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Comments
I've been looking into it and will probably go with Nokians.....they seem to be about the best around and are no more expensive than Arctic Alpins, Blizzaks, etc. My tire dealer recommended the Nokian NRW's (which Nokian actually classifies as an All-Weather-Plus tire rather than a winter tire, although it does meet the severe snow conditions criteria) over the Hakka....1's and Hakka...Q's. Anybody have experience with any of these? I guess this will be the first winter for all of us Aerio owners, as it wasn't available until last spring!
Alot of good info (good discussions in the forum as well)....reassured me about the Nokian NRW's.
They seem like a great all around choice, though I'll still take them off for the summer. (It was suggested that you can leave them on year round.)
Thanks,
Michael
BTW in Raleigh, NC they are offering $1000 cash back.
Does the armrest get in the way of shifting the 5-speed?
http://www.foreignmotors.com/Store/Suzuki/Application%20Chart%20-%20Aerio.htm
Also, here's a quote I copied out of a comment on the e-pinions website. It's another possible solution to the phantom "clunk" or "pop" that some of the poster to this board experienced.
"I have driven 600 miles and have had to take to the shop 1 time for a loose Sway bar bushing that produced a minor annoying pop on the left side when backing up"
Should be picking mine up on Thursday - they have to get the armrest for me. I'm also hoping it doesn't get in the way of the shifter, although it does swivel up out of the way.
I've got the phantom buzzing in the doors that some others have complained of, and it is definitely intrusive. Got to go. I'll wait a couple of weeks for parts to settle down, and if it's still a problem, I'll take it in to the dealer to fix it.
The 5 speed shifts nicely - all shifts are slick except 5th to 4th, which is a little sticky, and requires double clutching for now. I expect this to ease with time. Engine is strong, loudish but not unpleasant on the ears - kind of growly, if that means anything. Feels like it will loosen up and rev more freely with a few more miles.
Hard to say much about the handling, as it has been raining for a week now, so all the roads are wet. It's pretty comfortable over bumps, actually less jarring than the Trooper I traded in. I'd say that it could probably use firmer springs/shocks, although I'd be a little bit leery of lowering it because of the chin spoiler and side skirts. I'm already wary of pulling into my driveway too fast for fear of whacking the chin on the ground.
Interior space is excellent. The drivers seat is comfortable and pretty firm, but the armrest on the drivers door is very hard and covered with the same mesh fabric that is on the seats, so it can be uncomfortable on a longer drive. I'm going to get one of those gel wrist supports for computer keyboards and velcro it to the armrest.
Cargo carrying capability is very impressive. I picked up a large new washing machine in its packing case yesterday. The guy helping me load up looked dubious when he saw the size of the car it had to fit in, but it was really no problem. The tailgate opens very wide, and it just slid right in.
It's a fun ride - very light controls, quick enough, extremely manoeuverable, good space. Perfect town car. Cruises easily at 75-80mph on the freeway. Stereo is really loud, but approximate in its sound reproduction - was that a bass drum or bass guitar?
I like it.
Jonty
Has anyone installed or got either the Aluminum or Carbon Fibre Dash kit for their Aerio? I have been thinking of getting the Aluminum kit and was wondering what others think of it. Was it easy to install, etc?
I am coming up to 1500 miles on my Aerio SX. I really like this car. Its fun to drive and really peppy. Compared to my 01 Elantra GLS it has more low end torque and seems peppier. The smoothness of the acceleration is about the same if not slightly quieter Road noise a pretty equivalent though the Elantra may be a tad quieter at cruising. Its also slightly noisier at idle than the Elantra. This car corners pretty darn good especially since its so tall. Compared to my GLS I think it has been corning capabilities. I just checked my tire pressure this weekend (I hadn't ever checked it since buying it). The tires were set to 40 PSI on all four! I set them to 32 PSI all around. Does anyone know if our engine is all aluminum?
Happy motoring!
Revka
Hatchbacks & Wagons Host
Got any info on cheap suspension upgrades? The Aerio could definitely stand to have slightly stronger legs. Just firmer springs, bit more damping.
I didn't end up buying an Aerio (was the runner up), got a MINI Cooper instead, the most wanted coupe under $25K. OK, call me trendy...
I don't know jack [non-permissible content removed] about cars but on paper this car seems to a good deal for the price. One complaint I have is that it hardly has any storage compartments. It would have been nice if it had the center arm rest was standard. I have 2 questions.
1.Any advice on breaking in a new car?
2. I notice the blue thermometer light stays on for quite a while after you start the car. How long is it supposed to stay on and should I wait for it to dissapear before I start to drive. I live in Hawaii so outside temp. hardly ever goes below 70 degrees.
Here's a link for on-line accessories, $125 for the armrest, although shipping could be pricey to Hawaii. Couldn't be hard to install. I hear it gets in the way of the shifter though - a problem if you have a 5-speed.
http://www.foreignmotors.com/Store/Suzuki/Application Chart - Aerio.htm
Any Tips on breaking in a new car?
and what about the temp light, anyone with any info on that?
