Jittery, choppy ride on a '15. Tires, springs or??

W

Whtdog

Member
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'15 CX-5, touring FWD
Hi all, My first post here after a year of reading. Bought a '15 FWD touring and I'm bothered by a jittery ride. The 14 and 14.5s I tried were much smoother. I've tried different air pressures(40-33psi, so far), but harshness remains. If roads are perfectly flat/new, things aren't bad, but just about any other kind of roadway and myself and passengers are jostled about quite a bit. I drive mostly highways, both concrete and blacktop. I intend to replace the original 17" Yokos with something better as these are horrid in the rain and I suspect the sidewall may be too soft. Anything I can do to get a more composed and planted ride? Car does great on exits and turns and I love it otherwise.

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
 
I own a 13, yes ride is stiff and jittery(it's a characteristic of the vehicle) as per mazda(dealer), when I had my winter tire on 17" dunlop sj6, smoother than my yokohama.
 
If I remember well, somewhere I have read that Mazda changed something in the suspension for '15, like bushing or something.
 
My CX5 touring FWD is excellent in the heavy rains we have in Florida. The 17 inch Yokohamas are excellent when running 35 psig cold pressure.
 
Thanks for all the input. Dealer drove it and said "they all handle like that". I do remember the 14 and 14.5 being "tighter" as the handling is what I was paying most attention to. I'm going to have some better tires put on soon and keep my fingers crossed.
 
I never drove a 13 to compare to, but my early '15 is very smooth, almost too smooth for a CUV with 19's.
 
Skorpio said:
I never drove a 13 to compare to, but my early '15 is very smooth, almost too smooth for a CUV with 19's.
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I can see why you say that because you are in SC where the roads are devoid of potholes and bumps. How do I know that? I'm vacationing right now in Cherry Grove (North Myrtle Beach) and they are very smooth roads but also very course. I just took my brothers Mazda 6 for a spin and with the 19" rims it's a firm noisy and jittery ride compared to my 5 and similar (maybe slightly firmer) to my CX5.
 
V8toilet said:
I can see why you say that because you are in SC where the roads are devoid of potholes and bumps. How do I know that? I'm vacationing right now in Cherry Grove (North Myrtle Beach) and they are very smooth roads but also very course. I just took my brothers Mazda 6 for a spin and with the 19" rims it's a firm noisy and jittery ride compared to my 5 and similar (maybe slightly firmer) to my CX5.
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Well, I hope you have a great vacation. SC does have smoother roads than many other spots in the US, I imagine. My assessment is also different than some others due to me being used to sport cars and my last car, a Honda Civic, and all of them seemed rougher, to me, in comparison. Of course, they all had less suspension travel, and more miles on them than my CX-5 too.
 
Skorpio brings up a good point in that depending on what you are used too or came from its really just a subjective judgement. I know if I came from driving a Buick sedan for example and bought a CX5 that I might think the CX5 ride is too firm and jittery or If I was driving a pickup that I might think the CX5 is just right.
 
V8toilet said:
Skorpio brings up a good point in that depending on what you are used too or came from its really just a subjective judgement. I know if I came from driving a Buick sedan for example and bought a CX5 that I might think the CX5 ride is too firm and jittery or If I was driving a pickup that I might think the CX5 is just right.
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I would agree with this. I came from driving a 2011 BMW 135i and it's night and day difference in the ride. I did expect that though before I bought my 2015. Driving my mom's 2014 a few times over the past 6 months, I had an idea of what to expect on the 2015 so I wasn't to surprised when I bought it. For the most part I do feel the 2015 is pretty responsive for a compact suv. I do feel there is quite a bit of road noise and I'm surprised that there is no sound damper material in the rear trunk area. I can just imagine what it would be like in the winter if I still lived in MN/ND. I'm sure there would be frost on the inside of the vehicle at times but I could be wrong.
 
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Reviving an old thread because what OP wrote is completely applicable to me.

A few things... I have the 16.5 AWD and the 17 inch wheels. I feel like the bumpy, harsh ride has worsened at 4K miles. I'm coming from a Mini Cooper and VW GTI and the cx-5 has by far the worst ride.
 
jlx21 said:
Reviving an old thread because what OP wrote is completely applicable to me.

A few things... I have the 16.5 AWD and the 17 inch wheels. I feel like the bumpy, harsh ride has worsened at 4K miles. I'm coming from a Mini Cooper and VW GTI and the cx-5 has by far the worst ride.
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What is your current tire pressure you are running in your tires? That is the easiest place to start...
 
mazdadude said:
What is your current tire pressure you are running in your tires? That is the easiest place to start...
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originally set to 34 psi for each tire. Then changed to 32 psi for all, and recently 36 psi all. Same thing for all.
 
Just curious, have you ever resolved the choppy, jittery ride issue? Just asking because I think I have the same issue on my brand new CX-5.
 
I changed out the oem yoko geolandar g91 17" tires at 3000 miles because of ride quality.Could not find a comfortable pressure for the tires.At times found the ride jarring over bumps and generally not too comfortable.They weren't wearing well either.Replaced with General Altimax RT43 H (same size).Run comfortably at 37-38 psi .Gave up a little handling but a major improvement in comfort.Overall for the streets and roads I frequent,didn't find them much quieter than the oem.Still a pretty good tire but may try Continentals next time or Pirellis.But that's a couple years away.Also improving things was the suspension loosens up a little over time(seat breaks in too) for further comfort.Plus the human body adapts a bit too.Not sorry at all with my decision.Better than enduring a gnawing dislike in the back of my mind and questioning my decision to buy the cx-5.Good luck.
 
spirou said:
Just curious, have you ever resolved the choppy, jittery ride issue? Just asking because I think I have the same issue on my brand new CX-5.
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It took mine 1000 miles to loosen up, and putting 18" wheels/tires on, in place of the 19's also made a nice difference.
 
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