D4 Ride Quality

[Arapiles]

(I did a search but couldn't find any discussion on this.)

We purchased a 2014 D4 about two weeks ago and last weekend was our first full weekend with the car - we really like a lot of aspects of it such as the space and the economy, and including, surprisingly, its turning circle, and we would've done about 150km around Melbourne last weekend on local roads and Citylink.

The roads around the inner North are pretty chopped up at the moment and I noted that whilst the D4 was better damped than our old car, nonetheless you could definitely feel the bumps/potholes. This would be between 40km/h and 60km/h. Would that be normal or should it simply glide across everything and not much be felt? I'm only wondering because I'd read reviews referring to the air suspension being like driving on pillows, or clouds, but perhaps that's simply a little overblown? What's the usual level of feedback you should get through the suspension?

Thanks

[Homestar]

While I think some people's ideas on how these ride are a bit over done, they certainly seem to ride well from my experience (which is mostly being a passenger in friends D4's but I have driven them a few hundred KM as well). On a recent trip to Qld and back in a mates, even on the crappiest roads I thought it was well behaved but you can still feel the bumps - it's not like they disappear or anything, but a very good rife compared to most other vehicles I've been in (maybe with the exception on a late model Range Rover)

What sized tyres you running and what air pressure in them? A low profile - like a 20" or bigger with 40psi in them will certainly make you feel every bump whereas 18's with 30 odd PSI in them would feel much smoother.

Maybe you want to organise a D4 day with some others here and talk to those that own them and know best. :)

But if I could afford one I'd have one by the way, I love them... :D

[ozscott]

Having been with d3s and 4s ìn Cape York they are not a magical beast. Well set up and do a good job but if you want pure ride comfort (and cornering like an umpire' s chair) go a coil sprung Disco 1 or Range Rover Classic. You are also always going to feel bumps with low profile tyres in 19 inch rims and a heavy vehicle.

Cheers

[Chops]

You wont really notice the difference until you go off road as such.
Feeling the road through the tyres is always going to be there, pressure dependent. Around town, mostly you'll notice quietness and a certain smoothness, as the car still travels the same basic suspension movement, but seems to do it less harshly than everything else.
Out on gravel roads and subsequent tracks you'll notice this even more,,, but it'll be more in the fact that after a long drive, you wont feel as worn out or tired when you pull up.
This can also be a bad thing as you'll tend to drive faster than normal on track, thus giving things the opportunity to sneak up on you, which if your not ready for it, could leave you in a world of pain.
You can see exactly how this works when tackling sand dunes,,, D4, take them fast,,, there's no pain, no being thrown around, just smoothness. The same type of track in other cars,, hang on tight.

As Gav said,,, we need a D4 get together in Melbourne here.

[Arapiles]

You wont really notice the difference until you go off road as such.
Feeling the road through the tyres is always going to be there, pressure dependent. Around town, mostly you'll notice quietness and a certain smoothness, as the car still travels the same basic suspension movement, but seems to do it less harshly than everything else.
Out on gravel roads and subsequent tracks you'll notice this even more,,, but it'll be more in the fact that after a long drive, you wont feel as worn out or tired when you pull up.
This can also be a bad thing as you'll tend to drive faster than normal on track, thus giving things the opportunity to sneak up on you, which if your not ready for it, could leave you in a world of pain.
You can see exactly how this works when tackling sand dunes,,, D4, take them fast,,, there's no pain, no being thrown around, just smoothness. The same type of track in other cars,, hang on tight.

As Gav said,,, we need a D4 get together in Melbourne here.

Yes, I'll suspend judgement until I take it up to my parents' farm, as I know what the roads there feel like in most cars ... just a little concerned that we might've been sold something dodgy.

And the car is very quiet, noticeably so.

[Disco-tastic]

I had the same thoughts, as I could feel lots of little imperfections in the road which i may not have noticed in other cars.

Its not until you find a terrible road that you see how much better it is over those roads. You still feel it, but its much better at isolating those big bumps, though you still feel them. (I've still bottomed it out badly on a big pothole!)

My other car is an '12 i30, and while it is composed over bumps, the D3 beats it for isolation over big bumps. From what i hear your D4 should be even better :)

[l00kin4]

What sized tyres you running and what air pressure in them? A low profile - like a 20" or bigger with 40psi in them will certainly make you feel every bump whereas 18's with 30 odd PSI in them would feel much smoother.



Completely agree with Homestar on this - tyre pressures really worth checking and even experimenting with a bit. Makes a huge difference.

David

[Ferret]

... What's the usual level of feedback you should get through the suspension?

The usual level of feed back through the suspension and steering is pretty small. If you believe your getting more feedback than expected then you might want to check the condition of the front lower control arm bushes.

Depending on use, these bushes tend to fail anyway between 40k - 100k. These bushes are a hyro-bush, that is they contain a fluid. If worn / damaged the fluid can leak out. The ride quality suffers and there is certainly more feedback through the steering and suspension if these bushes have failed.

