Bumpy Ride - Stiff Suspension

[GetOffYourGas]

To potential buyers:

Be objective about your test drive. Drive for 30 minutes.

If you don't like the car on the test drive, don't buy it. It will not change after you buy it.

This isn't rocket science.

Don't expect sympathy from satisfied Bolt owners because you bought the wrong car and now want to do nothing but gripe about what an awful car it is.

It's not.

Well said.

The trouble is, there are bound to be people who jump into a Bolt just because it's the first 200+ mile EV they can afford. They are so excited to be driving a long-range EV that they forget to consider the car-ness of it all.

I fall into this camp to a degree (although I haven't bought a Bolt - not yet anyway). There are things that bother me about it. The upright seating. The tall roof. The narrow width. Enough things that I've at least put off the purchase to see what else comes along.

But, like others, I am in the market only for an EV. That means I have to make far more compromises than if i were in the market for an ICEV. I'll just try to hold my tongue and keep the complaining to a minimum. We're lucky, after all, just to have options in this space at all!

 

[GernBlanston]

...like others, I am in the market only for an EV. That means I have to make far more compromises than if i were in the market for an ICEV.

Fair enough. I am coming out of a 160,000 mile VW TDI (a truly great automobile) and was looking for a car that drives nicely with low operating costs. I had convinced myself that I wanted a Volt or a Prius (my 20-year-old daughter & my 80-year-old father are both Prius owners.) The Volt drove nicely, the Prii, not so much. Then my wife made me drive the Bolt and I was sold!

We're lucky, after all, just to have options in this space at all!

^^^TRUTH^^^

 

[DavidBFox]

I didn't just jump to buy the car... I did have a 30 minute test drive in our neighborhood several months earlier. Unfortunately, our streets are in relatively good repair, so I didn't notice the issue until a few days after purchasing. Hey, even our 3-year-old grandson, after being in the car for 5 minutes, said, "Why is the car so bumpy?!" (his parents own a Prius)

That said, I think we're now adapting to the car. We both love it and are happy with our decision. And maybe after 1600 miles, it's loosening up just a bit.

 

[SeanNelson]

To potential buyers: Be objective about your test drive. Drive for 30 minutes.

Much easier said than done in markets where there are no Bolts available for test drives and you have to order blind and wait for 6 months before even seeing the car.

 

[GernBlanston]

Much easier said than done in markets where there are no Bolts available for test drives and you have to order blind and wait for 6 months before even seeing the car.

Dang. That would truly suck. I would have trouble spending 40 grand on something I'd never even sat in. Wow!

 

[Allelectric]

Drove the Jupiter II a hundred miles yesterday and concentrated on the "problems" with suspension & seats the whole way.
Suspension...? Excellent compromise between absorbing bumps and great feel/handling for a small car packing half a ton of batteries!
Seats...? Firm, supportive, comfortable. I have yet to hear a complaint from a single rider/driver in my car.
The first 4 minutes of my initial test drive told me this.
I'm 5'10", 175 lbs, averaging 40 miles/day, drive an LT, have a Clipper Creek 40 at the house.
To potential buyers:
Be objective about your test drive. Drive for 30 minutes.
If you don't like the car on the test drive, don't buy it. It will not change after you buy it.
This isn't rocket science.
Don't expect sympathy from satisfied Bolt owners because you bought the wrong car and now
want to do nothing but gripe about what an awful car it is. It's not.

30 minute test drive, you don't live in Canada do you
Test drives of any length are still virtually impossible here. Not a demonstrator anywhere in the whole Province of British Columbia to my knowledge. It's not rocket science you are right, it's Mission Impossible here.
I like the ride, I hate the seats. The seats however do not make it an awful car they simply spoil what could be a home run for me. Why do you think people who voice negative "opinions" are looking for sympathy. They are just as valid as positive opinions. And please appreciate that not everyone had or still has the ability to test drive a car at all, never mind for 30 mins plus.

 

[iletric]

One from Autoweek's editor, Wes Raynal...

https://insideevs.com/autoweek-chevy-bolt-best-electric-car/

Selected quotes:

...(I'm) impressed with the car’s smooth, seamless acceleration and the fact that it exhibits very little body roll (but) the overall ride quality is just too stiff.

