Honda CR-V Owners Club Forums banner
Status
Not open for further replies.

2014 hard ride

6K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  Fibber2 
#1 ·
Streets of San Diego are rated poor 3rd world at best. CR-V rides like an unsprung buckboard. Any idea how to soften the ride short of trading for a Buick which my friend the Cady/Buick dealer recommends. Is the Acura any better? Does anyone make a strut that will improve the ride? Any suggestions appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Of course your friend recommends a GM product. But advise, ignore him. Except the recent gen CRVs, GM has nothing that comes close in reliability.

As for better ride, different tires. Tires can make all the difference. Get ones designed towards comfort.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#4 ·
You have probably already checked this out but how much pressure are you running in those new tires? This can make a significant difference on most vehicles. I know that in today's world we are concerned about fuel mileage and how many miles our tires will last but air pressure can sure impact the ride.

Out of curiosity, what tires do you have on your CR-V?
 
#8 ·
Acura parts aren't that directly interchangeable especially to a CRV. Black Lion is some random off brand I have never heard of. So I wouldn't count them as much of anything against good tires that are high in the comfort rating

Also a CRV is an SUV not a 50 yr old tank or minivan. So it's going to ride stiffer no matter what you do. They are built that way intentionally as they are designed to do more than drive on perfectly smooth paved roads.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
#7 ·
Sounds like you already changed the tires but mad a poor choice to go with an oddball off brand. The only thing like Michelins is other Michelins. If you want a better ride, get an actual better set of tires. The roads in San Diego are no worse than anywhere else. If you won't spend the money on better tires, you won't spend it on a better riding vehicle, like a Lexus.
 
#9 ·
Black Lions are mostly made in China, but are sold all over the US. China is the largest car market in the world. So far they are much better than the Continals that the car came with. Same sidewall rating as Michlans at about 1/2 the price. The company also sells Michelans, and gave me the option to return them at any time I didn't like them. I still have that option. Have done business with them for over 20 years. They don't want to lose our truck fleet business. I am willing to try a set of Michelans if that really makes a difference.

Bridgestone tires made a major difference on or company GM Astro van. Roads in San Diego are worse than they are in Tijuana. Rough pavement and potholes 6-12" deep. I hope they are better where you live.

My question is whether different shocks/struts are available or would help. Will lower tire pressure to see if that helps on rough pavement. Should I try 28? What does that do to economy's?
 
#10 ·
Next question is whether trading for an Acura would really be any better in the ride department. What tire pressure would be a good idea for around town driving? On the freeways and state highways this thing does OK. It is just around town on our sub Tijuana streets that I have a problem. BTW, I don't think of a 66 Mustang as a tank. It weighs less than the current CR-V by a lot.
 
#11 ·
Lets see. You want a better ride. But you insist on Chinese tires. Bad idea. Change to Michelins. If that doesn't fix it, buy a Lexus. If that doesn't fix it, move to a better city. I do not recommend abnormally low tire pressures, as they can lead to tire damage, poor fuel mileage, excessive wear and tear on tires and the vehicle, and unpredictable/unstable handling issues.
 
#14 ·
I do not insist on Chinese tires. I can get full credit any time I want. The question is whether Michelians will really help. The tire company says these have the same sidewall flexibility. The are much better than the original Continentals. Is the Lexux really any better?
 
#12 ·
Running your tires at the rated PSI (no more) is the best bet. In the future, if ride softness is your priority, I'd consider a slightly taller tire with a higher load rating, still a passenger car tire (NOT a light truck/LT tire). Then you could safely run a couple PSI less so that the tires soak up the impacts.

We all have different expectations. I like sharp steering response so I run my OEM size tires 3 - 5 PSI over the recommended door-jam PSI.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Did the OP state which model CR-V he owns?

EX / EX-L = 225 / 65 R17

LX = 215 / 70 R16

While the EX handles better on those lower profile tires, the ride suffers. If the OP is looking for comfort on the mean streets of SD and he has an upper model, he might consider 'downgrading' to the base model wheels/tires.
 
#19 ·
The LX models have a much softer ride than the EX. They use, as I stated in Post #13, 215/70-R16 tires (on 16" wheels, of course). This is likely your most cost effective change.
 
