Two months and I can't stand it.....

[FastDEW1]

Is there any reliable way to help this car ride better? I have owned my Genesis two months now and I just hate the way it rides. It is far to stiff and bouncy. It is all stock, but reminds me of a lowered Honda! I am surprised how awful these cars ride when the road gets even a little bit away from totally smooth.

Its so bad - If I cannot find a way to improve this, I am going to trade/sell this car in the next 30 to 60 days. For sure. I just hate the ride.

Any reliable suggestions that are known to work to improve the bouncy stiff ride in a significant manner?

Thanks for any suggestions. I really enjoy the rest of the car; but if I cannot correct the ride to a degree - It is going to have to go to a new home.

For reference - It is a 2011 Genesis 4.6L Tech Package with 18's. It had less than 30k original miles and is 100% stock.

 

[scottdk]

Hyundai revised the suspension for 2012+ years. I'd suggest to go test drive a new Genesis at the dealer and see if you feel that newer suspension would be an improvement for you. If so, you can replace your suspension with the 2012+ suspension.

This is what I will be doing soon. I have all the parts, but I'm just waiting for better weather and for my friend to have time to help me.

 

[FastDEW1]

Hyundai revised the suspension for 2012+ years. I'd suggest to go test drive a new Genesis at the dealer and see if you feel that newer suspension would be an improvement for you. If so, you can replace your suspension with the 2012+ suspension.

This is what I will be doing soon. I have all the parts, but I'm just waiting for better weather and for my friend to have time to help me.

I will go drive a 2012 and check it out. If I did change suspension to the 2012+ model, what needs to be changed? Coils, Shocks/Struts, Sway Bars? What all is swapped out? Is it direct bolt in?

 

[zielritter]

^^ Definitely try the 2012+. They gave it a larger rear stabilizer bar and stiffer adaptive dampers aimed at solving issues with the non-compliant ride of the 2009-2011 models. I've found that tires make a big difference in ride quality as well. The stock Dunlops were not so great.

I think the fact that the original Korean Genesis rode on an air suspension created some issues when they attempted to translate it over to a standard spring/damper set up.

 

[brfatal]

^^ Definitely try the 2012+. They gave it a larger rear stabilizer bar and stiffer adaptive dampers aimed at solving issues with the non-compliant ride of the 2009-2011 models. I've found that tires make a big difference in ride quality as well. The stock Dunlops were not so great.

I think the fact that the original Korean Genesis rode on an air suspension created some issues when they attempted to translate it over to a standard spring/damper set up.

A larger sway bar makes ride quality WORSE, not better. The more aggressive a sway bar is the less they allow for independent travel between one side and the other.

I would probably try different tires before anything else as tires have a big effect on ride quality. I have no driven a 2011 admittedly, but my R-Spec's suspension is more harsh that my aggressive aftermarket suspension on my WRX. Try a non-R-Spec if you do a test drive to try out the +'12 suspension.

 

[homeofstone]

I have the same car as you, 2011 4.6 w/tech, and the tires make a lot difference. What tires are on your car? I use Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus. Also the Pirelli Cinturato P7 plus gives a very good ride.

 

[veed]

+1 on the tires comment. i wonder how sensitive you are to ride ... i have the same car - 2011 4.6 and it rode a little "stiff" on the Dunlops. Conti Pure Contacts improved the ride, but it sounds like you're looking for orders of magnitude instead of a modest change.

are you running Dunlops right now? have you checked pressures?

 

[Mark_888]

I will go drive a 2012 and check it out. If I did change suspension to the 2012+ model, what needs to be changed? Coils, Shocks/Struts, Sway Bars? What all is swapped out? Is it direct bolt in?

Please post exact details on your tires, include amount of tread left.

 

[FastDEW1]

Please post exact details on your tires, include amount of tread left.

I just went out and looked. They are a tire I never heard of.

Size is P235/50R18

The name is unknown to me: Capital Sport UHP (I never heard of them).

