9th-Gen Civic, stiff suspesion

[lkshean]

Some say Civic suspension is soft, some say it is hard, some say it is just about right. Well, for me it seems to be a bit too hard.

I drive long distance everyday to work and back along Pacific Motorway (Brisbane - Gold Coast stretch), and those who know about this area would know that coming from Brisbane, the road becomes very rough/bumpy around Yatala and all the way to NSW border. Long story short, due to health reason I cannot take too much vibration, and driving my Civic to work isn't working well for me. I tried putting extra cushion on seat, reduce tire pressure (210 - 220kPa) but nothing works. Thinking of putting rubber washer on screw points of car seat but doubt would do any good. Is there anything else I can do to soften the ride? Change suspension??

Btw, I have to switch to ASX due to this and the ride was very very smooth and comfortable (compare to Civic). Sure hope something can be done to the Civic so that I can start driving it again :)

[Stevil]

I find the choice of tyre is very important for ride, what rubber are you rolling !

[lkshean]

Factory fitted Bridgestone Turanza. It is a VTI-L, so 16" wheels.

[EKVTIR-T]

Tein superstreet

[lkshean]

nice stuff, but parts cost US$1000+... probably another few hundreds to install? prefer don't have to change suspension. firstly because unsure if my current insurer would insure modified car like this or not :(, and secondly due to cost involved... a few thousands?

maybe i should also consider trading in for a more comfortable car??

[Grayfox]

Tire pressure can also make the ride a bit more stiff.

[C.I.SIvic]

I came from a teg so the 9th gen is super soft for me, ableit it's not as soft as some other cars like corolla. You will never get it as nice as the asx because the asx wheel is way bigger. No amount of pressure drop is ever going to change the civic to a softer ride than the asx. There is a reason SUVs are popular, because they float like crazy and absorb most bumps a normal drive dishes out.

[curtis265]

the softroader being more comfortable is nothing to do with wheel size, it's to do with the gross vehicle mass

[C.I.SIvic]

the softroader being more comfortable is nothing to do with wheel size, it's to do with the gross vehicle mass

Yeah fair point but wheel size does matter a lot as well. Ever try riding is a large profile cross roader vs a low profile equivalent. Huge difference.

[curtis265]

that's tyre profile, not wheel size :)

[nedkerry]

nice stuff, but parts cost US$1000+... probably another few hundreds to install? prefer don't have to change suspension. firstly because unsure if my current insurer would insure modified car like this or not :(, and secondly due to cost involved... a few thousands?

maybe i should also consider trading in for a more comfortable car??

Insurance should cover it at no extra cost. You just need to let them know. Typicallly, you'll only run into issues with insurance when it comes to turbo or superchargers.

[C.I.SIvic]

that's tyre profile, not wheel size :)

I meant wheel size as well. Larger overall diameter (regardless of profile) rolls smoother over bumps and holes than smaller.

[lkshean]

Insurance should cover it at no extra cost. You just need to let them know. Typicallly, you'll only run into issues with insurance when it comes to turbo or superchargers.

insurer came back ok, but will cost more if i decide to include cost of suspension into coverage, which i think is reasonable.

found a few online sites with price on custom suspensions, really not cheap. worse can't make anyone to guarantee a smoother ride after change. lucky to have the asx available so no need to change urgently. seriously considering changing the car to a softer ride one, but think would be difficult to choose as so many things affect ride comfort also no guarantee that taller vehicle like SUV will offer softer ride. drove an ix35 few weeks ago to coolangatta airport, ride comfort was about the same as my civic (maybe slightly better) and definitely not as smooth as my asx...