Harsh ride on my '5?
Discussion
My '5 has done 43k miles, its an 2004 mk2.5 on standard suspension, 16 inch wheels.
Ive done 9k miles in about 6 months on it and when I think back even 2 months ago the ride seems far better then. The ride I have now is very crashy over potholes and those dips you get when going over a grid in the road. Only on totally newly laid fresh tarmac is the ride what I would call acceptable even for a sports car. When going round a corner and hitting a bump the car seems to jump to the side almost.
Could it be my shocks are tired?? 43k miles seems a little bit soon to me but the car is 7 years old now. Ive bumped the suspension up and down and it settles back up fine but I know that the bump test might not indicate problems. The nose of the car does seem to dive a bit when braking and bog down at the rear when accelerating, and there is a little bit of lean in on tight corners, maybe even a slight creaking noise on certain bumps so I suspect the shocks - but my suspension knowledge is rudimentary.
Or might it be my tyres? I have some very budget tyres on, impossible to balance, about 2mm tread on the front and 4mm on the rear (yes, yes I know but they were brand new when I bought the car. I have Falken ZE912s waiting to go on once Ive worn more tread off but if they are causing the issues the cheap ones can get binned, either way I am sure they are not helping)
The car was aligned using WIM fast road settings at the end of April, not long after the ride has gradually got worse so dont know if thats highlighted any worn components?
Anyone got any advice? Or suggestions of what the issue is?? Im not sure whether to bite the bullet and get new shocks for it or throw the new falkens on and hope for the best. It is starting to stop me enjoying the car and possibly as a result of t
tting off all of the potholes instead of damping them I my steering alignment is slightly out, at the straight ahead on the wheel the car turns slightly right.
Thanks
Ive done 9k miles in about 6 months on it and when I think back even 2 months ago the ride seems far better then. The ride I have now is very crashy over potholes and those dips you get when going over a grid in the road. Only on totally newly laid fresh tarmac is the ride what I would call acceptable even for a sports car. When going round a corner and hitting a bump the car seems to jump to the side almost.
Could it be my shocks are tired?? 43k miles seems a little bit soon to me but the car is 7 years old now. Ive bumped the suspension up and down and it settles back up fine but I know that the bump test might not indicate problems. The nose of the car does seem to dive a bit when braking and bog down at the rear when accelerating, and there is a little bit of lean in on tight corners, maybe even a slight creaking noise on certain bumps so I suspect the shocks - but my suspension knowledge is rudimentary.
Or might it be my tyres? I have some very budget tyres on, impossible to balance, about 2mm tread on the front and 4mm on the rear (yes, yes I know but they were brand new when I bought the car. I have Falken ZE912s waiting to go on once Ive worn more tread off but if they are causing the issues the cheap ones can get binned, either way I am sure they are not helping)
The car was aligned using WIM fast road settings at the end of April, not long after the ride has gradually got worse so dont know if thats highlighted any worn components?
Anyone got any advice? Or suggestions of what the issue is?? Im not sure whether to bite the bullet and get new shocks for it or throw the new falkens on and hope for the best. It is starting to stop me enjoying the car and possibly as a result of t
tting off all of the potholes instead of damping them I my steering alignment is slightly out, at the straight ahead on the wheel the car turns slightly right.Thanks
Stick the Falkens on either way. 2mm is not enough thread, 3mm is the recommended minimum (forget legal requirements).
Have you checked tyre pressure? Should be 26-27psi.
Also check the shocks themselves. If they look wet at the top, very thin oil leaking from the tops then the seals have blown.
Most likely is the tyres though.
Edited: Just thinking - do you know where to look to find the alignment bolts? Might be worth taking a look at them to make sure they are tight and aren't moving around. I have seen that before where a garage didn't tighten them up enough. Be careful not to move the bolts though.
Have you checked tyre pressure? Should be 26-27psi.
Also check the shocks themselves. If they look wet at the top, very thin oil leaking from the tops then the seals have blown.
Most likely is the tyres though.
Edited: Just thinking - do you know where to look to find the alignment bolts? Might be worth taking a look at them to make sure they are tight and aren't moving around. I have seen that before where a garage didn't tighten them up enough. Be careful not to move the bolts though.
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Tuesday 7th June 21:25
MX-5 Lazza said:
Stick the Falkens on either way. 2mm is not enough thread, 3mm is the recommended minimum (forget legal requirements).
Have you checked tyre pressure? Should be 26-27psi.
Also check the shocks themselves. If they look wet at the top, very thin oil leaking from the tops then the seals have blown.
Most likely is the tyres though.
Edited: Just thinking - do you know where to look to find the alignment bolts? Might be worth taking a look at them to make sure they are tight and aren't moving around. I have seen that before where a garage didn't tighten them up enough. Be careful not to move the bolts though.
Thanks LazzaHave you checked tyre pressure? Should be 26-27psi.
Also check the shocks themselves. If they look wet at the top, very thin oil leaking from the tops then the seals have blown.
Most likely is the tyres though.
Edited: Just thinking - do you know where to look to find the alignment bolts? Might be worth taking a look at them to make sure they are tight and aren't moving around. I have seen that before where a garage didn't tighten them up enough. Be careful not to move the bolts though.
Edited by MX-5 Lazza on Tuesday 7th June 21:25
Tyre pressures are at 26 all round, had them about 28 and reduced it a couple of psi in the hope it would improve but pretty much no difference. Its in for its 45k service soon, which is basically just an oil change and inspection, so I will get it up on my friends 4 post lift and check the bolts. Got a good idea of where they are as I had a look under when it was being aligned. I will get the tyres put on then as well.
Shocks I will check this weekend when i'm off work, if they are leaking then I'll order some and fit them at the service. I did see a small amount of clearish oil on one of the front alloys when giving the car a clean but I assumed as it was a small bit on one wheel it was just inconsequential, picked up from the road or accidentally spilt in my garage or something.
The previous owners did less than 5k miles each year in my '5, sometimes as little as 2500. I'm wondering if me doing 10k in 6 months across lots of potholes have been a bit too harsh for it.
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