Bumpy Ride - Stiff Suspension

[mbepic]

Has anyone considered or figured out how to soften that jumpy/bumpy Bolt ride? I drove our Bolt after a month or two break (my family drives it mostly) and I just can't believe how awful it is. It's so bad I actually feel unsafe in this vehicle.

I am specifically referring to 580 east or west through south Oakland and San Leandro. It is a bad piece of freeway. I keep the tires at 38 psi as I do with all my 44 psi max tires on all vehicles, so I know it may contribute somewhat to the poor performance. But the real story here is that the drum-tight suspension does nothing to contribute anything positive to this ride except shaking over uneven surface features. I almost feel like I'm in a boat in choppy waters.

I have fixed my seats. If I can't fix this rabbit suspension, I will ditch this Bolt experiment in 32 months and never look back. I never liked American cars to begin with, they leave much to be desired as compared to the Japanese, so, this just confirms my fahrvergnügen gestalt of them.

Any solid ideas anyone?

If I were you, I would petition your municpality, county or state government for road improvements; there is nothing wrong with the BOLT suspension.

 

[oilerlord]

the real story here is that the drum-tight suspension does nothing to contribute anything positive to this ride except shaking over uneven surface features. I almost feel like I'm in a boat in choppy waters.

I have fixed my seats. If I can't fix this rabbit suspension, I will ditch this Bolt experiment in 32 months and never look back. I never liked American cars to begin with, they leave much to be desired as compared to the Japanese, so, this just confirms my fahrvergnügen gestalt of them.

Other than dropping a few PSI, it looks like you're stuck with it. Not sure that any OEM is going to offer replacement springs/shocks on a brand new model, and even if you found someone to swap them out, altering the suspension could cause it's own set of issues.

As I recall, you pretty much hated a lot of things about the Bolt going in...and were clearly underwhelmed with it - but leased it anyway. It isn't that I don't sympathize, it's just that I don't understand why anyone would buy or lease a $40,000 car that they weren't at all excited about the prospect of driving.

I guess it's like buying an expired quart of milk, knowing it's gone bad, but thinking it might taste better a week later. Just saying.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I am all for tight and nimble handling. I can't stand wallow and body lean. Driving over rough pavement shouldn't get the car out of sorts. The Leaf may be more to some people's liking, and it is fine up to a point, but it is too loose for my taste.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I am all for tight and nimble handling. I can't stand wallow and body lean. Driving over rough pavement shouldn't get the car out of sorts. The Leaf may be more to some people's liking, and it is fine up to a point, but it is too loose for my taste.

I'm with you on the Leaf being too loose. I only have one because that's all that was available in NY 5 years ago.

You must love the eGolf in comparison. If I were in the market for a ~100-mile BEV today, that's probably what I'd buy.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I am all for tight and nimble handling. I can't stand wallow and body lean. Driving over rough pavement shouldn't get the car out of sorts. The Leaf may be more to some people's liking, and it is fine up to a point, but it is too loose for my taste.

I'm with you on the Leaf being too loose. I only have one because that's all that was available in NY 5 years ago.

You must love the eGolf in comparison. If I were in the market for a ~100-mile BEV today, that's probably what I'd buy.

Yes, we have a Leaf and an e-Golf. The e-Golf is the best driving EV for several reasons, and the 125 mile version is tempting. I think it lacks a heated back seat, and a heated steering wheel. And while my family fits well, the Bolt EV fits us much better, and is much easier to get in and out of.

 

[SparkE]

{{ The "Global Warming" topic was split off, and can be found here : http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6603 }}

 

[Anonymous]

I'm posting as an actual BOLT EV owner and agree with you completely. I hope someone from GM will read this. First let me state emphatically that the Powertrain in the BOLT EV is one of the best I've experienced in 40 years of car ownership. Now let me add that the BOLT EV's suspension is, and by a country mile, the worst suspension I've experienced.

Secondary ride is fine, actually quite good.

