Welcome to :civinfo:

Sorry to hear that you aren't happy with your purchase, hopefully you can resolve your issues.

How many miles has your other gen covered?

What tyres are you running?

Are you confusing older/tired suspension (comfy) to newer suspension (firmer)?

The consensus between 8th and 9th gen is that the ride is better in the latest model.

Comparing to other vehicles brings into play many different factors. For instance, your old Beemer is in a different class compared to your Honda.

 

I have to agree with Yoda, the Civic is in no way a smooth riding car. I don't find this slows me down, don't confuse a hard ride with instability, it's a very safe handling car with good road holding ( even with the the horrid Eco tyres that probably have at least some bearing on the ride) but there is also some truth in that it's a pretty basic suspension built down to a price, but then everything is a compromise, just done better in some cars.

 

Going on your only other post you are not enjoying the car. I'm intrigued as to why you thought the Civic would have better suspension than a BMW

 

Isn't this something you would look for on a test drive?

Most forgiving suspension I've had in recent years was my focus ST.
BMW mini was crashy, Leon fr was hard (was lowered 30mm mind). My fn2 is quite stiff. Our crappy roads don't help.

 

I wouldn't say my 9G is firm at all (16inch wheels). But I have never driven a BMW so can't compare.

 

By the way I can drive over speed bumps in my area at 30MPH and it's fine. Certainly feel them less than I did in my 8G. Speed bumps around here aren't massively wide though so the wheels straddle most of the height.

 

Hi - Thanks for the responses. I don't hate the car or anything - was just a bit taken aback by the hard ride. I had test driven a Civic before, but there were no bumps where I had driven it before - since owning it I've really noticed the bumps - it's a lot harder than the beemer. Not a huge deal but I do think the reviews are very misleading and I would never describe this ride as either comfortable or soft.

I was expecting it to be better than my BMW as my BMW was a 2001 and this Honda has 13 years newer tech. The BMW was also perfect around corners so it was a bit surprising for me to see the difference. Not a huge deal I guess - maybe I've been spoilt by good suspension and need to get used to it?

 

What were the tyre profiles on the beemer? I worked with someone who's partner had a 2003 330i and she said the suspension was very hard. Was the 330d different?

 

The fronts were 225/45R17 and the rears were 245/40R17 from memory - I've not driven a newer model 330i so can't comment on that. I wouldn't say it was the tyres making the ride soft - just felt like decent suspension to me.

 

Thats the reason for a good old test drive so you can test the car on different types of road urban or not. Personally ive not read a review that has ever complemented the civic on its ride quality and when compared to german marks that develop there cars more suited to our roads its a poor comparison, The civic has always had stiff suspension as have all honda's the only thing ive ever picked up on is that the ride quality in the 9g is better that previous versions you should try an 8g its my only grip with the car and where ive spent most money perfecting the handling tbf.
Wardy

 

If you have the 16" Michelin Energy Saver tyres, do not use the 35/33psi as recommended on the door jam label - instantly makes the car harsh. 30-32/30 (front/rear) makes my 2014 1.6 SR a bunch more comfortable - indeed that's how it came from Honda dealer.

 

Hmmm - this is very interesting. I do have 16" Michelin Energy Saver tyres on the Civic. The first thing I did when I got the car was make sure the tyre pressures were correct. When I got it the tyre pressures were 35 Front / 30 Rear. I corrected it as per the label to 35 / 33.

Won't underinflating the tyres to 30-32/30 cause problems with the tyre wear? Do other people here use these lower tyre pressures because of this issue? Are you getting even wear across the tread at this pressure? Wouldn't want to wreck my tyres or anything.

 

Sounds like it

 

Let least your not comparing a the civic suspension to a Citroen C6's suspension.
The C6 suspension is way better.

But the civic handled very well.

Add good tires not the type you would add on a Type R but not the cheap budget or basic ones either.

Like the entry level high performance type.
Very good grip in these cars makes them feel like their on rails.

 

I had 3 Xantias followed by a Lexus IS200. The suspension on those did really soak up the bumps.

The 8G was a suspension culture shock but having got used to that the 9G is a far better and softer/quieter ride.

If only Honda would ditch the rear torsion bar setup (I know we would lose the magic seats) and fit a conventional set then I'd be happier.

Wonder what the 10G rear suspension is going to be?

