Why I swapped my old XL6 suspension with the new XL6 stock setup

I have also ordered the alloys and tyres of the 2022 Maruti XL6 for my pre-facelift model.

BHPian Leoshashi recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Issues I had with the stock suspension: This is my experience with the stock suspension of pre-facelift XL6 on the stock as well as 195/65R15s. The ride was on the firmer side for sure, but on a recent highway trip, I noticed the ride at the rear at 90 km/h moving like ripples on the water surface. It was a shock to me because with our Innova, I never knew that road to be of that kind. Also, at city speeds, I was not happy with the way it went over road reflectors where the cabin received a not-so-refined jolt, followed by vibrations everywhere. This is something I have been checking on almost all cars now and found the same kind of reaction in older Kia Seltos too which was known to be stiff. In short, I felt the XL6 struggle a bit when the bumps/undulations were small and sharp.

Also, I guess all XL6/Ertiga owners have experienced the violent sideways movement on potholed roads/roads with muddy humps at slow speeds. Driving dead slow was the only option we had.

When I set out to swap the wheels to 16s, I always had in mind to check the ride quality of the New XL6 beforehand. It's a common belief that swapping to low-profile rubber robs the ride quality, and thus any kind of degrade wasn't acceptable to me.

What happened was that I was blown away by the ride it had to offer, it no longer shivered on the sharper bumps and road reflectors at low speeds. There is a feel of underlying firmness but the way it handles the bump is far more composed and matured. Thus I ordered the Alloys, tyres and entire suspension setup of the new XL6.

Suspensions Swap: Did the suspension swap yesterday. While the front part was quick and easy, replacing the rear springs was too time-consuming with my limited tools. A two-post lift is highly recommended.

Visually, the front strut looks identical. It's the rear suspension where changes can be appreciated even visually. The springs are longer, far stiffer. The shock absorbers are slightly thicker and longer compared to the older model.

Front Shocks, new vs old:

Rear Springs, new vs old, notice the difference in height:

Rear shocks: The change in dimensions is evident:

A slight change in stance, the car is now jacked up by an inch approximately.

The gap in the wheel well:

To get a better idea, I called in my brother whose Automatic XL6 just got a tyre swap to Yoko BluEarth AE51 195/65R15s. We drove our cars back to back over a rough patch at different speeds and could easily appreciate the magic Maruti has done with the new suspension. Felt 10x more refined and composed. Yes, you can feel the firmness over sharper bumps, but it's far more civilized than the older one. New XL6 owners will surely not understand what I am speaking of, you guys are immensely lucky in that regard! To the older XL6 owners, this has to be the best upgrade Maruti has done on the New XL6 if you ask me. Highly recommended. Please drive the new XL6 with correct tyre pressures and observe the suspension compliance, I'm sure you'll fall in love.

I'm now heading out on a breakfast drive on the same highway to check out the "ripple motion when empty" phenomenon, hope it's fixed. Fingers crossed!

Compared to my brother's Automatic XL6 with 195/65R15s:

PS: This is a preliminary report and not the final comprehensive one with all details on the suspension and wheel change, so please don't worry.

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