Driving has suddenly turned punishing

[toddm]

I'm in the "get new tires" camp. My 2011 Hyundai Tucson was driving me nuts. I really like the car, but I was feeling every little bump, and the road noise was very annoying. It was especially noticeable after a trip to Boston, where we rented another vehicle. When I got home, my car was considerably noisier than the vehicle we rented.

Last month I had to replace the tires. I told the salesman I wanted the quietest tires he had -- he said those would be Michelin. I've never been willing to pay more for Michelins, but decided to this time. My ride has been significantly quieter and smoother. I will always buy Michelin tires for this vehicle from now on -- well worth the extra $200 or so.

[Car-Guy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddm I'm in the "get new tires" camp. My 2011 Hyundai Tucson was driving me nuts. I really like the car, but I was feeling every little bump, and the road noise was very annoying. It was especially noticeable after a trip to Boston, where we rented another vehicle. When I got home, my car was considerably noisier than the vehicle we rented. Last month I had to replace the tires. I told the salesman I wanted the quietest tires he had -- he said those would be Michelin. I've never been willing to pay more for Michelins, but decided to this time. My ride has been significantly quieter and smoother. I will always buy Michelin tires for this vehicle from now on -- well worth the extra $200 or so.

IMO, Michelin tires are some of the best (if not the best) tires made. (price/performance) Unfortunately they don't make tires that will match OEM specs for all cars.

[Music Lover]

Tirerack rates tire noise. For my Subaru I bought the Pirelli Cinturato P7 which ranked high on their quiet list. Michelin has 2 of the top 3 picks:

https://blog.tirerack.com/blog/make-...op-three-picks

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Music Lover Tirerack rates tire noise. For my Subaru I bought the Pirelli Cinturato P7 which ranked high on their quiet list.

I purchased the same Pirelli tires based on the noise rating from both Tirerack and Consumer Reports. Very quiet.

[brlarue]

You’re doing much better than me. If I drive over 20 miles I’m stressed out and sore. I also have a Subaru and it’s the most uncomfortable car ever ... always has been. If you want to keep driving you have to upgrade. My uncle did the Seattle-Palm Springs trip twice a year till he was 92, but he always owned a Lincoln. He also loved to drive.

[brlarue]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out of Steam We're just a few months into retirement, having moved away from our old home this year. I've always been comfortable with long-distance driving (up to 500 miles one-way), and we have taken several road trips this fall. This week's trip was just punishing, even though we were less than 300 miles from home. Weather and traffic were both OK. Having moved away from the Northeast Corridor, highway speeds are much faster on trips to the south, often over 75 mph. Both road noise and ride quality (too soft/floaty) were issues, and I ended up limiting my speed to about 70 mph. The only vehicles I passed were box trucks and boat trailers. My current car is a 2015 Subaru Legacy with just over 120K miles; the tires have about 40K, and look like they could go another 20-25K. I've never loved the ride, but found it well-suited to my old commute, and had planned to keep it about two more years. Our adult daughter has always found this Subaru quease-inducing. I certainly didn't plan to buy a car in my first year of retirement, and am concerned that a more comfortable replacement would be $30K plus, even a couple of years old. I'm not sure I like our current car enough to spend money on tire/strut/suspension changes for comfort reasons. Renting a newer/quieter, perhaps luxury, vehicle for our next road trip seems like a reasonable thing to try. Though I'm not really sure it's a car issue, perhaps it's anxiety or environmental sensitivity instead. I rejected an otherwise-suitable house during our pre-move search because of a low hum from an industrial area not far away, which my wife didn't notice at all. Has anyone else had a sudden change in attitude towards driving at retirement? Or am I feeling an entry in the Blow that Dough thread coming on?

Time to upgrade if you want more comfort. Subarus are one of the most uncomfortable cars I ever owned.

[RunningBum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by brlarue Time to upgrade if you want more comfort. Subarus are one of the most uncomfortable cars I ever owned.

Old Subies, or new? I feel like around 2013, 2014, they made a big change and mine seems comfortable enough now. Not quite like my 08 Pilot, but good enough. It's different for everyone though.

