1400 miles - looking for feedback

[tarche]

Hey everyone,

I'm 1400 miles in and still struggling with a bouncy/jittery ride. I'm not looking to be negative; just looking for observations from others to determine if my car is behaving as designed or if it is slightly off-kilter and in need of adjustment. I have my first service appointment this Friday and will bring up my issues but I'm concerned I'll get dismissed as another Genesis owner complaining about the suspension.

My car exhibits cabin movement pretty much all the time. Even on smooth roads there is a bit of unpredictable bob and weave that makes the ride feel unsettled. I've never felt this on any car in the past whether it was mine or a rental. Been driving a lot trying to get used to it and I'm becoming accustomed, but it still bothers me, especially on relatively smooth country roads where any car should be cruising blissfully along.

My poor man's analogy for the ride is the camera movement in the old tv show NYPD Blue where they intentionally made it jumpy. Given how many people have no issues with their ride, I suspect that mine my be non-standard which is good because it could be fixed. At least that's what I'm hoping. My wife and I were parked outside of a store earlier today and noticed that the rear tires were not straight up and down. They were farther out at the base and tilted in at the top. It was a slight angle but we both noticed it.

So that's where I am. Again, not looking for negativity but hoping for constructive feedback from other owners. Thanks.

 

[cschuler]

Hey everyone,

I'm 1400 miles in and still struggling with a bouncy/jittery ride. I'm not looking to be negative; just looking for observations from others to determine if my car is behaving as designed or if it is slightly off-kilter and in need of adjustment. I have my first service appointment this Friday and will bring up my issues but I'm concerned I'll get dismissed as another Genesis owner complaining about the suspension.

My car exhibits cabin movement pretty much all the time. Even on smooth roads there is a bit of unpredictable bob and weave that makes the ride feel unsettled. I've never felt this on any car in the past whether it was mine or a rental. Been driving a lot trying to get used to it and I'm becoming accustomed, but it still bothers me, especially on relatively smooth country roads where any car should be cruising blissfully along.

My poor man's analogy for the ride is the camera movement in the old tv show NYPD Blue where they intentionally made it jumpy. Given how many people have no issues with their ride, I suspect that mine my be non-standard which is good because it could be fixed. At least that's what I'm hoping. My wife and I were parked outside of a store earlier today and noticed that the rear tires were not straight up and down. They were farther out at the base and tilted in at the top. It was a slight angle but we both noticed it.

So that's where I am. Again, not looking for negativity but hoping for constructive feedback from other owners. Thanks.

Bob and weave are not normal. Please have your dealer test drive your car. Some negative camber on the rear wheels is normal.

A bit of a harsh ride is the usual complaint for the Genesis. I really feel those speed bumps with this car, while my last car was much softer when going over them.

 

[dg_moore]

I don't know - there is a ton of controversy on this issue in the forum. All I can say is that I have loved the ride of my Genesis from day 1. I have driven on all types of roads under lots of different conditions and have never felt the least bit insecure, uncomfortable, or out of control. Maybe my expectations are different, but I just can't find anything to complain about.

 

[tarche]

That's one of the reasons I'm concerned that the service manager may blow me off - the controversy. My particular issue is not that the ride is harsh, which is what I've read about. I find that it takes normal road bumps pretty well. It just seems like something is out of balance left to right that is causing jumpiness on what look like smoother roads. Hard to describe because I'm not much of a car guy. My wife yesterday after a long ride said, "yes I see what you mean, but I might just prefer a stiffer suspension, like in the Sienna." That type of comment makes me think my Genny may be an oddball, and its
imperfections are adjustable.

 

[sandy]

One way to see if your car is an odd-ball would be to test drive another one and compare the rides over a similar "test route".

 

[tjc78]

Hey everyone,

I'm 1400 miles in and still struggling with a bouncy/jittery ride. I'm not looking to be negative; just looking for observations from others to determine if my car is behaving as designed or if it is slightly off-kilter and in need of adjustment. I have my first service appointment this Friday and will bring up my issues but I'm concerned I'll get dismissed as another Genesis owner complaining about the suspension.

My car exhibits cabin movement pretty much all the time. Even on smooth roads there is a bit of unpredictable bob and weave that makes the ride feel unsettled. I've never felt this on any car in the past whether it was mine or a rental. Been driving a lot trying to get used to it and I'm becoming accustomed, but it still bothers me, especially on relatively smooth country roads where any car should be cruising blissfully along.

