Ride Comfort Question

Uptcv1 · Oct 22, 2015

Sounds like 15" is what you need.. you can probably get cheaper steelies on tirerack or discount tire direct though sometimes they have some 15" alloys for not too much more..
Also some tires are softer than others.. Contis DWS have softer sidewalls.. My current Coopers 215/50/17 feel kinda harsh as much as my wifes 225/50/17 conti pro contact RUNFLATS! (runflats are rock like harsh..)
You might be able to sell the current 16" setup in the for sale section..

sfhess · Oct 22, 2015

mcbeighcon said:
Yes - 15" wheels should fit just fine on an NA Mk3. They may be harder to source. Wheels from old Tauri and Windstars should fit and may be available in a 15.

Hey, you could get 14s on a Taurus. I had a 91 Taurus L wagon with 14" wheels and tires.

mcbeighcon · Oct 22, 2015

sfhess said:
Hey, you could get 14s on a Taurus. I had a 91 Taurus L wagon with 14" wheels and tires.

I remember having cars with 14" wheels (Mk3 Jetta).... Ahhh the days of cheaper tyres!

felixthecat · Oct 22, 2015

Surprised ppl didn't think about, how a vehicle handles, rides & drives for the area they live at & if it'd work for them, vs trying to make it work.

rebelx · Oct 23, 2015

felixthecat said:
Surprised ppl didn't think about, how a vehicle handles, rides & drives for the area they live at & if it'd work for them, vs trying to make it work.

I have an hour long commute one way--no way the dealership is going to let me go on that drive. You do the best you can with the test drive you can get.

FS00008 · Oct 23, 2015

felixthecat said:
Surprised ppl didn't think about, how a vehicle handles, rides & drives for the area they live at & if it'd work for them, vs trying to make it work.

Dealer wouldn't allow longer than a 20 minute test drive, and I didn't know anyone who had one when I made the purchase.

It was the best price out of the three cars I was considering at the time (Jetta, Focus, and Dart) and felt better than the Dart, at a price that was far more palatable than the Jetta.

I was also time constrained and needed a car pretty much immediately.

mcbeighcon · Oct 23, 2015

Same here. I bought my little Blueberry used and she was the best car for my budget.

felixthecat · Oct 23, 2015

FS00008 said:
Dealer wouldn't allow longer than a 20 minute test drive, and I didn't know anyone who had one when I made the purchase.

It was the best price out of the three cars I was considering at the time (Jetta, Focus, and Dart) and felt better than the Dart, at a price that was far more palatable than the Jetta.

I was also time constrained and needed a car pretty much immediately.

Out of those 3 vehicles the Jetta rides the best, followed by the Dart. The Focus handles the best outside of a GLI.

FS00008 · Oct 23, 2015

felixthecat said:
Out of those 3 vehicles the Jetta rides the best, followed by the Dart. The Focus handles the best outside of a GLI.

I would agree considering my experience over the long term, however considering the number of issues my friends with Darts have had, I'm fine with the sacrifice in ride. Even though I've had my own problems with my Focus. I'm just thankful I chose the Manual instead of the DCT.

felixthecat · Oct 23, 2015

FS00008 said:
I would agree considering my experience over the long term, however considering the number of issues my friends with Darts have had, I'm fine with the sacrifice in ride. Even though I've had my own problems with my Focus. I'm just thankful I chose the Manual instead of the DCT.

For sure on a mtx Focus vs a DCT one.[thumb]

mcbeighcon · Oct 23, 2015

felixthecat said:
For sure on a mtx Focus vs a DCT one.[thumb]

Unfortunately, all I could get was a DCT. It's frustrating and pokey unless I drive it like I stole it. This car handles way better than my old A6 did, though.

I'm a VW fan, though, so I think my next car will be a Golf TDI (or a FiST).

Uptcv1 · Oct 23, 2015

FS00008 said:
Dealer wouldn't allow longer than a 20 minute test drive, and I didn't know anyone who had one when I made the purchase.

It was the best price out of the three cars I was considering at the time (Jetta, Focus, and Dart) and felt better than the Dart, at a price that was far more palatable than the Jetta.

I was also time constrained and needed a car pretty much immediately.

