Ride quality

[Jackx1]

Just purchased a 2020 Corolla 2.0 Hatchback.

Generally very happy with the car but despite all reviews praising the ride quality I’m a little disappointed. It’s very fidgety at even higher speeds and never settles down. 

Currently I’m running stock falkens on the rear and Dunlop sport max on the front. I’m in two minds, shall I ditch the 17s and go for some 16s or is it worth say changing the tyres for some softer rubber.

Anyone have any experiences of this?

Thanks 

Jack 

[Mojo1010]

Falkens isn't great and mixture of front and back doesn't help. Get new tyres of Goodyear EGP2, Continental or Michelin. They should improve the ride quality, the Goodyear have great reviews. 

[TonyHSD]

Hi, 

I assume you have Design spec Corolla hatchback with 2.0 engine?
Your tyre size is 225/45 17 which is ok and kind of largest size before the car start loosing comfort and efficiency. The 18” w/t combo is full stop to me, with respect to all Corolla owners with 18” wheels, these are simply nice looking but that’s all. The best of all sizes perhaps is the smaller 16” wheels. The cheapest tyres, the most comfortable ride, and still good looking car with excellent handling characteristics and best of all efficiency. The 17” combo I would say its acceptable.
If it’s me I will most likely stick to its original 17” size and buy all 4 new tyres . My choice of tyres will be Goodyear efficient grip performance 2.
These are one of the best touring summer tyres imo. I bought my first set when they were just introduced to the market 02/2020, the were no reviews about them at the time. But I can confirm that Goodyear promise it’s true: great in rain, very comfortable, quiet, excellent handling, very long life., almost unchanged performance during lifetime. I did 65000 miles in 3 summers , the tyres had 4-5 mm tread depth when replaced with new early this year. Here more information about my tyre experience if anyone interested to read. Important to maintain correct tyre pressures to have the most of your car. 
Regards 

 

[Maxi9]

Hi jack, has the same problem and also lots of road noise when my car had factory fitted Falkens, yesterday i went to ATSEuromaster who have an offer on at the moment for £64 off 4 Mitchelin tyres. I bought Primacy 4+ (225x45x17 W 91) what a difference. Very pleased.

[mjjferreira]

I also switched my tires from falken to primacy 4. (I have a high trim TS 2.0 from 2021)

It's basically the same, everyone who notices big improvements its placebo's talking.

The car has very stiff suspension/chassis with poor sound isolation and also tyres with low profile (on some trims)

 

90% of the ride is very good, only on some specific tarmac roads the ride quality goes down the pipe.

Bottom line: it depends heavily on the type of roads your region has.

[Obsidian Estate]

I think mine is like a magic carpet. In fact on some occasions a little too soft.

Though I did own a GT86 on coilovers for over 3 years as my previous car.

[Cyker]

I find with my Yaris, if I'm going slowly the suspension is rock hard and will catapult me over potholes, but if I'm going a bit faster it soaks them up much better!  

Not sure why, I guess the way the shocks are set up?? I've heard similar things about the GR4's suspension too tho'.

 

[Gray86]

I’m still on OEM falkens (just about - sub 3mm tread now), and the ride is pretty good, especially with a few adults in the car. 2.0 TS Design spec with 17in alloys 

[AndrueC]

Mine has never felt any worse than my previous cars although the last three were Honda Jazz and they have a reputation for a harsh ride especially the sports version which I had at one point.

I have noticed it's a bit noisier on chipped roads but I don't have a problem with it.

The handling seems fine - amongst the best I've driven anyway. The only one that was better was (don't laugh) my Nissan Almera but that had a multi-link rear suspension. It gripped corners like you wouldn't believe. The only car I've owned that wore down rear tyres as fast as front tyres. At least in my hands. I've never been scared of bends 🙂

[mjjferreira]

3 hours ago, Cyker said:

I find with my Yaris, if I'm going slowly the suspension is rock hard and will catapult me over potholes, but if I'm going a bit faster it soaks them up much better!  

Not sure why, I guess the way the shocks are set up?? I've heard similar things about the GR4's suspension too tho'.

 

My wife's yaris (MY22) is also rock hard, just like my TS 2.0.

[mjjferreira]

1 hour ago, Gray86 said:

I’m still on OEM falkens (just about - sub 3mm tread now), and the ride is pretty good, especially with a few adults in the car. 2.0 TS Design spec with 17in alloys 

That's because your main roads are not very chipped.