As for break-in, just follow what Suzuki says in the manual. Avoid any sudden stops for the first 500 miles. Don't rev the engine high, but don't lug it either. Accelerate at a slow to moderate pace and don't use the cruise control or drive at a steady speed for lengthy periods of time for the first 600 miles.
Hope that helps answer your questions. Congrats and enjoy your SX!
If you apply them harder, it is a fairly loud clunk......will check out at the dealer at the next service interval. The only other noise/problem I could complain about is a fairly loud engine resonance/vibration around 1100 rpm.
This is very loud upon start up in the garage when the idle falls in this range (and lately, it seems like the whole exhaust system is vibrating when backing out of the garage) but otherwise is only noticeable when the transmission downshifts through that rev range (when coasting to a stop, for example). Above or below 1100 rpm, the engine is relatively quiet and resonance-free. Not sure if it's common to all Aerio's.....didn't notice it on the sedan we test drove but did on another hatchback. Despite these problems, we're still enjoying the car...got the Nokian NRW's on a few weeks ago and they seem to perform well, although haven't had any major snow to try them out yet. Hopefully we can solve the noise/buzzing problems and all will be well.
As far as the clunking goes, I am willing to bet you are experiencing the same problem! The clunk I heard happened only when first driving the car until I learned what would make it do it on cue. Try doing this: Put your car in reverse and back up to about 5 mph, than apply the brakes. You should hear or feel a clunk. Now drive forward the same distance and apply the brakes again. You should hear the same clunk. If it does, than its your brake pad clips. Have the dealer look at those specifically. Good luck!
I think you mentioned a while back that you did your own oil change on your Aerio SX. I am approaching the time and miles (2500 miles) to do my first oil change. Does the oil plug have a crush washer? Anything else that I should be aware of?
Thanks and happy motoring to all.
The Aerio does not use a crushable washer. It uses a regular aluminum washer that doesn't need to be changed with every oil change. The only other thing I would suggest is to be careful when taking the oil filter off. It tends to drip oil directly on the heat shield for the exhaust which may cause a burning oil smell. Good luck.
No brake clunk on mine.
Jonty
If you were going to buy an Aerio for the purpose of tuning it, would you get an Aerio with AWD or FWD? And why?
The good: Pretty fun car to drive, decent gas mileage, nice pep, great price for all the options.
The bad: 1)Low ground clearance has put a few scuff marks on the bottom of my front bumper. It also makes changing your oil and filter very hard unless you buy ramps. Also, the ramps have to have the extensions on them or your car will not make it up on them.
2) This car hydroplanes very easily. In light rain you better not go over 45. I wonder if the low clearance has anything to do with that?
3) Engine is very loud when it shifts into higher gear going up hills.
4) My keyless entry quit working. The dealer said that there was a recall on the control module. There is a 30 day back order on this part at my dealership.
5) Just noticed that when turning sharply at slow speeds I hear a knocking noise coming from the suspension. Does anyone else have this problem???
Also finding an oil filter was virtually impossible unless you go to the dealership. I checked on the Fram web site and they don't even have the Aerio listed. Finally found one at a Napa store only because the clerk owned an Aerio and he had cross referenced the #'s off the Suzuki filter.
Overall I am satisfied, no major problems. We'll see how the next 12k miles go.
I picked my '02 SX up in Houston when I bought it and had to drive it back home to Austin in a torrential downpour, (at least for the first 50-60 miles), and had no hydroplaning problems at 70+ mph all the way. Have you had the alignment checked?
Be happy that you arrived home safely.
It's the worst on start-up when the engine is cold and the idle speed falls in this range. When backing out of the garage the other day, I thought the whole exhaust system was vibrating until I discovered it was the lower panel of the driver's door. Holding it with my hand stopped it but it was amazingly loud, and of a lower frequency than the upper panel buzzes. Not noticeable any other time....only when the car is idling in this rev range....car was also in reverse (auto trans)......didn't notice it as much when the car was in park......another one for the dealer to investigate at the next service interval.
The aerodynamics are interesting - I haven't seen any cd numbers on this car, despite its name. It is pretty tall, so even if the shape is slippery, it's still going to have to push a decent amount of air out of the way.
All in all, I'm happy - it's delivering exactly what I was looking for in a sub-$14k car. Fun to drive, practical, decent mpg, carries people and stuff, should be long-term reliable.
I'm wondering whether the highly restrictive airbox has anything to do with the lack of high-rpm power. Anyone noticed where it collects its air? Instead of going to the front of the car, like most cars, it feeds from the inner passenger side front fender through a rather small opening. It can't possibly get the amount of air it needs from that location. The SX may be one car that can really benefit from a filtercharger or modified airbox. Any thoughts on this?
Did punch through a few snow drifts with the front spoiler.....just plowed right through. The actual ground clearance under the car isn't all that low.....just the ground effects themselves at the front and sides especially. I can only see it being a problem in extremely deep snow (where any car would have a problem) or if the snow drifts are frozen solid.....thus inflicting damage on the effects like a curb would. Overall, the car felt stable and solid....moreso than our old Suzuki Sidekick on it's Desert Duellers. Has anybody tried removing the ground effects? I'm curious as to how easy/difficult it is and also how it looks without them.
Quality