# Very harsh ride on 2019 RS Pkg with stock wheel/tire setup



## JeremyHabetler (Jan 3, 2020)

Yes the Z-link is a part of the RS Pkg. I have a 2019 LT RS, it has 17" rims, still low profile tires and it's an amazingly smooth ride


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## WillL84 (Aug 5, 2019)

My '17 Premier has the z-link as well and I was a fine ride on the stock 17's and still fine on the 18" aftermarket wheels I put on.


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## Iamantman (Sep 24, 2018)

Yeah it's the 18s. Everyone has a different tolerance for this kind of thing but no matter how you slice it, 18s in the city is rough unless it's a Cadillac. Just the nature of the beast. I have 16s in the city and it's pretty good. I've gone back and forth on the idea of wheels but if I do I don't think I'd go bigger than 17s just to keep as much cushion as possible for potholes.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

The z link actually helps with comfort and control since it keeps the rear axle centered thus less stray inputs from it that you’ll feel, less jello effect from axle 18s even with comfort all seasons still ride harsh vs 17 and 16.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Harsh ride quality, especially over sharp edges bumps is due to the 18s. Switching to a 225/45/18 or 235/40/18 in a comfort tire helps a LITTLE but otherwise youre looking at going -1 or -2 wheels size to get some more sidewall.


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## moko (Oct 2, 2018)

Also, on the RS Pkg the steering feels much more tighter than the LT (non-RS) with the 16"s. The standard LT is lighter and easier to turn.

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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

Agreed for my Cruze RS Premier. At 20k, I'm giving thought to a tire and wheel change for my spring-summer-fall tires (I have a 16" winter tire and wheel set using Gen 1 alloys). I like the look of these 18" wheels from the GM Accessory Shop for my black car, but they are super-pricey from all sources and won't give me any more sidewall. Instead, I'm looking at these 17" wheels from Tire Rack for $150/each and switching to these Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 summer tires in the 235 45 17 size for $144/each. I'll get more sidewall and not change the speedometer accuracy. These tires were great for me on my Astra. Thoughts?


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

MarcMag said:


> Agreed for my Cruze RS Premier. At 20k, I'm giving thought to a tire and wheel change for my spring-summer-fall tires (I have a 16" winter tire and wheel set using Gen 1 alloys). I like the look of these 18" wheels from the GM Accessory Shop for my black car, but they are super-pricey from all sources and won't give me any more sidewall. Instead, I'm looking at these 17" wheels from Tire Rack for $150/each and switching to these Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 summer tires in the 235 45 17 size for $144/each. I'll get more sidewall and not change the speedometer accuracy. These tires were great for me on my Astra. Thoughts?


Great tires but the Indy 500 aRe a ultra high performance summer tire. They are designed to be fast and communicative. You’ll have a stiff and harsh ride vs a all season performance or touring tire. I ride my Cruze diesel with ultra high performance all season and her spark with ultra high summer tires.
Definitely more sidewall will help but going summer performance won’t be the right direction if comfortable ride is 100% your goal. What exactly are you looking to get out of the swap


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

I'm hoping the taller 235 45 17 sidewall will give me a bit better ride than the stock 18"'s, without losing the performance advantage of the upgraded suspension and steering ratio. In other words, trying to somewhat improve the ride (impact harshness) without degrading the handling in a significant way, from mid-March until November, anyway, in my Chicagoland climate.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Continental Extreme Contact DWS are a nice comfortable ultra high performance all season tire. They are quiet, ride well, and are lighter than many other UHPAS. I'm either replacing my stock MXM4s with 235/40 contis, or possibly going to a 17x8 wheel and running 235/45/17.

Kumho Ecsta LX Platinum is a very well priced touring tire that is comfortable, quiet and good wearing. I've got a set on my Impala, my brothers 2015 Cruze, and my mother's minivan. I think they are still available at some vendors, but I believe was replaced by the Majesty 9 TA91....


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

Since I'm doing the winter tire and wheel swap anyway, I'm shopping summer tires and those Indy's are pretty well reviewed at that price point and on my previous hatch. Almost any other highly rated UHPS tires are much more costly.

Maven, you agree that 235/45/17 won't lead to any significant speedo differences?


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

MarcMag said:


> I'm hoping the taller 235 45 17 sidewall will give me a bit better ride than the stock 18"'s, without losing the performance advantage of the upgraded suspension and steering ratio. In other words, trying to somewhat improve the ride (impact harshness) without degrading the handling in a significant way, from mid-March until November, anyway, in my Chicagoland climate.


Well if you still want sporty AND a bit more impact comfort rather then ignore the road then your plan seems a good balance. The Indy 500 are great tires, I’ve riden in cooper S with them and when I got a turn in the fast seat they grip very well. Plus they are very well priced. The bigger side wall will be more complacent yet summer performance will keep the connected feel we as drivers crave.

in my diesel all I could get was the Dunlop direzza dz102 or the firehawk 500. However tire rack had a huge rebate on the BFG sport comp 2 A/s so I couldn’t pass that up. Plus we do travel a lot so once in a while the all season will help. The diesel is 17’s and I can say performance rubber on 17’s ride very nice.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

It depends on the tires, but no there shouldn't be any perceivable deviation.

