rgolder

Hi everyone,

This is my first post ever on any forum. I have gone through all of the posts, but I do not see any reference to the terrible ride on grooved concrete (this is the type for better traction in snowy or wet conditions). I live in the Chicago suburbs, and one road in particular I355 is terrible. I wear tri-focal glasses, and my head shakes so bad I have to take them off or I"ll get motion sickness. I have driven this road every day to work for the last 10 years in many different vehicles and never experienced this problem. The funny thing is it seems only to be this particular type of pavement. I was wondering if it is tires (Michelins)? Is it the vehicle? or am I nuts?

Thanks for all the good tips that everyone puts out there.

g0bl0k

Definitely not the tire. Michelin is a good tire. It's just the nature of the car. Remember, RDX is a sport crossover, so it has pretty rough ride especially on concrete-based road/freeway/highway.

mvwood

i've been told that tire pressure could have an effect.

But I am no scientician, so don't take my word for anything.

rgolder

The TPMS says tire pressure on all four tires is between 29 and 32 lbs depending on temp. of course. I have also tried varing speeds running at 55 no change and have tested all the way to 80 no change. If I would have test drove this car on this pavement I probably would not have bought it. Other than that I love this vehicle. I am going to suffer with it until I don't notice it anymore!!

catnippants

So.....um.....move?

Hehe - just kidding

Mike

flar

Tires might help/hurt a little bit, but the suspension is probably the worst offender for that kind of road. It's pretty stiff on the RDX.

grooks1

I live very close to area you are talking about. I will take a ride down 355 this weekend and let you know if the ride seems excessively rough.

JoeinILL

I drove to Frys last week from Buffalo Grove and it was a bit bouncy. For the record though, it's Rt53/355 that this occurs, 94, 294 etc don't seem as bad to me. Maybe call Govenor Blago and let him know how bad his road is?

g0bl0k

LOL yea blame the road...don't blame the car.

rgolder

Thanks, I appreciate that. The fun starts southbound right after the toll plaza at Army Trail road all the way to I-88. Once again maybe it's me. I went from an Avalon to the RDX---Trying to feel young again. It could be the radical change and I just have to acclimate to it.

au34tiger

Mine does the exact same thing on that stretch of 355. Have been all over the rest of Chicagoland, IN and OH and haven't had anything close to the experience of 355. Have gotten somewhat used to it, but don't have to drive that stretch of road every day.

darth62

I hope you guys won't hate me for asking this, but is the inflation on your tires correct? When I picked up my TSX, I couldn't believe how horrible the ride of the car was on the way home. As soon as I pulled into the garage, I got out the pressure gauge and found that the tires were ridiculously over inflated. Once I got it set right, the ride was still a little stiff but at least tolerable.

BTW, when I first go my TSX, I had a terrible time adjusting to the stiff busy ride. It rides worse than any car I'd ever owned. Now, 60,000 miles later, I don't even notice it. I love the handling, smooth engine, and comfortable seats.
I'm only pointing this out because I think all of you are going to really enjoy your RDX's and, over time, you will stop even noticing the somewhat stiff ride.

Danbury

I think you are right on Darth. My RDX rode like a stage coach until I looked at the MID and discovered the dealer had inflated the tires to 37 - 39 psi. The MID readout is close....... but not totally accurate; so I used a pressure gage and dropped mine to 32 (cold) ....... when warm I get readings of 33 - 34 now and it made a big difference. It's a sport suspension vehicle that is very stiff but with over inflated tires I thought I had no suspension at all on rough roads. Drop your tire pressure and see if it makes a difference.

dennarda

Those would actually be low readings. The tire pressure should be 32 all around as I recall. That pressure should be your cold (ie lowest pressure) not your highest. Lower pressure can sometimes soften the ride (although such claims tend to be exaggerated unless you go way to low) but it can also make the tires a little more "grabby" on pavement grooves as the major contact point of the tire is put to the edges of the tire and there is a fight between the grab of the two outer edges of the tire.