# 2016 Nissan Altima - ride is too bumpy **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** nissan, altima\ **Created:** [February 16, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780 "2019-02-16T22:50:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AndyJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@AndyJ](https://community.cartalk.com/u/AndyJ)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 10:50pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/1 "2019-02-16T22:50:31Z")
In my Nissan Altima I can feel EVERY bump on the road, every crack, every pavement joint. Dealer tells me it is ‘normal’. Other person at the dealer tells me to sell it and buy something else (nice advice from Nissan). Tires are pretty much new, pressure is what needs to be. The car has just over 10 000 miles. I had it at the dealer a couple of times to eliminate rattles and shakes, and I need this fix again - because of constant shakes. I don’t expect the ride like in Rolls-Roys, but something better that Yugo would be nice. Comfort is one thing, but I also worry about safety. Struts, or ‘shock absorbers’ do not absorb anything, it feels pretty much like the wheels are welded to the car. And it is NOT because of the short wheel-base of the car (another mechanic’s explanation) - the car ‘jumps’ front and then back no matter how slow or fast I drive. Anybody else with the same issue? What would be the fix? Another (new?) suspension? Different struts? Different car? If so, which one would be with the smooth and quiet ride? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2019, 10:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/2 "2019-02-16T22:55:49Z")
> [@AndyJ](#): > > Different car? If so, which one would be with the smooth and quiet ride? You answered your own question , Different car . And a longer test drive is needed. I have driven an Altima and apparently you are a lot more sensitive than the average person . ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 5:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/3 "2019-02-17T05:37:02Z")
I’ve ridden in a couple of Altimas. I found that they rode like buckboards. But I’ve always favored the ride of big, heavy, more expensive cars, which I think is what you need. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2019, 3:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/4 "2019-02-17T15:09:45Z")
> [@AndyJ](#): > > What would be the fix? Trade the car in for one you test drive more than 5 minutes. You obviously didn’t test drive your Altima very long or you would have noticed it rides too “firm” for your tastes. The next car you consider, see if you can take it home for the weekend before buying. Or rent one for a day trip and then drive it like you normally would. Live and learn, and you just learned a lesson in buying cars. The hard way, unfortunately. ---
**Author:** ![pyrolord314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@pyrolord314](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pyrolord314)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/5 "2019-02-18T21:33:45Z")
> [@AndyJ](#): > > What would be the fix? Check your tires on Tire Rack. You might have tires that are downright terrible for comfort. It might make enough of a difference for you…especially if your new tires are the OEM (which tend to be better for gas mileage, but not for comfort, handling, or long tread life) ---
**Author:** ![lion9car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/59ef9b/32.png) [@lion9car](https://community.cartalk.com/u/lion9car)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 10:17pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/6 "2019-02-18T22:17:56Z")
Did this car come with more than one available wheel size? If so, which one do you have? In your case, you’d want the smallest available wheel so that your tire has a taller sidewall. ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2019, 11:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/7 "2019-02-18T23:57:12Z")
What do you mean by “pressure is what it needs to be?” Are your tires inflated to the pressure on the placard on the left door pillar which is the correct tire pressure or inflated to the maximum pressure on the tire sidewall which is the incorrect tire pressure? I would recommend spending $10 or so on a good tire guage and use it to make sure the tires are properly inflated and not over inflated. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 12:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/8 "2019-02-19T00:16:39Z")
Doing some checking, in 2016 Nissan put stiffer springs and heavier duty sway bars on the Altima vs previous years to give it a sportier ride. Depending on the model Altima you have there are 3 different tire sizes P215/60R16 P215/55R17 P235/45R18 If you have the 18" tires, it’s going to be a very rough ride. You might want to see if the 16" wheels will fit, about the only chance you have to soften ride. ---
**Author:** ![NYBo](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nybo/32/17281_2.png) [@NYBo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/NYBo)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 1:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/9 "2019-02-19T01:02:03Z")
I don’t believe there is any difference in the brakes between the different trim levels so the 16" wheels should fit. The Altima has been advertised for years as having a “sportier” ride than the average family sedan. I found that to be a plus when my wife fell in love with the 2008 model. Over a decade later, I still enjoy driving it. ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/10 "2019-02-19T01:05:04Z")
I believe a simple solution here would be a Buick LaCrosse ---
**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 1:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/11 "2019-02-19T01:53:59Z")
What is the gas mileage like on this Altima as compared with that on the window sticker? If the gas mileage is really good, I would bet on overinflated tires. I got a van back from having been serviced. It rode much more harshly, but the gas mileage was so much better. It finally dawned on me that the tires might have been overinflated. That was the case–the tires were inflated to the maximum pressure on the sidewall–not the proper pressure on the placard on the door pillar. ---
**Author:** ![shanonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@shanonia](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shanonia)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 2:03am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/12 "2019-02-19T02:03:27Z")
> [@It\_s\_Me](#): > > You might want to see if the 16" wheels will fit That would make a big diff if you have larger wheels now. And getting new 16" tires that rate well for ride comfort would make a further improvement. See [tirerack.com](http://tirerack.com) and Consumer Reports for tire test and survey results. And someone will probably buy your big wheels if you decide to sell them. ---
**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2019, 2:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2016-nissan-altima-ride-is-too-bumpy/134780/13 "2019-02-19T02:27:22Z")
I also concur with advise to try replacing wheels to smaller rims and bigger tire profile. Surprisingly for me, when I needed to sell a second set of winter wheels on my former Altima, I tried advertising on Craigslist and I’ve got a couple of offers, and sold it with minimal loss, something like $150 to compare to what I paid to buy them. Considering I used them for 3 years, it was… surprising.