I would avoid the Firestones. I don't like them, I feel they wear like ****, and get noisy very easily. The ride isn't justified by the at the limit handling either. Never been a fan. For $100 I'd rather have kumho ps31 all day. Or save up another $10/tire and go with Bridgestone S04. Great tire, ran two sets on my Cobalt SSs. Been beat up and down Tail of The Dragon, NJ Motorsports Park and VIR.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Instill whole heatedly believe an UHPAS is the best choice for a cruze. The compromises made to ride quality in a summer perfoamce tire don't typically evince themselves in wet weather traction as compared to a top tier UHPAS. I love the S04s(and the Direzzas, ran DZ101s) but Conti DWS are a much more livable tire with minimal lost to the super rubber on the street. Especially in a sub 200hp car.


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

Sometimes I missing the ride on on my Dunlop SP Winter Sports 4D's (205/55/16), but that's not really fair. Its gotten so I'm also tired of the tire noise on the stock Michelin Primacy MXM4's, too. This Motor Trend article pretty much says it for me: 2016 Chevrolet Cruze First Drive Review: Is This the Camaro of Compacts?: "I'll be gobsmacked if the numbers reveal an improvement that my ears would deem worthy of the unholy din these meats generate on all types of pavement. Take a long test drive before signing up for this punishment. "


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

I like the direzza dz102 but they don’t feel as sporty as I’d like. But the ya re comfortable and quiet to live with. Firestone 500 is very aggressive and that’s their selling point, so loud is expected and I felt their grip to be very good for the price. BFG sport comps are loud like even the all season I hear tire roar inside, not bad for how comfortable and high traction they are but notable.


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

The Firestones are lauded more so than the Bridgestones on Tire Rack's review website, while the Potenza's are out of stock in South Bend. Perhaps this is because of the $70 rebate for a set of four, which brings the price under the Indy 500 Wide Ovals. Offer detail page in HTML | Firestone Complete Auto Care.


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## pandrad61 (Jul 8, 2015)

MarcMag said:


> The Firestones are lauded more so than the Bridgestones on Tire Rack's review website, while the Potenza's are out of stock in South Bend. Perhaps this is because of the $70 rebate for a set of four, which brings the price under the Indy 500 Wide Ovals. Offer detail page in HTML | Firestone Complete Auto Care.


They are good albeit a little loud tired and at that deal jump on it. I’ll take a little louder radio to fix loud tires over less grip and safety margins


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

Note also the UTOG scores: The Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 has a 340 AA, while the Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position has a 280 A A. Regardless, Tire Rack knocks off $40 for a set of tires and $40 off a set of wheels by doing the pick-up at their South Bend distribution center, about 2:30 from here. Bonus: the drive also presents a chance to buy Stroh's Beer in bottles, which is hard to do here in the North Suburbs of Chicago.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

The DWS is a 560 AA A 

The S04 has better wet rating than the Firestone. The S04 is 280AA-A, the Indy is 340 A-A. Even tire rack says the Indy is stiff riding and weak in the wet.


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

I'll tell ya the Primacy's gave me a scare on a wet concrete ramp just two nights ago. I'll be happy to swap them out for that and all of the above reasons.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

The MXM4s def lose grip as they age. Michelins tend to get hard and crack.

Hope you like whatever you get, I just can't get onboard Firestones. It's their second string company and product line and I'm not buying tires from Thailand. LOL


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

Well, I'll have this car for a while, so the discount and the spooky wet handling on the MXM4's are taking me to the S-04's. I'll have another few chance for tire swaps, especially with the lower tread wear rating on the Bridgestones . Some Firestone nostalgia for the Indy's and for these 80s Firestone's too. But I also fondly remember the Scat-Trac 60's on my previous Chevy, a 72' Vega GT (although mine was red).


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

Happy outcome! The car loses no handling ability but gains a much improved ride with the S-04's. The impact harshness is greatly reduced. See photo below for the sidewall height differences. The all-season MXM4's might wind up as my winter tires when the Dunlops (on the Gen1 wheels) wear out. Some tips: the TPMS sensors on Amazon were $5/each, way less than Tire Rack or the Firestone store. I used the same ones in the Dunlops with no problems last winter. I checked a sidewall at the Firestone store and both my S-04's and the Indy's are Made in Japan and I might go back to the Indy's later unless the wet handling on the S-04's are as remarkable as I've been told to expect. The 17" wheels from Tire Rack come with a "Sport Tuning" center cap, but shiny black ABS caps were only $15/set. Now, as to whether those caps should stay blank...?


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Glad you like the change so far! I'm deciding on some 17s right now as well. I really want to go from my stock 18 MXM4s to 17 severe service tires, but I don't think the stock tires will make it to November....

I might end up on all seasons all winter. Wouldn't be first time (I actually spent one winter on Contisportcontacts on a non-ABS 5spees Cobalt, and another on S04s, on a 300hp+ SS Balt. LOL) but I drive much farther on my commute now, and through some fairly rural areas.