#21 ·
I did not know Chinese tires existed until our tire company proposed them with a full refund if I was not happy. As I said, I have done business with them for 20 years and they have usually been right. If 200# in the back offers a major improvement, why can't I buy a softer spring that will help? The tires I bought offer a much better ride than the ones Honda put on it new. They recommend 30 PSI all around. That is definitely better than the 34 PSI that was in it before. Mileage is down a little bit, but not enough to worry about. What Michleans would be a good choice?
 
#22 ·
When a tire seller is pushing Chinese tires, it's because they are getting a promotional incentive (kickback), not because they are better tires. Lately, new CR-Vs have been coming with Hankooks, one of the poorest tires made on Earth. But they get a good price on them by the boatload. In spring rates, there is not much incentive for makers to offer a softer ride, when most aftermarket springs are for performance, and stiffer than stock. When searching for softer riding tires, category is important due to sidewall construction. Mud and snow tires and light truck tires are going to have a stiffer sidewall than passenger tires, and lower profiles the same, as shorter is stiffer. Another factor is load rating. My Gen3 ('07) calls for a 102. Yet a majority of the tires I see offered in the stock size have a lower rating, such as 99 or 100. The owner's manual recommends that 102 as a minimum, that you should not go lower. But I've not ever seen a passenger tire with one higher than 102. In Michelins, most of the tires available for this size have a lower load rating. I'm sure those tires likely have a softer ride, but I'm not sure how good an idea it is to go that route. Also, I've read literally tons of tire reviews, and they are just not specific enough, plus they give widely varied results. One guy says this tire is the softest quietest riding tire he's ever owned. The next guy says it's stiff and noisy. In the end I think it's a turkey shoot. I wish there was an impartial expert website devoted to tire comparison, review, and accuracy, but if there is such a thing I've not found it.
 
#23 ·
In my experience you cannot generalize in saying that [certain brands] are ALL bad.

Tire 'models' vary, and original equipment tires can be MUCH different than replacement models from the same manufacturer.




Our last set of Hankooks were the longest lasting, most consistent set we have fitted on our '06. Previously we had Bridgestone (OEM) and Yokohamas...
 
#24 ·
You may be right. But you are the first person I have ever heard have a good thing to say about Hankook. Some folks will badmouth Michelins too. But in my experience they are the only tire maker I have found to be worth more than spit. My best friend feels the same way about his precious Coopers. So I'll just go with you on that. But I'll also stick with Michelins. They have worked for me.
 
#25 ·
I found that the last time I had the car in for service, they set the tires at 34 all around. I reset them to 30# as recommended on the door sticker. It definitely made a major improvement. I don't mind changing tires again even though these only have a few thousand on them if it will make a noticeable improvement. What Michelin works best? The store will give me full credit for theses.
 
#26 ·
And I will add once again that if you really want to make a difference in the softness of the ride, a change in aspect ratio will have a greater impact than a change in tire brand.
 
#29 ·
The aspect ratio is the cross section. (65 in your example)

The higher the number the 'larger' amount of rubber you have. Our sports car has 295/30 tires, and the rubber is so thin that wheel damage is a constant concern...

The '102' is a load range. The higher the number, the stronger the tire construction is. BUT higher numbers can ride harsher.

The tech articles at Tirerack.com have more detailed descriptions of this stuff.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/tiretech.jsp?tab=All

See 'Tire Specs' and 'Sidewall Markings' on that page.
 
#30 · (Edited)
Repeating some of what I wrote in Post #13 and in an attempt to keep it simple:

We'll assume that you own an EX or EX-L that came equipped with 225 / 65 R17. The '65' aspect ratio is by today's standards a medium height to width value. Decent handling at the expense of some ride quality. It certainly gets worse as you move towards '60' and '50'. The rim size is 17"

The base model LX vehicles come with 215 / 70 R16 tires. The '70' aspect ratio is by today's standards a moderately high height to width value. You don't see a lot of '70', '75' or '80' ratios in use anymore, outside of large trucks and some full size SUV's. These aspect ratios sacrifice some handling in favor of ride quality. The rim size is 16".

BTW, by carefully jockeying tire cross-section width, aspect ratio and rim size, you get approximately the same external diameter and circumference! 225 / 65 - 17 stands just as tall and is essentially interchangeable (vehicle speed and speedometer accuracy within a few percent) with a 215 / 70 - 16.

While the EX handles better on those lower profile tires, the ride suffers. If you are looking for greater comfort, you might consider 'downgrading' to the base model wheels/tires.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top