James May Question: How comfy is your DD's ride? 

"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt) 12/26/2014 at 18:37 • Filed to: None

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Just curious. I think good ride quality is seriously underrated. I DD an '09 civic... and its TERRIBLE. Honda clearly saved as much money as possible on the seats & dampers. Every single bump in the road surface, no matter how small, causes the entire car to jiggle. It never settles down between bumps, and the cardboard seats never let you forget that. Highway driving is exhausting. You never stop wiggling. The ride is so bad that my family's 170k mile beater Outback is noticeably comfier. Anyone else with similar horror stories?

Sam > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:42

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I DD an BMW E34 530i. Quiet, smooth, comfortable. It even has heated seats. On the highway, it feels like I'm riding in a business jet. Basically, the exact opposite of what you just described.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:43

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Mine has really stiff springs so it crashes over low speed bumps, surpisingly composed at high speeds though.

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:48

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How comfy?

Next Question?

Seriously, My Elgrand is really comfortable. The few car more comfortable than this i think is a Toyota Alphard, Citroen DS, and RR Phantom.

Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:48

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To be honest the FiST isn't the best cruiser, you feel every bump everywhere you go. It also gets squirrely at high speeds (120 mph+). That being said, the car is still fucking wonderful.

yamahog > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:50

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Horrific. Truly horrific.

97 XJ with what I assume is the cheapest 3" lift kit Rough Country sells, 31" MTs, no plastic bits, and it feels like the whole car is falling apart. It feels better offroad than on, honestly.

Manuél Ferrari > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:50

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GOD AWFUL

Manuél Ferrari > Sam 12/26/2014 at 18:50

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omg i want one!

Sweet Trav > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 18:53

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14 Fusion, I'd drive it across the country no problem.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Sam 12/26/2014 at 19:16

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Oooo man I'm jealous! E34s are too cool. Especially the facelift with those wide kidneys. How's maintenance? 3.0 = the awesome little V8 right?!

Sam > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 19:25

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Well, currently the V8 looks like this.

It's been very reliable and not too difficult to work on. Mostly this repair was to get rid of an annoying CEL. It's also a wagon, so that's fun too.

StingrayJake > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 19:32

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Bouncey.

I have a Z71 Silverado that's 13 years old. I feel every bump in the road.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Sam 12/26/2014 at 19:33

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Wagon? So jalop!! I think I have only seen one e34 wagon in my entire life. Lol that is such a classic BMW problem, damn CEL.

treesmakewater > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 20:30

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i drive a C5 Audi A6. Pretty much the opposite as what you described. I do have a little wind noise on the driver window (the door seal developed a crack recently).

promoted by the color red > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 20:54

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It rides well. Pretty much the only upside to a 2009 Camry.

The Integra before it was brutal and it made you feel every bump and divot on the road.

Tohru > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 21:15

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Industrial.

'88 Ram 50 base model. The seats are okay, but it's rough and bouncy. In-town, it has a nasty habit of picking up a rhythm from expansion gaps and the whole truck bounces forward and back, forward and back.

deekster_caddy > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 21:19

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I've always had comfortable DDs. I've always preferred comfortable cars. Going back a few I went from '94 Buick Regal to '98 Buick Riviera, '05 GMC Yukon XL, '13 Volt... all very comfortable. The Regal's seat was getting compacted by the end of it's day which is the primary reason I replaced it. I added big rear sway bars to both Buicks, made a huge difference in overall handling without affecting the comfortable ride.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 21:25

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I ride in a 2009 Civic sometimes and it is stiff, I thought because racecar?

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 21:30

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My Neon is... weird, to put it simply. The suspension makes a lot of noise, so you'll hit a bump or expansion joint and it'll be LOUD, so you tense up expecting a jolt, and... it just never comes. You don't really feel it. Maybe a slight shudder on a bad one but it's perfectly comfortable despite how it sounds.

