Better Ride...

[CanadaUK]

I have 1.8 L. 2009 base Vibe. Great car, but with 4 adults in it you feel every bump. Any thoughts on upgrades on shocks or suspension that will not be too expensive?

[lowincash]

i thought the base model gives a smoother ride? is the ride harsh with all passengers on board? maybe it's the torsion beam rear suspension set up that isn't absorbing the bumps as well? only suggestion i can think of is getting softer tires

[star_deceiver]

I've never had a problem with the ride quality. Generally, with more weight in the car the bumps are absorbed better.Mind you, I can't speak about Ontario roads (never been that far east) but BC roads are in good shape (Downtown Vancouver doesn't count).

[ou.grizzly]

Bigger size tire may help

[09vGT]

I feel every bump with mine as well, but mines a GT. I think my mustang had a better ride than my vibe does (bumpy wise).

[ou.grizzly]

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »I feel every bump with mine as well, but mines a GT. I think my mustang had a better ride than my vibe does (bumpy wise). May be due to the suspension and tires. I think with more tire, not necessarily a larger rim, rides better versus the larger rim and less tire (rubber).

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by ou.grizzly »May be due to the suspension and tires. I think with more tire, not necessarily a larger rim, rides better versus the larger rim and less tire (rubber). agreedI just swapped out my 18" 225/45/18 summers for my winters 205/60/16 and I swear i'm driving on a cloud. Feels like a caddy.

[09vGT]

Yeah, lot of wheel.. not so much rubber. My parents are having a fit because of the price of the tires... they need to be replaced..

[djkeev]

The evolution of the wheel is going backwards! We started out with wooden disc's held onto a wooden axle with a wooden pin. Over the years we incorporated steel axles and a spoked wood wagon wheel.We wrapped the wood wagon wheel in steel to make it last longer.We wrapped the wood wheel with rubber to make it last and to cushion the ride a tadWe made cars with spoked wheels with small rubber tires, We made cars with solid steel wheels and a LOT of rubber to absorb the shocks of the highwayNow, thanks to the ghetto look, mainstream cars have spoked steel / alloy wheels with a little tiny bit of tire on the outside! Almost back to the rubber wrapped wood wheel!It's all fashion and 1000's are paying dearly for it. It makes no sense, the rubber gets hot, there isn't a lot of give should a pot hole be encountered and as you've found out, the ride is harsh.Get some rubber on reasonably sized wheels. You won't look ghetto but you'll sure ride better!my old fart 2 centsoff topic but curious auto evolutionary step, anyone besides me notice that chrome on a car is slowly coming back?Dave

[CanadaUK]

Perhaps, it is my new snow tires, that is making it ride harder. If I take it back to the dealer can they make any adjustments, under warranty? Just a thought. I am use to riding a mini van. I seldom felt any bumps in the van.

[vibolista]

Is the road shock getting you or are you bottoming out with 4 adults in the car? If your car is bottoming out on rough or broken roads, then you might need adjustable suspension bits. What wheel tire combination are you running on. What are your tire pressure readings. There are a few things you can try, before you spend money at the dealer. The cheapest thing to do, is to check tire inflation. I've seen tire stores overinflate and underiflate tires dangerously. After getting new tires on my truck, years ago, I noticed a rough ride on the way home. When I checked my tire pressures I found 50 psi in a 35 psi max set of tires. Not everyone gets it right.

[bikeman1]

There may be something to what you sat. I just put my snows on (205/60 General Altimax) from stock RSAs, and despite the higher profile, they do seem to be hitting a little hard on the bumps. May have to experiment with inflation (haven't checked), or maybe its just the belts. Didn't think I'd ever have some reason to say something good about the RSAs before....Quote, originally posted by CanadaUK »Perhaps, it is my new snow tires, that is making it ride harder. If I take it back to the dealer can they make any adjustments, under warranty? Just a thought. I am use to riding a mini van. I seldom felt any bumps in the van.

[ParknVibe]

I have the Goodyear's Eagle RS-A P215/45R17 (OEM tires) low profile tires.With the 2.4L auto fwd setup, the car requires 32psi in all tires. During the past year, I followed this tire pressure as best as I can. However, I find that I do not get good MPG (19 mpg for stop and go driving). When I originally received the car from the dealer, I did notice that the tires looked very inflated. I did not check the pressure for over a month. When I finally did, all tires were at 40 psi exactly. During the first month of driving, however, I found that the ride was pretty good over rough roads and railroad tracks. I felt like I was floating over the bumps.After the shock of being overinflated, I changed the pressure to 32 psi. At the correct pressure, I find that the ride is very rough and hard. And now (for an test ride), I increased the tire pressure to 34 psi (cold). Immediately I felt a smoother, less noisy, ride over rough road surfaces.If one has the AWD Vibe, the front tires should be at 35 psi and the rear at 32 psi. (same tire size but a heavier car). (from the service manual).I like the ride at 34 psi tire pressure. However, it may not be good for winter snow and ice conditions.BTW: if you have a heavy load in the car and you are highway driving, it is said that you should increase the tire pressure to reduce heat build up in the tire. The spec tire pressure on the card, is for the most part calculated based on the car's weight on the tire. DO NOT EVER set the pressure to what tire's max. said on the side wall. I read of a lot people doing this, and it is just not safe. The same can be said about a to low tire pressure, which will cause heat build up and to much side wall flexing.