They appear brand new.

-----

I know tires make a huge difference in "harshness" but this is not the issue. This issue seems to be compression stiffness and very aggressive rebound. Will tires help much in this?? I am uncertain on this.

Anyone ever hear of this tire? I never have.

 

[veed]

Capitols are a Nexen brand. from a quick web squint, they look to be about $50-60 per tire less than the (on-sale) Contis i just put on my car.

i'm guessing you either have crap roads (wherever you are) or are particularly sensitive to the ride. as previous posts said, suspension has been tweaked several times since the original 09 release. 11 is (ostensibly) better than 09-10, and 12-13 are better again. i know nothing about the 14 or new release rides.

anyway, i'm satisfied with mine ... good luck to you. hard to tell more without actually doing a ride compare.

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[Mark_888]

I just went out and looked. They are a tire I never heard of.

Size is P235/50R18

The name is unknown to me: Capital Sport UHP (I never heard of them).

They appear brand new.

-----

I know tires make a huge difference in "harshness" but this is not the issue. This issue seems to be compression stiffness and very aggressive rebound. Will tires help much in this?? I am uncertain on this.

Anyone ever hear of this tire? I never have.

Used car dealers typically put on new tires, but the quality is usually suspect. I saw some poor reviews of this tire on Amazon.com.

The suspension on the 2009-2011 Genesis sedan is very sensitive to tire comfort, so I would consider getting a tire that highly rated for ride comfort and noise comfort, such as the Bridgestone Turanza Serenity Plus or other tire. You can see tire ratings here, but watch out for tires rated based on a low number of Total Miles Reported:
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/surveydisplay.jsp?type=GTAS

Unfortunately, the Michelin Primacy MXV4 does not come in your size.

 

[Mark_888]

Capitols are a Nexen brand. from a quick web squint, they look to be about $50-60 per tire less than the (on-sale) Contis i just put on my car.

i'm guessing you either have crap roads (wherever you are) or are particularly sensitive to the ride. as previous posts said, suspension has been tweaked several times since the original 09 release. 11 is (ostensibly) better than 09-10, and 12-13 are better again. i know nothing about the 14 or new release rides.

anyway, i'm satisfied with mine ... good luck to you. hard to tell more without actually doing a ride compare.

2010 and 2011 suspension are the same, as far as I know. Small changes mid-year 2009, moderate change 2010, and bigger change 2012.

 

[zielritter]

A larger sway bar makes ride quality WORSE, not better. The more aggressive a sway bar is the less they allow for independent travel between one side and the other.

I would probably try different tires before anything else as tires have a big effect on ride quality. I have no driven a 2011 admittedly, but my R-Spec's suspension is more harsh that my aggressive aftermarket suspension on my WRX. Try a non-R-Spec if you do a test drive to try out the +'12 suspension.

Fair enough, but the larger sway bar does help with body sway when going over bumps and other irregularities especially when turning. It may be stiffer (I don't know if the increase in size from 2011 to 12 made a palpable difference in stiffness to the passenger/driver though) but not necessarily worse.

He did also ask about the specific changes to the suspension - sway bar being one.

Changing from the Dunlops to my Michelins made a big difference in road noise and smoothness. I use the Michelins for winter months and my Goodyear high performance tires for summer. Michelin tires are definitely more comfortable.

 

[FastDEW1]

Thank you for all of the inputs. I live in Los Angeles area and our roads are not fantastic.

I will look into a different tire. Doubt it will cure it, but might make enough improvement to be livable. I read that UHP on my tires stands for Ultra High Performance. I think this says a lot. It is not the type of tire I want on my car. Touring tire is much preferred. I am not a barnstormer in corners

 

[mikec]

What air pressure are you running? A few psi drop can make a world of difference. "Off the boat" the Genesis cars, at least in 2009 & 2010, had more than 40psi air pressure to get the tires skinny for car-carrier trucks. Dealers were supposed to lower pressures to around 36psi as part of the dealer prep (and remove the blue plastic tape and other protective items) but many missed this step. Even at 36psi though the Dunlop tires were fairly hard. Dropping to 32psi helped soften the ride a bit though it wasn't a total cure.

