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i remember when i took delivery of the car, the dealer set the tires to 40psi even though the label on the door frame recommends 36.
tire pressure should be checked more often then the times you visit your dealer.
you said the car pulls to side sometimes, do you mean when you accelerate (hard), mine does the same and i think that's normal for front wheel drive, isn't it. my last mini van was even more noticeable because it was a V6.
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Thanks
There are a wide array of suspension designs and cost likely influences some of them. I found the suspension in the 90's Olds Aurora to be unique and exceptional in many ways yet it seems no one else is using that.
BTW, that vehicle had absolutely zero torque steer. One of the factors contributing to torque steer is totally ignored in the design of this vehicle. Unequal length drive shafts.
What works best for tire pressure can vary a pound or two by tire model. Face it, this vehicle is a cheap vehicle, but designed with a lot of quality for the buck. A time when "you get what you pay for" qualifies.
I can not speak for your driving conditions but when replacement was necessary we put Michelin on. The vehicle almost never sees snow. The Michelin are superior to the Hankook in the following ways. Much quieter and smoother ride under any conditions such as road surface changes and variants by seasonal temperature. Stopping, especially wet, seems improved. Not throughly tested since we don't push it to find out how quickly tires will let loose. Something no one should be routinely doing. Maybe like testing brakes when they get wet, when it is safe to do so.
All tires change with wear and age as to how well they will perform a needed task. Firestone/Bridgestone claims they have overcome the aging issue with Uni-T technology, like using two different types of rubber for the tread. But I've found those tires poor in many other ways from day one or low mileage that the necessary age was never reached.
We have a small safety net these days, if it is enforced, in that tires are not to be sold as new one year past manufacturer date (it is on the sidewall). Even a tire just sitting in storage ages. The last I checked, Michelin warranty expires after five years which is now the recommended age limit for any tire. You might be able to push the envelope a little if you have special circumstances such as living in Alaska where low temperatures might slow the aging process. But then you'd likely not buy the usual tire anyway.
What I've found is Michelins perform quite well over their lifespan. Almost as good as new until worn most of the way and have not shown hardening until five or six years (we're not usually or always high mileage drivers) What I have learned is that some tires degrade significantly with as little a 2/32" wear. Savannah GA gets plenty of rain and not uncommon to find pockets of standing water. Hydroplane is a major concern unless you are able to always stay off the road when it rains.
Most tires have 10/32" rubber new and considered worn out at 2/32". If you frequently encounter less than ideal road it is likely not a good idea to run on that small amount of tread. Water being a primary concern, it is very important that the tires have a method of letting that water out from under the tread. Wide sidewall sipes are very good at that but also allow faster tread wear. Many manufacturers counter that by not having that side sipe the full depth of tread, but only half-way. That is, when that side sipe channel gets fully closed off you have only used 5/32" of rubber. Factoring in the dry road government standard of wornout, 2/32", that allows only 3/32" of wear before wet road performance declines rapidly. Remember that the manufacturer's brags are for new tires. And there is no way of holding them accountable if you have a hydroplane accident with half the tread left. This is a case of you, the owner, becoming responsible for your own safety. This is just one example of things to consider when buying. And it is a very important safety issue relative to automobiles. "If the tires don't work, do brakes really matter?"
I understand budgetary constraints but going cheap on tires is one of the last things you should do. Insurance might make your vehicle situation OK, but no amount of money can totally undue your body damage (personal injury).
Even if you drive a refugee from a junk yard, you should have the best tires you can find.
I'm a new Rondo owner - (Quebec) but notice that this thread has been quiet for 18 months so perhaps I'm too late to get help ;-( I come from a background of engineering, DIY mechanics, sport cars (raced for 12 years) but then into Japanese cars for quality, comfort and control and now, as a retiree, I need good, safe transportation with some space at a cost I could handle. I owned a KIA Optima (Magentis) for 5 years and it was a terrific car for low noise, comfort and ride, but I now need a hatchback to let me see my small sailboat, when backing up to launch! Having a good past experience with KIA, the Rondo appealed to me physically .... but after just 2 weeks with it, I need advice to help me over my bitter disappointment with the noisy ride and the lousy radio ... (despite buying the EX that claims a radio upgrade over the LX). The radio will not hold ANY station when the signal drops off even a little and auto-switches to the closest one ... 99% with loud music I do not enjoy. The dealer says 'they all do that' ... but I'm not sure. But this thread is for suspension .. so perhaps some kind soul can help me improve that to a tolerable level. I find the ride not supple at all .. but hard, noisy and frankly, quite bone-shaking. I drove a 2014 loaner from the dealer the other day and while it was still hard, it was not noisy. My Rondo only has 37000 km (23K mls) on it and it has passed the KIA inspection as being in excellent shape .. but they really have no way to check bushings unless they are really worn. They just seem too hard and I even suspect the suspension design is poor - but little one can do about that. (Equally small Nissan's and Mazda's ride much better and even the small 4WD Suzuki).
So I was wondering if anyone knew of alternative springs and shocks? In the past, I'd found that going to softer springs with harder shocks would often solve ride issues. The old Renault R8 Gordini's were like this .. wonderful suspension for both handling and ride - so it CAN be done.
The other thing I noticed is that the car has fairly high tire pressures specified and the summer tires on this car are perhaps adding to the hard ride issue .. they are Hankook Optimo H418.
So that's my story and hopefully, someone will still drop by this thread, as Rondo suspension issues are seemingly still around ;-)
Thanks guys
Also toe in, toe out and tire pressures are important.