Yeah, crashbandit! Skip the sugar coating and tell it as it is!crashbandit wrote:KYB are top of the line shocks? I was told that these are the OEM shocks on my Vibe, and I think they completely suck! I think they switched the springs and shocks on my car when they put it together on the assembly line, I got the ones that should have gone on the 1 ton pickup truck! I feel like I am riding on rims strapped to 2x4's ! Out of the ten cars I have owned in my life, this one rides the worst by far.
Raven: is it really more comfortable? Using the word 'improvement' by itself does not tell what aspect of the ride has been improved.Raven wrote:I'm running Tokico struts with my Tein S-Tech springs on my '06. Huge improvement over stock KYB's.
Your car is lowered. I think that means you were looking for sharper handling, not for a more comfortable ride.This is what I have on my '06. Tein S. Tech springs for about a 2" drop with Tokico struts. No probs for 18s.
Good point. I was not familiar with them. Are you using them on any vehicle?ParknVibe wrote:I am surprise that none of you guys in this thread or topic about the struts...did not look into the Monroe OEspectrums Then should give a better ride then the stocks. They are Monroe newest struts designed to minimize the rough shock of the road.
Click on the shock selector:http://www.monroe.com/en-US/catalog/e-CatalogMonroe OESpectrum units provide an unprecedented level of handling precision and control while filtering out the ride harshness commonly encountered on many foreign nameplate applications.
O.k. That's why it is so hard to find proper reviews. I found some on BMW forums. They are telling that OESpectrum are decent for daily drivers, but not for track days. Bilstein are just the other way around: good for track and too harsh for daily driving.ParknVibe wrote:>>>>Good point. I was not familiar with them. Are you using them on any vehicle?<<<<
No, But I have been wishing to install them for 6 years onto my 2009 Vibe..... I just have very, very low mileage ....would you believe less then 15,000 miles.
The Monroe Struts for the 2009-2010 Vibes only became available a year or so.
You didn't say what brand you bought?crashbandit wrote:I just replaced my rear struts on my 07 vibe and I haven't noticed any significant improvement in my ride. It is still very harsh, really hell on my back on long trips. My old shocks were no where near worn out. Basically a waste of 400 bucks to purchase the shocks and have them installed. I am going to try replacing my stock tires with 205/65 R16 size tires. ( I don't care if it screws up my speedometer! ) Otherwise I will be looking to sell this car. My mileage is at 73000 right now.
Oh......crashbandit wrote:I just replaced my rear struts on my 07 vibe and I haven't noticed any significant improvement in my ride. It is still very harsh, really hell on my back on long trips. My old shocks were no where near worn out. Basically a waste of 400 bucks to purchase the shocks and have them installed. I am going to try replacing my stock tires with 205/65 R16 size tires. ( I don't care if it screws up my speedometer! ) Otherwise I will be looking to sell this car. My mileage is at 73000 right now.
The bad shocks on the Impala make the car squish and dive around, plus wiggle up and down. Bouncing around does not feel good at all. Ugh, I get seasick just thinking about it. If softer springs were made for the Vibe/Matrix, that would probably help some.sideshowalan wrote:New struts / shocks won't increase ride comfort. They're supposed to control rebound and keep the tires planted to the ground.
If anything they'll stiffen up the ride because the car won't bounce around as much.
Some cars are designed to be soft and floaty, some are harsh and firm.
It's also an economy car. I dunno, I have heard that's just how Japanese cars tend to be, with Mazdas/Lexuses/Infinitis being softer. I have heard Toyota prefers to go for comfort over performance, but definitely the economy cars don't ride softly. At this point, I have test-driven several of Toyota's line, and the RAV4 (not the latest generation) and Corolla definitely don't ride as well as the others, although the Corolla/Matrix seem to have better handling. I have not driven an Avalon yet, don't remember if I have driven a Camry later than the '95.crashbandit wrote:I believe it is just a poorly designed suspension. This isn't a sports car, it's a little commuter car with a weak 4cyl engine, so why design it with a harsh ,stiff ride?
If it is too soft and wobbly you usually can fix it. Drive the sister model to the impala: Pontiac Grand Prix. If you like how that one rides then you can put in the Pontiac parts.I hate driving the Impala because it feels like it desperately wants to do whatever I don't want it to do.