“Back to the original premise of the Bolt being a “ 'very good small car.' ” For today’s market, the car’s ride makes me personally dispute that.

 

[elpwr]

My Tesla Model S ride is not at all soft and Motor Trend reports the new Model 3 has a “decidedly firm ride”. If you want a soft, floppy ride the Leaf might be your only EV choice.

For many of us, Bolts suspension is an excellent compromise between handling and ride comfort. I hope GM makes no changes.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I hope GM makes no changes.

Me too.

 

[iletric]

If you want a soft, floppy ride the Leaf might be your only EV choice.

Can't wait for my floppy >200-mile Leaf 2 next year.

 

[LeftieBiker]

If you want a soft, floppy ride the LEAF might be your only EV choice.

Pleasantly soft, sure, but the mushiness in the handling is from the OEM tires, not the car itself. The Leaf handles well with almost any other tires.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

If you want a soft, floppy ride the Leaf might be your only EV choice.

Can't wait for my floppy >200-mile Leaf 2 next year.

Probably won't be too long of a wait. Judging from hints coming from Nissan, it sounds like the 200+ mile Leaf 2 will be available as early as next summer.

 

[iletric]

... it sounds like the 200+ mile Leaf 2 will be available as early as next summer.

That sounds encouraging. Can't wait.

 

[EldRick]

I'm hoping that Koni makes their FSD shocks for the Bolt. This would make it softer on bumps, and firmer in roll and pitch.

Short of that, the parts diagram makes the rear shock look like a straight tube with pretty standard ends. Has anyone taken a look at fitting aftermarket shocks to the car?

 

[iletric]

I'm hoping that Koni makes their FSD shocks for the Bolt.

Keep an eye on it for us and let us know when it becomes available.

Thanks.

 

[sgt1372]

I'm hoping that Koni makes their FSD shocks for the Bolt. This would make it softer on bumps, and firmer in roll and pitch.

Short of that, the parts diagram makes the rear shock look like a straight tube with pretty standard ends. Has anyone taken a look at fitting aftermarket shocks to the car?

I've got FSDs on my BMW.

I'm planning to swap the fronts out for Koni adjustable yellows because of the "problem" w/FSD valving that is too slow to cope w/abrupt bumps or dips causing it to harshly bottom out and negatively affect steering.

However, on smooth and predictable roadways, the FSDs are fine but just not adaptable enough for high speed driving on rough and less forgiving roads.

 

[EldRick]

...because of the "problem" w/FSD valving that is too slow to cope...

I've never heard of, or experienced, this "problem", and I've had them on a Mini S and a Volvo C30, and I assure you I beat on them hard in our local mountain twisties.
They would be a nice upgrade for a Bolt.

 

[elpwr]

If you don’t like the Bolt’s ride and expect your Tesla Model 3 to be softer riding you might be in for a surprise. Already a 7 page thread in the Tesla forum about the Model 3 “bad ride”.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/model-3s-bad-ride-quality.105757/

 

[iletric]

Not getting Tesla M3. I sit enough hours in front of a screen as it is. Tesla could have kept the Model S, X look.
Stiff is expected.

 

[robbertPatrison]

Coming back to the OP's point: I agree that the Bolt's ride is harsh and very bumpy. It is one of the few gripes I have about the Bolt after 4 months of ownership. Especially on the crappy Silicon Valley roads and highways the I feel like I'm constantly tossed around in 3 dimensions, but mainly left-right.

I suspect that the ride problem is the result of the simple rear axis, short wheel base and the narrow wheel base, all amplified by a higher seating position and barely padded seats. When better shocks become available I will be installing those. On my gen-1 Volt I replaced the stock ECO tires with more comfort-oriented ones and that seems to improve the ride a little (at the expense of a 7% range drop). I might be doing the same with Bolt once the tires wear out, sucking up the range hit to regain some comfort. By the way: the Volt's ride was not great but better that Bolt.

I tried to measure the difference using a smartphone accelerometer app. I drove same road with my wife's Avalon and then with the Bolt, recording acceleration in 3 dimensions. I did not manage to get conclusive results yet, but subjectively the difference is huge. I probably need a better app to test that.