I took my vehicle in for servicing a couple of days ago because of the harsh ride I was feeling even after getting the wheels road force balanced. They found that two motor mounts were broken along with a leaking power steering pump. thankfully, i have acuracare warranty which covered it. they also checked out my struts and they said they're fine even though i have close to 100k miles. i pressed on the rear bumper and the car still seems pretty firm and there is not much rebound.

i do notice that the ride is very smooth at fwy speeds now after the motor mount repair. is it possibly because the fwys are smooth and flat? however, during city driving, the ride is very bumpy despite my city just repaving the road a couple of years ago. there is no shaking in the steering wheel and most of it seems to be coming from the rear.

my tires in the front are eagle f1 a/s and the the ones in the rear are hankook ventus k104 sport summer tires( same tire size 235/45/17 iirc in the front and back). the dealership said that the mismatched tires could be the source of my problem. is this true? the rest of my cars don't exhibit such a bumpy ride as my TL and even have multiple mismatching tires what could be the problem?

tire pressure is also at the recommended amount. i'm not sure if flatspotting could be the issue since i usually do city driving and the tires haven't warmed up yet but were able to warm up properly once im on the fwy.

 

Hey Ben, flatspotting is definitely not the cause. However, the mismatched tires could be...also, even if you got your wheels rebalanced, they could still be improperly balanced.

 

The TL doesn't have the smoothed ride around, but what air pressure do you consider the recommended amount? The GY's have a load rating of 94 SL, and although not certain as to the 104 load rating, they may have a higher load rating that wouldn't absorb the bumps as easily.

If no noticeable vibration at highway speed, neither balancing nor flatspotting is the problem.

 

TL rides like crap unless your on a smooth surface.

 

We need to define if this is a bad ride over bumps or a tire vibration issue first.

 

i think it's more of a bad ride over bumps. the hankook ventus 104s are in the rear and whenever i drive in the city, i tend to feel the bumps coming from the rear of the car.

 

Have you owned the car since new? The reason I ask is the TL is known to be a little harsh for a semi-luxury car. The '04-/06 are stiffer than the later models.

I'm assuming stock suspension?

 

stock suspension and i am the second owner

 

just check the load rating on the ventus k104s and they are 97y

 

When I sold my Jeep and got this car I was very happy with the ride as far as bumpiness goes. After a month or so I started thinking that it was a little better but not 30 grand better. Most all Japanese cars have very tight suspensions. On nice roads this car is heaven. In the South it is a bone jarring pothole fest.

 

so is this bad ride over bump normal for the TL? just wondering because i'm experiencing the same and my car is an 04 with 54k.

 

The TL is certainly not know for it's soft ride, and depending on the replacement tires, the ride can become much harsher as the tires won't absorb the "bumps".

 

Yep, TL is sport luxury as some call it. And tires can indeed make a noticeable difference in ride quality, believe it or not. How much tread is left on your tires?

I just replaced my Potenza 960AS (down to 4/32") with General Ultima Arctic snow tires. I'm amazed at how much quieter and smoother (although on the mushy side, as snow tires are known for) the ride is. There's probably nothing wrong with your suspension or wheel balance. A change in tire could make the difference you are looking for. If it's ride comfort you want, don't get high performance tires. You'll have to be willing to trade a little performance for ride quality...