My Baleno's Bumpy ride

shivmarwaha · 6th August 2006, 22:49

Hi all,
I bought a baleno lxi recently and got footwear upgraded to 185/65 r14 goodyear tubeless with alloys. I have noticed that the low speed ride is not as smooth and found it jerky on otherwise smooth looking roads. Tyre pressure is around 28-29 psi. Hi speed ride is slightly better but not comparable to my ford ikon that i exchanged for the baleno. Do other baleno owners fell the same or is there a problem with my car. Can you suggest why this is happening and how do i rectify it.
Thanks
Shiv

kpzen · 6th August 2006, 23:09

What kind of jerks ??? Is it from a particular side ??....
I think 28-29 psi is on the lower side it should be 30+psi...

Also dont expect the ride quality similar to stock tyre setup...

KP

mclaren1885 · 7th August 2006, 00:18

[SIZE=2]Are u referring to the harsh ride quality ?? If not , yes the baleno does have a slight jerky problem that i have been noticing ever so recently on both memo's baleno and mine .. Its because of the low fuel quantity and thus the fuel pump acting up ... Mostly happens in 1st gear and at times in 2nd .. Solution is to get the fuel pump checked once and most often than not run the car with atleast quarter tank of fuel .. [/SIZE]

BlackBull · 7th August 2006, 12:28

I have heard that they are using stiffer suspension, as the Baleno did not have sufficient ground clearance earlier. Should be fine after u log in few hundred kms. I did face this problem but now it is ok. if the problem persist you can write to MUL and they will replace your suspension.

Well I do hear a Big Thud sound of stiff suspension acting, when I go over potholes.

Floyd de Souza · 7th August 2006, 12:51

I too upgraded to 185/65 R 14 Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 on my LXi. Keep tyre pressure in the 25-26psi region (25 psi is recommended on the VXi) and the ride should be perfect. You can increase the pressure to 27psi for the highway.

Samurai · 7th August 2006, 13:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

I too upgraded to 185/65 R 14 Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 on my LXi. Keep tyre pressure in the 25-26psi region (25 psi is recommended on the VXi) and the ride should be perfect. You can increase the pressure to 27psi for the highway.

I think that is really low. I keep mine at 29 for city and 31 or highway.

shivmarwaha · 7th August 2006, 21:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackBull

Well I do hear a Big Thud sound of stiff suspension acting, when I go over potholes.

I also get a big thud sound on potholes. Makes you feel as if you are driving a vehicle without suspension. The suspension is indeed hard. i hope the harsh ride fades away with a few hundred kilometers. i have done about 2000+ till now.

maruti engineers are dumb. they cannot even understand the problem and insist that all balenos are like that.

shivmarwaha · 7th August 2006, 21:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

I too upgraded to 185/65 R 14 Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 on my LXi. Keep tyre pressure in the 25-26psi region (25 psi is recommended on the VXi) and the ride should be perfect. You can increase the pressure to 27psi for the highway.

what is the FE that you manage with 25 psi tyre pressure. isnt it too low. the tradeoff seems to be between ride and FE

kpzen · 7th August 2006, 22:41

25 psi is on the lower side for 185/65-14 tyres .....
The stock tyres 165/80-13 have 29psi recommended and as u upsize the psi should increase with lower profile tyres.....

shrivz · 7th August 2006, 23:03

i agree with mcalaren... the jerking is common with every baleno low on fuel.. and it happens in 1st and 2nd gear.. tank up and the problem's gone (well almost) i think a Fuel Pressure Regulator or a High Performance Fuel Pump should solve this problem.. and also changing the fuel filter every 10000 kms will help...

Floyd de Souza · 8th August 2006, 10:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by shivmarwaha

what is the FE that you manage with 25 psi tyre pressure. isnt it too low. the tradeoff seems to be between ride and FE

I keep the pressure at 26psi and consistently get at least 11 kmpl in Mumbai city traffic with a/c on all the time. The VXi has the same tyres and the Maruti recommended pressure is 25 psi. You may confirm this with any VXi(current) owner. The stock LXi tyres are much higher in profile and therefore the cushioning is greater. To achieve the same cushioning with lower profile tyres, with all else being equal i.e weight of the car, suspension etc.,the pressure should naturally be lower. Yes your FE will come down marginally if you reduce tyre pressure but the higher pressure will cause the suspension components to wear out faster as well as lead to mis-alignment and balancing problems which will in turn cost you more than the loss in FE. The road conditions being relatively good in Delhi, I think 26psi for the city and 28psi for the highway would be good.

sandeep108 · 8th August 2006, 13:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

The stock LXi tyres are much higher in profile and therefore the cushioning is greater. To achieve the same cushioning with lower profile tyres, with all else being equal i.e weight of the car, suspension etc.,the pressure should naturally be lower. Yes your FE will come down marginally if you reduce tyre pressure but the higher pressure will cause the suspension components to wear out faster as well as lead to mis-alignment and balancing problems which will in turn cost you more than the loss in FE. The road conditions being relatively good in Delhi, I think 26psi for the city and 28psi for the highway would be good.

Exactly why one must be very careful when one puts wider/low profile tires. While it may be good in looks, it is as if the car has boots too big for it's feet. Reducing tire pressure also may have other effects of reducing effective contact with the road, etc.