[Out of Steam]

Decided to sidestep the issue for now by taking my wife's Ford Fusion on our next trip, but there are definitely suspension checks and new tires for the Subaru coming soon.

[zippy2020]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out of Steam Decided to sidestep the issue for now by taking my wife's Ford Fusion on our next trip, but there are definitely suspension checks and new tires for the Subaru coming soon.

Okay, this made me laugh because I was so happy to get rid of my 2010 Fusion when I finally decided to splurge on buying an auto that "checked all the boxes" for me. I figured after 14 yrs of retirement (added to 30 yrs of buying 'sensible' cars) I wanted a car that was powerful, fun to drive, held a ton of stuff, and was comfortable/quiet.

Mind you, the Fusion was a good car. Reliable, decent handling and braking, fine for medium-length trips and decent enough for the occasional long trip.

But the gearing of the 2010 is really wide-spaced to eke out mileage ratings, and I hate sedans for driving trips. Getting heavy/awkward shaped stuff in and out of that capacious, but low-riding and very deep trunk was a guaranteed backache.

We had never spent so much on an auto as we did on that 2017 SUV, but after 18 months of research and innumerable test drives on different SUVs, I kept coming back to this one so we "bit the bullet".

It's been two years and I still can't get over how much more comfortable, powerful, and enjoyable this vehicle is to drive. It blows away every other car we've owned (a fair number, since for many years we had two cars).

Just about every time I drive it (I do 99% of the driving), I remark to my spouse, "God, I love this car! Have I told you how much I love this car?"

He just laughs and says, "As long as you're happy with it."

Life is too short to put up with crap. Let's face it, none of us are going to be able to take anything with us when we go. So yeah, I'd try the tires first (and I'm saving that link to the tirerack blog, thanks to whoever posted it)....but if that doesn't work, start doing some research and then test driving, to find something that works better for your current needs.

Heck, you might even be able to find the features you need on a recent used model (I couldn't, in fact I had to wait for the next model year to get what I wanted). That would save thousands, right there.

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zippy2020 We had never spent so much on an auto as we did on that 2017 SUV, but after 18 months of research and innumerable test drives on different SUVs, I kept coming back to this one so we "bit the bullet". It's been two years and I still can't get over how much more comfortable, powerful, and enjoyable this vehicle is to drive. It blows away every other car we've owned (a fair number, since for many years we had two cars). Just about every time I drive it (I do 99% of the driving), I remark to my spouse, "God, I love this car! Have I told you how much I love this car?" He just laughs and says, "As long as you're happy with it."

So you are not going to tell us what "that 2017 SUV" is?

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddm ....I told the salesman I wanted the quietest tires he had -- he said those would be Michelin. I've never been willing to pay more for Michelins, but decided to this time. My ride has been significantly quieter and smoother. I will always buy Michelin tires for this vehicle from now on -- well worth the extra $200 or so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Car-Guy IMO, Michelin tires are some of the best (if not the best) tires made. (price/performance) Unfortunately they don't make tires that will match OEM specs for all cars.

I've been a fan of Michelin tires over the years, but my last set and current set have been disappointing in terms of wear. In both cases these were Premier LTX with a 60,000 mile warranty.

The first set was installed in June 2017... 8.5/32nds tread depth when new... so fast forward... in Dec 2018 after 18 months and 20k miles the tread depth was 3-4/32nds... close to need for replacement.

Costco put on replacements for a little over ~1/3 of the cost of a new set in late Dec 2018. Now in early Jan 2020 after 12 months and 15k miles the tread depth is 5-6/32nds and I expect to have to replace that set before the year is out.

Needless to say, I won't be replacing them with Michelins. When the last set was replaced with the current set, I could have opted for a different brand and asked about going with a different tire but the tire guy at Costco said that the Michelin Premier LTX would be best.

Now all of that said, the overall performance and noise have been good but wear has been very disappointing.

[pb4uski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras So you are not going to tell us what "that 2017 SUV" is?

You mean that comfortable, powerful, and enjoyable vehicle that she raves about isn't just any 2017 SUV?

