Veloster Turbo Forum banner

Suspension: Harsh ride can it be fixed?

17K views 28 replies 14 participants last post by  Bigbird 
#1 ·

Hi VTorg,

I've recently got my hands on a 2013 Veloster Turbo and have found the ride to be incredibly harsh over anything but a smooth roads. When I go over potholes, sewers, or train tracks I experience loud bangs even on low speeds. In my opinion I would describe the sensation feels like I'm crashing into the ground itself and I can feel it in my spine. Now I have never driven any other sports car or even sporty-ish cars but I was wondering if this is normal for sports cars in general, normal for the veloster turbo, or my car is in need of some kind of repair. I'm aware of the bump steer (horizontal) that occurs on 60km/h+ turns and have accepted the nervous rear end for what it is. But I'm more concerned about the vertical component of harsh ride.

Is this considered normal for the veloster turbo suspension?

Any recommendations on how to solve this issue? (pierce rear torsion bar, rigid collars, new tires, different springs??)

Info about my car:
My car is entirely stock (stock kumho tires)
Purchased in canada
48,000 km
As per previous owner's service history there was a bolt/nut loose in the sway bar that was fixed

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
See less See more
#8 ·
Thanks for everyone's input, I'm new to the community and appreciate such prompt responses.



I'm at stock height. I'll have to bring it in to have someone look at the struts just to be sure then.

Your welcome.... pretty simple answer... easy to change out as well.... and with the mileage i am sure they are worn out as well....
I'm not too sure if this is sarcasm because I thought something like a strut would be more reliable than breaking down at 48,000km. But then again, I have very limited experience with cars in general since this is my first car purchase.

Get rid of the 18 inch wheels and step down to 17's, obviously replacing the rubber while you are at it. Going from 215/40/18 to 225/45/17 makes a HUGE difference in ride quality. The stock wheels are nearly 27lbs each too which makes it hard for the suspension to control the ride, anything 20lbs or less would be ideal.

Aftermarket springs would only make your car ride worse.
I'll definitely look into this option as well as check the tire pressure as well. Thanks!
 
#5 ·
Lol umm... thanks for the input?

I had a similar problem on my previous car and it was that it needed new struts. Does the banging continue after for a bit as if the suspension is bouncing up and down?

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk
 
#4 ·
Get rid of the 18 inch wheels and step down to 17's, obviously replacing the rubber while you are at it. Going from 215/40/18 to 225/45/17 makes a HUGE difference in ride quality. The stock wheels are nearly 27lbs each too which makes it hard for the suspension to control the ride, anything 20lbs or less would be ideal.

Aftermarket springs would only make your car ride worse.
 
#14 ·
Replacing the current tyres with another ones with softer side walls will smooth the ride, but if you take a pothole you will lose both the tyres and rims. However changing the rim size to 17 and using soft side wall tires will make the ride more smooth and the rims will be more protected against potholes due to the higher tyres profile.
 
#19 ·
Torsion bar will help the wonky rear end. Better tires will smooth out the ride, 17s would do it even more. If ya wanna go crazy you might be able to fit Veloster springs to soften the ride even more. Not sure if it would work but from what I've seen the specs are the only differences between them from what I can tell.
 
#20 ·
Are the NAV springs softer? I thought both cars have the same suspension.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I always wondered if the Kia FORTE 5 and the Elantra GT share suspension geometry or components. I've also wondered if those two cars in particular suffer from the same bumpsteer that the NAVs and VTs do. I have a colleague who had a Rio Forte 5 and when I looked underneath the vehicle, the rear set-up looks to be very similar to the VT's.

Also evidenced via video...(similarities in rear suspension)
 
#22 ·
Spice,

Ther are several things that could cause harshness in the ride. Most have already been mentioned in this thread.

Easiest to most difficult to check:

*Extremely worn stock tires (the ride on my worn stock Kumhos was unbearable)

*Tire pressure should be not much more than recommended, especially on work Kumhos.