As others have noted, the early model cars had a mis-matched spring+damper setup that got unsettled on some uneven roads; the springs plus the mass (inertia really) of the car itself were too much for the dampers from the way folks described it. Excessively tightened bushings contributed to the problem as well; that just introduced extra friction into the suspension which in turn limited the suspension's ability to handle smaller road imperfections. A bushing lube combined with 30 to 32psi tire pressures may be enough. If your car is one that hops around laterally (especially the back end) on uneven roads then the later model year springs+dampers are probably going to be required.

Cheap tires - and many tires with long tire life guarantees (e.g. tires rated for 60,000 or 80,000 miles) - tend to be pretty hard/stiff and worsen the ride of almost any vehicle.

mike c.

 

[FastDEW1]

What air pressure are you running? A few psi drop can make a world of difference. "Off the boat" the Genesis cars, at least in 2009 & 2010, had more than 40psi air pressure to get the tires skinny for car-carrier trucks. Dealers were supposed to lower pressures to around 36psi as part of the dealer prep (and remove the blue plastic tape and other protective items) but many missed this step. Even at 36psi though the Dunlop tires were fairly hard. Dropping to 32psi helped soften the ride a bit though it wasn't a total cure.

As others have noted, the early model cars had a mis-matched spring+damper setup that got unsettled on some uneven roads; the springs plus the mass (inertia really) of the car itself were too much for the dampers from the way folks described it. Excessively tightened bushings contributed to the problem as well; that just introduced extra friction into the suspension which in turn limited the suspension's ability to handle smaller road imperfections. A bushing lube combined with 30 to 32psi tire pressures may be enough. If your car is one that hops around laterally (especially the back end) on uneven roads then the later model year springs+dampers are probably going to be required.

Cheap tires - and many tires with long tire life guarantees (e.g. tires rated for 60,000 or 80,000 miles) - tend to be pretty hard/stiff and worsen the ride of almost any vehicle.

mike c.

I checked the tires. They are at 36psi all around. I am going to try lowering the pressure a little and see how it feels. If it helps, then I will invest into a set of good touring tires. If that doesn't get enough improvement, I will trade it in.

My rear doesn't hop around. It is not the small road imperfections that is a problem. It is the fact that the car rides like it is lowered. You know the lowered Honda's you see bouncing down the highway because the springs have no travel. That is what it reminds me of..... Just toooooooo stiff.

Hope I see a difference with reduced PSI in the tires. Then I can hopefully get a big improvement with new shoes.

 

[FastDEW1]

I should note that I took my son and ex-wife on a long drive last weekend. I saw her tonight and she commented to me (without me mentioning anything about it) how much better her Ford rides..... Thats kind of sad lol

 

[Mark_888]

I checked the tires. They are at 36psi all around.

The Hyundai recommended tire pressure for the Genesis is 33 PSI. This info in on the plate in the drivers door jamb.

 

[Mark_888]

I should note that I took my son and ex-wife on a long drive last weekend. I saw her tonight and she commented to me (without me mentioning anything about it) how much better her Ford rides..... Thats kind of sad lol

We are all aware of the situation. There are thousands of posts in this forum on the subject of the early Genesis suspension. High comfort grand touring tires at 33PSI will definitely help, but that is $1000 investment.

 

[mikec]

I have an early 2009 sedan - the ones with the worst suspension reputation. I never felt the "unstable" back end some folks reported. I drove a retired couple from Orange County to the San Francisco area a couple years ago - on the stock Dumflops no less. They commented on how nice my car rode. They're used to Oldsmobiles too. She spent most of the trip in the back seat sewing. So 2009s can ride decently. I ran 32psi tire pressures.

mike c.