Here's why I'm going to trade my 2011 Elantra for something else:

[silvergls]

Originally Posted by OkieRich

Silvergls upgraded to KYB's and claimed the rear wheel hop virtually disappeared. Handling also improved. Don't quote me but the figure of $150-175 for both comes to mind.

Yeah, that's me. Price too me well worth it and I would say highly recommended! I'm interested to see if anyone with the Veloster tried this out as I believe we use the same rear shocks.

Originally Posted by afpj

I also had the KYB rear shock upgrade, and the rear end hop is essentially gone. Rides much better over bumps. The first thing we did at 15k miles is to dump the crappy OEm Hankooks for Yokohamas, which helped the ride to some degree, but the rear shocks completed the improved ride. Now I wish I could do something for road noise....

Make sure you check tire pressure! The ride can seem 10x harsher if tires are at 36 psi vs 32 (the recommended). As you said, this is a LIGHT car, and every little bit helps. Sorry to hear you're not happy...

For these reasons I recommend going the KYB route first rather than playing with springs or stabilizer bars. In the future I also plan to upgrade my tires but the KYB shocks alone does correct lot of the issues discussed here.

[KB in MD]

Originally Posted by har9020

I bought it used in July 2012. It was a rental fleet vehicle and had about 32,000 miles on it.

In the first few months of ownership I've had to have the misaligned headlight assembly replaced, both rear shocks replaced, the entire power steering column replaced (but not before having an insulting experience with a dealer mechanic), the MPG is not as advertised (yes, I know that is being addressed), blah blah blah.

But the worst offender is the suspension system, or apparent lack of one. This car has the bumpiest ride of any car I've ever driven in my life. I've owned and driven a 1974 VW Beetle, two Honda civic models from the 1980's, two Toyota Corollas from the late 90s-early 00's, and a 1998 Ford Contour. I drove all of them on the same streets in the same city over a period of 30+ years. In this Elantra, however, I am now feeling every little bump and road surface imperfection as never before. I imagine this must be what riding in covered wagon must have felt like.

It is horrifically uncomfortable. I've had a dealership check the car out multiple times and they swear there is nothing physically wrong with the car.

When I drive over a sewer main cover (PLENTY of them on the streets I use every day) I get a "skidding" sensation. It's like turbulence in an airplane -- a sudden jolt one way or the other.

The car is lightweight which makes it more difficult to control in high wind or on even slightly icy roads. Not impossible, but far more difficult than any other car I've driven.

There are other little things about it too but they pale in comparison to the overall discomfort of the riding experience.

I fell for the hype. I test-drove one on roads near the dealership (in the smooth-street suburbs) instead of on the city streets I use every darn day.

I've heard that Hyundai is hyper-concerned with their image and looks out for their customers. Well I don't know what they can do to make this driving experience better.

I absolutely resent Hyundai for the way this suspension system is so ineffective at providing a smooth ride on "normal" streets.




Anyone else experience similar frustration?

I feel your pain. I have some of the same issues with my mine and it was a previous rental with 34k on it. Light winds blow this thing all over the place. Add that to to the sticky steering issue and it's an unpleasant driving experience EVERY day

[ric77447]

I have a 2012 Limited, Do any of you have the contact info on the people that put the new KYB shocks on the rear. My question is i get the choppy ride feeling from the rear like a pickup. I want to know which model they got and also what was the exact difference they felt. I would be happy with a little more smooth of a ride.

[crownr0yal]

Originally Posted by ric77447

I have a 2012 Limited, Do any of you have the contact info on the people that put the new KYB shocks on the rear. My question is i get the choppy ride feeling from the rear like a pickup. I want to know which model they got and also what was the exact difference they felt. I would be happy with a little more smooth of a ride.

Check these threads.

Hyundai Forums : Hyundai Forum - Search Results

Search is an awesome function! Best of luck.

[ric77447]

I found the previous posts, how many of you find the choppy ride annoying.

[lovemysantafe]

Originally Posted by ric77447

I found the previous posts, how many of you find the choppy ride annoying.

I wouldn't call the ride choppy per se, but it could handle bumps a bit better. The rear shocks especially seem to run out of give pretty quickly so I too have the KYB shock upgrade in mind.

[ric77447]

True, if I have one passenger in the rear and go over a speed bump the suspension in the rear bottoms out.

[guidget]

Originally Posted by silvergls

Yeah, that's me. Price too me well worth it and I would say highly recommended! I'm interested to see if anyone with the Veloster tried this out as I believe we use the same rear shocks.



For these reasons I recommend going the KYB route first rather than playing with springs or stabilizer bars. In the future I also plan to upgrade my tires but the KYB shocks alone does correct lot of the issues discussed here.

I had KYB AGX on my 1997 Eclipse Spyder and it was def a performance shock even at the soft setting.

I'm looking at Ridetech Black Series shocks, but not sure if I want to go that route.

[ag man]

Very interesting,

I haven't had any issues. My Ltd is a 2012 with 29, 512 miles. Just for fun, anybody have part numbers for the rear KYB shocks?

Jim

[Vadim08]

same here, no issues.