That assumes that you checked all the rear suspension parts as well: control arm bushings, sway bar bushings and sway bar links. And of course the struts. Park the car and open the rear door wide. Use the door for leverage to rock the car. Does that reproduce the noise? If so check the sway bar links first.crashbandit wrote:If I could get rid of the rattling and banging sounds the car makes in the rear end when I hit bigger bumps, I think it would actually "feel" like it rides better. I know this problem is for another forum, but I have checked everything from the rear window to the bumper mounts and everything seems tight. I think it's just the jolting from bumps that shakes the whole car. Would I be wasting more money if I try tires with a wider sidewall? Like a 70 instead of the 55's I have on it now?
Have you checked that the spare tire is secure and the jack and the lug wrench are tight? Maybe some other items in/under the spare compartment?crashbandit wrote:If I could get rid of the rattling and banging sounds the car makes in the rear end when I hit bigger bumps
Do you have the GT model?crashbandit wrote:"Suspension
The Vibe's suspension is constructed for the optimal blend of crisp, sporty handling and a smooth ride consistent with Pontiac's brand character. The front suspension is designed with a leading-arm MacPherson strut type with a high caster angle. The rear suspensions of the base and GT vehicles have a twist beam. It ensures ample wheel stroke, improving riding comfort and quietness and providing outstanding handling and driving stability."
This guy is definitely on drugs!
Who wrote that? Danielle Steel?crashbandit wrote:"Suspension
The Vibe's suspension is constructed for the optimal blend of crisp, sporty handling and a smooth ride consistent with Pontiac's brand character. The front suspension is designed with a leading-arm MacPherson strut type with a high caster angle. The rear suspensions of the base and GT vehicles have a twist beam. It ensures ample wheel stroke, improving riding comfort and quietness and providing outstanding handling and driving stability."
whatcrashbandit wrote:This if from Edmund's.com in their review of the vibe!
Pros
Roomy backseat, comfortable ride, versatile cargo area, excellent fuel economy, reliable Toyota powertrain
Even with narrow side walls it should be the opposite. More air pressure will stiffen the tire making the ride harsh.ParknVibe wrote: I have added more air into all my tires...and that helps a little with the ride...because it gives you more side wall support. I have the 17 inch wheels. I had it as much as 40 psi be now I have it at 36 psi... At the 32 psi pressure, I really feel the pain
Correct.gtv237 wrote:Even with narrow side walls it should be the opposite. More air pressure will stiffen the tire making the ride harsh.ParknVibe wrote: I have added more air into all my tires...and that helps a little with the ride...because it gives you more side wall support. I have the 17 inch wheels. I had it as much as 40 psi be now I have it at 36 psi... At the 32 psi pressure, I really feel the pain
(Edmund's)The rear suspensions of the base and GT vehicles have a twist beam. It ensures ample wheel stroke
The OEM struts for the 2009 Vibe are made by KYB. It is stamped on the side of the Struts. I'll assume KYB are on the earlier Vibe models.gtv237 wrote: I have an interesting question though. I am not a fan of OE struts. They just seem to go bad too fast. But what is original equipment? It should be the Toyota part number right? Whatever GM sells would be an aftermarket acdelco product correct? I'd like to believe that the GM part is an upgrade from OEM.
vibolista wrote:
I have 17 inch alloys on the Vibe and a 225/50 tire on it for Summer. The tire is a Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum (dumb tire name) that I keep at 38 front and 36 rear. Not a lot of sidewall (next Summer tire will be 225/55 17), but the tire is fairly soft and the tread is pretty quiet, which was the spec I was looking for. This set up was about equal in soft/stiff (ness) to the original BadYear RS-A tires that came on the car. I didn't like the RS-A tires at all in the rain so that's why I wanted to replace them. The Kumho's are way better in the rain, and a lot quieter. On the other hand, this Kumho is really scary on snow. I have 215/55 16 Blizzak snow tires on the steel wheels for Winter. Wish I'd gone with 215/60 or even 65 16s. I will up-size the sidewall on my next Winter tire.
Unless you load up your Vibe with some extra equipment or 3 passenger volunteers, I don't think that the "Vibe ride" will change much. You could go with an soft 205/65 16 tire, and get some extra sidewall to dampen the ride a little, since there's a quite a lot of space in the wheel wells, but then you'd have to mess around with the tire pressure to get the best ride, anyway. Just remember that high performance tires generally have stiff sidewalls, compared to a standard touring tire. There are soft riding tires out there.
Speedometer error can be learned and driven accordingly, or just get a GPS that shows your actual speed and you're all set to go.