Stiff ride in our new Linea

Harshavarthan · 8th April 2009, 01:04

My Father's car is a month old Emotion MJD and has done 1800 kms now. He is happy with everything about the car but its stiff ride. He feels much comfortable in his 4 year old Ikon Flair. Every bump and stone is felt inside. I have kept the tyre pressure as 30psi and its dry nitrogen. I feel the problem is with the shock absorbers. But im not sure if all linea's have the same ride quality or its just ours thats defective.

Can the experts suggest me what to do? Can the shock absorbers be adjusted to give a comfortable ride or that we just have to live with it till we sell our car?

reignofchaos · 8th April 2009, 02:17

Drop the air pressure to 28psi. What are the stock tyres on the linea? Getting better tyres will definitely help.

revtech · 8th April 2009, 02:20

dropping the tyre pressure should help a little.whats the recommended pressure ?

rev

Harshavarthan · 8th April 2009, 10:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by revtech

dropping the tyre pressure should help a little.whats the recommended pressure ?

rev

Its Goodyear. Recommended tyre pressure with full load is 32psi in all tyres. With less load, 32psi in front and 30psi in the rear.

opendro · 8th April 2009, 10:40

28 psi is too less for such a heavy car with low profile. Moreover, I had trouble with humps when it was low pressure. I put 33 psi, nitrogen and the ground clearance issue is almost gone.

Linea is not the best in ride comfort. It is a balance of ride and handling. While it takes pot holes easily, it will give you a harsh thud on a hump. On uneven roads, just pick up the speed a little bit and it becomes better.

Best would be to increase the tyre profile to 195/65, which I regret not having done it when the stock tyres were new.

toiingg · 8th April 2009, 10:47

Stock profile on the Linea Test car that I drove was 195/65 15

opendro · 8th April 2009, 10:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by toiingg

Stock profile on the Linea Test car that I drove was 195/65 15

That is surprising. Dealer probably changed due to ground clearance. Otherwise, stock profile is 195/60 R15.

bottle · 8th April 2009, 13:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harshavarthan

My Father's car is a month old Emotion MJD and has done 1800 kms now. He is happy with everything about the car but its stiff ride. He feels much comfortable in his 4 year old Ikon Flair. Every bump and stone is felt inside. I have kept the tyre pressure as 30psi and its dry nitrogen. I feel the problem is with the shock absorbers. But im not sure if all linea's have the same ride quality or its just ours thats defective.

Can the experts suggest me what to do? Can the shock absorbers be adjusted to give a comfortable ride or that we just have to live with it till we sell our car?

Drive another linea and see if you can feel any difference. Recently I had to change the suspension arms on my palio after just 20k kms and theres a huge difference in the ride now. Previously the car would crash on every bump and ride was bone jarring

Also try using 28psi as others recommended. I found the ride harder after filling with nitrogen compared to air , possibly due to variation in the accuracy of the tyre guages

kpzen · 8th April 2009, 14:13

Just get the air checked from another air filling station. It might be a lot more 30psi.

Harshavarthan · 8th April 2009, 15:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottle

Drive another linea and see if you can feel any difference. Recently I had to change the suspension arms on my palio after just 20k kms and theres a huge difference in the ride now. Previously the car would crash on every bump and ride was bone jarring

Also try using 28psi as others recommended. I found the ride harder after filling with nitrogen compared to air , possibly due to variation in the accuracy of the tyre guages

I filled nitrogen in my friends garage and its a very new machine. And im pretty sure the pressure is right. And as suggested by the hand book, im going to increase the front tyre pressure to 33psi or atleast 32psi as by looking at the tyre, i feel 30 is not sufficient. Its also because im convinced that the bad ride is because of the suspension and not the tyre pressure.

When i leave the car for second service i have decided to test drive a demo car and check if the problem is only with my car or its common for all linea's.

revtech · 8th April 2009, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harshavarthan

I filled nitrogen in my friends garage and its a very new machine. And im pretty sure the pressure is right. And as suggested by the hand book, im going to increase the front tyre pressure to 33psi or atleast 32psi as by looking at the tyre, i feel 30 is not sufficient. Its also because im convinced that the bad ride is because of the suspension and not the tyre pressure.

When i leave the car for second service i have decided to test drive a demo car and check if the problem is only with my car or its common for all linea's.

i would suggest checking the pressure again.increasing the tyre pressure is going to make it bumpier.

rev

Shan2nu · 8th April 2009, 17:53

Usually manufacturers setup the stiffness such that they work well when fully loaded. If you soften the setup, the characteristic of the car will worsen when loaded.