HammerheadFistpunch > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 21:37

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The tie rods in mine are worn so steering is less than accurate but more accurate than an new 80's era truck. The new gears make a whine and the engine revs highish, but given the nature and mission of the vehicle and with the new progressive coils all around and adjustable dampers, its pretty quiet and supply.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 22:34

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Sorry, no, I cannot commiserate. My DD is a 2012 Mazda5 Sport 6MT. At first I was a little disappointed that I had to settle for the base Sport model in order to get the manual transmission. I thought I wanted the nicer-looking 17" wheels and tires, but now I'm glad I have the 16" setup; a better ride, cheaper to replace, less likely to get curb rash. The car is perhaps a little noisier than I would like, but the balance between ride and handling seems quite good to me. I had a modified BMW 525i before, and although it looked and handled great, the ride was pure torture thanks to my modifications. I'm a tad older now, and my priorities have changed a bit.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 12/26/2014 at 23:32

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yeahhh I have a friend who is still in that phase, cambered out and way too low on static suspension in his e36. fun to look at but not to ride in, it just rattles and bangs around constantly, and I'm pretty sure that has something to do with the accelerated rate at which some things wear out...

Noah - Now with more boost. > yamahog 12/26/2014 at 23:34

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hahahaha ok so my friend just got an xj and it got us into offroading/jeeps/trucks in general immediately. he is putting a lift on it soon and we've been talking shit about how bad the ride will be, i'll be sure to pass this on lol. I think he's going to have the lift before appropriate wheels/tires too and it will look like a clown car

Noah - Now with more boost. > deekster_caddy 12/26/2014 at 23:36

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I'm totally into that philosophy. Why sacrifice comfort on a DD? I won't be in this civic for long hopefully.

yamahog > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 23:39

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Yea, you really get what you pay for with Jeep stuff.

Noah - Now with more boost. > HammerheadFistpunch 12/26/2014 at 23:40

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my last car had pretty vague steering and a truck-like gear shift, there was always something to do haha that's for sure

Noah - Now with more boost. > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent 12/26/2014 at 23:42

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one of my friends actually bought a neon as his first car back in the day, I remember cruising around in it for years. so I am biased haha but I do remember it being more comfortable than you'd expect

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/26/2014 at 23:43

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I made a few errors in modifying the 525i. Going from 15" to 17" wheels and tires meant less sidewall compliance, so instead of stiffer springs I should have gone with softer, despite the fact that this sounds counter-intuitive at first. Using lowering springs didn't help the ride either. I didn't go all-out like I did on the 320i, but that car was set up for autocrossing and the stiff lowering springs and aggressive Bilsteins were just fine for such a vehicle. A friend still owns my 525i, and yes, he's had to replace a number of bushings and other suspension components.

But as good as those cars handled, they were no match for a real sports car. I remember chasing a Boxster down Sepulveda pass, and when the road opened up he just flat-out disappeared. It wasn't necessarily the power, but the fact that he could corner so completely flat through the twisties.

Noah - Now with more boost. > StingrayJake 12/26/2014 at 23:47

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I don't have much experience with trucks/suvs, but this one time I drove an old durango full of this guy's grandfather clocks 14hrs to north carolina, and every time we hit a bump it would do the bounce I think you're talking about, except with a terrifying glass/metal rattle

Noah - Now with more boost. > Tohru 12/26/2014 at 23:49

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I had to look the ram 50 up! lol @ the expansion joints. I've never driven a small truck before but I bet the light/bouncy combo has some interesting consequences

Noah - Now with more boost. > Mr. FiSTer of Team FiST Fetish 12/26/2014 at 23:54

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I generally don't like fwd, but the fi/fo STs look great and sound like a ton of fun, i really want to drive one. also turbochargers... I've only driven a few cars with them but they were unbelievably fun. one was this old chipped saab 9000, which was probably the most terrifying/hilarious car I've driven

Noah - Now with more boost. > promoted by the color red 12/26/2014 at 23:55

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honda needs to step up their suspension game! though maybe the civics have to ride like garbage to sell more accords. hmm...

