[airplane-dude]

Hi All,

New to the forums. I purchased '11 Terrain back in November as the lease on my Pontiac Montana SV6 ran out. I just love the new Terrain and almost everything about it..

The only thing I don't like, is the suspension. I'm not sure if this is just on my vehicle or it's just the way Terrain's are, but the suspension feels VERY stiff. Specially in the rear seats.

It comes to the point where the riders in back jump up when I go over big potholes, and this was simply not the case in my Montana.

I don't know if this is related, but I've checked my tire pressure three times, and always had under 35psi, and had to pump in some more air.

This is my first SUV/Crossover, so I'm not sure if this is just the case of an SUV being 'rougher' than a minivan but the ride seems harsh over bumpy surfaces.

On smooth roads and the highways, it's perfect, but not so much elsewhere. The car is the 4 cylinder AWD version by the way.

Any help on this would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[Terra-Nox]

What size tires?

 

[NoobNox]

I have an Equinox (identical suspension to the Terrain) and yes, the ride is on the stiffer side but I've never had backseat passengers comment on it. It's the price we have to pay for the better than average handling and towing capability even in the base model. With softer shocks/springs we would drag the doorhandles going around a corner at anything more than parking lot speeds...and the rear end would squat under the load of a trailer. To me the ride can get jiggly over rough pavement, but it never reaches the level of being harsh like some older jeeps or lowered sports cars. To my behind (calibrated over 20 years of driving ;D) the ride of the Nox was either on par with or better than any of the small suv/cuv competition that I test drove.

 

[airplane-dude]

What size tires?

The 17's...

I agree that the handling is better than a van and that's a good thing. I did expect a slightly rougher ride than a van, but these does seem slightly excessive..

 

[gar187er]

stock tires? you can get some softer touring tires, give you a better ride.....aside from swapping out shocks/struts for something like koni yellows (if they have them), theres not much to do.....you could try playing with the air pressure in the tires...maybe drop it a couple psi, help soften the blow of those potholes, bumps.....

youre going from a mini van (which emphasizes ride quality), to an SUV which is not a luxury platform.....its a balanced one, utility (towing), cargo room, handling, etc.....perhaps the SRX has a much softer suspension which would provide a better ride for your passengers, but i know the price also has something to do with what model you choose.....