Regarding the handling, the corolla drives like a champ, very good...almost track day ready.

Independent suspension on all 4 wheels is helping that.

[Cyker]

Yeah you really feel the increased chassis stiffness and handling improvements in the new TNGA platform cars. It makes it fun to fling them round corners!  

 

[TonyHSD]

8 hours ago, mjjferreira said:

I also switched my tires from falken to primacy 4. (I have a high trim TS 2.0 from 2021)

It's basically the same, everyone who notices big improvements its placebo's talking.

The car has very stiff suspension/chassis with poor sound isolation and also tyres with low profile (on some trims)

 

90% of the ride is very good, only on some specific tarmac roads the ride quality goes down the pipe.

Bottom line: it depends heavily on the type of roads your region has.

That’s also true 👍

[TonyHSD]

4 hours ago, Cyker said:

I find with my Yaris, if I'm going slowly the suspension is rock hard and will catapult me over potholes, but if I'm going a bit faster it soaks them up much better!  

Not sure why, I guess the way the shocks are set up?? I've heard similar things about the GR4's suspension too tho'.

 

Latest Toyota cars has softer suspension set up than previous generations. Previous models of Yaris , Auris , Prius had higher centre of gravity and to compensate for that the suspension set up , particularly the shocks are made stiffer. Also for some reason when cold those shocks can become hard as rock, no movement at all., add the harder rubber on the stock summer tyres and the car becomes a horse cart. I watch often the newer Toyota and I can see a lots of movements on the wheels while the cat is in motion and in comparison to older models who are really hard over bumps I can see huge difference. Even Yaris cross , such a baby car I noticed how nicely the wheels are moving while cruising on motorway. Corolla should be as good but the wheels and tyres sizes can play a role. Note sure is all Corolla trims has the same shocks, icon and design for example looks soft to me, where gr sport and excel might be stiffer even though they have same or similar springs. 

[Gray86]

3 hours ago, mjjferreira said:

That's because your main roads are not very chipped.

Regarding the handling, the corolla drives like a champ, very good...almost track day ready.

Independent suspension on all 4 wheels is helping that.

I’ve driven down some horrendous roads today and whilst you can feel the potholes, it’s rarely harsh. The corolla has a great blend of handling & comfort. A Skoda Octavia is softer, but much more wallowy in the corners. 
 

[mjjferreira]

4 hours ago, Gray86 said:

I’ve driven down some horrendous roads today and whilst you can feel the potholes, it’s rarely harsh. The corolla has a great blend of handling & comfort. A Skoda Octavia is softer, but much more wallowy in the corners. 
 

More handling than confort...in horrendous roads. 😉

Nevertheless, this corolla is a great car, love my TS.

[forkingabout]

11 hours ago, Cyker said:

Yeah you really feel the increased chassis stiffness and handling improvements in the new TNGA platform cars. It makes it fun to fling them round corners!  

 

Can certainly surprise other road users down a twisty road, a bit more front end feel & TNGA would be perfect - reminds me of owning Peugeot 405s in the past that would just go where you pointed them, apart from TNGA doesn't lift the inside rear wheel 🤣

[Obsidian Estate]

6 hours ago, forkingabout said:

Can certainly surprise other road users down a twisty road, a bit more front end feel & TNGA would be perfect - reminds me of owning Peugeot 405s in the past that would just go where you pointed them, apart from TNGA doesn't lift the inside rear wheel 🤣

I actually say to people the Corolla is like an old Peugeot, wallowy and soft but handles surprisingly well. It reminds me of my 406.

[forkingabout]

16 minutes ago, Obsidian Estate said:

I actually say to people the Corolla is like an old Peugeot, wallowy and soft but handles surprisingly well. It reminds me of my 406.

I had a 406 for 6 months, got rid of it & went back to a last year of production 405.

I had to modify the Philips 6 disc cd changer on the 406 by inserting bubble wrap inside the case to stop it skipping on one certain corner on the way to work - the back end just wasn't as planted as the 405s

[Obsidian Estate]

I won't mention I had 2 407s and a 508 then 😅

[mjjferreira]

My TS is replacing my 15 years old pug 308sw. And before that i had a 206 gti. Peugeot never let me down...however, it was time to give other brands the chance to proove their value. 😛 

[Obsidian Estate]

Mine replaced a brilliant GT86, had it over 3 years and zero problems. Prior to that a 200 GT RCZ. Not quite as reliable...