I just picked up my new R.S. 1 xA last night -- I was so excited. But driving it home I felt like I could feel every single bump in the road magnified 20 times. I had a headache after driving just 2 miles. I know it's supposed to have a sport, "hard" feel to it, but to have my brain rattling around in my skull was not what a bargained for. It's like it has no suspension at all.

Should I be suspicious that my test drive took me over mostly smooth roads?

I'm sooooo disappointed. Please tell me if anyone else has had this experience or if it's just my car. Thanks!

may be the skinny tires but still shouldnt be that bad...I have lowering springs on my box and it rides fine.

What kind of car were you used to before the xA? Did you drive the xA on much of a test drive? I test drove an RS and I didn't feel that the ride was too harsh. I mean it is tight, but it's supposed to be. I tell ya what, if you're not happy with your purchase, I'll give you $14,000 cash for it today. :D

I know when I test drive cars I try and take them over roads I know are bad. I try and hit pot holes and everything else to see how the car reacts and feels.

I know when I test drive cars I try and take them over roads I know are bad. I try and hit pot holes and everything else to see how the car reacts and feels.

i bet the salesman loves going on test drives with you :lol:


if you got low profile tires you will feel everything on the road. i got 35's with trd springs and i can feel every little damn thing on the road. get some bigger tires so you got more cushion on the road.

try buying some H-Tech springs. Smooths it out a bit and lowers you about 1 inch.

Do people like that feel-every-bump experience? It seems as though I should be able to drive a new car without getting a headache -- without having to pay more money to make the ride bearable.

matt_a, give me a day or two and I might take you up on your offer. :wink:

Do people like that feel-every-bump experience? It seems as though I should be able to drive a new car without getting a headache -- without having to pay more money to make the ride bearable.

matt_a, give me a day or two and I might take you up on your offer. :wink:
what car are you coming from? Also sell the wheels and buy some 15's with some fat tire...it will improve greatly.

I agree. I just took my 16x7's off for the winter and my car feels like a caddy now. (replaced with the stock 15" steels)

That's a good idea to change the wheels. If I were to sell them, any idea what I should ask for them?

(I'm sorry, there's no way for me to hide that I'm not at all a knowledgeable car enthusaist -- I'm really clueless about this stuff. I couldn't even guess what 17" Enkei wheels are worth.)

Thanks for all the advice. I really want to love this car -- there's a lot that's so great about it.

I noticed this too when i first started driving my xA -- it seems to have loosened up a bit now that i'm up to 1500 miles... plus (counter to what intuition would say) my psi was @ only 30 out of a max 50 psi when i left the dealer. Once I pumped them up to 47 my ride REALLLY smoothed out the bumps. I think the pressure is so low it actually felt like every bump was nearly hitting the rims.

Good luck with this... i hope you still love your xA -- it IS a great car!!
~jonathan

That's a good idea to change the wheels. If I were to sell them, any idea what I should ask for them?

(I'm sorry, there's no way for me to hide that I'm not at all a knowledgeable car enthusaist -- I'm really clueless about this stuff. I couldn't even guess what 17" Enkei wheels are worth.)

Thanks for all the advice. I really want to love this car -- there's a lot that's so great about it. I'm really sorry, but there is no way to improve your ride quality. There are no other tires or rims that will fit your RS. My offer still stands. :wink: :D

Do people like that feel-every-bump experience? It seems as though I should be able to drive a new car without getting a headache -- without having to pay more money to make the ride bearable.

I still want to know what kind of a ride you are coming off of. When i bought my RS1i test drove it over an unpaved road. It is a bit bumpy, no doubt about it, but not to give me a head ach. I think I actually got a head ach from the wonderful smell of a new car.

The Rs1 really is an amazing car. And just remember that the Xa wasn't really made for extreme comfort. If you wanted that you should have saved up for a Caddy.

If you dont want it, i say sell it to matt_a. there is no use in driving a car you hate. But I do think you may be the only one not to like the RS1.

But i do hope you start to like it.

I'm really sorry, but there is no way to improve your ride quality. There are no other tires or rims that will fit your RS. My offer still stands. :wink: :D

he's full of sh__!!!
HE'S IN IT TO *STEAL* YOUR CAR!!!
DON'T FALL FOR IT!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!! :shock:

.... there are many other wheel/tire combos you can get. Check out http://www.tirerack.com and enter your car. They'll give you a list of options, and they will ship you the package deal ready to put on your car. I haven't used them yet, but many people have lots of good things to say about them. I'm planning on getting my winter set from them.

