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Ride seems more harsh after minor pothole, even after alignment, rotate, balance...
What's up everyone? I recently hit a pothole on I-277 headed north to Charlotte. It was not very big, but I was going 65-ish mph and there was no way to avoid it . I could hear and feel it when I hit it. Afterwards, It felt like the ride was more bumpy/stiff/harsh than when I purchased the car about 3 months ago. At one point it felt bad enough for me to turn around and go home it was so jerky and bumpy! But the feeling would sort of come and go, like the condition of the road made a difference in how the ride felt. When I first got the car I was told that it needed an alignment, but other than some very slight drifting to the right, I didn't think that it was that bad. The pothole was right before an exit ramp. So as I am getting off of the exit I could feel a significant amount of bumpiness/harshness that wasn't there before. I took it to get an alignment, rotation, and balance. They also looked at the Suspension components and said other than normal wear from age, they didn't notice any traumatic damage from this specific incident.
So now, after the alignment, rotation, and balance, I am driving and the car is tracking on a straight line. The steering wheel has no shaking whatsoever, but it feels like even the smallest imperfection in the road is felt. On smooth streets the ride is close to buttery smooth. However, it seems like I am feeling every single little bump in the road. I am not sure if I am just being paranoid, but the ride just doesn't seem as smooth as before. I know that the A-Spec is lowered and more "sporty", so I get that the ride is not supposed to feel like I'm sitting on my living room couch and that I am going to feel more of the road than my previous cars. But, I would be very interested in any ideas that you guys suggest I consider. A forum member, truonghthe, has told me before in an earlier thread that before even worrying about an alignment, I should be looking into LCA bushings. Would this be something that matches my symptoms?
As far as I know at this point: No bent/cracked rims. Alignment is tracking straight. Braking is smooth and consistent. I hope this is enough info to get some assistance from the community! Thanks in advance!
LCA, strut mount and bushing that mount into the subframe. How does they look? put them on a jack and let the suspension sack and you will see any crack/ separation from the rubber.
Just wanted to follow up right quick. So after alignment, rotate, and balance I still noticed a slight bumpiness. At first it felt like I was feeling every little bump on the road, but I started to realize that I was feeling bumps that weren't even there.(?) The suspension parts were given the thumbs up. However, after closer inspection, one of the tires was definitely out of round and possibly separated. I looked at the tire and felt around the tire with the technician and something definitely felt like it was off. So, I went ahead and got some new tires and all I can say is WOW. I am glad I did. The car rides just as good, or even better than when I bought it. Thanks as usual for the info.
10-16-2019, 11:25 AM
. I could hear and feel it when I hit it. Afterwards, It felt like the ride was more bumpy/stiff/harsh than when I purchased the car about 3 months ago. At one point it felt bad enough for me to turn around and go home it was so jerky and bumpy! But the feeling would sort of come and go, like the condition of the road made a difference in how the ride felt. When I first got the car I was told that it needed an alignment, but other than some very slight drifting to the right, I didn't think that it was that bad. The pothole was right before an exit ramp. So as I am getting off of the exit I could feel a significant amount of bumpiness/harshness that wasn't there before. I took it to get an alignment, rotation, and balance. They also looked at the Suspension components and said other than normal wear from age, they didn't notice any traumatic damage from this specific incident.
