Is my suspension bad?

[Bernadine]

A few months ago, one of my rear tires burst and I had to get it replaced. Ever since, my car feels more bouncy and there are more vibrations in the seat, especially when going over rougher roads. Based on this description, has my suspension gone bad? If it has, how much would it be to remedy?

[Mark]

A few months ago, one of my rear tires burst and I had to get it replaced. Ever since, my car feels more bouncy and there are more vibrations in the seat, especially when going over rougher roads. Based on this description, has my suspension gone bad? If it has, how much would it be to remedy?

I would be more suspicious of the replacement tire not being balanced correctly. Sounds like a tire out of balance.

[Bernadine]

I thought that that might have been it as well, but assumed it had to be something different since the tire place is supposed to know what they're doing. I'll get it checked out. Thanks!

[Mark]

I thought that that might have been it as well, but assumed it had to be something different since the tire place is supposed to know what they're doing. I'll get it checked out. Thanks!

I bought a cheap front tire for one of my motorcycles once. It still vibrated terribly after being balanced twice. I had to buy a better quality replacement.

I lost a factory Dunlop Enasve tire within the first year of owning my Mirage (sidewall blow out on the rear axle). I replaced both rear tires at the same time so they would match. I used up the other two factory tires, & I kept the third one as an extra (to use in a pinch).

I have 4 different pairs of tires (Dunlop, Nokian, Nexen, & Kumho) for my Mirage. None of the pairs match, but they are balanced & work well used as a pair on the same axle.

[Bernadine]

I ended up getting the balance done and they said that it was as close to spec as it could be, but the ride feels the same. The tire I got has pretty good ratings, so I don't think it could be causing so much of an issue. My car has almost 70,000 miles on it and I read a few people saying that their suspensions went out at around that time as well. I will have it checked at some point to see if that really is the case.

[foama]

I ended up getting the balance done and they said that it was as close to spec as it could be, but the ride feels the same. The tire I got has pretty good ratings, so I don't think it could be causing so much of an issue. My car has almost 70,000 miles on it and I read a few people saying that their suspensions went out at around that time as well. I will have it checked at some point to see if that really is the case.

Maybe they have just higher air pressure than before? With higher air pressure the ride is a bit more bumpy and pothole damage potentially decreased, but the mpg gets better. For that reason, mine has 3.0bar (around 44psi) in all four.

It could be, your rear shocks have been wearing. They wear more on bumpy roads. If that were so, you might like considering the KYB alternative to the OEM shocks. The KYB sort are cheaper and the ride is much better. I replaced mine years ago although they were not worn, because with the KYB shocks, the rear of the car does not bob up and down.

[Basic]

Did you hit a big pothole to cause the tire to burst? If so and if you have the steel rims, I would be willing to bet your rim is bent. The steelies are not very stout. This can cause an "out of balance" feeling.

[Bernadine]

Did you hit a big pothole to cause the tire to burst? If so and if you have the steel rims, I would be willing to bet your rim is bent. The steelies are not very stout. This can cause an "out of balance" feeling.

I didn't hit a pothole when it burst, I just went over a small divot in the road. I guess that was the breaking point for any issues the tire had. Also, my wheels are the alloy version. I don't know how durable they are, but the tire place didn't mention anything about it being bent, which I think they would, even if just to upsell.

[Mark]

I didn't hit a pothole when it burst, I just went over a small divot in the road. I guess that was the breaking point for any issues the tire had. Also, my wheels are the alloy version. I don't know how durable they are, but the tire place didn't mention anything about it being bent, which I think they would, even if just to upsell.

If you tried to destroy a rim on purpose with a hydraulic press, a steel rim will bend. An alloy rim will shatter. It's like comparing aluminum arrows to carbon arrows. Aluminum arrows can be bent. Some say an aluminum arrow is never truly straight after the first shot. A carbon arrow is either straight or broken. A bent carbon arrow doesn't exist. I doubt your alloy wheels are bent.

It sounds like you replaced one tire instead of a pair of tires. If so, the newer tire may not match well with the older tire. When I lost a factory Dunlop tire (sidewall blow out) @ 15,000 miles, I replaced it with two new tires. I still have an original factory Dunlop with 15,000 miles on it in my garage because of that incident.

I alluded to this in an earlier post, but I would question a single tire being added to the mix of the other three tires.

[Bernadine]

If you tried to destroy a rim on purpose with a hydraulic press, a steel rim will bend. An alloy rim will shatter. It's like comparing aluminum arrows to carbon arrows. Aluminum arrows can be bent. Some say an aluminum arrow is never truly straight after the first shot. A carbon arrow is either straight or broken. A bent carbon arrow doesn't exist. I doubt your alloy wheels are bent.

It sounds like you replaced one tire instead of a pair of tires. If so, the newer tire may not match well with the older tire. When I lost a factory Dunlop tire (sidewall blow out) @ 15,000 miles, I replaced it with two new tires. I still have an original factory Dunlop with 15,000 miles on it in my garage because of that incident.

I alluded to this in an earlier post, but I would question a single tire being added to the mix of the other three tires.

I bought a second tire to replace the left rear just in case that was the case, but haven't gotten around to getting it done yet. Would the off-kilter feeling still be noticeable if I had under 5,000 miles on my other tires?