Thread: high speed or low re shock issues?

I have never had the dreaded knocking noises from my 2008 Azera's suspension. But at 20,000 miles what I'm noticing (that I don't think was there before) is harshness over frost heaves and the like at about 70 mph on the freeway. I drove a new Legacy GT to Dallas (about 20 miles away) on the turnpike to pick up my Azera from there. The Legacy wasn't smooth as silk, nor totally silent on the way over -- nor would I expect it to be since it's sprung somewhat like the STi and uses low profile tires. But what I noticed on the way back was that there were spots in the turnpike where the Azera would sort of snap my head back, or sharply from side to side. In the Legacy, these bumps and undulations had been noticeable, but not nearly as sharp and sudden an impact was being transmitted to the driver (over a second or so of time). The Legacy just sort of gobbled these up without any real fuss, where it was sometimes noticeably uncomfortable in the Azera. (The car rides great at low speed on smooth pavement and most not so smooth pavement). Has anyone else noticed this behavior as an issue at highway speeds? I don't know whether to attribute this to wear and fatigue in the shock absorbers, or whether it's always been there as a problem with the shock valving, springing, or the like and I'm only now noticing it by comparison with the Legacy.

Cheers.

I don't encounter frost heaves here in SW Florida, but I wonder if your tire pressures are maybe too high? I generally keep mine between 34 and 32 psi...

Thanks for the idea, but no -- I've even tried lowering them until the warning light comes on at about 24 psi. Same problem persists.

Originally Posted by rayeve

I have never had the dreaded knocking noises from my 2008 Azera's suspension. But at 20,000 miles what I'm noticing (that I don't think was there before) is harshness over frost heaves and the like at about 70 mph on the freeway. I drove a new Legacy GT to Dallas (about 20 miles away) on the turnpike to pick up my Azera from there. The Legacy wasn't smooth as silk, nor totally silent on the way over -- nor would I expect it to be since it's sprung somewhat like the STi and uses low profile tires. But what I noticed on the way back was that there were spots in the turnpike where the Azera would sort of snap my head back, or sharply from side to side. In the Legacy, these bumps and undulations had been noticeable, but not nearly as sharp and sudden an impact was being transmitted to the driver (over a second or so of time). The Legacy just sort of gobbled these up without any real fuss, where it was sometimes noticeably uncomfortable in the Azera. (The car rides great at low speed on smooth pavement and most not so smooth pavement). Has anyone else noticed this behavior as an issue at highway speeds? I don't know whether to attribute this to wear and fatigue in the shock absorbers, or whether it's always been there as a problem with the shock valving, springing, or the like and I'm only now noticing it by comparison with the Legacy.

Cheers.

Many people complain of this. I just got rid of my 07 Azera and this was the main reason. Where you say that it was sometimes uncomfortable, mine was always uncomfortable. Follow this link to Read Christian Wardlaw’s Driving Impressions. His are at the bottom of the page. Also, there are huge discussionshere about the Azera's suspension problems.

Yep, the ride on certain types of surfaces is never going to be anything to write home about. However, just for the record, I followed the advise of another user on one of the forums here and put Bridgestone Serenity tires on the '08. It has made a huge difference in how quite the car is on grained or grooved surfaces. I don't have to raise my voice now to talk to my wife on macadam surfaces and the like. It even improved the ride to a degree. Certain pavement problems (such as I describe at the beginning of this tread) used to snap my head back hard enough to actually be uncomfortable for a second. With the Serenity tires on the car, the impact is still pronounced, but much more muted. The tires also seem to track better in off-ramps and curves. So I conclude the OEM Michelins are probably just the ticket for those who do most of their driving at about 145 mph (the Michelins are(!)rated "V"). But for me, the Bridgestones have convinced me to keep the car for a couple more years -- a choice I probably would not have made before the tire switch.

Originally Posted by campoly

Cheers.
Many people complain of this. I just got rid of my 07 Azera and this was the main reason. Where you say that it was sometimes uncomfortable, mine was always uncomfortable. Follow this link to Read Christian Wardlaw’s Driving Impressions. His are at the bottom of the page. Also, there are huge discussionshere about the Azera's suspension problems.

You traitor Mike! Just kidding of course. Congrats on your choice of a G35.

I would get rid of our Azera in a nano-second IF I were able.

Noticed last night that there are several '06s listed on Autotrader for less than $10K.
Of course these are 06s with beaucoup mileage, but still these low asking prices
reflect the really low value people are placing on Azeras! Can you believe?

Another thing, why are there so many used Azeras?
It does not seem to matter what year one picks, there are tons of Azeras available.
Could it be because many individuals are not happy with their Azeras for the same reasons?
I cannot find any other reason, at least with our 2007 model.

We re-subscribed to XM radio recently. My wife and I are listening to good music
and 'hanging on' for dear life and hoping that our Azera does not go into orbit!

Hyundai does indeed have a problem with the Azera suspension that they must acknowledge and correct.
Seems to me that they should be able to fix it.