It's the Primary ride that is atrocious. It''s as if the car has no shock absorbers. It is completely under damped in both compression and rebound. Dangerously so I believe. I did an extensive test drive prior to Lease and the car was fine around the car dealership, Martin Chevrolet in Torrance, California (excellent staff there I might add). However, on the 'poorer' roads around Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach, the BOLT EV is completely under damped to the point the driver has to be careful.

I am aware that short wheelbase cars are always going to be 'challenged for ride quality' but as Chris Harris would say, " It's as if the front and rear axles don't even know that the other exists."

Chevrolet needs to manufacture re-valved shock absorbers now and retrofit the BOLT EV ASAP.

 

[Allelectric]

Let me first say that I'm a Brit and so am very used to and love stiffer riding cars. As such I don't find the Bolt overly harsh, I actually quite like the handling. It reminds me of a couple of "hot hatchback" cars, as they called them, that I owned in my younger days back in the UK. Unfortunately the combination of a stiffer ride and the too narrow, completely under padded seat is an issue but for me it is purely the seat that creates that problem.

 

[iletric]

It's as if the car had no shock absorbers. It is completely under damped in both compression and rebound. Dangerously so I believe ... to the point the driver has to be careful ... It's as if the front and rear axles don't even know that the other exists. Chevrolet needs to manufacture re-valved shock absorbers now and retrofit the BOLT EV ASAP.

Very well put. Thank you for the informative comment. Careful is the word. My kid considers Bolt unsafe. Plus it feels like flying in a permanent turbulence.

 

[oilerlord]

Let me first say that I'm a Brit and so am very used to and love stiffer riding cars. As such I don't find the Bolt overly harsh, I actually quite like the handling. It reminds me of a couple of "hot hatchback" cars, as they called them, that I owned in my younger days back in the UK. Unfortunately the combination of a stiffer ride and the too narrow, completely under padded seat is an issue but for me it is purely the seat that creates that problem.

The current crop of CUV somethings usually ride / drive like Boaty McBoatface. My EV is no exception. It's kind of sad that the new normal for handling seems to be based on a 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood.

It doesn't have to be that way, but I guess it's because that's what North Americans (mostly) want their cars to be. After helping a friend research, and ride-along test drives of all of the current Honda CR-V clones, the only notable option I found missing was a fog horn.

 

[PackardV8]

I've been a car guy forever, owned dozens of import and domestic sedans, SUVs, trucks, and sports cars, so have a pretty broad frame of reference and I mostly find few faults with the Bolt dynamic behavior.

However, reading all the above posts, if taken as written, it's like we've all been sold completely different cars. In actual fact, we've all got exactly the same cars but different ***** and different preferences and some fall in and out of love quickly and then find small justifications for the change.

Also, facts don't alter perception - a friend got completely dissatisfied with his spouse and acrimoniously divorced her, costing him serious bucks. Another friend had always sorta liked many things about that gal; when she was available, he married her and thinks he got the greatest wife ever.

JMHO:

1. The Bolt handling is actually pretty good. The low center of gravity makes it pretty stable. I drive it hard through high speed corners (back in the day, "Hard enough to scrape the chrome off the door handles.") and don't find anything dangerous or even mildly unsettling.

2. The Bolt ride over rough pavement is better than many SUVs, trucks and smaller cars I've owned and driven over the same pavement. As previously suggested, each suspension/tire combination has a different frequency. An example, several years back a friend owned a Toyota Forerunner and I was driving a Saab 9000 following him over a washboard unpaved road. Coming back, his wife and my wife took the Saab and he and I in the Toyota; which on that washboard was like riding a jackhammer. After experiencing the same stretch of road in the Saab, his wife said, "I won't ride in that Toyota ever again. I didn't realize just how bad it was until I rode in something better." However, in normal driving on smooth roads, the Toyota was marginally acceptable. It just took a really bad road to show its limitations.

