Bumpy ride...help

Bumpy ride...help

Hi! I have a questions regards with my 01 corolla. It just that the car shakes when I hit a bump.

I'm want to do a replace/upgrade in the summer, but I don't know which part to replace.

Should I upgrade my stock 14" to a 16" + tires, or replace the strut/shocks + springs (I don't want to lower the car.)

Which one is more important?

Is it the problem with the 14" wheel/tires or the strut/shocks + springs that made the car bumpy?

Thanks alot guys~

Sounds like the struts are worn.

replace struts and see what happen after that....

pretty sure it's your struts. What's the mileage on your 01?

i know someone that has a lancer... his car bounces like he's driving on a trampoline... yeah he told me its the struts... his are busted already...

THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL THE HELP~

yeah, I guess I'll probably need to change the struts then.

Dave- The car is not really really bumpy, but like if my car and my dads(96 Accord) car hit on the same bump, my car will bounce up and down more than his... Is this normal?

rainbow_star - The mileage is almost 90K.

Sounds like the last thing you want to do is go from 14" rims to 16". Moving to a larger rim will result in a much shorter sidewall to keep the overall diameter the same. A shorter sidewall is less flexible than a taller one, so going with larger rims will make the ride worse (you will feel the bumps more).

If you mean by "bumpy" that the car is bobbing when you hit a bump, the problem is definitely the struts--though the old "bounce test" (push down on a fender to get the car bouncing then remove you hand and see how long it takes for it to stop moving) doesn't seem to work as well on lighter cars. The struts can be worn even if the car stops bouncing within one cycle.

If the bumps just seem harsh ("Was that a pavement seam or a curb?"), it could be the struts, or it could be just that the car just has a harsher ride than you're used to--lighter cars can seem to react to bumps much more than heavier ones. The brand and age of tires (older rubber can get hard) can also affect this.

More details could help the diagnosis.

-Dave

This is a classic symptom of bad struts. As many others have said, that's most likely your problem.

-Dave