[dr.aviansh]

Hi Fellas, I hope you’re doing good and safe during the pandemic.

I have a ’14 Grand i10 CRDi which I feel is stiffly sprung for my liking.

I have upgraded to taller 165/70 R14 Michelin’s from stock 165/65 R14 and also swapped to more comfortable 2011-2017 Hyundai Verna seats but the inherent stiffness is still perceived at city speeds.

Last week, I did a Delhi to Jhansi and back in just one night and I realised that this stiff suspension at the front is perfect for the highway runs but not for my usage in city, which is my sole concern.

Now, are there any struts or shockers for the front that are softer than the stock? Because it’s the opposite of what people are usually looking for. Or any adjustable dampers which have their softer settings QUITE soft?

Thanks in advance.

[GTO]

An idea whose time has definitely come as so many new cars are stiffly sprung today (e.g. Seltos).

However, I think you first need to get your suspension checked up. The Grand i10 is definitely not as stiffly sprung as your post indicates. Options for you to improve ride quality:

- Just in the city (NOT on highway), drop your tyre PSI by 2 points.

- Which Michelins have you chosen? Hope they're not performance tyres. Comfort-oriented tyres can make a difference.

- If there is clearance for your brakes, drop to 13" wheels & taller sidewall tyres.

- Drive another Grand i10 and compare to yours. I still think its your car which has a problem.

Related Thread (Toyota Fortuner - Improving Ride Comfort?) - Go through all the points here as well.

[RedTerrano]

Originally Posted by GTO

- Just in the city (NOT on highway), drop your tyre PSI by 2 points.

I do not understand this part. Why not on the highway?
Doesn't the air inside the tires heat up after continuous highway drive? Won't a lesser initial PSI accommodate the expanded air?

[self_driven]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

Doesn't the air inside the tires heat up after continuous highway drive? Won't a lesser initial PSI accommodate the expanded air?

Underinflation is one of the main reasons for tyre burst at high speeds. Underinflated tyres generate more internal heat as compared to correctly inflated tyres due to wider contact patch and more sidewall flex. Properly inflated tyres can easily accomodate expanded air as their max PSI limit is much higher than manufacturer recommendation.

[batladanny]

Thanks for creating this thread. I too wanted to get my car's suspension softened.

I drive a Freestyle and while I've read online about people praising its ride quality, I find that it has quite the hard edge (My comparison points here are my mom's first-gen Figo and my dad's Sunny)

I have yet to benchmark it against another Freestyle personally but pointed it out to the service centre at a recent service few weeks back and they mentioned that there is no issue and it is similar to other Freestyles. Tyres are stock Goodyear Assurance and have experimented a bit with lower than recommended pressure but didn't get much improvement.

If things are similar after benchmarking it against another same car, I guess I'll have to try some things in the thread GTO linked.

[chaudh2s]

Try if the front shock absorber set of swift fits in your Gi10, or maybe just the spring. You can retain the damper, otherwise you might have to change everything fixed with the damper. That might make it quite soft. Swift is softer than Gi10 over small speed breakers like those yellow ones.

[alpha1]

Originally Posted by RedTerrano

I do not understand this part. Why not on the highway?
Doesn't the air inside the tires heat up after continuous highway drive? Won't a lesser initial PSI accommodate the expanded air?

You will have to abandon the analogy with balloons. Hot air doesn't "expand" the tyres, it just raises pressure (imagine a pressure cooker with fixed volume)
Max pressure supported is typically 50-80 PSI for most tyres.
At max pressure, the tyre tends to behave more like a rigid solid piece - thus reducing the rolling resistance and giving you higher fuel economy. Also reduces the contact patch with road hence reduces the grip slightly.

At lower pressure, as explained by self_driven, sidewall flex allows a cushioning effect, and also causes higher rolling resistance (try pushing a vehicle with 50PSI pressure vs 20 PSI pressure) - thereby reducing the fuel efficiency.

However, too low a pressure and the hysteresis (alternate contraction and expansion of tyre rubber while rolling on road) overheats the rubber, leading to dangerous situation of compromising safety (hot rubber is soft and loses mechanical integrity).

