Background: I bought my Honda Element new in 2008, and it remained completely stock for the first 200,000 miles. At that milestone, I upgraded from the factory 215 tires to 235s, which immediately improved ride quality and reduced road noise. Now at 200,600 miles, I’ve installed the Flatout Trail Runner suspension along with a drivetrain drop kit to correct CV axle angles and prevent vibration. After just 600 miles of driving, here are my initial impressions: Ride Quality: The difference is night and day. The Trail Runner has drastically improved comfort, especially on Los Angeles roads. With my setup at the recommended setting of 5, the suspension takes the harsh edge off of sharp potholes and smooths out rolling dips and freeway undulations. The ride feels planted and composed without being harsh, a noticeable improvement over the stock struts. Performance: So far, the suspension balances daily drivability with added capability. The drivetrain drop kit integrates well with the lift, eliminating unwanted vibration and protecting the CVs. I haven’t tested it extensively off-road yet, but the improved compliance over broken pavement gives me confidence that it will handle fire roads and light trails without issue. These are my early impressions after 600 miles. I’ll follow up with a long-term review once I’ve had more time with the setup, especially with loaded trips and trail use. Bottom line: If you drive an Element and want a smoother ride in the city with the added benefit of trail readiness, the Trail Runner is already proving to be a worthwhile investment.

Waited at least 3 weeks to write this review, after install, so I could develop any thoughts after the initial "omg these feel amazing" first impression. Now that they have settled in and I dialed in the damping I prefer, they feel even better! During the first week, they felt a little stiff and although they felt 10x better than the previous coilover + spacer setup (not related to Flatout btw as this is my first shopping experience with Flatout products), there was something there that just felt a tiny bit off. Well I drove them around after an alignment, then after that first week on the road/forest service roads with adjusting the ride damping through easy to get to knobs, I hit that sweet spot and feel comfortable saying these are awesome. Unsure the max tire size allowed with these but the perch height is significantly higher than stock struts and I am running 225/75 R 16 tires with plenty of space (over 1 inch) from tire to perch so I'll feel comfortable using snow cables again. I do have 20mm hub spacers though so that might help. I have 0.5 subframe spacers at the moment due to my previous setup but will most likely go up to 0.75 or 1" subframe spacers to help the small front axle angle as there is a slight vibration in 2nd gear (5 spd MT AWD here) from 20-30 mph but that is a known fact if lifting over 1.5". Previous lift was 1.75" with lame (expensive) coilover and spacers, this Flatout TR Suspension setup gives around 2-2.125" lift over stock on my specific Element while feeling VERY similar to the stock suspension which is awesome. Only things I can say an improvement could be seen with is the shipping containment (mail service beat these up) by adding some extra foam/cushion. And also maybe some covers for the adjustment knobs down low, as they may get hit by debris off paved roads and am unsure if this has a severe impact on the life of them (I may 3D print some PETG-CF covers for them actually). I can finally drive comfortably at +70 mph while also being able to go through most bumpy forest service roads/campground roads while maintaining a good feeling suspension for the city work life, thanks to this new Flatout TR kit