You will find quite a bit of information about them in threads here. It is a fairly common problem as these vehicle age.

[101RRS]

There is this myth that as the car floats on air this implies perfect smoothness - rather like the early 70s and the BMC ads - floats on fluid for the pneumatic suspension.

A load of nonsense - the air spring is exactly that a spring and the car rides exactly the same as a properly set up coil spring - in fact when I first picked up my car I had never driven an air suspended car before and it felt exactly the same as my old coil sprung Discovery 1, but not as soft as my Freelander.

The the advantage of the air springs is their ability to change height not to give perfect ride - I find the air suspension on my RRS provides a firm but comfortable ride that provides feel back to me - it is not the softest smoothest ride around - as indicated my Freelander rode better.

As mentioned tyre pressures (and tyre size) do have a big impact on the ride quality of these vehicles.

There is nothing wrong with your vehicle.

Garry

[Disco-tastic]

The usual level of feed back through the suspension and steering is pretty small. If you believe your getting more feedback than expected then you might want to check the condition of the front lower control arm bushes.

Depending on use, these bushes tend to fail anyway between 40k - 100k. These bushes are a hyro-bush, that is they contain a fluid. If worn / damaged the fluid can leak out. The ride quality suffers and there is certainly more feedback through the steering and suspension if these bushes have failed.

You will find quite a bit of information about them in threads here. It is a fairly common problem as these vehicle age.I found that the steering feedback greatly increased after changing the front lca rear bushes. Before the flogged bush qould accommodate any movement in the wheels. Mine feels a bit twitchy, probably because the front bushes were not replaced - next time the rear bushes need reolacing i will likely replace the whole arm.

[rangieman]

Having been with d3s and 4s ìn Cape York they are not a magical beast. Well set up and do a good job but if you want pure ride comfort (and cornering like an umpire' s chair) go a coil sprung Disco 1 or Range Rover Classic. You are also always going to feel bumps with low profile tyres in 19 inch rims and a heavy vehicle.

Cheers
:Rolling::Rolling:

[scarry]

I find the seats in our D4 to be very hard and eventually uncomfortable,during a long trip.

Maybe its just me,but that is the only real issue.

LT tyres also make for a harsher ride due to the stiffer sidewalls,and pressure makes a massive difference to how the vehicles hits the road bumps.

[Geedublya]

I find the seats in our D4 to be very hard and eventually uncomfortable,during a long trip.

Maybe its just me,but that is the only real issue.

LT tyres also make for a harsher ride due to the stiffer sidewalls,and pressure makes a massive difference to how the vehicles hits the road bumps.

There is a marked difference between the base model and the premium seats with Windsor leather.

[Chops]

I find the seats in our D4 to be very hard and eventually uncomfortable,during a long trip.

Maybe its just me,but that is the only real issue.

LT tyres also make for a harsher ride due to the stiffer sidewalls,and pressure makes a massive difference to how the vehicles hits the road bumps.


I laugh every time I see or am reminded by something like this Paul,,, I wanted the upgraded leather, which comes with heated seats etc etc,, Leeanne said "NO" ($$),,, hahaha,, she hates that part,, not having heated seats [bigrolf]. I think the plusher leather would have just made it perfect.

Me, I have no issues with the normal seats even though I have a crook back. Its a bit different when out on a track, but being moved around sideways which hurts, doesn't happen all that much, so on the bitumen, its fine.

[discorevy]

And for the poverty struck princess's among us there's always sheepskins, as for the small bumps in the road the more rubber between rim and road the better , especially, as others have said, if the pressure is right, for the bigger undulations the independent air suspension works brilliantly compared to any else .

[Arapiles]

Thanks all, it has brand new tyres so I will check the pressures and will also see how it goes when I take it up to the country.

[scarry]

I laugh every time I see or am reminded by something like this Paul,,, I wanted the upgraded leather, which comes with heated seats etc etc,, Leeanne said "NO" ($$),,, hahaha,, she hates that part,, not having heated seats [bigrolf]. I think the plusher leather would have just made it perfect.

Me, I have no issues with the normal seats even though I have a crook back. Its a bit different when out on a track, but being moved around sideways which hurts, doesn't happen all that much, so on the bitumen, its fine.

The plusher leather wouldn't make any difference.Mine has the poverty pack leather.

The cushioning in the seat would be the difference,i presume.

I only notice it after sitting in it on long trips,i would say around 5 hrs or more.The rest of the time it is fine.

Last weekend we were away and did 7hrs there and 7 hrs back,so spent a lot of time in the seats and dodging roos.

It is actually the passengers seat that gives me a sore arse more than the drivers.

[ozscott]

You want to see unforfortable (read painful...) You should have seen my mate fall out of his 75 series land bruiser after hundreds of miles of Cape York corrugated roads. He had to stop often and he was still in serious pain. The guys in the D3, D4 and my D2 (Dobo springs, Bilsteins and tall soft rubber hoops) got out very refreshed after big miles. My HSE seats were awesome on that trip.

Cheers