Usually manufacturers play on Passenger Comfort vs Fuel efficiency (based on target audience) to set the recommended pressure.

[KKapadia]

Shockabs also harden up in cases when they are reaching the end of their life. Hyundai i10 is definitely not stiff when new IMHO. It’s not advisable to change wheel rim sizes and go for an odd plus profile tire than what you have already done. I feel just a change of the front shockabs should get the car back to riding softer.

[S.Shyam]

Interesting thread.

I had been researching for quite some time on why car owners don't get the suspension sorted or tuned for ride comfort.

I have tried lowering the tire pressure ( it does improve the ride) but a mechanical tuning should be better.

[Kosfactor]

Cars that have McPherson strut (pretty much all of them) , do need to get those struts replaced after some years. Suspension is not just there for comfort, it's also part of the steering and braking performance.

You sure you want to mess with all of these? Get the struts checked and replaced as necessary that should do it.

[gopa99]

Originally Posted by alpha1

However, too low a pressure and the hysteresis (alternate contraction and expansion of tyre rubber while rolling on road) overheats the rubber, leading to dangerous situation of compromising safety (hot rubber is soft and loses mechanical integrity).

Thanks, this is good info. Wouldn't friction of the tire on the road heat up the tire much more than the hysteresis you mentioned ? I would assume this alternating stress would fatigue the tire out too. People talk of tire bursts on cement roads often, will it have to do with lower tire pressures that heat up the tires? I would assume the bitumen roads have a comparatively porous top layer that might be cooling the tires off!

[Ravi Parwan]

The reason tyres heat up more on concrete roads is because concrete is harder than bitumen roads plus the concrete roads are given a rougher texture to compensate for the lower friction than bitumen roads. A smoothly paved concrete road would be slippery, especially in wet conditions (how many have slipped on smooth concrete surfaces at home?? )
Since a bitumen road has lower life than a well made concrete road, so cost is behind the trend of going for concrete roads. Here is a link to another thread that discusses the difference between the two types of roads.
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/stree...quality-2.html (Concrete Highways and Tyre Quality)

Coming to the original problem, the stiffness of the suspension would be due to the shock absorbers getting old and "frozen" in their travel. I have had the same experience in my dad'd old Bajaj scooter, where the front shocker was frozen and the ride quality improved by leaps and bounds post the service.
The easiest way to diagnose have already been mentioned by other members, so please try out another i10 and see if you feel different about the suspension.

[Big Smoke]

This is a very interesting + helpful thread.

Even I had this question at the back of my mind for pretty long.

Suppose I have a Kia Seltos. How hard would it be for me to swap the suspension with that of a Renault Duster inorder to soften the ride quality?

Overlooking all the obvious issues of warranty + insurance and other stuff, it definitely seems to be a pretty realistic solution. (Expert opinions please!)

Regarding the Grand i10, I don't know which car in the same segment has a softer suspension setup (same segment including campact sedans). Maybe a Honda Jazz's suspension would suffice.

[Maverick Avi]

I am surprised to hear that you feeling stiffer ride in Grand i10. I have felt its suspension to be most cushiest in the segment.

I never understood the concept of soft and stiff suspensions untill I developed a medical condition which has made me very sensitive to suspension setup. I own a Ford Aspire petrol which has been reviewed as having a comfortable suspension but find it pretty stiff so much so that it borders on being uncomfortable. Service centre term it as normal so I have to either live with it or try some other options to make the ride better. Few things that help me are underinflated tyres, backrest with soft memory foam, coccyx cushion and a very relaxed driving to avoid as much bumps as possible. I know this is not how a Ford is supposed to be driven but I haven't been able to find any other permanent fix. Hoping someone can suggest something worthwhile on this post.

[SmartCat]

Grand i10 does NOT have stiff suspension. I suspect that there is a problem with the wheel alignment. You will not notice bad alignment messing up the suspension on highways because of relatively smooth roads.

Many authorized service center technicians are quite careless about this - and hence its best to get wheel alignment checked/done outside.