unfamiliar car, it would be really difficult to detect something like that.

My only other suggestion would be to have the front end checked out. Maybe there are loose tie rod ends, worn bushings, or something else out of spec. Good luck.

 

Wear on shocks, tires, bushings etc. is cumulative and gradual. You don't notice because it's so gradual and you're in it every day. Getting into a new car makes a world of difference. When I put new tires on my last car it felt like it was brand new again. New shocks will give you the same effect. If you got into a loaner that had similar miles to yours and you still felt a difference, then you'd have something to worry about. There were no structural differences from the beginning through 2004.5. Theoretically, a sunroof would make the car less rigid, but I doubt anything we'd notice.

2004.5 Coupe/5AT/Ivory/Everything but chin spoiler/Z Tube-Popcharger

 

That is exactly the point. There are only 4000 miles differenence between them, and 12000 of mine are highway/interstate miles. I would think that all the loaners miles are city/stop and go driving. My tires look better than the loaners and they are both Bridgestone Turanzas. May have the dealer check the suspension for wear. Thanks for the input.

 

my G is a 12/02 build date also, and my car feels pretty tight and stiff to me

 

Was the loaner equipped with Sport suspension - and does your car have sport suspension? That could be the difference right there, or at least a lot of it.

Sport Sedan Fan
2004 6MT Sedan/Sport/Navigation/Premium/Aero

 

Nope, both are standard suspension. Only differnce is mine has the premium package (along with my other mods)

 

Might also want to see if the tires are different.. there's a pretty good difference in the Goodyear Eagle GS-D's, RS-A's, and the Bridgestone Turanza EL42's in terms of handling and feel.

 

what are the differences between those 3? thanks in advance.

<font color=purple>.g35girl.</font color=purple>

 

The GS-D is a high-performance summer tire.. more grip. The RS-A is an all-season performance tire.. jack of all trades, master of none, and not a tire I'd want. The Turanza is an all-season touring tire.. quieter, more comfortable highway ride, less performance than either of the other two, but more predictable at the limits than the RS-A (from my experience with the Turanza and what I hear about the RS-A).

The GS-D performs best, the Turanza is the most comfortable, quiet tire of the 3, and the RS-A is somewhere in the middle.

 

I have an 03, when I had the 03.5 loaner, it was much tighter, seems like they did some tweaking when they added the nicer trunk.

03 - Black - Premium - Wood - Aero w/ Spoiler - Z Tube - Grounded - Stillen CAI