Noah - Now with more boost. > treesmakewater 12/26/2014 at 23:58

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nice, IMHO when it comes to sedans, the german way of doing things is simply the best. an a6 is on my shortlist of cars to check out soon as my next DD. those timing belts though... have you had to grapple with that?

Tohru > yamahog 12/26/2014 at 23:59

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My dad bought a Jeep TJ from the neighbor kid. It was a 4cyl. 5speed with a 4"(?) lift on it and 33's. When the kid ordered the parts he got the firmest springs he could for it - his staggering logic was that firmer parts wouldn't flex as much, so they'd last longer.

The end result was a lifted TJ with zero body roll in the corners and a serious offroading session would leave you picking up your spleen and kidneys off the floor of the Jeep.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. 12/27/2014 at 00:00

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I believe it, one of my friends' cars is lowered and it's still pretty well-mannered at high speeds if the roads are good.

Noah - Now with more boost. > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) 12/27/2014 at 00:02

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nope. because SPACESHIP. you don't need ride quality when you have a massive separate digital speedo boomerang.

Noah - Now with more boost. > Manuél Ferrari 12/27/2014 at 00:02

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DAMN :0

Noah - Now with more boost. > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. 12/27/2014 at 00:06

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yeah there's camber and then there's "look at me!!!" camber, and I doubt the latter is any good for performance driving haha. bump steer ftw

j.davism5 > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/27/2014 at 00:09

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01' E39 m5, Bone stock. Best suspension, and harmon kardon is tear inducingly clear and loud across all ranges.

There is none better, it will not be surpassed. Arguing with wife to trade 03' 745i for another one.

trey0four > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/27/2014 at 00:20

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I DD a '92 Integra, the ride is fairly decent and I attribute that to new tyres....my back was telling me to stop with the old ones

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/27/2014 at 03:47

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DD the GTO? Yes, it's quite comfortable. Second best seats I've ever owned. Even with the aftermarket springs, Koni dampers, and subframe connectors, I'm very happy with it as a daily. It's so perfect that I have to wish it had more steering feel, even though it handles quite excellent (especially given its size).

deekster_caddy > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/27/2014 at 08:55

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I can't ride in a Civic for more than an hour or so. My wife had an '00 Saturn SL2 that she bought new. It was decent, but same issue as a Civic - they just weren't made for people my size (I'm tall). We took a couple of longer trips in it, 3 hours or so, and no way I could go any further in that car. I was very very uncomfortable after an hour. It was fine for running errands or whatever but we always took my Buick on the longer trips.

When we replaced her Saturn we test drove a couple cars. We got in the Passat Wagon ('08) and we were in it for about 5 minutes (her driving) and I knew that was the one. The seats were just right. That's our go-to long trip car now. It's comfortable (priority 1), roomy, quick, fun, economical etc etc and if we really need more space we throw a roof box on. But it was the seats... they are just right for me!

treesmakewater > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/27/2014 at 15:52

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i will in 5000 miles :'(. Depending on how cold it gets, I might just pay someone.

Manuél Ferrari > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/27/2014 at 16:26

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It's my fault for being cheap

I spent a ton of money on a 997.2 C2 and didn't spend the extra 10K on a C2S with adjustable dampers

The fixed ride in my car is super stiff all the time

wiffleballtony > Noah - Now with more boost. 12/28/2014 at 00:27

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I DD a 12 Mustang GT stock suspension and cloth seats. The ride is firm and I can definitely feel the road surface. However the seats are comfy enough where the vibration doesnt reach my butt. Its no big deal on a daily basis but I dont use it for road trips.

wbizarre - OEM fetishist > Noah - Now with more boost. 01/27/2015 at 11:59

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E36 here. Really pretty nice and smooth ride, but everything in the interior makes a noise. It's a veritable orchestra of squeaks, rattles, and rubs. The tune changes with the weather, temperature and speed, but its almost always there. That's just one of the reasons I consider the e36 interior to be the worst BMW interior of all time.