 

@master yoda
My view on the tyres is that the Michelin Energy Savers are a bit horrible. Had it been fitted with Energy Saver Plus or Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance, I'd have no complaints - and the ride, handling and road noise would certainly be better.

Handling is not really much different between pressures IMHO, still very good, and if they run wear out sooner... Well, for me, great, because I can justify better ones! Luckily the 16" tyre size means even premium tyres are pretty cheap. Am eyeing Michelin CrossClimates too...

Anyway, the lower pressure makes high frequency 'edge' of the bumps fade away - is still a bit jiggly at low speeds in crappy roads, but it's definitely nicer, quieter and less 'crashy' IMHO. I find it interesting other people have got the same from Honda dealers, see: http://www.civinfo.com/forum/9g-general-discussion/109486-tyre-pressure.html#post1865502

Try it, you might like it! Let us know please.

 

lol go onto a 3 series forum and you will find many complaining about bmw has stiff suspension and how lovely mercs are I think your opinion is in the minority, coincidentally an accord is more of a direct match for a 3 series for comparison and they are very comfy. Have you checked tyre pressures

 

My concern with running tyre pressures lower than recommended is that in a critical situation where you need full braking the car is likely to need several more metres to stop... A high price to pay to take the edge off the hard ride in my opinion.

 

:thumbsup: Yes, quite possibly in certain conditions - but then the reverse is also true in other conditions... For example, a 'jiggly' road with hard tyres may end up providing less overall contact than with softer tyres that deform a little more, hugging the surface better. There are so many variables: load ratings, sidewall stiffness, surfaces, temperatures, mosture/ice, wear levels etc there's no way the label inside the door can be perfect for all tyres, let alone different road conditions.

Personally, I'd rather not be running lower pressures than Honda suggests, which is why I'm limiting it to ~2-3 PSI less... If the Energy Savers were a little nicer, I'd not be doing it. I don't feel what I've done is a risk, otherwise I'd not do it. And after all, it came from Hendy Honda Southampton like it

Also, back to the OP - in summer and after your car has done more miles it'll loosen up, due to more malleable rubber and more worn suspension, respectively! Like a pair of old slippers!

 

I know what you mean about the Michelin Energy Saver Eco tyres. They are horrid. Very noisy (worse as they wear I think), aquaplane quite noticeably, and scarily, questionable braking performance in wet, fortunately haven't had much icy weather but dreading them in those conditions, and annoyingly seem to last forever. Despite best efforts, they are showing 4mm tread with 26K from new. Lex autolease will only replace at 2mm, probably another 8-10K miles! I will forfeit 3% fuel economy for tyres comfier, quieter and grippier.

 

I haven't noticed the Michelin Ecos to be that bad. But my Continental TS850 winter tyres are slightly quieter.

 

8th generation was so harsh that honda put on the sticker 30 psi all round in a loaded car to compensate it... Tire brands usually recomend higher pressure because it last longer and have better mpg... first I recomend using the recomended pressure but if we used to go solo you have to put some psi less... other thing, your older bimmer it's a heavier car and that translate in to a more comfortable car. For example if you travel with 5 persons in the car the bumps are softer due to heavier weight overall. Used to get lift on a 320d and with 225 45 17 it was very comfortable... so comfortable that when changed from 16 to 17 alloys didn't notice any difference.

Enviado do meu SM-G355HN através de Tapatalk

 

Going from a 6G civic to an 8G was a real shock for me. I found the 8G ride very harsh. You do get used to it though. The 9G feels like it is floating on air in comparison.

 

Spoke to the Honda Dealer that serviced the car from new - they said not to use lower tyre pressures and to only ever use the tyre pressues on the label and that they're there for a reason.

I did explain to him that the ride was harsh at those pressures and that some people appear to have got cars back from Honda dealers with lower pressures, but he said he's never heard of any Honda dealers using lower pressures and that their dealership would only ever use the tyre pressures on the door label - he was adamant about it.

 

That sounds like a corporation covering themselves.

What if you change tyres? Different tyres often need different pressures due to their sidewall construction, etc.

Dropping a few psi isn't going to hurt tyre wear or greatly affect braking/steering.

 

I used the recommended tyre pressures on the sticker. The front tyres are slightly more worn in the middle of the tread indicating too high pressure. Maybe ok to run a couple of pounds less than stated.