Avensis T27 ride quality

[busmonkeys]

Hello all, new member and Avensis owner here. Even in the first few days of ownership have found this forum very helpful so thank you.

So my first question, do all 2012-on Avensis have a 'jiggly' ride??

I'm finding mine not just firm (you certainly feel the road), but jiggly and fidgety even cruising down a decent section of open road at anything over 40. It just doesn't seem to be able to sit comfortably. It's a long way from what I expected, having driven my brother's 2010 Icon which seems a lot calmer.

It's not wheel balance, the steering wheel is vibration free, and the car doesn't wander. It came with a pair of Nexens on the front which I've just has replaced with Goodyear Efficient Grip, but there's no change. Same Goodyear on the rear dated 2016. Standard 17" wheels and pressures are spot on. Overall the car has done 33k and is in great condition. 

I've seen a few comments about the ride so I'm wondering what the consensus is; is this normal or is there something I can check or do to improve the comfort? At the moment I wouldn't relish the prospect of any road trips which is what it's here to do...

 

[Heidfirst]

I had a 2012 2.2 Tourer before the current car & your description doesn't fit with my recollection. Having said that many estates are set up in the expectation of having some weight in the boot so if you are running it with no weight there & low fuel maybe see if that makes a difference?

How much tread left on the rears? If they are the originals then at 33k they are probably getting towards end of life.

[alan333]

13 hours ago, busmonkeys said:

So my first question, do all 2012-on Avensis have a 'jiggly' ride??

I'm finding mine not just firm (you certainly feel the road), but jiggly and fidgety even cruising down a decent section of open road at anything over 40. It just doesn't seem to be able to sit comfortably. It's a long way from what I expected, having driven my brother's 2010 Icon which seems a lot calmer.

It's not wheel balance, the steering wheel is vibration free, and the car doesn't wander. It came with a pair of Nexens on the front which I've just has replaced with Goodyear Efficient Grip, but there's no change. Same Goodyear on the rear dated 2016. Standard 17" wheels and pressures are spot on. Overall the car has done 33k and is in great condition. 

I've seen a few comments about the ride so I'm wondering what the consensus is; is this normal or is there something I can check or do to improve the comfort? At the moment I wouldn't relish the prospect of any road trips which is what it's here to do...

 

Both the 59 plate TR diesel and 12 plate TR petrol saloons I owned sat great on the road, including at higher motorway speeds.  They could be driven with just light finger pressure on the steering wheel holding them straight - no jiggly feeling whatsoever.  I've had weird steering problems on two Toyotas, a 55 plate Avensis and an 11 plate Auris - the Avensis was completely down to cheap tyres causing the steering wheel to be off centre, and the Auris symptoms changed depending on where I fitted the new cheap tyres (although I never actually got to the root problem on that one and it was traded in).  I'm a bit stumped about what to suggest, but are the tyre pressures at the 'loaded' weight? - if so try them at the 'light' weight.  Also, I notice you have decent tyres but I'd maybe swap them front to back and see if it makes any difference.

[busmonkeys]

Like you both my first thought was the tyres, specifically the Nexens on the front which is why I replaced them. The rears are newer still, lots of tread and have no visible issues but there's always a chance I guess. When I got the car the cold tyre pressures were up in the 40s so that seemed like an easy explanation for the ride but I've been checking them (multiple gauges) and they are bang on now, I shouldn't need to take them any lower.

The steering is fine, very light, centred, wheel doesn't need gripping, the fidgeting comes through the car. It not regular like a rotating fault, its more like driving on a rough road.

So my thoughts are if this isn't normal then it is most likely tyres, the only possibility being my rears.

Or if other cars do feel like this I was suspecting overly firm shocks on the front; the part numbers appear to be different post 2011 which supports that possibility but I need to do more research on that. Or they've been replaced with firmer/wrong ones previously but that seems unlikely given the mileage. 

Tyres would seem to be the place to start but oem shocks are cheaper than decent tyres!

[yossarian247]

I'd be interested in a solution to this too. My wife frequently complains about the ride in her 2012 Avensis tourer. It can be jiggly, and my 2009 Auris is noticeably more comfortable over most surfaces. 

Over the time we've owned it it's had Pirelli Cinturato, Michelin Energy, and now Michelin Crossclimate tyres on without any appreciable change in ride comfort. 

We did have a broken coil spring on the rear picked up on the last MOT which can't have been helping matters, but even with that fixed the ride quality still isn't great.