3. The Bolt does have slightly strange behavior over speed bumps. When my wife was test driving it with three of us in the car and going slowly, it bottomed over a speed bump in the dealership driveway.

4. I did find the torque steer a bit unsettling until one learns to expect it. The GM tech paper brags about equal length half shafts, so that's not the problem. As someone mentioned, all the engineering money went into the drivetrain, not the suspension.

5.The Bolt tire/wheel combination is relatively light. It would take $5,000 in forged wheels, or even better, $10,000 carbon fiber wheels to really change the ride.

Bottom line - when one falls out of love, complaints to the world at large aren't productive; just make the decision to get out of it, accept the losses and move on to the next one.

jack vines

 

[sgt1372]

I agree w/Jack Vines AKA PackardV8 above.

The Bolt handles just fine for the kind of car it is.

Like Jack, I've owned, leased and driven many types of cars/trucks over the years and, as you can see from my signature line, I currently own/lease/drive 5 different vehicles, including the Bolt.

All of these vehicles are different in design and purpose. The stiffest suspension is in the BMW and the softest is in the MB. The best handling car is the MR2. The worst handling the F250. The fastest is the BMW and the slowest is the F250.

You'll note that I haven't even mentioned the Bolt in these comparisons, which means it ranks in the middle of the pack to me in all categories.

The weakest aspect of the Bolt's handling IMO is poor cornering traction/compliance. Go into a turn too fast or too abruptly and the front tires will squeal like a pig and refuse to turn in the direction you want it to go unless you reduce the speed of the car quickly and smoothly

I think this problem is a function or artifact of the narrow and hard low rolling resistance tires, as well as the high torque characteristics of the FWD motor, which contribute to the car's significant understeer.

I've found that the best way to manage this "problem" is with proper speed control which is more easily done when in L, which allows you to use the regen feature to slow the car down and adjust the car's speed w/o using the brake pedal.

However, other than that, I have no complaints with the Bolt's suspension and/or handling.

 

[SeanNelson]

...the BOLT EV's suspension is, and by a country mile, the worst suspension I've experienced.

That could mean a lot or it could mean nothing depending on what kind of cars you're used to.

 

[ScooterCT]

The Bolt, with a 102" wheelbase, is a relative softy.

I owned a late-90's Toyota RAV4 2-door with an 86 inch wheelbase. I routinely ate my own teeth. And in Army Recon in the 70s, I drove WW2 jeeps. You'd get whiplash enough over a bump to snap your neck.

 

[iletric]

And in Army Recon in the 70s, I drove WW2 jeeps. You'd get whiplash enough over a bump to snap your neck.

Boy, am I glad GM missed THAT cue.

 

[cab]

I test drove the Bolt yesterday (by myself, which is nice) and always pay close attention to both ride quality and handling on a car (as I know it is the stuff that will drive me nuts if it is not executed well). I can see the issues that some folks here mentioned. The ride is a just a bit floaty and I almost got a sense of "tippiness" at times, especially when under power. The plus side is that the lower speed ride over rougher roads is pretty decent overall. There was some slight bucking from the short wheelbase, but no biggie - the right/wrong road might be worse. It is hard to achieve a great balance here on short wheelbase cars. A good example of the other end of the spectrum is the BMW i3. That car has an even shorter wheelbase and a very choppy low speed ride (and darty freeway handling to boot). Still, I did get a sense of "height" in this car. I know the battery is low, but the CoG certainly seems higher than the gen 1 Volt I had and a friend's gen 2 Volt. It feels very much higher than my current Tesla P85+ (don't forget that you as drivers and passengers alter the CoG too when you get in if you are all seated higher or lower...darn you physics!).

