Improving Your Ride Quality Quick Facts
- Changing a car’s wheel size can affect its ride quality.
- Worn shocks or struts will reduce handling dynamics while delivering poor ride quality.
- Tire size and type play a big part in ride quality.
If you live in an area with particularly rough roads or if you just like the idea of a smoother, more comfortable ride, then you might be looking for ways you can improve your car’s ride quality. Or, perhaps you’re looking to buy a used vehicle. There are a lot of factors that go into how smoothly your car, truck or SUV drives on the road, some of which you have more control over than others.
The biggest factors in what determines your ride quality are tires, wheels and suspension and we’ll take a look at all three.
4 Tips to Improving Ride Quality
1. Avoid Bigger Wheels If You Want a Smoother Ride
As a general rule, bigger wheels deliver a rougher ride. Switching to a smaller wheel and a thicker tire can give you a smoother ride without any major modifications to your car. However, if you go too crazy and change your wheel size too much, it can cause some problems. When changing the car’s original wheels and tires, the general rule of thumb is that you can go up or down by one inch. For example, if your car is currently riding on 17-in wheels, you can reduce the size to 16 inches. If you’re looking for a bigger wheel which can provide better handling, you can go up to an 18-in wheel.
It’s not recommended that you go much more than plus or minus one inch, as the car’s suspension and springs were designed around the original wheel/tire setup. Too radical of a change may lead to handling issues as well as suspension damage. Similarly, many brake calipers and rotors are designed with very little clearance between the components and the wheel. For example, going from an 18-in wheel to a 16- or 15-in wheel probably won’t work, as the wheel won’t fit over the brakes.
RELATED: How Often Should You Rotate Your Tires?
If you’re shopping for a new car, tire size is something to keep in mind. Base models of cars usually have the smallest tire and wheel combo, while top-of-the-line trims often have bigger, nicer-looking wheels. Many times, a sport package option will increase both tire size and the suspension’s stiffness. If you’re not an enthusiast driver, you’ll probably be happier with the stock setup. If the trim you like comes with bigger wheels and you don’t like the ride, you can usually ask the dealer to equip the car with different wheels; they’ll know which wheels will fit and which won’t. Keep in mind that Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) wheels will be far more expensive than most aftermarket wheels.
2. Choose the Right Tires
Not all tires are created equal. Performance tires are usually made with softer compounds that increase traction but also increase road noise and reduce tire life. A touring tire is designed for the way most of us drive our cars, namely on highways and around town at speeds no greater than 75 to 80 miles per hour. Touring tires ride a bit softer, last much longer and can even help improve fuel economy.
There are sub-categories of tires that get more specific from there which can blend together some of the advantages of touring tires and performance tires into one tire that can give you the perks of both. If you live in a snowy climate, we recommend using snow tires in the winter specifically designed for cold weather for greatly improved traction keeping you safe on snowy roads.
Another thing to keep in mind is the quality of the tire. If you’re just getting the cheapest tire you can find, you might be sacrificing some comfort in your ride quality. That doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune to get quality tires, but it’s usually worth it to do some shopping around to find the best value rather than just whatever is cheapest. This is where a dealership or a trustworthy tire shop can help you make the right purchase for your car.
3. Change Your Suspension Parts
Your suspension plays a big role in how your car rides, but changing your suspension is a little more complicated than changing your wheels and tires. A good place to start with suspension is to consider changing out the shocks and/or struts of your car. Shocks and struts are two different types of suspension parts that essentially do the same thing: they help absorb imperfections in the road, preventing your car from being too bouncy over bumps. The difference between them is that a strut is a more structurally integral part of your car than a shock. Whether your car uses shocks or struts or both depends on your car, but a common setup for a front-wheel drive (FWD) car or crossover is struts in front and shocks in back.
Like your tires, these parts wear out over time. If it’s been a while since your struts or shocks have been changed or if you can’t remember the last time you got new ones, a new set can greatly improve your ride quality compared to your old, worn-out ones. If your car feels too bouncy when driving on a rough road, it’s usually a sign that your shocks or struts are worn out. You could go with the OEM shocks or struts from your car’s manufacturer or you could shop around for aftermarket suspension parts designed for touring, which could deliver the smoother ride you’re looking for.
Whatever you do, make sure you’re replacing your shocks or struts in pairs if you’re going to replace them at all. Either replace both of the rears, both of the fronts, or all four. If you replace just one and not the other on the opposite side, you’ll have an uneven ride and uneven wear on the parts.
Another part of your suspension that can impact your ride quality or just make an annoying noise when worn out is the sway bar and some of the parts attached to it. It’s rare that the sway bar itself needs to be replaced, but there are bushings and end links holding it in place that can wear out. The sway bar does what it sounds like; it prevents your car from swaying or rolling too much by providing a brace underneath the car between the wheels. When the parts holding it in place wear out, the sway bar can’t do its job as effectively, causing more body roll.
4. Make Sure Your Car Is the Right Height
This might sound strange, but the height of the car plays a role in ride quality. This is especially true when dealing with cars with air suspension. If you have leaky air springs or a damaged air pump, it can make your car sag too low to the road.
