Everyone, I thought I had purchased my dream car! The Rallye Red Honda Civic HB with the HPD package, splash guards and black badges! The car is beautiful, and I love all the features! I just don't like the ride! I'm a 66-year-old male with some back issues. I only have 250 miles on my new Honda, but I cannot seem to get comfortable in it and the ride to me is rough to say the least. Anyway, I'm going to work with my dealer and hopefully work something out. Maybe I'll be getting a new Accord. This mistake is probably gonna cost me! Anyone want to buy it? I have about $35K in it. I live in a PA suburb about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. Some of the articles I have read do describe it as a choppy ride. Oh well, I read them too late.
2023 Honda Civic Sport Touring HB Ride Quality
PAMIKE
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Everyone, I thought I had purchased my dream car! The Rallye Red Honda Civic HB with the HPD package, splash guards and black badges! The car is beautiful, and I love all the features! I just don't like the ride! I'm a 66-year-old male with some back issues. I only have 250 miles on my new Honda, but I cannot seem to get comfortable in it and the ride to me is rough to say the least. Anyway, I'm going to work with my dealer and hopefully work something out. Maybe I'll be getting a new Accord. This mistake is probably gonna cost me! Anyone want to buy it? I have about $35K in it. I live in a PA suburb about 40 miles west of Philadelphia. Some of the articles I have read do describe it as a choppy ride. Oh well, I read them too late.
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I hope your back feels better. I'm just wondering if you took the vehicle for a test drive prior to purchase?
I've driven and ridden in the newer version Accord and it's just about the same.
Also what is your budget for a vehicle? (Most people are limited by this)
I wouldn't say an entry level car such as a Civic would have the best ride quality.
Pretty interesting at 66 your dream car is a Honda Civic as well! Most people would says something like a Porsche is what they aspire to have but this is cool too as everyone has a different flavor.
Shoot out your criteria for what you are looking for and we can provide better recommendations. I do hope at your age, you saved some money "splurge" a little.
In my past experience, SUVs has provided a much comfortable ride as you're higher up and the suspension for the most part can absorb a lot more shock. If you want that "sport" feel, you can look at AMG or M cars and leave it in comfort mode so you can be fast and be cushy.
I've also had a Lexus RX model in the past as well which was one of my most comfortable cars in past ownership if you want that gas mileage and reliability as well.
Good luck!
I've driven and ridden in the newer version Accord and it's just about the same.
Also what is your budget for a vehicle? (Most people are limited by this)
I wouldn't say an entry level car such as a Civic would have the best ride quality.
Pretty interesting at 66 your dream car is a Honda Civic as well! Most people would says something like a Porsche is what they aspire to have but this is cool too as everyone has a different flavor.
Shoot out your criteria for what you are looking for and we can provide better recommendations. I do hope at your age, you saved some money "splurge" a little.
In my past experience, SUVs has provided a much comfortable ride as you're higher up and the suspension for the most part can absorb a lot more shock. If you want that "sport" feel, you can look at AMG or M cars and leave it in comfort mode so you can be fast and be cushy.
I've also had a Lexus RX model in the past as well which was one of my most comfortable cars in past ownership if you want that gas mileage and reliability as well.
Good luck!
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I wouldn’t call the ride choppy it’s pretty boaty actually but it does pick up the road. I think this is by design, the hatchback is supposed to be sportier but overall to me the ride is still great. The sedans ride softer but I would really recommend driving stuff before plopping down 35k. Sorry you’re not loving it :-(
I believe that the hatch has a tighter suspension than the sedan. As well, those 18” wheels use low profile tires. Stay away from large wheels with low profile tires. You might be more comfortable with an EX sedan. Take one for a long test ride.
On the other hand, mid sized cars like the Camry have softer suspension than compact cars. Beware that the mid sized cars have larger wheels than the compact cars do.
On the other hand, mid sized cars like the Camry have softer suspension than compact cars. Beware that the mid sized cars have larger wheels than the compact cars do.
I'm older, as well. Found OEM ride bit harsh with a lots of road noise due to large , heavy wheels and low profile tires. Switched to lighter 16 " wheels and Continental 215-55-16 tires. No performance loss, much better ride.OEM wheels/tires can be sold or remounted if your car is leased.
I owned a '22 Civic Sport Touring Hatch a few years ago and now have a 23 Touring sedan and the ride is definitely firmer on the hatchback than my sedan. I believe the dampening is about 10-15% firmer than the sedan models across the board.