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## MarcMag (Sep 10, 2019)

The MXM4s seem like little more than rim liners on the photos of the 18"'s. Maybe too low a profile and I'll bet I won't enjoy a winter with them. The 17" wheels look good to me on a black car, but I don't know how well they'd play with other colors.

BTW: I think my Astra XR shared its engine with the base Cobalt. It was built to look good and handle. Not slow, but not quick. Struggling Saturn was foiled by the exchange rates from importing the VXR/OPC version.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

I'll be running black wheels, almost definitely since I've got a Redline, and a 235/45 should look just fine. I'm even considering some 245/45/17s on 17x9 We'll see.


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## Rpmiller (Aug 24, 2020)

JeremyHabetler said:


> Yes the Z-link is a part of the RS Pkg. I have a 2019 LT RS, it has 17" rims, still low profile tires and it's an amazingly smooth ride


My 2017 lt rs hatchback does not have the z link and i have 16 inch wheels. Would adding a z-link help stiffen up the suspension? My moms 2016 premier rs sedan has 18s and a z-link. It feels a lot sportier than mine.


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## JeremyHabetler (Jan 3, 2020)

Rpmiller said:


> My 2017 lt rs hatchback does not have the z link and i have 16 inch wheels. Would adding a z-link help stiffen up the suspension? My moms 2016 premier rs sedan has 18s and a z-link. It feels a lot sportier than mine.


Absolutely adding a z-link will help stiffen it up, that's the job of the z-link is to prevent body roll when turning (really more for high speeds) but that added stiffness will be felt all around. In respect to the tires, the lower profile you get the stiffer it all feels as well, with 17's and especially 18's you will have less side wall than 16's which will give less room for the tires to squash when turning. Honestly I'm surprised your RS doesn't already have the z-link because when I got my car it was listed as a part of the RS package.


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## Rpmiller (Aug 24, 2020)

JeremyHabetler said:


> Absolutely adding a z-link will help stiffen it up, that's the job of the z-link is to prevent body roll when turning (really more for high speeds) but that added stiffness will be felt all around. In respect to the tires, the lower profile you get the stiffer it all feels as well, with 17's and especially 18's you will have less side wall than 16's which will give less room for the tires to squash when turning. Honestly I'm surprised your RS doesn't already have the z-link because when I got my car it was listed as a part of the RS package.


Thats what i thought too. I've read that i need to change the whole rear axle to add a z-link.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Zlink doesn't reduce body roll when turning. It's intended to keep the axle and rear wheels centered under the car when under lateral loads and to reduce the affects off rear axle bump steer.


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## MP81 (Jul 20, 2015)

Ma v e n said:


> Zlink doesn't reduce body roll when turning. It's intended to keep the axle and rear wheels centered under the car when under lateral loads and to reduce the affects off rear axle bump steer.


Yup, keeps it from shifting side to side over bumps. Doesn't affect body roll one bit.

Would love to add a watts link into the Volt, as the rear-end shimmy is very noticeable over bumps, due to how softly sprung the car is (since the CG is so low, they didn't need to go anywhere near stiff with the suspension to reduce body roll - it does that all on its own. Hurray physics!). The Cobalt doesn't have as much of an issue with that, given it's a lot stiffer, with a massive rear swaybar.


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## Saintkeiran (Oct 7, 2020)

MarcMag said:


> The MXM4s seem like little more than rim liners on the photos of the 18"'s. Maybe too low a profile and I'll bet I won't enjoy a winter with them. The 17" wheels look good to me on a black car, but I don't know how well they'd play with other colors.
> 
> BTW: I think my Astra XR shared its engine with the base Cobalt. It was built to look good and handle. Not slow, but not quick. Struggling Saturn was foiled by the exchange rates from importing the VXR/OPC version.


I have a 2018 Premium Hatchback with the RS package. I used the MXM tires in Colorado in the winter with no problem, even in the mountains. But it's impossible to mount chains to the car with the 18s thigh, not enough clearance. What's more problematic is how quickly the MXM wear out. I had to replace mine at 20k. More I'm using General Max-G AS-05, and they are great. Smoother ride, quieter, and I have better grip in dry and wet weather. Haven't had the chance to test the new tires in snow yet though.


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## Ma v e n (Oct 8, 2018)

Saintkeiran said:


> I have a 2018 Premium Hatchback with the RS package. I used the MXM tires in Colorado in the winter with no problem, even in the mountains. But it's impossible to mount chains to the car with the 18s thigh, not enough clearance. What's more problematic is how quickly the MXM wear out. I had to replace mine at 20k. More I'm using General Max-G AS-05, and they are great. Smoother ride, quieter, and I have better grip in dry and wet weather. Haven't had the chance to test the new tires in snow yet though.


My stock michelins aren't at the 2/32” wear bar yet and have well over 60k miles on them. I'll probably change them out to Conti DWS or Vredestein severe service rated all season by end of month, about 65k miles.


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