~j

Thanks so much, everyone -- this forum is really great and helpful.

I was driving a Toyota Tercel before. It was not a great ride (expecially as the car was not in great shape), but it was smoother than my xA. I definitely do not need Caddy-level smoothness, but I need to feel a little more comfortable than I currently do. It feels a bit like I am in one of those little red wagons that kids pull their friends around in (hence the handle).

However, I'm definitely going to look into changing up the tires (or even just trying the suggestion of increasing the psi). Maybe it'll break in a bit, too.

I love so much about this car...I just want it to be a little less jarring...

Thanks again for all the tips -- I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. How do I get on the list as having an R.S. 1 on the main xA page here?

I'm really sorry, but there is no way to improve your ride quality. There are no other tires or rims that will fit your RS. My offer still stands. :wink: :D

he's full of sh__!!!
HE'S IN IT TO *STEAL* YOUR CAR!!!
DON'T FALL FOR IT!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!! :shock:

.... there are many other wheel/tire combos you can get. Check out http://www.tirerack.com and enter your car. They'll give you a list of options, and they will ship you the package deal ready to put on your car. I haven't used them yet, but many people have lots of good things to say about them. I'm planning on getting my winter set from them.

~jssshhhhhh...I almost had a new RS for $1200 below cost. LOL 8)

Try the psi up a little. Also your suspension may need to break in a little. Give it a little bit before you go selling your rims. But if worst comes to worst...sell them and go with some 15" with some fat tire. You can check what the retail is and sell them for about that. At the dealer I think they go for 1700 or some bull____. But with the RS 1 package you got them a LOT cheaper. Also you can register your car here.
http://www.scionlife.com/registry/?act=add

The stock ride was very harsh. I didn't like it. But now my ride feels soo much better with Tanabe DF210 springs. :D

ssshhhhhh...I almost had a new RS for $1200 below cost. LOL 8)

OOPS!!! :shock:

I'll keep quiet if you give me a cut of the deal....

Sorry to be completely clueless again, but what are Tanabe DF210 springs, exactly? What do they do, I mean? And what's it going to cost me (ballpark) to have something like that put in? Having just bought a car, I don't have tons of spare cash lying around...

Tanabe DF's and Tein H-Techs are replacement springs that make the car ride lower, and in the case of H Techs, softer. I'm not refuting the clame that the DF's ride better than stock, but their spring rate is higher than stock, so the positive difference is only in the first fraction of an inch of travel (due to the design of the springs). The H Techs have a lower spring rate through the travel of the spring, so they ride much softer.

You know what? If you want, get the DF's and if they're not soft enough, I'll trade my H-Techs. I want to go lower than I am now, so I'll trade even up.

Ah, but here's the rub. You'll prolly feel the need someone to install them. I install my own, as do most on the forum. It's easier than it sounds.

I know when I test drive cars I try and take them over roads I know are bad. I try and hit pot holes and everything else to see how the car reacts and feels.

:lol: This is for you... :lol:

How to test drive a car (http://media.ebaumsworld.com/testdrive.wmv)

I know when I test drive cars I try and take them over roads I know are bad. I try and hit pot holes and everything else to see how the car reacts and feels.

:lol: This is for you... :lol:

How to test drive a car (http://media.ebaumsworld.com/testdrive.wmv)


LOL I wanted to try burnouts in my Xb but my dealer wouldn't let me. haha jk Ok Im not that bad. :shock: :lol:

Dude, did you check how much air is in the tires? It could be that simple. Sometimes the techs forget to reduce the tire pressure when they're doing the pre delivery inspection on cars. If that's not it, then how far did you drive the car on your test drive? Are you one of those ninnies who gets out of an old beat up car, test drives a new car and checks their brain in the parking lot? Why not drive it a litte longer and see if you get used to it. It's not supposed to drive like a Buick (softer ride than a Cadillac).

Wife drives the RS, and I don't feel anything...as a matter of fact, I thought with the low profile tires, I should feel every single bump...my 2 Subies are much worse compared to the RS, and I like it ;)

Now I need springs, so to stiff the suspension up!

They are bumpy little cars, my horse is much smoother.....