At the most, you can reduce tyre pressure by 1-2 psi and see. But for highway driving, always increase pressure by 1-2 psi.

Shan2nu

GTO · 8th April 2009, 18:48

The Linea has typically Euro ride quality (like my Benz for instance, but not as firm). Firm at low speeds (that's why your Dad doesn't like it within the city) but outstanding at high speed.

Except for running slightly low PSIs and softer rubber, there is little else that you can do. Period.

Mpower · 8th April 2009, 19:00

Go and TD another new Linea to confirm that its the car and not you.

reignofchaos · 8th April 2009, 19:02

Try 28psi. Air pressure makes a lot of difference in ride quality and also handling. With nitrogen, the ride is harder than air. Even though the recommended in my car is 32 front and 30 rear, I always fill 28/28 since the ride is a lot better and so is handling. FE suffers a bit but who the hell cares about a minor drop in FE.

Those tyres aren't great either - it would help if you change them to yoko c-drives or michelin xm1/mxv8.

8th April 2009, 01:04	#1
Harshavarthan BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: TN 65 Posts: 338 Thanked: 154 Times	Stiff ride in our new Linea My Father's car is a month old Emotion MJD and has done 1800 kms now. He is happy with everything about the car but its stiff ride. He feels much comfortable in his 4 year old Ikon Flair. Every bump and stone is felt inside. I have kept the tyre pressure as 30psi and its dry nitrogen. I feel the problem is with the shock absorbers. But im not sure if all linea's have the same ride quality or its just ours thats defective. Can the experts suggest me what to do? Can the shock absorbers be adjusted to give a comfortable ride or that we just have to live with it till we sell our car?
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 02:17	#2
reignofchaos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,558 Thanked: 2,527 Times View My Garage	Drop the air pressure to 28psi. What are the stock tyres on the linea? Getting better tyres will definitely help.
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 02:20	#3
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,992 Thanked: 39 Times View My Garage	dropping the tyre pressure should help a little.whats the recommended pressure ? rev
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 10:40	#5
opendro BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NA Posts: 824 Thanked: 110 Times	28 psi is too less for such a heavy car with low profile. Moreover, I had trouble with humps when it was low pressure. I put 33 psi, nitrogen and the ground clearance issue is almost gone. Linea is not the best in ride comfort. It is a balance of ride and handling. While it takes pot holes easily, it will give you a harsh thud on a hump. On uneven roads, just pick up the speed a little bit and it becomes better. Best would be to increase the tyre profile to 195/65, which I regret not having done it when the stock tyres were new.
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 10:47	#6
toiingg BHPian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Calcutta Posts: 643 Thanked: 308 Times	Stock profile on the Linea Test car that I drove was 195/65 15
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 14:13	#9
kpzen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Faridabad Posts: 5,608 Thanked: 1,883 Times View My Garage	Just get the air checked from another air filling station. It might be a lot more 30psi.
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 17:53	#12
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 127 Times View My Garage	Usually manufacturers setup the stiffness such that they work well when fully loaded. If you soften the setup, the characteristic of the car will worsen when loaded. At the most, you can reduce tyre pressure by 1-2 psi and see. But for highway driving, always increase pressure by 1-2 psi. Shan2nu
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 18:48	#13
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,770 Thanked: 322,394 Times View My Garage	The Linea has typically Euro ride quality (like my Benz for instance, but not as firm). Firm at low speeds (that's why your Dad doesn't like it within the city) but outstanding at high speed. Except for running slightly low PSIs and softer rubber, there is little else that you can do. Period.
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 19:00	#14
Mpower Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 10,397 Thanked: 1,735 Times View My Garage	Go and TD another new Linea to confirm that its the car and not you.
	() Thanks

8th April 2009, 19:02	#15
reignofchaos Senior - BHPian Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 2,558 Thanked: 2,527 Times View My Garage	Try 28psi. Air pressure makes a lot of difference in ride quality and also handling. With nitrogen, the ride is harder than air. Even though the recommended in my car is 32 front and 30 rear, I always fill 28/28 since the ride is a lot better and so is handling. FE suffers a bit but who the hell cares about a minor drop in FE. Those tyres aren't great either - it would help if you change them to yoko c-drives or michelin xm1/mxv8.
	() Thanks