First I must say that I absolutely love this car. The BT HFL, XM, Nav, DVD-A are all breakthroughs as far I am I concerned. I get a big smile every time I accelerate. Driving to work is now a lot of fun.

However, I do notice a lot more of the road imperfections than I expected. I certainly wouldn't classify the ride as harsh. However, I now notice a bumpy road where I never noticed them previously.

My previous car was a Toyota Avalon. Maybe I got accustomed to the boat-like ride of the Avalon.

I checked the tire pressure: 30-32 all around. The "bumps" continue after 15 miles and the ride is fine on a very smooth road so I don't think it is flatspotting.

After reading countless threads on vibration I am wondering if I am perceiving the "vibrations" as an unusually bumpy ride.

Should I switch to a more comfortable tire? Change tire pressure? Get the balance checked? Or just get used to the ride quality in exchange for the handling and accelaration I enjoy so much.

 

I found the EL42 very rigid compared to my "01 TL with the stock Michelins. I felt everything. I have snow tires on for now and they are much softer. It changes the ride dramatically, making it a lot softer and in my view much better.

 

The TL '04 is definitely much stiffer in terms of ride than the Avalon. I felt this when I took delivery; this was partly due to the fact that my tires were inflated to 35-37psi all around.

This should not be the vibration. I would characterize the vibration as a "buzz" rather than a bumpy ride. This is true of the flatspotting and the auto-tranny 1500rpm issue discussed in the forums. If it goes away on smooth roads, it is definitely impact harshness and not vibration.

 

Image how we (my wife and I) felt when we switched from a '98 Accord with 14" tires to her new Maxima SE with 18" on 40 series. Talk about bumps. Her car is harder on the kidneys than my sweet riding F150.....

 

I agree about it being more bumpy. I attribute this to a stiffer suspension and the wider tires. It has more of a sport feel than a luxury feel. That is why I went with this care instead of Lexus.

Maybe I will go check the tire pressure to see if mine are correct..

 

AcurRacer,

I agree with Yaaro Dhana.

You may need to check if you have flatspot issue. After 10-20 minutes' normal ride, you will know. And, you may try those speed at 50-60 & 70-80, to see if your have EL42s' vibration issues.

Otherwise, I'll say 04TL has the stiffer suspension. Remember, this kind of stiffness is not the preference for those racers or magazine reviewers yet. They think 04TL is still soft. However, it's definitely harder than your Avalon.

You should feel better after 1k-3k, your suspension will break-in too and they will be softer. I had the same feeling in my first month of driving 04TL, too.