2021 Genesis G80 2.5T (RG3) Sway Bars, Strut Tower Bar, Chassis Bracing Installed

[ahrajani]

I have been looking for a way to control the excessive bounce/body roll on my 2021 G80 2.5T Prestige. Aftermarket chassis and suspension parts are scarce, however.
Rear Subframe Brace: The rear subframe brace set from Shark Racing has two braces, but only one of them fit the 2.5T. I drove with it for about 3 weeks. The impact was noticeable, but I would say modest. LINK.



Luxon Aluminum Strut Tower Bar: Next, I added a strut tower bar from Luxon. This was very easy to install and tighten. I drove with this for about a week. I noticed the steering wheel firmed up and the input to the wheels felt much more connected/direct. LINK.



Luxon Front and Rear Stabilizer Bar (Sway Bar / Anti-Roll Bar): Next, I added these front and rear stabilizers from Luxon. These bars were probably twice the weight of the original bars and much thicker as well. I’ve driven with them for about a week. The steering wheel firmed up more (which I prefer), body roll was reduced a significant amount. I can now take turns and change directions much faster and with more confidence. Overall the vehicle feels sure-footed and it lets the car hide its body weight in the corners. The ride is not noticeably harsher. LINK.





Note, I got an alignment immediately after installing these parts. Everything tracks well.

Overall impression: Combined, these have made a significant improvement in the ride and handling. However, TBH, there is still some unwanted “bounce” after you hit a bump. I don’t think that problem can be completely solved without a coilover setup that’s properly dialed in. I haven’t seen any coilovers released for this vehicle yet, but that will likely be my next project!

 

[OBO]

The G80 was never intended to be sports luxury minded vehicle. Just straight luxury with effortless feel. Even savageees did a video on the 3.5T and he said the same thing. But is that excessive stock wise?

 

[ahrajani]

The G80 was never intended to be sports luxury minded vehicle. Just straight luxury with effortless feel. Even savageees did a video on the 3.5T and he said the same thing. But is that excessive stock wise?

I agree this isn't a sports sedan nor was I expecting the car to handle like an Audi RS6 or BMW M5 or 5 series M Sport. The stock setup for the 2.5T (not the adaptive suspension that comes with the 3.5T) results in excessive body roll and is quite floaty in a bad way. I am happy with the plush ride, but the difference here is that if you hit a bump, you not only feel the bump, the car then remains unsettled for a few seconds, swaying and bobbing. That bobbing and bouncing is not uniform or controlled, so if you hit a bump while mid corner, you can feel the weight of the vehicle transferring side-to-side and back-and-forth. It's not a good feeling and unique to this vehicle. On the forum, several other people have posted that their passengers complain of feeling nauseous due to the weaving and bobbing. That isn't normal, so I think it is fair to say the stock setup is a excessive with its body roll and suspension setup.

Many other luxury cars maintain a plush ride while also avoiding this issue. I have driven older and newer Lexus, Cadillac, Mercedes and Mazda sedans either on test drives or owned by family members. They were not sport sedans by any measure, but all managed to be smooth and composed. Genesis should have been able to achieve the same with the G80 2.5T.

Here's the kicker; I recently drove the 2.5T GV80 SUV as a loaner car. It also did not have the adaptive suspension. Interestingly, that GV80 felt much more composed and had significantly less body roll and virtually no bobbing. Apart from maybe some mild harshness over a really bad road surface, it was still a very pleasant and comfortable ride and always felt planted. Clearly Genesis knows how to solve this issue, I just think they missed the mark with the 2.5T G80.

 

[OBO]

On the forum, several other people have posted that their passengers complain of feeling nauseous due to the weaving and bobbing. That isn't normal, so I think it is fair to say the stock setup is a excessive with its body roll and suspension setup.

Oh really? That’s interesting. Hmm is really that floaty. Are you sure its not a tire setup thing? I mean touring tires vs a performance version tire. Last generation g80 people complimented the suspension despite it being heavier than the new G80.

And you shouldnt feel the bumps significantly. I think it could be the tires setup in your car honestly. Are you saying the 2.5 isnt smooth as the other past vehicles you drove?

 

[ahrajani]

I was able to rule out the tires/wheels. The bob/sway issue was noticeable when I purchased the car new with stock wheels/tires. After a few thousand miles, I upgraded the tires/rims with lower profile all-season tires. The stiffer sidewalls helped a bit with mushy turn in, and the ride is still quiet and fairly smooth --- but the bobbing and swaying issue remained. I did see an improvement with body roll with better tires and with the chassis upgrades I mentioned above, but I think the sway/bob issue is ultiamtely an issue with the OEM shocks/springs.

