Bouncy Aurion ride - is this typical

[woodworm]

Hi - I'm a newby here having recently bought a 2 year-old Aurion ATX (48,000km). I've a question I'd really appreciate some comments on. When we test drove the car I thought the ride was akin to a pogo stick and we thought we'd move on to a Subaru (which has a very nice ride!). Then we found the tyre pressure was 40 psi, 8 psi over that recommended. When that was lowered to 32 psi the ride improved, so we bought the car. Having ridden in it for a couple of days I'm rather disappointed that the improvement is not as marked as I thought, in fact the ride is rather worse than our aging Ford Taurus (hardly the car to beat I'd have thought ) and certainly not as good as the 2010 Subaru or the 2008 Commodore we tried - it just seems unsettled by general potholes and road bumps that most cars would glide over. I wondered if someone could recommend a better tyre than the Dunlop SP Sport 300 215/60 R16s that it has currently or is the bouncy ride just a characteristic of the Aurion suspension that we will come to love and appreciate

Sorry if this had been covered a 1000 times and I've missed the posts and thanks for any advice.

[Beep Beep]

Hi - I'm a newby here having recently bought a 2 year-old Aurion ATX (48,000km). I've a question I'd really appreciate some comments on. When we test drove the car I thought the ride was akin to a pogo stick and we thought we'd move on to a Subaru (which has a very nice ride!). Then we found the tyre pressure was 40 psi, 8 psi over that recommended. When that was lowered to 32 psi the ride improved, so we bought the car. Having ridden in it for a couple of days I'm rather disappointed that the improvement is not as marked as I thought, in fact the ride is rather worse than our aging Ford Taurus (hardly the car to beat I'd have thought ) and certainly not as good as the 2010 Subaru or the 2008 Commodore we tried - it just seems unsettled by general potholes and road bumps that most cars would glide over. I wondered if someone could recommend a better tyre than the Dunlop SP Sport 300 215/60 R16s that it has currently or is the bouncy ride just a characteristic of the Aurion suspension that we will come to love and appreciate

Sorry if this had been covered a 1000 times and I've missed the posts and thanks for any advice.

Hi woodworm,

Have you tried eliminating the obvious culprits i.e. :-

• Is the suspension "stock" i.e. factory springs and NOT aftermarket ones put on by the previous owner? Factory springs tend to be a compromise and usually provides the most compliant ride.
• Tyres generally are much of a muchness for the size you're talking about. Just need to ensure they are between 32 and 36 PSI cold pressure (34 and 38 PSI if your tyres are warmed up).

Is the ride just as bouncy if you've loaded up the car ( 5 passengers or heaps of weight in the boot)?

Apart from that, you must have really sucky roads where you live. Can't do much about that unfortunately.

Having said that though, mine rides very well on the roads, very smooth and compliant suspension, even on really uneven roads and corrugations.

Other forum members should be able to provide you with more possible explanations........

Cheers,

BB

[1stKill]

Welcome to the club

i can't really remember my Aurion being bouncy when it was stock (similar age & spec as yours),i do recall it being very smooth and powerful,this is what swayed me to buy.

maybe call into a suspension place or a Toyota dealer and get a checkover,who knows it may need shocks...48000km's in 2yrs is not heaps but i'm guessing it's a little more than average,maybe it was hauling some weight in it's previous life and the springs & shocks have copped a workout,i'm not to sure just guessing.

worn/leaking shocks will give you bounce thats for sure.and as for a better tyre i will have to leave that upto someone else to answer unless you decide to change to a 245/35/19 or 20

Cheers

Lee

[Beep Beep]

Welcome to the club

i can't really remember my Aurion being bouncy when it was stock (similar age & spec as yours),i do recall it being very smooth and powerful,this is what swayed me to buy.

maybe call into a suspension place or a Toyota dealer and get a checkover,who knows it may need shocks...48000km's in 2yrs is not heaps but i'm guessing it's a little more than average,maybe it was hauling some weight in it's previous life and the springs & shocks have copped a workout,i'm not to sure just guessing.

worn/leaking shocks will give you bounce thats for sure.and as for a better tyre i will have to leave that upto someone else to answer unless you decide to change to a 245/35/19 or 20

Cheers

Lee

Lee's right. For factory shocks to fail at 48,000km, it's pretty lousy even IF they were worked hard. If they are indeed factory shocks, I'd go straight to a toyota dealer, get them to check it out and then have them replaced under the remaining new car warranty.