My poor man's analogy for the ride is the camera movement in the old tv show NYPD Blue where they intentionally made it jumpy. Given how many people have no issues with their ride, I suspect that mine my be non-standard which is good because it could be fixed. At least that's what I'm hoping. My wife and I were parked outside of a store earlier today and noticed that the rear tires were not straight up and down. They were farther out at the base and tilted in at the top. It was a slight angle but we both noticed it.

So that's where I am. Again, not looking for negativity but hoping for constructive feedback from other owners. Thanks.

My 09 V6 drives exactly the same as you describe. It is not a pleasant experience. The one thing I will say is I drove recently with 4 people on board with a full trunk and it was slightly better than without the extra weight.

 

[Sayantsi]

One way to see if your car is an odd-ball would be to test drive another one and compare the rides over a similar "test route".

This is good advice, but maybe the car is just not what you're used to as far as ride is concerned. It could be a bad alignment though, being a new car - does it seem to track odd in any other ways? I'd definitely take a second car out and try some back to back comparisons.

 

[BacktoHyundaibychoice]

I'll "3rd" Sandy's logical advice.
One quick question though: what tire pressure are you running at?

 

[moose66]

Has it been that bad from day 1? If so, you should have left it on the lot! Did you test drive your car prior to delivery? If it is something other than previously notated perceived flaws, you would have noticed it then, and thus would have been able to address it. If the techs at the dealership are anything like where I have been taking my car for service, they will give it a once over and tell you they can't replicate the issue. Good luck!

 

[Bradlow]

I'll "3rd" Sandy's logical advice.
One quick question though: what tire pressure are you running at?

That's what I was gonna ask, it may seem like something small but tire pressure can make a huge difference in the ride. When the cars are delivered to the dealer they receive them in with really high tire pressure straight off the truck. They then go through a PDI service and the tech's do the tire pressure, take all the plastic covering off the paint, put some fuses in etc. If the tire pressure was overlooked by the tech you may be driving around on rock hard tires. I'd check that first, may be an easy fix.

______________________________

Help support this site so it can continue supporting you!

 

[tarche]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I definitely plan to drive another 4.6 while I'm in for service Friday. My car is not the one I test drove. I needed a different color and I didn't drive it until leaving the dealership post signatures. Didn't really notice anything that night as I was buzzed with excitement, and the roads near the dealership are pretty benign which made for a good original test drive. It was more of a day 3 feeling of "something isn't right." Regarding tire pressure, I'm at 30 psi. That was one of the first adjustments I made based on forum research.

Still think mine may be tweakable because feedback from other drivers is that it's a soft cushy feel. A friend of mine who drove it today told me I should have bought the 5-series instead of the "Avalon clone". That seems contrary to the suspension critiques I've read on the forum. He drives a Subaru WRX and is used to a firm ride.

Still staying positive as I love the interior and exterior and the fact that it's different from the run of the mill lux sedans.

 

[Cut-Throat]

A friend of mine who drove it today told me I should have bought the 5-series instead of the "Avalon clone". That seems contrary to the suspension critiques I've read on the forum. He drives a Subaru WRX and is used to a firm ride.

Tell your friend he drives a Yugo Clone!

 

[tarche]

He wasn't being mean about, just throwing out a reference point. For the record he absolutely loved the acceleration of that big V8.

 

[CapoCriminali]

I don't think your buddy really knows what he's talking about, though. The biggest complaint here is that the suspension is too harsh - it doesn't recover well from bumps, etc.

Have you or your friend ever driven an Avalon? It feels like you're driving on air - it's awesomely smooth but you're so disconnected that to do anything other than drive in a straight line or turn REALLY slow is pretty much beyond what I'd feel comfortable doing (Ok, so I'm exaggerating a tiny bit... but it conveys the point) in it.

I think your car has something wrong with it, based on your description. I drive on some of the worst roads in the US (yay Cross Bronx Expressway, FDR Drive, and BQE!) and I love my Genny. I have to say, though, the most fun I've had in it was driving some local county roads in Sullivan County, NY. I was doing ~100 on some back roads, with no people, wildlife or cars in sight. The roads curved and meandered, and never once did the Genny feel like it was going to lose the road. I fell in love all over again, as the saying goes.

 

[tarche]

Your comments definitely make me think my car is an outlier. My other "car" is a Toyota Sienna so I'm familiar with the Camry/Avalon feel. My previous car was a 2002 Maxima which was relatively smooth and controlled on all road surfaces.