Test drive is an issue. Dealers allow for short couple miles and it is just not sufficient.
I wish everyone responded to them with something like 'did you propose to your wife after a 10 minute date?' when they ask if you want it after driving round the block!
Would be nice if you could actually test the car and have enough time and mileage allowance to go through your actual daily commute.

felixthecat · Oct 23, 2015

Uptcv1 said:
Test drive is an issue. Dealers allow for short couple miles and it is just not sufficient.
I wish everyone responded to them with something like 'did you propose to your wife after a 10 minute date?' when they ask if you want it after driving round the block!
Would be nice if you could actually test the car and have enough time and mileage allowance to go through your actual daily commute.

I suppose it depends on the person & the car your looking at. I've been offered a few over night test drives w/ varies cars. I did drive a couple svtf's down the 405 on a early Saturday morning for awhile & ended up w/ a st instead. Plus don't forget about renting a similar model, yea IK they wouldn't have st's, gti's, ect.

mcbeighcon · Oct 23, 2015

felixthecat said:
I suppose it depends on the person & the car your looking at. I've been offered a few over night test drives w/ varies cars. I did drive a couple svtf's down the 405 on a early Saturday morning for awhile & ended up w/ a st instead. Plus don't forget about renting a similar model, yea IK they wouldn't have st's, gti's, ect.

I'd love to get a performance hatch as a longer-term (a week or two) rental to see how it felt day-to-day. I once got to take a Sentra SE-R Spec V overnight and a Dodge Dart for a weekend, but extended test drives seem to be few and far between.

FS00008 · Oct 23, 2015

felixthecat said:
I suppose it depends on the person & the car your looking at. I've been offered a few over night test drives w/ varies cars. I did drive a couple svtf's down the 405 on a early Saturday morning for awhile & ended up w/ a st instead. Plus don't forget about renting a similar model, yea IK they wouldn't have st's, gti's, ect.

When I bought my work truck they let me drive it home and have it over the weekend. It helps that I left my old truck and the keys at the dealer as collateral, but still.

That dealer didn't have any manual Focii when I made the purchase though or else I would have dealt with them.

Uptcv1 · Oct 23, 2015

The only time I was offered an extended test drive - 1 to 2 hours- was when I has tested a fusion and whe we got back I had said I wasnt sold on it..
The rental is the best approach, problem though its not easy to find same spec car..

FS00008 · Oct 23, 2015

I would have driven a rental Focus if I could have found one, but every rental agency near me had Kias or Hyundais.

felixthecat · Oct 24, 2015

Uptcv1 said:
The only time I was offered an extended test drive - 1 to 2 hours- was when I has tested a fusion and whe we got back I had said I wasnt sold on it..
The rental is the best approach, problem though its not easy to find same spec car..

True^^^ But for the most part they'll drive similar & give you a idea, like a testing a v/6 Charger & your looking for a scat pack version.

Uptcv1 · Oct 24, 2015

Actually test drove the v6 charger, that's a big car!
Dont think I would be able to say no to a scat pack though, that hp!

Pennut · Oct 25, 2015

Uptcv1 said:
What tires on currently? Size, brand?

Tires can make a difference. From my experience, tires with a higher tread life seem to have a harsher ride. For example, generally, a tire with a 80,000 tread life is stiffer than a tire with a 55,000 mile tread life. Harder tire compound I'm guessing.

I bought my Focus with the 16" alloys. I wanted the 17" (black pack) wheels but was concerned the ride would be a bit more harsh because they are the same width (215). Well after a couple years or more, I bought the 17's from a FF member. The 17"s stiffened the ride up a little bit, but not as much as I thought. The 17's had the same OEM continentals as the 16's did.

But then I put some General Altimax RT43's on my 17's and the ride is as good as the 16's (Conti's) were, plus better traction and a little better handling.

It isn't so much the wheelbase of the Focus that gives it the stiff ride. My 2011 Fiesta was smaller but had a softer ride. It's just designed that way to have a stiffer ride. It's a German thing I guess as the Focus was designed in Koln Germany basically. The older Mazda 3's were the same. Can't comment on the new Mazda 3's as I haven't driven one yet.

Ride Comfort Question

Uptcv1

sfhess

mcbeighcon

felixthecat

rebelx

FS00008

mcbeighcon

felixthecat

FS00008

felixthecat

mcbeighcon

Uptcv1

felixthecat

mcbeighcon

FS00008

Uptcv1

FS00008

felixthecat

Uptcv1

Pennut

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