[woodworm]

Hi all and thanks for the quick replies. I'm in NZ, a few fairly sucky roads but not that bad and if a 1996 Taurus can handle them then... Anyway, it's completely standard, hasn't got or had a tow bar was an Avis car for <20 000 km, went through Toyota's "Signature Class" makeover and then was leased to a manager at a local firm till they downsized and it became the local Toyota's managers car for a few months. Thats why I'm surprised that they didn't find the ride unacceptable. As mentioned, we've been looking for a car for a while and really prefered the Subaru, just couldn't afford it. I'll have a word with a local suspension outfit to see if the shocks are the problem but I'd be shocked if they were!. The car is is excellent condition and in other respects is tight without any rattles, dents or other signs of abuse (and yes, a very nice smooth transmision and engine) but your comments do make me think there is something wrong.

Cheers

[Pah]

Have to sat that mine has done 83,000klm and was an ex-rental and it rides as smooth as no bouncyness whats so ever. As the others have said get it checked out at toyota maybe the shocks have failed.

Cheers

Peter

[Kenpo]

Have to sat that mine has done 83,000klm and was an ex-rental and it rides as smooth as no bouncyness whats so ever. As the others have said get it checked out at toyota maybe the shocks have failed.

Cheers

Peter

I'm with Peter on this one.

I've just hit the 80,000km mark and also an ex-rental. I never have problems with the ride being bouncy, just a smooth and joyful ride every time ;)

[woodworm]

Right, thanks...I'll get on to it. Toyota first, then a suspension specialist if that fails! Definately not a joyful ride!

Cheers

[Adamsy]

mm this is a bit of a strange one?? The Sportivo's can be a little be harsh and "jolty" at low speeds but more than acceptable at normal road speeds but that’s the price you pay for composure but yeah nobody has ever had a problem with the luxury spec suspension so i would say this is a individual car issue and not one of the breed?

[-DAvo]

just my 2c, but i had the same problem with my atx when it was stock with the 16inch steelies...

took it into toyota a few times, and they eventually recognised the fault. was found that some of my wheels were not "round", ie they were slightly buckled. this lead to a bounce at speeds under and up to 60km/hr.

id suggest you speak to your local dealership... and if its anything like the battle i went through, be prepared to encounter a lot of "its ment to be like that" from the service advisors...

[rai12480]

i have 07 sportivo ex-rental and the ride can be harsh sometime especially driving in the highway from gold coast to brizzy, bouncy and noisy.....has anyone experience the same in theirs sportivos?.....thailand camrys/aurion has a better ride and more option available especially aftermarkets parts

[DJKOR]

i have 07 sportivo ex-rental and the ride can be harsh sometime especially driving in the highway from gold coast to brizzy, bouncy and noisy.....has anyone experience the same in theirs sportivos?

The M1 is uber bouncy on the concrete sections.

[rai12480]

i have 07 sportivo ex-rental and the ride can be harsh sometime especially driving in the highway from gold coast to brizzy, bouncy and noisy.....has anyone experience the same in theirs sportivos?

The M1 is uber bouncy on the concrete sections.

yeah thats true.......but we have a camry/aurion in thailand and the ride much better and the road over there is not the same league as here

[Ronnyboy]

i have 07 sportivo ex-rental and the ride can be harsh sometime especially driving in the highway from gold coast to brizzy, bouncy and noisy.....has anyone experience the same in theirs sportivos?

The M1 is uber bouncy on the concrete sections.

yeah thats true.......but we have a camry/aurion in thailand and the ride much better and the road over there is not the same league as here

So is the road better in Brisbane or in Thailand?

Does the car only bounce on M1?

[Silver-Aurion]

The Aurion I think has the softest suspension known it man. So maybe the OP is used to suspension that is a bit firmer (less bouncy) and now jumping into an Aurion he finds the suspension too soft because he is used to stiffer suspension?

At 32PSI I found my suspension to be very mushy and bouncy, car would dip like crazy when the road was uneven. Until I pumped tyres up to 38 front & 37 back I found the ride to be much firmer and stiffer, I really really dislike the mushy ride.

But again, that could be me. The work van has very stiff aftermarket suspension and I drive that more than my car, so after jumping into the Aurion the suspension on that feels a bit bouncy to me. OP could be experiencing same thing?