I believe this may be unique to this first RG3 released in 2021, and even more specifically to the 2.5T w/o the adaptive suspension. My friend had a prior generation G80 (I think 2018) and it had a decent ride.

 

[vin0770]

Did they change things? My 2023 2.5t awd Sport Prestige always surprises me how good this 2 ton sedan feels in the twisties. My surprise always starts with expectations. It’s a luxury cruiser so I get a smile when it doesn’t waddle through the curves. I love the 275 meats on the rear staggered setup.

Now I don’t push it like my C6 when I’m out, but if you’ve ever done the interstate route though the mountains of Western Pennsylvania the car felt great doing 78 mph through the sweepers that were posted at 60 mph. The first few I tried there was a pucker factor but the G calmed me down after a few.

 

[gcolom]

I have a 2018 G80 3.8L RWD and have noticed how this big car swangs. Now I know what to start looking into, thanks for posting

 

[ahrajani]

Did they change things? My 2023 2.5t awd Sport Prestige always surprises me how good this 2 ton sedan feels in the twisties. My surprise always starts with expectations. It’s a luxury cruiser so I get a smile when it doesn’t waddle through the curves. I love the 275 meats on the rear staggered setup.

Now I don’t push it like my C6 when I’m out, but if you’ve ever done the interstate route though the mountains of Western Pennsylvania the car felt great doing 78 mph through the sweepers that were posted at 60 mph. The first few I tried there was a pucker factor but the G calmed me down after a few.

I believe Genesis did change things between 2021 model year and later model years for the G80. At least according to Car and Driver (Tested: 2022 Genesis G80 Sport Gets More Spring in Its Step), starting in 2022, they added the "Sport Prestige" package, in which "the adaptive suspension gains a unique tuning that stiffens the front and rear dampers by 4 percent and 12 percent respectively." I believe that feature is optional on the 2.5T, so I wouldn't be surprised if your car rides differently b/c it has the adaptive suspension that was available on the 3.5T for the 2021 model year.

 

[ahrajani]

I have a 2018 G80 3.8L RWD and have noticed how this big car swangs. Now I know what to start looking into, thanks for posting

They have way more suspension upgrades avaialble for pre-2021 model years.

 

[vin0770]

I believe Genesis did change things between 2021 model year and later model years for the G80. At least according to Car and Driver (Tested: 2022 Genesis G80 Sport Gets More Spring in Its Step), starting in 2022, they added the "Sport Prestige" package, in which "the adaptive suspension gains a unique tuning that stiffens the front and rear dampers by 4 percent and 12 percent respectively." I believe that feature is optional on the 2.5T, so I wouldn't be surprised if your car rides differently b/c it has the adaptive suspension that was available on the 3.5T for the 2021 model year.

Cool, thanks for the info, you’re very knowledgeable

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[bobo simpson]

I agree this isn't a sports sedan nor was I expecting the car to handle like an Audi RS6 or BMW M5 or 5 series M Sport. The stock setup for the 2.5T (not the adaptive suspension that comes with the 3.5T) results in excessive body roll and is quite floaty in a bad way. I am happy with the plush ride, but the difference here is that if you hit a bump, you not only feel the bump, the car then remains unsettled for a few seconds, swaying and bobbing. That bobbing and bouncing is not uniform or controlled, so if you hit a bump while mid corner, you can feel the weight of the vehicle transferring side-to-side and back-and-forth. It's not a good feeling and unique to this vehicle. On the forum, several other people have posted that their passengers complain of feeling nauseous due to the weaving and bobbing. That isn't normal, so I think it is fair to say the stock setup is a excessive with its body roll and suspension setup.

Many other luxury cars maintain a plush ride while also avoiding this issue. I have driven older and newer Lexus, Cadillac, Mercedes and Mazda sedans either on test drives or owned by family members. They were not sport sedans by any measure, but all managed to be smooth and composed. Genesis should have been able to achieve the same with the G80 2.5T.

Here's the kicker; I recently drove the 2.5T GV80 SUV as a loaner car. It also did not have the adaptive suspension. Interestingly, that GV80 felt much more composed and had significantly less body roll and virtually no bobbing. Apart from maybe some mild harshness over a really bad road surface, it was still a very pleasant and comfortable ride and always felt planted. Clearly Genesis knows how to solve this issue, I just think they missed the mark with the 2.5T G80.

your analysis is spot on with my experience but i have a 2021 G80 3.5t, so perhaps that entire year experienced these issues. i recently test drove a 2023 G80 3.5T and it was very smooth. Will you get coilovers next? I'm very interested to see if you're able to solve the issue with mods. I've dropped a signficant amount of money into this car trying to solve this issue so I'm likely to continue with it rather than getting something new.

