Just bought a low-miles used 2016 RDX for my wife. Didn't notice on the test drive, but on longer trips we've noticed something seems off with the suspension. Large bumps behave as I'd expect, but small bumps, even just pavement that looks smooth but must have some imperfections cause quite a bit of jostling and side-to-side sway. Is this just how the RDX drives? Or is there something wrong? Thanks for any input.

 

get an alignment!
or go back to dealer and ask for an alignment

 

Acura's can be a little sensitive (and noisy) depending on road conditions. I like the extra road feel when everything is within specs; but, it is tiring when something is off.

I purchased my MDX used from out of state. I've noticed a lot of drift and sway on the hwy that was way below what I was expecting with magnetic shocks and larger sway bars. I purchased new tires because the OEM were +70% worn and did an alignment and it was a night and day difference on the hwy. I had a lot of areas in the red and yellow on the Firestone alignment sheet before the alignment. It is now just the rear camber in the yellow now.

I would check the tires PSI because sometimes going up a few PSI can improve road feel depending on the types of tires. I would also do a rotation/cross rotation because if your alignment is off, there could be an usual wear pattern on the tread that could effect road feel. Might even think about new tires if they are close to borderline. I would do a road force balance with new tires to make sure the tire/rim combo is close to balanced on the rims for a smoother ride (that will use less balancing weights when you do need to do a regular balance later).

 

This doesn't sound normal, you should take it to the dealership to get this issue diagnosed. My 2016 RDX Elite goes over smaller bumps very, very smoothly. I don't notice any swaying and can barely feel the bump. Larger bumps you can feel but it's still pretty smooth.

 

Yea, it might just be an alignment issue. Simple enough fix.

 

Be sure to ask for the before and after print out.
and if you can, show us!
with the print out, I can spot if it was bad before....and if they fixedit

 

Funny that this came up, as my experience with my '15 RDX matches exactly, and I was going to post what I observed...

Since moving from winter tires to summer tires (OEM) in March, I've been running my '15 RDX AWD Tech at 35 psi cold. This ends up getting the PSI (per the dash display) to as high as 40 psi once the tires get really warm. The result has been a decent ride, and predictable and stable handling over bumps and corners.

Yesterday I brought it into the dealer for an oil change - and nothing more. As part of the service, the dealer does a full vehicle check. All came back fine, and the tires were NOT rotated. On the drive home, I noticed the car felt really odd on corners and over bumps - almost like the wheel was loose or something. I got home and checked, and all the wheels were in the original positions and properly torqued (i.e. not touched by the dealer). I then got back in the car and put the display to the tire PSI screen, and noticed that the dealer had dropped each tire to 32 PSI cold (I did this check after the car sat for a few hours in the shade). I brought the PSI back up to 35 PSI cold all the way around, and the handling was back to normal (as observed before the oil change).

I haven't had a vehicle been this sensitive about PSI before - but it is what it is (at least with the factory tires). I'd definitely try bumping the PSI to 35 cold and see if that helps. It made a big difference in my case...

andy

 

Andy, most likely the tire and not the attributed to the vehicle itself.
the tire's characteristic changes, not the vehicle!

 

Thanks everyone. Yeah, my cold PSI was low at about 32. I bumped them up to 35 and that did help. I also have an appointment with a local tire shop to get alignment checked on Saturday. If there's a problem, I'll make the 90 mile trek to the nearest dealer and hopefully have them fix under warranty.

 

^the local tire shop will likely get it into spec.
be sure to ask for the print out of before and after to show us!!

 

The door cold PSI calls for 35 front, 33 rear. That's what I use. Works fine. Do others pay attention to this? I asusme Acura sets these recommended tempts for a reason. I notice though once the psi's increase when driving that the front tires always increase more than the rear.

 

Sure. It is a compromise between handling, comfort and mpgs It is weighed heavily towards comfort.

 

Yeah, more weight on front tires = more pressure = heat build up = higher psi's due to air expanision

 

RDX10. Makes sense. More weight on front tires requires more pressure, thus the 35/33 Acura recommendation (similar to higher pressure needed when carrying a full load of passengers). But I'd think most cars have more weight in front. I wonder why most of them recommend the same pressure for both front and rear?

 

OK, had the alignment checked today. Front right toe was out of spec, so had the alignment done. Between that and upping the tire pressure to spec, it's helped the side-to-side sway on smooth roads quite a bit. Suspension is still tuned a bit harsher than our old car, but I think that's just to give more road feel and better performance. We'll get use to it.

Here' the before and after number:
Left Front Before -> After:
Camber -0.15 -> -0.18
Caster 2.78 -> 2.78
Toe 0.03 -> 0.00

Right Front Before -> After:
Camber -0.21 -> -0.17
Caster 2.51 -> 2.51
Toe -0.16 -> 0.00

Left Rear Before -> After:
Camber -1.29 -> -1.35
Toe 0.09 -> 0.07

Right Rear Before -> After:
Camber -1.34 -> -1.31
Toe 0.15 -> 0.08


Thanks everyone for the advice!

 

Mine says 33 all around. I run them at 35 all around. If they drop below 32 I can tell...the ride is mushier. I think the TPMS will complain at below 30.

 

Actually I always run the front a little lower than the rears. But both higher than what the door card calls for. If it says front and rear 33, I will run 36 front and 38-39 rear. Seems to help handling majorly.

I think they call for equal pressure all around (which is usually on the low side) because engineers found that pressure to be the best combination of ride, handling, and wear on the tires as mentioned by ceb above.

 

Wow, glad you caught that out of spec toe..... Would have eaten up your tires in 10000 miles or less.

Be sure to rotate your tires at every oil change, so that you will be able to spot funny tire wear.