[woodworm]

Hi all. As mentioned, we have owned a Taurus for many years which has soft suspension. It sacrifices cornering a bit but is very comfortable and quiet - just not especially reliable now at nearly 200 k. We were really comparing the Aurion with a Commodore and Legacy (Liberty) we had test driven. It's not so much soft, floaty, cushy, comfy suspension as flustered. Driving along as a passenger (I cant drive at the mo as I got knocked of my bike on the way to work, broken bones etc, hence the need for a second car for when I can drive again) it's fine on smooth seal but you just feel shaken (not stirred) when travelling over anything remotely uneven - it's better on the open road but still not very good. The Commodore just laughed at those bumps and the Taurus is much more composed in a straight line. The Subaru was better than all the others we tried but the new model is almost twice the price of a 2 year-old Aurion, but I'm certainly wondering whether the Aurion was the right decission now. Hope that clarifies things.

Thanks for all the input.

[Ronnyboy]

Arent Suburu and most Ford Tauras cars AWD?

Aurion is FWD......

[woodworm]

Arent Suburu and most Ford Tauras cars AWD?

Aurion is FWD......

Yep, the Subaru is 'all wheel drive'. The Taurus is front wheel drive, V6 3.0 litre so similar in size and so-on to the Aurion. It's hardly a nimble car and ours is getting a bit soggy now but has always been a nice drive if you aren't in a hurry around the bends.

[rai12480]

i have 07 sportivo ex-rental and the ride can be harsh sometime especially driving in the highway from gold coast to brizzy, bouncy and noisy.....has anyone experience the same in theirs sportivos?

The M1 is uber bouncy on the concrete sections.

yeah thats true.......but we have a camry/aurion in thailand and the ride much better and the road over there is not the same league as here

So is the road better in Brisbane or in Thailand?

Does the car only bounce on M1?

brizzy has much better road of course.....i think the michelin in the sportivo is crap and very noisy..i will change when i get my 20s arrive from thailand

[Ronnyboy]

brizzy has much better road of course.....i think the michelin in the sportivo is crap and very noisy..i will change when i get my 20s arrive from thailand

Ok, I dont know much about the Michelin Tyres that come stock with the Aurion. I havent come across anyone complain about those tyres here as yet (Unless i missed it)

[Adamsy]

brizzy has much better road of course.....i think the michelin in the sportivo is crap and very noisy..i will change when i get my 20s arrive from thailand

Ok, I dont know much about the Michelin Tyres that come stock with the Aurion. I havent come across anyone complain about those tyres here as yet (Unless i missed it)

lol this could be because the michelin energy tyres would be oen of the first things people would give the boot too! they last for ever but are noisy and dont really hand;e the Aurion power very well and squirl and carry on in corners where other tyres arent fazed at all lol nasty stuff! after driving Camry Sportivo between out two dealerships on roads i drive on quite often (two major cities NW Tassie) i could not belive how average the tyres were going down off ramps and around large round abouts they were squealing thereheads off and i wasnt even really pushing the car that hard it took me a little while to figure it was coming from the camry, then i laughed and thought to myself glad i p!ssed these things off lol

[Rolla Boy]

I know the bounce you're referring to and yeah, it's normal with every Aurion that I drive at work, much more noticeable at slower speeds through the workshop, seems to bounce around like it's on chopped springs...

But yeah, everyone I drive feels the same, regardless of tyre brand or pressure...

[william777]

I know the bounce you're referring to and yeah, it's normal with every Aurion that I drive at work, much more noticeable at slower speeds through the workshop, seems to bounce around like it's on chopped springs...

But yeah, everyone I drive feels the same, regardless of tyre brand or pressure...

If it is not the tyres, is it because it is front wheel drive?

[Ronnyboy]

lol this could be because the michelin energy tyres would be oen of the first things people would give the boot too! they last for ever but are noisy and dont really hand;e the Aurion power very well and squirl and carry on in corners where other tyres arent fazed at all lol nasty stuff! after driving Camry Sportivo between out two dealerships on roads i drive on quite often (two major cities NW Tassie) i could not belive how average the tyres were going down off ramps and around large round abouts they were squealing thereheads off and i wasnt even really pushing the car that hard it took me a little while to figure it was coming from the camry, then i laughed and thought to myself glad i p!ssed these things off lol

If thats the case then hopefully Toyota will discontinue those wheels soon :)

[woodworm]

I know the bounce you're referring to and yeah, it's normal with every Aurion that I drive at work, much more noticeable at slower speeds through the workshop, seems to bounce around like it's on chopped springs...

But yeah, everyone I drive feels the same, regardless of tyre brand or pressure...

Thanks for the comment, if thats the case then at least ours is probably 'normal' although I can't really see how the car got such good reviews with such an obvious deficiency. We are taking the local service manager for a ride next week so will see if he thinks our bounce is excessive.