[ckelly78z]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras So you are not going to tell us what "that 2017 SUV" is?

Yea, I went back and reread it twice, still waiting for this "wonderful" 2017 SUV to be named...................

[Moxie]

We have a 2014 Subaru Forester, plus a 2012 Toyota Avalon. I always enjoy the rides in my Avalon...whisper quiet and a very smooth ride! Same car as the Lexus ES350 but about $8- $10K less expensive. Nicest car for the money! Try renting one to see, or buy a 3 year used leased model like I did..paid close to half of the new price. Only way I'll buy cars going forward!

[JoeWras]

We're on pins and needles here!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pb4uski You mean that comfortable, powerful, and enjoyable vehicle that she raves about isn't just any 2017 SUV?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ckelly78z Yea, I went back and reread it twice, still waiting for this "wonderful" 2017 SUV to be named...................

[REWahoo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras We're on pins and needles here!

Here you go - and looks like it isn't a 2017...:

http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ml#post2237133

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by REWahoo Here you go - and looks like it isn't a 2017...: http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ml#post2237133

Thanks, looks like a Ford Edge.

One thing that will change on my next car is desire to seek out comfort. I may open my mind to brands I ignored before.

[shortstop14]

I still enjoy long driving trips, but we're tending to go for shorter days and stopping to see more things along the way rather than just a banzai straight through. My wife doesn't care for the long trips anywhere near as much. We drive from Washington to Phoenix once or twice a year. The route makes a big difference - going through eastern Oregon and Nevada or east of the Sierra in California is great, almost no traffic. Taking I-5 through California is awful, never get to settle in and just drive. This year we took the really long slow way back, all the way up Highway 1 along the coast.



No issues yet with comfort, although we usually drive my Tacoma pickup so it's easy to carry camping equipment and mountain bikes - but not exactly a luxury ride. Audio books also make the miles fly by.


Looking at a long driving trip as far north as possible in Canada this year - that will be a long one, but we'll take a few months for that.

[jjuneau]

I haven’t driven or even ridden in a current model, but our old (2008) Honda Pilot is a great road car. No problem cruising at highway speeds for 8 hours or so. At 170,000 miles it is just as nice as when new.

[SonofCohoes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Out of Steam We're just a few months into retirement, having moved away from our old home this year. I've always been comfortable with long-distance driving (up to 500 miles one-way), and we have taken several road trips this fall. This week's trip was just punishing, even though we were less than 300 miles from home. Weather and traffic were both OK. Having moved away from the Northeast Corridor, highway speeds are much faster on trips to the south, often over 75 mph. Both road noise and ride quality (too soft/floaty) were issues, and I ended up limiting my speed to about 70 mph. The only vehicles I passed were box trucks and boat trailers. My current car is a 2015 Subaru Legacy with just over 120K miles; the tires have about 40K, and look like they could go another 20-25K. I've never loved the ride, but found it well-suited to my old commute, and had planned to keep it about two more years. Our adult daughter has always found this Subaru quease-inducing. I certainly didn't plan to buy a car in my first year of retirement, and am concerned that a more comfortable replacement would be $30K plus, even a couple of years old. I'm not sure I like our current car enough to spend money on tire/strut/suspension changes for comfort reasons. Renting a newer/quieter, perhaps luxury, vehicle for our next road trip seems like a reasonable thing to try. Though I'm not really sure it's a car issue, perhaps it's anxiety or environmental sensitivity instead. I rejected an otherwise-suitable house during our pre-move search because of a low hum from an industrial area not far away, which my wife didn't notice at all. Has anyone else had a sudden change in attitude towards driving at retirement? Or am I feeling an entry in the Blow that Dough thread coming on?

I just went through this with a 2016 Honda CRV, the road noise drove me nuts. It was a lease and I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. We leased a Mazda CX-5, seems quieter and the ride is better.

One thing I’ll say is that as I age even little noises seem to be exaggerated. My hearing seems to be failing a bit trying to pay attention with group conversations but little noises around the house drive me crazy. Wife doesn’t seem bothered by any of it. I guess that’s her selective hearing gift.