Having said all that, I may just agree with Sgt above when he says the tires are the weakest link. I got some substantial squishiness and push taking a corner at a slightly higher than normal speed. I really wanted to check the tire pressures but didn't have the opportunity to do so (note: does the Bolt show actual tire pressures?). If I were to get a Bolt, I might seriously consider a tire upgrade. Yes, this would be at the expense of range, but given the dearth of DC fast chargers around here it wouldn't matter if we lost 20 miles of range as we wouldn't take it on road trips anyway. A tire change wouldn't address the slight tippiness/floatiness but it does provide a big margin of safety and would presumably improve traction in corners as much as can be expected given what I suspect is a front weight bias and the obvious FWD layout.

Have a lot more coments on my overall impressions of the car, but those are best left to another thread.

 

[iletric]

Tippiness is a good word to describe the unsafe feeling I get when on rough freeway at 65mph.

 

[sgt1372]

The ride is a just a bit floaty and I almost got a sense of "tippiness" at times, especially when under power.

Tippiness is a good word to describe the unsafe feeling I get when on rough freeway at 65mph.

I've never felt the Bolt has "tippy" in any way.

Certainly nothing like an old Explorer, either of the 2 FJ Cruisers or the 4000# Lance camper (when it sat on top of the F250 that I still own) which I previously owned.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

The ride is a just a bit floaty and I almost got a sense of "tippiness" at times, especially when under power.

Tippiness is a good word to describe the unsafe feeling I get when on rough freeway at 65mph.

I've never felt the Bolt has "tippy" in any way.

Certainly nothing like an old Explorer, either of the 2 FJ Cruisers or the 4000# Lance camper (when it sat on top of the F250 that I still own) which I previously owned.

Apples and oranges. Despite what GM tries to claim, the Bolt is NOT in the same category as any of those vehicles. It is a small-but-tall hatchback. It would be better to compare it to something more like a Honda Fit.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

I've been a car guy forever, owned dozens of import and domestic sedans, SUVs, trucks, and sports cars, so have a pretty broad frame of reference and I mostly find few faults with the Bolt dynamic behavior.

However, reading all the above posts, if taken as written, it's like we've all been sold completely different cars. In actual fact, we've all got exactly the same cars but different ***** and different preferences and some fall in and out of love quickly and then find small justifications for the change.

Also, facts don't alter perception - a friend got completely dissatisfied with his spouse and acrimoniously divorced her, costing him serious bucks. Another friend had always sorta liked many things about that gal; when she was available, he married her and thinks he got the greatest wife ever.

JMHO:

1. The Bolt handling is actually pretty good. The low center of gravity makes it pretty stable. I drive it hard through high speed corners (back in the day, "Hard enough to scrape the chrome off the door handles.") and don't find anything dangerous or even mildly unsettling.

2. The Bolt ride over rough pavement is better than many SUVs, trucks and smaller cars I've owned and driven over the same pavement. As previously suggested, each suspension/tire combination has a different frequency. An example, several years back a friend owned a Toyota Forerunner and I was driving a Saab 9000 following him over a washboard unpaved road. Coming back, his wife and my wife took the Saab and he and I in the Toyota; which on that washboard was like riding a jackhammer. After experiencing the same stretch of road in the Saab, his wife said, "I won't ride in that Toyota ever again. I didn't realize just how bad it was until I rode in something better." However, in normal driving on smooth roads, the Toyota was marginally acceptable. It just took a really bad road to show its limitations.

3. The Bolt does have slightly strange behavior over speed bumps. When my wife was test driving it with three of us in the car and going slowly, it bottomed over a speed bump in the dealership driveway.

4. I did find the torque steer a bit unsettling until one learns to expect it. The GM tech paper brags about equal length half shafts, so that's not the problem. As someone mentioned, all the engineering money went into the drivetrain, not the suspension.

5.The Bolt tire/wheel combination is relatively light. It would take $5,000 in forged wheels, or even better, $10,000 carbon fiber wheels to really change the ride.

Bottom line - when one falls out of love, complaints to the world at large aren't productive; just make the decision to get out of it, accept the losses and move on to the next one.

jack vines

Very well put, Jack. I think you are probably exactly right.