*Shocks and struts (just becasue you are riding at stock height, does not mean that the previous owner had it at tock height. This could have casued the shocks/struts to wear out prematurely) If you experience a single harsh "hit" with nor shimmying afterwards, it could just be attributted to the tire/wheel combo. If you get some shimmying or receding vibration it could mean worn shocks. Worn shocks will over-compress and basically hit "bottom" much more easily. Our shocks/struts are already weak from the factory so it doesn't take much to fully compress them, especially with our weak-from the factory springs...

*Bumpstops - If the shocks were used with lowering springs, there is a very slight chance the bumptsops were cut. (Some spring manufacturers recommend cutting bumpstops, and although I have not heard of this with Velosters, it might be worth a check.

Also might be worth noting where the harshest sound/most violent action takes place when you hit that bump. Is it in the front or the rear?

To this day, if I hit a pothole or road indentation at the wrong angle, it feels and sounds like the struts are going to go through my hood.

Things that will fix this:

*Smaller wheels with a higher sidewall tire. 17's with 225/45/17 are a popular choice. Our stock wheels are heavy (as previously mentioned) so going to a lighter wheel will also help. Careful not to go to too large a tire as your speedo will be way off and your tires' sidewall might rub on the fenders. Don't ask how I know, please...:disappointed:

*Larger tires with stock wheels: I am currently riding on 18X8 Klasse wheels with 225/40/18 and what a difference this size tire makes! I still cringe everytime I go over a "Bad Bump" but generally, the tires soak it up well and I cringe for nothing. Perhaps when the tire wears more it will be a different story.

*Upgraded suspension: There are several ways of doing this but the right way is to replace both shocks/struts AND springs. In fact, after using both lowering springs and decent quality coilovers, I would go coilover (as long as its affordable) The great thing about a quality coilover is that the strut/shock damping and the spring rate are already matched for you so there is no guesswork. You just bolt it on, make sure your are at the rideheight of your shoosing, get aligned and voila! You are done!

Another good way of doing this and also recommended is just getting a good set of adjustable shocks (KONI comes to mind for the Veloster) These are also a great purchase if you don't have the $$ for a set of decent coilovers. This allows you to run stock ride height and match the damping of the shocks/struts to the OEM springs (better than Hyundai did). Also, if later on, you have the money and want to ride lower, you can get a set of lowering springs to match the height you want and ajdust the damping to the new lowering springs. This combo tends to ride smoother than cheaper coilovers.

On a side note, there are some things you can do to fight the bumpsteer. Rigid collars for the under-body support, and Pierce motorsports has a couple of products that are highly beneficial to reducing bumpsteer, their torsion bar was mentioned above and I have one. Bracing for the body, both at the strut tower and beneath the engine are also helpful in stiffening the chassis. However, remember that the more stiff the chassis is, the more uncomfortable it will be.

In short, the biggest changes will come from improved suspension and tire choice.
 
#24 ·
Spice,

Ther are several things that could cause harshness in the ride. Most have already been mentioned in this thread.

...

In short, the biggest changes will come from improved suspension and tire choice.
Thanks Greywulf! there are many good points that I had no clue about in particular the part about the struts/shocks and coilovers.

At the moment, you are right about the tires as I'm really eager to get rid of these terrible Kumho's. Oh god, I had a near miss accident just last weekend when the road were wet, I completely lost traction and fish tailed around going 75kph. Fortunately, there were no cars close enough to me at that moment.


Regarding 225/45/17 vs. 225/40/18 I am stuck with a tough decision. The 18's low pro look so much better, but on the other hand softer ride and lower risk of rim damage from pot holes is also nice to have.

Will having a thicker sidewall from the 17's reduce handling and speed performance?
 
#27 ·
myself i went to 225/40/18 continental control contact sport a/s tires on my 2016 veloster r-spec the difference was astounding to say the least. quieter better road manners quieter in in all aspects and conditions . they were a litle pricey but worth every penny . i traded in a 2013 elantra gt for the r-spec i had the same on it . that is my recommendation.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top