Hi,
I need some wise advice. From 2 years I am owner of CR-V 2009 petrol automatic, lowest ES trim.
I have already done a lot to bring the car to good condition. The only thing which I currently can’t stand is very stiff suspension (path holes I the road are so harsh) which impact overall driving experience.
If I could improve the car to be more tolerant for all path holes etc. I would be happy with the ownership.
The car has still Honda shocks and springs, which is now over 15 years, one on the rear spring just snapped.
The local mechanic said, that apart from replacing rear springs, it is difficult to say if replacing also shocks as well as front shocks and springs change anything, as there is no visible indication that shocks leaks or springs are broken.
I have believed that if I replace shocks and springs in the front and rear, I could bring the driving comfort and close to the time, when it was a much younger, which would make me feel satisfied with the car overall.
The cost for replacing all 4 shocks and springs would be around £500. Is there a sense to invest another £££ for over 15 years old car, or I should just change only the rear springs as this are essentiall, and leave the rest?
Spoke with the wife about it, and she is not really happy to go with it, as she think in such old car there would be something another to fix sooner or later and the car could finish in sc*** yard due to overall corrosion issue or if something major brake, so she think putting £500 for new suspension is not wise or worthy.
I can order all the parts for front and rear, and then disassemble every suspension column and try to manually check if shocks and springs are still working properly, if yes, the put it back together with old springs and shocks, but if they are corroded or to stiff, then just replace with the new ones.
What would you advise?
Thank you
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Don't waste your money. How would you know what rate springs and shock settings you require to achieve the level of comfort you wish for?
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I don’t know that even mechanics don’t know. I just think this 15 years old suspension could be exhausted. I would fit shocks and springs which are not any kind of tunes, but the one to Honda OE specs like for example Bilstein B4 shocks /B3 springs or Sahs which are both top shelf parts. You say don’t waste your money, but I don’t think the car was so stiff when was new if CR-V means comfort ride vehicle.
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I just think this 15 years old suspension could be exhausted.
If anything , the springs would be weaker (softer) and the shocks also. Have you checked your tyre pressures?
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. What would you advise?
I would not waste money on mechanical work . A suitably sized foam rubber cushion would probably alleviate some of the discomfort.
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I have dedicated size tyres 225/65/17, which has been installed 2 years ago (Good Year Vector 4 Gen 3 All season). Tyre pressure is exactly as on the Honda recommends (checked on frame, I set that to lowest recommended 2.1-2.2 bar / 32 psi). I could lowered this to 30 psi, which willl be slightly under inflated, but this would have negative impact on steering, tyres wears and fuel.
This tyres have great opinions, and I could feel the difference in general comfort straight away, but there is still a huge noise and vibration transferred to the cabin, if front wheels are drive thru patchy holes or very rough roads, on the rear is better with that. The suspension has been checked by mechanic and there is no any looses in bushings etc, hence he could not help with anything else.
How do you know the shocks or springs are cushioning properly, it’s not here any service station which could do computerized suspension efficiency in %.l know that kind of detail check can be done in lots of other countries, but didn’t find any here ?
If you think the shocks and springs are softer than new, how the hell car feel every little hole and bump in the road. Why this not happen to new or newer cars, I don’t speak about any kind of sport cars or these with low profile tyres. The only solution I see would be comprehensive shocks checks, and replace if they are flatted, or install softer winter tyres, but they probably don’t last long as an all year long tyres ?
What rubber cushion do you mean? That’s on the car seat under the a***?
Edited by macbook on 26/09/2024 at 12:47
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I set that to lowest recommended 2.1-2.2 bar / 32 psi). I could lowered this to 30 psi, which willl be slightly under inflated, but this would have negative impact on steering, tyres wears and fuel.
I think if you felt there was a detectable difference between driving with tyres at 32 or 30psi, you would be imagining it. There must be loads of people driving who don't pump their tyres until they have to ? You might be ale to point to a calculated mpg figure suggesting a difference, but that would be an accident too.
Tho you might be able to persuade yourself that the car gave a more comfortable ride !
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I would just replace the broken spring with an axle pair of standard springs such as bilstein or Sachs. You could otherwise spend a fortune and achieve very little. You could check the shocks when you do this for any play or obvious wear. You might have more luck playing around with wheels and higher aspect ratio tyres if available. Also a couple of heavy slabs in the boot might help the ride.
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You don't say how many miles it has done.
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I've just read your OP and realise you've only had it a couple of years. Could the spring/shocks have been replaced by a previous owner? If so, be very careful about replacing a broken spring, it may not match the one on the other side.
Is the ride height correct?
Are the tyres the correct size for the model?
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Car current mileage -116k.
Shocks are genuine brand Nissin Showa with sticker on it oe part numeber. Doubt they were ever changed as visually looks old.
Will replace both rear springs not just the broken one.
Tyres are correct size with correct pressure and alignments.
I have read a lot about suspension components and the wear and tear of the front joint bolts and lower arm bushings can have negative impact on ride comfort as they are also responsible for softening vibrations on bad roads.
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just replace the rear pair what about the drop links and control arms
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