NOTE: If you’ve noticed your car is a different height than usual and there’s less space between the body and the wheels, it’s likely a sign of damaged suspension.
Vehicle height is something you should keep in mind when shopping for a new car as well. Generally, the more flush a car’s body is with the wheels, the stiffer the suspension is going to be so the car doesn’t bottom out when going over bumps. It might make the car look cool, but looking cool comes at the price of a stiffer ride. This is a plus for enthusiasts who want sharp handling, but not so much for drivers prioritizing comfort.
How Do I Make These Upgrades?
Changing wheels and suspension parts are jobs that a lot of you shade-tree mechanics are capable of doing yourself, which is a good way to save some money. But for most drivers, it’s best to go to a professional. If you go to a dealer or a shop that you trust and tell them you’re thinking about making some changes to improve your ride quality, they can point you in the right direction and make recommendations based on your specific car. Now that you’re armed with some information on what can make your ride smoother, you’re better equipped to make the right changes to your car that work for your budget.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated for accuracy since it was originally published.
Had new shocks & a bunch of new bushings installed-plus some front end work done–The only “Improvement” it’s made is I don’t have the clunk of shocks bottoming out–It’s a small economy car & I’d just like a Smoother ride–Any ideals?
replace your rims with the smallest ones your suspension will allow, then get expensive michelin tires with wide sidewalls. then get yourself a good thick pillow for the seat bottom and a thinner one for the seat back. also invest in Dynamat, you have to tear out your car’s interior to place the stuff on the outer door sheet metal, the floorpan and the ceiling, but it will quiet it down in there as well.
Does going down only one inch in wheel diameter make that much of a difference though? I have 19s and it’s brutal.. so will 18 make much difference, or it’s negligible?
Our auto 2011 Cadillac SRX performance series with scratched rims can we switch tires and rims to new 2017 Cadillac rims and tires that are 18 inch ?
My 4×4 is currently running on 255/55r19, but I want to drop to 17 inches, as want to use for more off-road work, any recommendations?
I am purchasing new tires for my Range Rover, it calls for 255xR55 19 as OEM, will these tires fit
275x55Rx19 fit?
maybe, its gonna be 20mm wider tho… that might affect turning, etc…
what is failed to be mentioned, is going from different sizes on the same wheel. i have stock 8″ wide 17″ tall rims. factory is 225/45 tire. i dont need the sportiness of a 45 ratio tire. i prefer a lil comfort, and want a 50 or 55 ratio tire. but nothing i have seen shows me if a 235/50 or 235/55 will fit under my car or in the wheel wells.. since i am not changing the wheel, there is no issue there. just like a softer ride, and longer lasting tires with better wet and snow traction.
you will ended up having incorrect speedo if u do that. it also changes the position of the drive shafts and creates camber. thats why the guy said go down an inch in rim size if u want comfort
Reading the comments, what people do not seem to understand is that when you decrease your rim diameter for comfort, or, increase your rim diameter for performance, is that usually you select a tire size such that the outside diameter of the tire remains the same, so there are no concerns with speedometer calibration.
awesome (and helpful) article!
Im interested in changing my tire size just slightly..from P205/65R16 to a new size of P205/70R16..the big question is will it hurt the car or make it dangerous to drive at any speed..it’s only a change in sidewall
This is a followup question. So going smaller does no harm and no negative effect on safety. How does it impact on the speed to speedometer thing. I mean a smaller diameter needs more to travel the same distance, right. Or is the rim side diameter to road side diameter of the 16″ tire enough to make up for the circumference difference at the road.
just increase the side wall height slightly, and it will offset some or all of any calibration with the speedo. if you had a 55 series tire, go to a 60 or 65 series.. and so on. if your factory was already a tall 70 series tire ( very uncommon in most any new vehicle though ), you cant usually find any 80 series radials anymore, only a bias ply non-radial with that tall a profile..
My 2016 Mustang rides like bucking bronco so I’m looking at Tirerack 17 inch wheels. I’m interested in the old school look and they have them so It should work. What do you say?
I bought a Nissan Navara ST N Sport that came with 18 inch tyres, resulting in an extremely bumpy ride with no load. Any suggestions to improve the ride?
I bought the Nissan Navara NP300 lower spec model with the 16 inch wheel wrapped with 255/70/r16 HT tires.It rides like a charm. I would think the higher model can be downsized too but do check with Nissan.
I have 2012 impala that I had dealer switch from 18 wheels to the ones I had on my 2008.rides like a dream.why should I pay $100 plus for tires that ride like a lumber wagon when I can put goodyear assurance touring on it at a big savings.also had struts changed to sensa trac.handles like a dream.all this done by dealer or I would walk.
I have a 2016 Honda Accord Touring V6 that came standard with 19 inch wheels. The ride isn’t bad, but it’s a bit harsh for my 90 year old mom who often rides in it. She has back and bone problems that cause her a lot of pain with the bumps and jitter that the 19 inch wheels and low profile tires give. Since the standard Honda Accord has 17 inch tires, I’m going to buy a set of aftermarket tires and wheels that size. So far it seems that since the standard Accord has them, they’ll clear the brakes on the Touring model. I’ll save the 19 inch set for a later time. Has anyone else done this swap with the Honda Accord Touring?