 

[bobo simpson]

I think I may have found the solution to the suspension problems we've been experiencing with our 2021 editions. You mentioned that the 2023+ vehicles were fixed, the Mando ECS10 Suspension control mod helps you change the dampening where as the drive modes only change it slightly. I think I might give this a shot and see if it stops the rough ride

 

[ahrajani]

I think I may have found the solution to the suspension problems we've been experiencing with our 2021 editions. You mentioned that the 2023+ vehicles were fixed, the Mando ECS10 Suspension control mod helps you change the dampening where as the drive modes only change it slightly. I think I might give this a shot and see if it stops the rough ride

I’ve looked into this. Note: This system iss compatible if you have the adaptive suspension, which was standard on the 3.5T and was optional otherwise.

 

[ahrajani]

your analysis is spot on with my experience but i have a 2021 G80 3.5t, so perhaps that entire year experienced these issues. i recently test drove a 2023 G80 3.5T and it was very smooth. Will you get coilovers next? I'm very interested to see if you're able to solve the issue with mods. I've dropped a signficant amount of money into this car trying to solve this issue so I'm likely to continue with it rather than getting something new.

I was close to pulling the trigger on some coilovers, but I want to let the sway bars and other mods to the chassis settle in for a few thousand miles first. Note that I swapped the stock tires for ones with slightly stiffer sidewalls (when I first got the car), which also helped with body roll, but didn’t hurt the ride quality.

 

[gcolom]

They have way more suspension upgrades avaialble for pre-2021 model years.

It says it only works with vehicles with electronic controlled suspension. The 2018 G80 3.8L RWD has multi link

 

[ahrajani]

It says it only works with vehicles with electronic controlled suspension. The 2018 G80 3.8L RWD has multi link

I wasn't referring to the Mando module when I made my comment (the Mando suggestion was after I posted my reply). Rather, based on my searches, at this point there are many more aftermarket suspension options for the 2018+-2020 "DH" models. For example, Shark Racing has sway bars, lowering springs, chassis bracing, and other things for suspension upgrades for these model years: See Genesis G80 - G80 2018+ (DH) - Brakes-Suspension - Shark Racing

Also, I've seen several coilovers and air ride options for those years too. See Product Result

 

[bobo simpson]

I wasn't referring to the Mando module when I made my comment (the Mando suggestion was after I posted my reply). Rather, based on my searches, at this point there are many more aftermarket suspension options for the 2018+-2020 "DH" models. For example, Shark Racing has sway bars, lowering springs, chassis bracing, and other things for suspension upgrades for these model years: See Genesis G80 - G80 2018+ (DH) - Brakes-Suspension - Shark Racing

Also, I've seen several coilovers and air ride options for those years too. See Product Result

Just learned the hard way that my Genesis doesn't have adaptive suspension. Returning the Mando chip

 

[bobo simpson]

I wasn't referring to the Mando module when I made my comment (the Mando suggestion was after I posted my reply). Rather, based on my searches, at this point there are many more aftermarket suspension options for the 2018+-2020 "DH" models. For example, Shark Racing has sway bars, lowering springs, chassis bracing, and other things for suspension upgrades for these model years: See Genesis G80 - G80 2018+ (DH) - Brakes-Suspension - Shark Racing

Also, I've seen several coilovers and air ride options for those years too. See Product Result

Now that some time has passed, I wanted to check in and see if you were able to fix the suspension issues? I'm going to replace my upper control arms to see if that might be my specific issue, other than that I'm running out of options.

 

[ahrajani]

Now that some time has passed, I wanted to check in and see if you were able to fix the suspension issues? I'm going to replace my upper control arms to see if that might be my specific issue, other than that I'm running out of options.

Not anything more than what was in this post. The lateral body roll is much better, but the floatiness/bob probably needs coilovers.

 

[warflea51]

Not anything more than what was in this post. The lateral body roll is much better, but the floatiness/bob probably needs coilovers.

I have the exact model that you do and experienced the same problem. Have you considered spring dampeners? They may be to aggressive considering the mods that you have done but they will help with the rebound effect that you are talking about. They are relatively cheap and can be installed easily at home.