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Toyota Matrix Handling & Suspension Questions

13 messages,  Last post on Aug 12, 2009 at 12:49 PM

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#11 of 13 Re: 06 XR Handling [jcnader] by jonlemke1 Jan 06, 2009 (12:28 pm)
Replying to: jcnader (Apr 03, 2006 7:35 am) I am also a 2005 matrix owner with the same complaint. I should have test drove the car more. It is really bad when driving highways with significant road ruts. My opinion is that this condition is a combination of the wide low profile very hard tires, short stiff travel in the suspension, and steering components that were designed to promote tight handling. The wide low profile tires do not have any ability to flex side to side to absorb road anomalies like traditional higher profile tires. Lacking this they tend to ride along one side of the tire when the road is not pristine. This uneven pressure gets transmitted via the steering components, and is felt as a pull in the steering wheel. In road ruts this is really bad as the front and back tires can start an oscillation of riding up and down the ruts which puts the vehicle in an uncomfortable sideways condition requiring plenty of steering input. This whole problem began when someone in design thought the low profile wide tires looked cool. They do offer some high performance corning capability, larger break components, and possibly a bit better gas mileage, but that costs you in the ride. Not to mention they cost nearly twice as much as traditional tires. I also have a 22 year old Camry with conventional tires that rides much better on the same highways.
#12 of 13 Poor handling in snow by Sportsmama457 Jan 12, 2009 (4:45 pm)
I have a 2004 Matrix that I bought used 3 years ago. This winter, when driving on unplowed or poorly plowed snowy roads, the back end of the car feels like it is weaving back and forth. This can be felt by everyone in the car, not just the driver. I keep expecting the car to do a 360. I just replaced the rear tires. Any ideas?
#13 of 13 Tires and Bumpy Ride by rfin16 Aug 12, 2009 (12:49 pm)
Has anyone had experience in switching from the low profile to more conventional tires? Does this decrease the roughness or stiffness of the ride? We have just acquired a used 2004 and find that with the low profile tires it is much more sensitive to rough roads (common in our area) compared to our 1998 tercel with small conventional tires.   Thanks for letting me know.

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