[grizzly]

To start with , I have owned my Swift Vxi (aka GRIZZLY) since May2006 and have already got the front shocks replaced once under warrantydue to uneven tyre wear that they caused at 30000Kms...

Current distance covered by GRIZZLY so far is 51000Kms and had upgraded hweels to Neo 14X6--Offset38MM---Backspacing126MM- and tyres to Goodyear -- Eagle Ventura 195X65..Tyre pressure mainted 30PSI

All this did gie grizzly the much appreciated bling but for some reason gradually the cabin comfort went for a complete toss and if that was not enough..the cabin rattles like a rattler and bumps are felt on the bumps(The real ones).

The Maruti Service Master guys say the the shocks are OK since when you press the car downwards, they respond and there is no leak in the shocks are either. BUT honestly the ride feels like crap now..

I wonder if the shock absorbers are dead or is it the the wheel upgrade or the tyre pressure.????

If any one has had any such experience with their Swift please let us know !!

Also if the guru's could throw some light on the fact "how to check if shock absorbers are ok or not"?

[zenopio]

u decresed the profile of the tyer so the ride became a bit harsh...just reduce the tyer pressure a bit then it will be fine...

[DieselFan]

Did you expect a smooth comfortable ride after increasing the tyre size by 30 mm??

You can reduce the tyre pressure by another 2 PSI and you may see some improvement. But with increased tyre size one surely experiences harsh ride however good the quality of the tyre maybe.

[vipul_singh]

1. Get the suspension's lower arms checked. Some of the "crashing" feeling and clunkiness can be attributed to this (apart from the lower profile tyres, of course).

2. To find out if the dampers are working, press the front fender with all your weight and release sharply. The car should not bounce more than once.

3. What was the original tyre size?

[theEnd]

There doesn't seem to be much of a change in profile (I'm assuming you had the stock alloys shod with 185/70/R14 JK tyres). 195/65/R14 is only a 2% decrease in sidewall height and should not significantly reduce ride comfort.

I've upsized my own Swift's tyres from 185/70/R14 to 205/50/R16, which is a 21% reduction in sidewall height, and although the ride is certainly harder it really isnt that bad that I would complain about it. There are also certain folk running their Swifts on 205/45/R17 tyres, which is a sidewall height reduction of 29%!

Certainly have an experienced mechanic take a close look at your suspension.

[DieselFan]

Originally Posted by theEnd

(I'm assuming you had the stock alloys shod with 185/70/R14 JK tyres).

VXI comes with 165/80/R14 with steel Wheels.

[zenopio]

yup even my ride has 205/50/r16 its a bit hars but its quiet good ....i keep 28 psi air preassure

[theEnd]

Originally Posted by DieselFan

VXI comes with 165/80/R14 with steel Wheels.

Thanks DieselFan. So then its a 4% reduction in sidewall height (from 13.2 cm to 12.7cm). Still not very large, and should be mitigated by the improvement in tyre quality.

Reduce tyre pressure to 28psi for a few days and see how that feels.

[iraghava]

What is the tyre pressure that you're running?

[vikram_d]

He has already mentioned 30psi

[vipul_singh]

There could be another reason why the suspension has become more bumpy: increased scrub radius. Basically, as the center-line of the wheel becomes distant from the point where the steering axis intersects the ground, the moment of force transmitted to the suspension increases.

So, do let us know if the wheels have become much more 'outboard' compared to stock. I cannot judge because I am not aware of default specs.

[grizzly]

Originally Posted by vipul_singh

1. Get the suspension's lower arms checked. Some of the "crashing" feeling and clunkiness can be attributed to this (apart from the lower profile tyres, of course).

2. To find out if the dampers are working, press the front fender with all your weight and release sharply. The car should not bounce more than once.

3. What was the original tyre size?

Thank you everybody for taking keen interest in this discussion....

Dampers seem all ok as they do respond appropriately and the same is confirmed by Maruti Mech's too..but honestly I am not too confident about my findings and neither Maruti mechs's....also, I have noticed here, that everybody seems to believe that +1 profile can cause a harsh drive but my concern is not that...

Grizzly performs real well when on smooth roads (both with 30 and 28PSI, 28psi being a little hard on steering too)

It's on the bumps and uneven roads when he realy starts to feel like riding a bear's back instead of a car.

Suspension has been checked multiple times by Maruti guys and they seem to find it all OK...what i need to know is what exactly needs to be checked and for what??

I don't seem to understand that how could such a small difference in tyre and wheel size could take the car's shock absorbing ability for a complete toss....

[thermalpaste]

The swift is stiffly sprung, but since you've mentioned that the ride has deteriorated, I have a few questions to ask:

The particular brand of tire you're using - Does the sidewall feel stiffer than other tires? (Compare this to something like a Michelin XM1)

How much does your tire protrude out of the wheel arches? (wheel offset).
Is it protruding excessively? Ideally, the center of the wheel should not be offset excessively from the hub mounting surface.

[grizzly]

Originally Posted by thermalpaste

The swift is stiffly sprung, but since you've mentioned that the ride has deteriorated, I have a few questions to ask:

The particular brand of tire you're using - Does the sidewall feel stiffer than other tires? (Compare this to something like a Michelin XM1)

How much does your tire protrude out of the wheel arches? (wheel offset).
Is it protruding excessively? Ideally, the center of the wheel should not be offset excessively from the hub mounting surface.

I have got Goodyear Eagle Ventura on and the size is 195/65 and the suspension has now been throughly checked and the recommendation from Service advisors is to go for a shock absorber changes.Will that be a good idea guys?

If I have to , I plan to go KONIs. What say????

[DieselFan]

If the service advisor feels there is no problem with the shocks why is he advising you to change it?