[j42.snyder]

It doesn't make much sense that a higher tire pressure would equate to a smoother ride. If the tire's harder, the suspension is going to have to work harder as well - and take more of a direct hit for every bump in the road.When I bought my car, it felt like it was driving on rocks (especially compared to my previous Sunfire with 14" wheels). I checked the pressure after a couple of weeks, and found them to be over 40! I dropped them to about 34, which made it more tolerable - but I find the rears still seem to wear prematurely at that pressure (in the centers).Since I switched over to my winter tires (Blizzak WS-60 P205/55R16) I find the ride to be slightly more isolated than with the stock RSA's - and handling is still fine. I don't push it too hard with these though - very soft and likely wear easily. So far at 32 all around, the fronts are wearing evenly across, but even at that pressure, the rears are still wearing faster in the centers. Wear pattern is most evident right now as they had lots of little "nubs" on them when new. The fronts have been gone for a couple of weeks, and the rears still have some left at the outer edges. I think I've got about 3,000km on them so far. Still no snow to test them on though;(The car certainly has a much stiffer ride than our van (Windstar) - but it more than makes up for it in the handling department. I think I've finally gotten used to it now. My wife still doesn't seem too impressed though...John

[Vibe2009]

Quote, originally posted by lowincash »i thought the base model gives a smoother ride? is the ride harsh with all passengers on board? maybe it's the torsion beam rear suspension set up that isn't absorbing the bumps as well? only suggestion i can think of is getting softer tires Now that you mention, my non-GT 09 vibe do feel more bumpy from the rear than the front!

[ParknVibe]

Just to add a few more comments to what I wrote above. This is just my opinion and I am not an expert about "Low Profile Tires". ......As I picture a low profile tire, we know it has a small side wall height between the road and the rim. So, if the tire has low pressure within to support the load, the side wall will be bowed out and then give it less space between the inside bottom contact and the rim. Given this, I think that when the tire hits a pot hole or a sharp bump, the forces would transfer to the wheel rim faster and more shockingly then if there were more air pressure within to give it more distance between the road and the rim. Regular high side wall tires have greater distance to the rim and give a softer ride. When one has a flat tire, you know you will get a rough ride.Anyway, it just has to have the ideal balance of correct tire air pressure and footprint contact on the road surface. BTW: A low profile tire has a thicker side wall cross section resulting in a stiffer wall and less flexing during cornering. If it flexes to much it could cause wheel damage as well as letting air to escape easier.

[star_deceiver]

Quote, originally posted by Ivibe » DO NOT EVER set the pressure to what tire's max. said on the side wall. The max cold pressure listed on the side of the tire is for when you have the tire loaded to it's max weight capability. Personally I can't stand the slop of the 32psi, much prefer firmer ride of 38psi.

[ParknVibe]

I would be very careful about overinflating the tires past the recommended PSI as per the manufacturer. Because the Vibe is a relative lite car, the low 32 psi pressure is used to maintain treaction and a footprint on the road without cupping the center area of the surface. The AWD model requires 35 PSI for the front and 32 psi for the rear. I guess that the transmission weighs more.

[star_deceiver]

Every single vehicle I've ever ownd has had it's tires inflated over the "recommended" pressure. Usually somewhere right between the max and the recommended pressure. As for the tires, whatever was cheapest went on. Never had a blowout, a few nails were all the damage that ever happened. The tires lasted about 90% of their mileage rating. Plus I like the firmer ride that higher pressure gives.And 2800lbs is not a light car. My moms old 1990 Firefly was a light car.

[ParknVibe]

My response to your comment is that during the summer of 2008 for the first month of driving my new Vibe, the ride felt pretty smooth when driving over rough roads. The tire pressure was set by the manufacture or the dealer at 40 psi. I would like to agree about a higher pressure during the summer but not during icy road conditions. I see a lot cars sliding out of control. What happen to anti-lock brakes? Will they work with a very high tire pressure? I just don't know. I try not to drive in the snow storm.However I do remember driving when I was young.

[star_deceiver]

This is the first vehicle I've owned with ABS. But the higher pressure will probably cause the tires to lock up easier and engage the ABS. The cars I've seen sliding out of control usually have the driver to fault. It's funny watching people drive the first snowfall, seeing them try to run the redlights like it was clear out!!! The studded tires I ran on the Sunfire worked fine at the higher psi. Now could I have gained more traction by lowering it, of course! The only times I've ever been sliding around like an idiot were because I was driving with that intention. (What are the limits of these tire? Let's find out!!!)And if You/I ever do slide off the road in a snowstorm, or from ice it would be written up as 'driving too fast for conditions' (aka, your/my fault)!Drive safe!!! I don't want to see any (more) "Smashed up Vibe" threads...

[djkeev]

Quote, originally posted by Ivibe »I would like to agree about a higher pressure during the summer but not during icy road conditions. I see a lot cars sliding out of control. What happen to anti-lock brakes? Will they work with a very high tire pressure? I just don't know. I try not to drive in the snow storm.However I do remember driving when I was young. Let me first point out that antilock brakes don't do squat for traction. They come into play to prevent wheels locking up and sliding thus loosing control.They can help slowing and stopping in slippery conditions, not providing traction but preventing the loss of it.Keep in mind you are NJ and as a rule the drivers here haven't a clue about driving in snow and on ice. They just barrel along their merry way thinking with their AWD and money that the road will be miraculously clear and safe just for them.I avoid any major highway in a storm. It is just too scary to see people who seem to have the mindset that the Parkway or Turnpike is just fine to continue at 75 MPH in a blizzard!I fear for my safety sharing a highway with so many of these impatient, self important, overpaid A$$es.Dave