Samurai · 8th August 2006, 14:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandeep108

Reducing tire pressure also may have other effects of reducing effective contact with the road, etc.

Is that a typo there, how can reducing tyre pressure reduce effective contact, in fact in increases contact.

Anyway these are offtopic issues, in fact these have been discussed to death under tyre & alloy section. Please check there.

Please keep the discussion limited to jerky ride problem.

shivmarwaha · 9th August 2006, 07:14

i tried with the tyre pressure at 28 psi yesterday, but the bumpy ride remains. Will try 27 in a day or two. i have noticed if there are passengers at the rear seat, the bumpiness gets significantly lower. could this be due to the fact that the car needs more weight to remain comfortable. Also since my car is an lxi, it does not have a rear spoiler. does that help in aerodynamics in anyway.

P.s. the jerkiness i am talking about is for ride quality. Bumpy ride would be a better phrase than jerky ride. The fuel system has nothing to do with it.

premdiv · 9th August 2006, 07:25

i too fill 29 psi in my upgraded Goodyear GT3 185/65/R14 tyres and experience slight bumpy ride at low speeds in roads with small potholes. but not to that extent and its nothing to do wit the spoiler at low speeds. i too dont use a spoiler.

6th August 2006, 22:49	#1
shivmarwaha BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new delhi Posts: 168 Thanked: 66 Times	My Baleno's Bumpy ride Hi all, I bought a baleno lxi recently and got footwear upgraded to 185/65 r14 goodyear tubeless with alloys. I have noticed that the low speed ride is not as smooth and found it jerky on otherwise smooth looking roads. Tyre pressure is around 28-29 psi. Hi speed ride is slightly better but not comparable to my ford ikon that i exchanged for the baleno. Do other baleno owners fell the same or is there a problem with my car. Can you suggest why this is happening and how do i rectify it. Thanks Shiv
	() Thanks

6th August 2006, 23:09	#2
kpzen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Faridabad Posts: 5,609 Thanked: 1,882 Times View My Garage	What kind of jerks ??? Is it from a particular side ??.... I think 28-29 psi is on the lower side it should be 30+psi... Also dont expect the ride quality similar to stock tyre setup... KP
	() Thanks

7th August 2006, 00:18	#3
mclaren1885 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Bangalore (the city of modded cars) !! Posts: 4,818 Thanked: 46 Times View My Garage Infractions: 0/1 (10)	[SIZE=2]Are u referring to the harsh ride quality ?? If not , yes the baleno does have a slight jerky problem that i have been noticing ever so recently on both memo's baleno and mine .. Its because of the low fuel quantity and thus the fuel pump acting up ... Mostly happens in 1st gear and at times in 2nd .. Solution is to get the fuel pump checked once and most often than not run the car with atleast quarter tank of fuel .. [/SIZE]
	() Thanks

7th August 2006, 12:28	#4
BlackBull Newbie Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4 Thanked: 0 Times	I have heard that they are using stiffer suspension, as the Baleno did not have sufficient ground clearance earlier. Should be fine after u log in few hundred kms. I did face this problem but now it is ok. if the problem persist you can write to MUL and they will replace your suspension. Well I do hear a Big Thud sound of stiff suspension acting, when I go over potholes.
	() Thanks

7th August 2006, 12:51	#5
Floyd de Souza BHPian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Mumbai Posts: 321 Thanked: 228 Times	I too upgraded to 185/65 R 14 Goodyear Eagle NCT 5 on my LXi. Keep tyre pressure in the 25-26psi region (25 psi is recommended on the VXi) and the ride should be perfect. You can increase the pressure to 27psi for the highway.
	() Thanks

7th August 2006, 22:41	#9
kpzen Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Faridabad Posts: 5,609 Thanked: 1,882 Times View My Garage	25 psi is on the lower side for 185/65-14 tyres ..... The stock tyres 165/80-13 have 29psi recommended and as u upsize the psi should increase with lower profile tyres.....
	() Thanks

7th August 2006, 23:03	#10
shrivz BHPian Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Pune, MH12 Posts: 602 Thanked: 96 Times View My Garage	i agree with mcalaren... the jerking is common with every baleno low on fuel.. and it happens in 1st and 2nd gear.. tank up and the problem's gone (well almost) i think a Fuel Pressure Regulator or a High Performance Fuel Pump should solve this problem.. and also changing the fuel filter every 10000 kms will help...
	() Thanks

9th August 2006, 07:14	#14
shivmarwaha BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: new delhi Posts: 168 Thanked: 66 Times	i tried with the tyre pressure at 28 psi yesterday, but the bumpy ride remains. Will try 27 in a day or two. i have noticed if there are passengers at the rear seat, the bumpiness gets significantly lower. could this be due to the fact that the car needs more weight to remain comfortable. Also since my car is an lxi, it does not have a rear spoiler. does that help in aerodynamics in anyway. P.s. the jerkiness i am talking about is for ride quality. Bumpy ride would be a better phrase than jerky ride. The fuel system has nothing to do with it.
	() Thanks

9th August 2006, 07:25	#15
premdiv BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Trivandrum Posts: 164 Thanked: 2 Times	i too fill 29 psi in my upgraded Goodyear GT3 185/65/R14 tyres and experience slight bumpy ride at low speeds in roads with small potholes. but not to that extent and its nothing to do wit the spoiler at low speeds. i too dont use a spoiler.
	() Thanks