Corolla and its rough ride!

[Sinbad99]

My Pakistan assembled '06 Toyota Corolla has a very rough ride in comparison with say Honda Civic or other imported cars. It is also noticeably higher than other cars. Others have noticed the same with Corollas.

Is that because of the suspension? Some say it has been kept so for rural roads.

My question is, what can be done to fix the problem and make the ride more comfortable. I decreased the tire pressure but it helped only little. Do I need to replace the shocks, springs, etc? any other solution.

Thanks.

[uaeimran]

Dude......Tht doesnt make ne sense cuz.....even a camry can have rough ride due to sum reason like old tyres and all tht stuff

Tell me 1 thing.............................Which Model is it ?....GLi,Xli or Altis ?

Pakistan Assembled doesnt mean tht it must have rough ride cuz the engine and all the parts are made in Japan....its only the body is assembled !

[Sinbad99]

Its 06 Corolla GLi.

My 6 yr old Civic handles road bumps much better than the new Corolla. The seats are un-comfortable too, but I think I know the solution. I am planning to put 1 1/4 inch thick foam padding under the seat covers.

But the rough ride remains an issue. I took it to the company, they checked it and said everything is fine. They said I am just used to more comfortable cars! and advised me to pay more and get Altis (and loose laks of Rs in doing so).

Any ideas.

[uaeimran]

hmmmmmmmmm

Seems very Strange and Interesting too !

Which Tyres do u use ?

Bridgestone or Toyo or other than tht ?

make sure tht........they r not used enough !

NE 1 has ne Ideas to this Solution?

[SER_GTR]

Hello!
what do u actually mean by rough............!
as suspension type is better than AE101....so what u feel...
direct bumps on butts or what :).................
thats true that AE101 handles better than Z-Gen one......ground clearance is the one of the factor behind this...
Thanxxx

[jaan99]

My cousin Rolla is fine and we enjoy its ride in rough Roads

[Sinbad99]

Which Tyres do u use ?

It has factory fitted General tires.

what do u actually mean by rough............!

You feel almost every bump on the road. As if you are sitting in a mini SUV. Its not just me (or my car only). Here are some comments I have heard:

-For driving pleasure go for a Civic. (Car dealer).
-Will you change tires, for a more comfortable ride? (Car dealer).
-Anyone who has driven a Civic or City will notice the rough ride of the Pakistani Corolla. (Car owner)
-Corolla is made keeping (road) conditions beyond Hyderabad in mind.(Car owner).

[robin]

is it on stock wheels/tyres? got for some soft tyres or if ur car's pretty new, then wait a while and ur suspension will become a bit soft with passage of time in a months time.

[Sinbad99]

is it on stock wheels/tyres? got for some soft tyres or if ur car's pretty new, then wait a while and ur suspension will become a bit soft with passage of time in a months time.

Its pretty new. Driven only 1600 km or so.

[spectra]

change tyres, put foam, do whatever. ride behaviour will not change much. our rolla has got new dunlop tyres, seat paddings etc. but spectra is still way comfortable. higher center of gravity and stiff suspension cannot give u a comfortable ride.
my father says that he cannot read newspaper on his way to office in this corolla but he even do the crossword when i drop him in spectra

[Sinbad99]

change tyres, put foam, do whatever. ride behaviour will not change much. our rolla has got new dunlop tyres, seat paddings etc. but spectra is still way comfortable. higher center of gravity and stiff suspension cannot give u a comfortable ride.

Atleast I am not alone

So if "stiff suspension" is one of the problems, how can we make it not-so-stiff? Is there a way to loosen up the suspension.

[Jinn]

@Sinbad99

Dont put foam under the seats. I know from personal experience that it disturbs the seating position and in turn will make the ride more uncomfortable for you.

[SherDil]

Yes, this new rollas and much harder suspension. When I bought my 05 rolla, I used to think what the hech? why is the suspension so hard, didn't find the solution yet.

I had 93 Indus corolla and it was just find, I had 86 rolla as well and it was great. Don't know what the quality of things getting poorer and poorer.

[salmankhilji]

@Sinbad99:

You are probably comparing the 1996-2000 Civic to your 2006 Corolla.

We have a 1997 VTi and it is indeed a very comfortable car. This is because it had more Japanese content and is very low to the ground.

We also have a 2002 VTi Oriel. This car, compared to the 1997, has a higher ground clearance. BUT, as a result has a very jumpy ride. The back of the car CONSTANTLY rocks up and down and up and down and up and down on almost all roads in Islamabad. The car is very uncomfortable. The suspension simply fails to damp the up and down movements. This was also a problem with our 1989 Japanese assembled 1200cc Civic. Looks like Honda engineers goof up very often on this issue. Since the car's suspension has been modified for Pakistani road conditions, I wonder if the Japanese Civics (2001-2005) do this or not.

I had a ride in the new shape 2.0D. This car does not have this problem with the suspension failing to damp the movements. However, the car's ride is rough and grainy, but not jumpy.

So both Civics and Corollas are uncomfortable.

[gem_guy]

so...the BOTTOMLINE is...??

That new Corollas have a not so comfortable and stiff ride!
however the older ones were better!...

so thats the way it is...is u want a better ride u can always go for a used 99-00 civic!

[c123pk]

Is it like sitting on a rock ? or someone hitting rocks on your ass ? Is it like a Big Size Mehran ?

[Storm]

Rollas ride is fine,... it's the roads in this country which neet to be addressed

[Sinbad99]

The back of the car CONSTANTLY rocks up and down and up and down and up and down on almost all roads in Islamabad. The car is very uncomfortable. The suspension simply fails to damp the up and down movements.

Exactly. This is what I have experienced. It also rocks sideways. It is almost impossible to drink water in the car without spilling it on yourself.

Rollas ride is fine,... it's the roads in this country which neet to be addressed

I agree that Pakistani roads are not car-friendly. Speed breakers are car-breakers and conditions have gone worse after the rains. But still, smaller bumps and pot-holes should not rock the whole car.

I had a ride in the new shape 2.0D. This car does not have this problem with the suspension failing to damp the movements. However, the car's ride is rough and grainy, but not jumpy.

May be the 2 liter Diesal engine is heavier and keeps the car steady.

[Sinbad99]

Is it like sitting on a rock ? or someone hitting rocks on your ass ? Is it like a Big Size Mehran ?

No bhai its not that bad, the suspension just fails to dampen the movements. Not something you expect for a 11 lak car esp. if it is a Toyota.

Note that Corolla has a lot of positives. It looks bigger from outside and feels more roomier inside. The 1300 cc engine works great, wonderfull pick-up. You sit higher up due to more ground clearence and body does not touch on speed breakers........what I hate is the hard and un-comfortable seats and hard suspension.

[mics420]

I can only say

" Another asd123 in making"

For those who are not familiar with asd123; He is our beloved member who is in a unique love - hate relationship with his new 2006 Toyota Corolla XLi. He has discussed many short commings and also some good properties of his car. The most interesting of them was "Corolla Attitude". Though I enjoy his posts a lot.