I have a one month old 2017 Touring and yes 19″ wheels and rides like a wooden cart. Did you figure out what to do yet? My plan is to either swap the wheels to 17″ or sell the car and take the hit. It is really annoying and I am not even close to 90.
I am having the same problem with a brand new honda accord sport. We drove it on smooth roads during test drive. Got on real roads and bounce all over the place with herniated discs. Going to a 18″ rim with a touring tire. Touring tires have softer sidewalls. I have read do not go down more than one inch otherwise it can affect car handling. Going with Continental purecontact with ecoplus technology. Reviews said quieter ride and handles bumps better. Good luck
Michelin cross climate are recommended as a smoother ride.
Glad of this info. MY CAR HAS 16 INCH WHEELS BUT RIDE IS ROUGH. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT I GET MICHELIN CROSS CLIMATE TIRES AS THEY ARE A SMOOTHER RIDE.
Larger Diameter
Bridgestone Dueler H/P Sport As 225/65R17Tire
ContinentalCrossContact LX 215/70/R16 215 70 16 Tire
39760.78
36305.03
8.7% increase
so
When I drive 55mph I am really going 60mph
thank you that was helpfull
Hi, I’m interesting in changing my tires original (225/60R15) by a new ones (235/75R15). But I’m not sure if this can be dangerous in driving. Any suggestion?
“When changing the car’s original wheels and tires, the general rule of thumb is that you can go up or down by one inch.
It’s not recommended that you go much more than plus or minus one inch, as the car’s suspension and springs were designed around the original wheel/tire setup.”
What complete nonsense. Most cars are designed with a single suspension setup on the whole range (excluding sport models), with only superficial and luxury differences. You can put any size wheel on you like.
My Lexus 460 L AWD Came with a lot of extras and one of them cost $990.00 more to the 19″ 15 spoke wheels and no one knew why someone would want the difference in tire size . Thanks
If you read the article you have your answer. That’s what this article is all about.
I am ordering new f150 should I get 18 inch or 20 inch wheels want a good ride
Get a Cadillac
Good subject! Even new expensive cars and suv’s could drive like a wooden cart! This is so because in the effort of car manufacturers and distributors to sell their cars, they are so focussed on the appearance of the vehicle that they forget other important aspects that would give car owners comfortable ride! Without mentioning brands, there are Euro Suv’s or SAV’s that rides like a wooden cart, with tires so thin that their rides is almost like the chariot of Cleopatra in the Middle Ages! The Japanese and Koreans DOES NOT fit thin tires on road test as certainly the car would not pass the road test. Japanese and Korean SUV’s are fitted with the tallest sidewall available ! So it crawls like a tractor and rides like a Bently! Thin tires are optional as it would destroy the suspension of the vehicle and could break your rims and your back!
Totally agree except for the fact that Cleopatra was not around in the middle ages!
Going with a larger or smaller tire diameter throws off the speedometer and the antilock brakes and stability system calibrations, if your car has them. It’s unwise and unsafe. Increasing tire diameter also can be unsafe because it makes your brakes work harder to stop the car … I could go on.
so what would you recommend to get a smoother ride out of an old car? I have a 99 saturn with only 59k miles…hate to get rid of it just because it doesn’t handle the road as well as it used to because there is nothing really wrong with it. When I drive on the highway is when I notice it the most. I feel like the steering wheel is loose but two mechanics have driven it and said it is fine,but I know my car I think it needs something and thought that would have been bigger tires
Tom, if you go with a smaller wheel and larger tire, you can make the differences balance out. For example, my car comes with a 205/55r16 , 225/45r17, or 235/35r19. All three tires have the same diameter, so the speedometer is still accurate regardless of the tire. There are numerous “tire compare” websites where you can input your current tire and be shown what tires would work with different-sized wheels.
Now, if you keep the current wheel but change the tire size, then yes, that could be problematic.
please go on, I had no Idea what I was doing when I rammed my car destroyed two tire and cracked two rims..ran into a median at high speed. So I pulled into the nearest shop Big o and purchased 4 new rims and tires.- (they were pretty) Now, i am about to throw away or recycle those rims (need some fast cash) and as I am googling. . I find out that it actually matter what size rim and tire my car has.. WHAT! I am just a regular gal.. I like my ol squeaky dented Honda, and someday I will will make her look GOOD. ( Just to be cool) I am not drag racing.. but I love the way she runs, and sometimes add a little vroom to my day. Before I toss the OM rims, I see I have a little research to do.
This is correct – a larger or smaller TIRE diameter throws off the speedo. But a larger or smaller WHEEL with the appropriate tire profile will maintain the same tire diameter – e.g. my car can change from 19″ to 15″ or vice versa and maintain the same overall tire diameter – the car comes with all these options from the factory.
Too bad it’s like that. With todays automotive electronics it would be an easy fix to just have a quick software entry in the menu to compensate anywhere from a 14 inch to 20 inch wheel and tire for the speedometer. I’m surprised that’s not already and option. Or maybe it is.