Of course it could be subjective and I'm just overly sensitive. The feeling I get in my Genny is like minor airplane turbulence - too much subtle movement where I don't really see any road imperfections and never noticed them before in the Maxima or Sienna.

To contrast with your observations, I lived in NYC/North Jersey for 6 years and the thought of driving my Genny on the Cross-Bronx makes me cringe. I struggle on some of the older highways around here. Lots of bounce, but fortunately no harsh impact or jolts. The fact that you have no issues on those roads does make me hopeful it can be tweaked.

 

[CapoCriminali]

Your comments definitely make me think my car is an outlier. My other "car" is a Toyota Sienna so I'm familiar with the Camry/Avalon feel. My previous car was a 2002 Maxima which was relatively smooth and controlled on all road surfaces.

Of course it could be subjective and I'm just overly sensitive. The feeling I get in my Genny is like minor airplane turbulence - too much subtle movement where I don't really see any road imperfections and never noticed them before in the Maxima or Sienna.

To contrast with your observations, I lived in NYC/North Jersey for 6 years and the thought of driving my Genny on the Cross-Bronx makes me cringe. I struggle on some of the older highways around here. Lots of bounce, but fortunately no harsh impact or jolts. The fact that you have no issues on those roads does make me hopeful it can be tweaked.

I should probably clarify - it isn't the best ride of any car I've driven. It's significantly more bouncy than the Escalade ESV I used to drive. It's about the same, if not slightly better (I'm going off of 2 year old memories, though) than the 06 Charger I had before. I definitely see what people are talking about in regards to the suspension "issues" (it just doesn't come back to "neutral" as fast as other cars I've driven) but it's not something that scares me. At 100MPH on some curvy, hilly back roads upstate, I never once felt the car do something that scared me. That's just my take, though. I'd say drive the other one when you bring yours in.

 

[MichaelOne]

To contrast with your observations, I lived in NYC/North Jersey for 6 years and the thought of driving my Genny on the Cross-Bronx makes me cringe.

LOL, does that bring back memories of me in my '76 Firebird navigating the craters on the Cross-Bronx. Talk about a harsh ride... I thought sometimes I would be leaving my transmission there. The only thing worse was the BQE.

 

[jig]

I am one of the individuals here driving around at 30psi. I also put nitrogen in my tires and felt it improved the ride a little bit, but this could have been wishful thinking as it cost $40 to change out the "regular" air. My last car was a Lexus ES350 and the ride quality was much smoother. It took a good 2 months for me to get used to the ride of the Genesis. I will tell you that I have driven several new Genesis sedans both 6 and 8 cylinders and am always amazed that my car rides noticeably better. I think the suspension will loosen up a little as it breaks in and get better. If you are used to highly compliant suspensions then I am afraid you may never warm up to this car. The Azera has a much softer ride. Try a Mercedes E350 or BMW 535 and you will see a similiarity in the ride. Hyundai tried to emulate the Euro ride but didn't quite get the rebound/compliance right. With that said, I think the ride is more sport oriented than luxury and that's where most people get upset. They think the top of the line car should have a smooth ride and that's not what the Genesis is about.

 

[hazelwood7]

I am one of the individuals here driving around at 30psi. I also put nitrogen in my tires and felt it improved the ride a little bit, but this could have been wishful thinking as it cost $40 to change out the "regular" air. My last car was a Lexus ES350 and the ride quality was much smoother. It took a good 2 months for me to get used to the ride of the Genesis. I will tell you that I have driven several new Genesis sedans both 6 and 8 cylinders and am always amazed that my car rides noticeably better. I think the suspension will loosen up a little as it breaks in and get better. If you are used to highly compliant suspensions then I am afraid you may never warm up to this car. The Azera has a much softer ride. Try a Mercedes E350 or BMW 535 and you will see a similiarity in the ride. Hyundai tried to emulate the Euro ride but didn't quite get the rebound/compliance right. With that said, I think the ride is more sport oriented than luxury and that's where most people get upset. They think the top of the line car should have a smooth ride and that's not what the Genesis is about.

This is so true.. Psi between 30-31 makes a huge difference. Tarche never answered the question about what psi he is running which makes this thread frustrating. I can't give him any advice without this info..
Chris

 

[Stoofpilot]

What's nice about the Genesis, is that it is not a Maxima or a ES350. If people want that type of car they need to buy a Buick Lacrosse. I love the feel of my suspension. Similiar to a BMW 535 and $15,000 less. Go Hyundai!!