Did the swap in wheel size mess up your speedometer? Which wheels did you end up going with? This has been a bad winter, and the pothole situation is terrible. I am thinking of getting a set of smaller wheels so I can get some tires with higher sidewalls to give a little more cushion. 18" wheels on low profile tires isn't exactly the ideal setup for Minnesota's road craters.
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This is a great idea, and those wheels should be an easy sell, they are probably my favorite OEM wheel around this price point and I saw someone local with them on an Si
I do not believe speedometer was affected at all. Went with same diameter tire as OEM. Found, as new, Sport Edition wheels ( Tire rack brand) on Craigslist. They were less than 20 lbs , significant improvement in unsprung weight over the 18" OEM wheels. There are also many new wheels available at a reason cost based on your cosmetic preference. Tires were Conti DWS06 Plus, excellent overall and good in the snow.
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I took the exact same car for a test drive but in a 2022 model which should be no different from the 2023 model. I guess a 15-minute test drive is no comparison to daily driving. My dream car? A nice car for my commute. I'm thinking even if I changed the wheels/tires and even the suspension the seat is still an issue. It kills my back. I just took a few Camrys out for a drive. An XSE and an SE. The XSE had low profile tires and bigger wheels then the SE. I didn't notice a lot of difference in the ride on crappy roads around my house between the two. A Honda dealer is going to let me drive a 2023 Honda Accord for the weekend. I believe they were talking a sport model (hybrid). I don't think that will be any better than the Civic. They might have an EX (gas) model available. That might be better. I don't think it has low profile tires. No matter what happens I think I will be parting ways with the Civic. Your comments/suggestions are welcome!
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I think you’re ready to shoot the horse way too early. Wheels and tires make a HUGE difference in the ride. You’d be better off test driving an EX or something similar to see how it drives. Or just sell your car and take a massive loss because you think it won’t make a difference. Sorry if I sound a little blunt, but I’ve personally driven a lot of cars for work back in the day and I can tell you for a fact, a low profile wheel and tire can ruin an otherwise great ride. I don’t mind them on the civic personally, but I drove quite a few Mercedes and Audi models (luxury cars mind you) that drove like ass with their big wheel appearance packages.
Also worth checking your tire pressure, though that’s only going to make a small difference.
What part of PA are you that roads are so bad? I’m about 40 mins north of the city in the Lansdale area and the car does great up here
Also worth checking your tire pressure, though that’s only going to make a small difference.
What part of PA are you that roads are so bad? I’m about 40 mins north of the city in the Lansdale area and the car does great up here
Cleanneon98, I live about 45 miles west of Philadelphia in the Downingtown Area. I see you have a Mazda Miata. I also have one. I have a 2012 Special Edition which I love. Funny thing is driving it doesn't bother me at all. Go figure. I drove the new Accord today. That didn't do much for me. It was an EX. I also drove a new Camry LE. That might be the way to go for me. I might just get my 2021 back and take a beating. We'll see.
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My Miata is an 04 with XIDA suspension so it would not make your back happy lolol. I would still encourage you to drive one of the “lower” trims, the tires on the ST are pretty low profile and stepping down to even a 17 will be a huge improvement. Don’t want to see you take a beating if you can avoid it. Hell you can probably find someone with an EX to trade you their OEM wheels AND some cash for those beautiful 18s
Well, that was a disaster. I went back to my selling dealer yesterday. They held my trade a 2021 Honda Civic Sport Touring with only 12K miles. I thought that getting my 2021 back would be the easiest solution for now. They wanted $7K for me to get my 2021 back! Ridiculous! I kept the 2023 but I will try to sell it on my own or trade it. I'm reading good things about the Toyota Camry and if I stick to the LE or XLE it should ride pretty smooth. I really like the XSE though. LOL
Just picked up a sport touring HB, I find the ride pleasantly soft, but to be fair I’ve only driven about 20 miles so far. I had to sit on an Obus forme seat cushion in my 17 LX hatch, or I’d get back pain. Same with my BMW Z4. Worth trying, I’ve used them in several vehicles
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It sounds like OP has made up his mind to take a beating on the car rather than try some of the suggestions given. I don’t get it, since he seemed so stoked on the car, but I don’t have back issues yet so maybe it’s all too simple in my mind.
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