Good morning, I'm a week into ownership of 2021 Tahoe Premier with 20 inch wheels. I read a lot about how great the ride quality is on the 2021s but my impression is that it is a rather bumpy ride for daily in town driving. My limited time driving on the highway feels smooth. I'm coming from an Audi Q7 and I expect the ride to be completely different. I have test driven prior year models and was expecting ride quality improvement but haven't noticed that much difference. Just curious how others view the ride quality and on a related note what PSI folks are using.
Tire Pressure/Ride Quality
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adventurenali92
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The door tag in your drivers door jamb should have recommended psi for your tires.
Artem-G
TYF Newbie
Coming from 2017 Lincoln Navigator the ride quality has been a bit too soft for me on 2021 Denali’s 22” wheels — switching to sport mode seems to make it a bit firmer with no other noticeable differences. If only you didn’t need to do it every time when starting the engine...
YukonRog
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I discovered going to billet aluminum 20's our Yukon rode rougher. You have less tire and a lighter rim causing a stiffer ride. More tire, the softer the ride.
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I'm not familiar with the expected/anticipated ride quality of a '21 truck. Other folks will chime in.
Regarding tire pressure, I believe that there is broad agreement that running with the recommended tire pressure is the best practice, both for designed ride quality and for safety. I've heard of some folks tweaking tire pressures for LT tires when towing, but not for every day driving.
Regarding tire pressure, I believe that there is broad agreement that running with the recommended tire pressure is the best practice, both for designed ride quality and for safety. I've heard of some folks tweaking tire pressures for LT tires when towing, but not for every day driving.
Thank you all for comments on tire pressure. I am using the 35PSI from the door jam but with other vehicles i've seen folks have found better ride with the PSI tweaked up or down.
B520044
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Hello,
I have the 21 Yukon with 20" wheels and was also surprised about the ride quality. I did expect it to ride better, but it is still ok. It does get pretty choppy and shakes going over ruff roads. My driver door can be felt moving in/out. My 2019 Ram 1500 CC 4x4 actually had a better ride. However, it was much longer.
When I was test driving the new Tahoe/Yukon's, I only drove Tahoe's. Specifically the Tahoe Premier and found it to ride much better than my Yukon. The Premier has magnetic ride control, whereas mine has premium smooth ride suspension; whatever the hell that means.
I believe coming from an Audi is likely the reason for ride quality difference.
I have the 21 Yukon with 20" wheels and was also surprised about the ride quality. I did expect it to ride better, but it is still ok. It does get pretty choppy and shakes going over ruff roads. My driver door can be felt moving in/out. My 2019 Ram 1500 CC 4x4 actually had a better ride. However, it was much longer.
When I was test driving the new Tahoe/Yukon's, I only drove Tahoe's. Specifically the Tahoe Premier and found it to ride much better than my Yukon. The Premier has magnetic ride control, whereas mine has premium smooth ride suspension; whatever the hell that means.
I believe coming from an Audi is likely the reason for ride quality difference.
You are probably right. I like the vehicle and am not expecting anything similar to the Audi. My wife is driving that now so if I want the sporty ride I will drive that. I just heard so much about how great the ride was on the magnetic ride that it got me worried something was wrong with mine. Choppy and shakes is a good way to describe. I only have around 200 miles on it though so havent had any extended times driving.
B520044
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Also, I had planned to buy a 2019/20 Escalade ESV. However after the first test drive I couldn't believe the horrible ride quality. It had the 22", but was the XL version. I was blown away at how bad the ride was, so comparing the previous versions of Tahoe/Yukon/Escalade with the 21; I would say the ride is much improved.
I suppose it is all about perspective. I had previously compared q7 to prior version tahoe. At the time we didnt need Tahoe size so q7 made more sense for our needs and daily driving. I drove a 2002 Yukon XL for 8 years and loved it. I think driving the q7 in between spoiled me.
swathdiver
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The Magneride system has to be recalibrated every so often to stay in top form. This is my opinion based on reading dozens of reports.
Captain Insaino
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Not much help here, but the tires themselves can make a noticable difference. I researched and read reviews extensively in making my descision on my tire purchace based on the comforfort/ride rating as the most important factor. I had the Goodyear Assurance OEM tires. I went with Continental. Not dramatic, but a noticable improvent.
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Dave Mathews
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I have the 2021 Tahoe high country with 22” wheels. My door jam calls for 49lbs.
petethepug
Michael
Assuming you’re equipped w/ magneride, yes, the recalibration that cycles the rear struts all the way up & down and does a diagnostic of the system will verify any issues and get the system back to its baseline.
The tire pressure, rim & tire size, pros & cons will vary from vehicle to vehicle. It’s also passionately subjective and highly debated from owner to owner.
The one scientific baseline you can get is to draw a heavy lateral chalk line across your tires. Check the tires occasionally to verify if the tire’s full contact patch is scrubbing the entire chalk line off the face of the tire. Air up or down until the best contact patch is evenly wearing the chalk line off the tire(s).
AWD trucks will scrub the front tires along the edges when air’d to the recommend tag psi settings.
Another important factoid is to verify the shop that balances your tires knows how to calibrate their equipment. Ask them to show you how they calibrate it. If they can’t, THEY DON’T KNOW HOW.
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The tire pressure, rim & tire size, pros & cons will vary from vehicle to vehicle. It’s also passionately subjective and highly debated from owner to owner.
The one scientific baseline you can get is to draw a heavy lateral chalk line across your tires. Check the tires occasionally to verify if the tire’s full contact patch is scrubbing the entire chalk line off the face of the tire. Air up or down until the best contact patch is evenly wearing the chalk line off the tire(s).
AWD trucks will scrub the front tires along the edges when air’d to the recommend tag psi settings.
Another important factoid is to verify the shop that balances your tires knows how to calibrate their equipment. Ask them to show you how they calibrate it. If they can’t, THEY DON’T KNOW HOW.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
Premium smooth ride is standard shock/spring suspension. The only "improvement" you'd notice is the difference between solid rear axle and the independent suspension. The Magnaride and/or air suspension is where the biggest difference would be.
I drove on the interstate today for a few hours and enjoyed it. Around town I have switched to driving in sport and like that better. Perhaps in my head but I find it a better ride.
pic of your door jam, please
that is ridiculously high for non-towing driving.
i dont see GM using D or E load tires on a light duty vehicle
thats close to like diesel (or HD) truck tire pressure (although, theirs is higher)
Seriously....
Stbentoak
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I'd have to agree.. My 3/4 ton I run 55-60 on load range E tires. It rides like a log wagon, but I know why....
If you aren't in the 35 PSI range, it just gonna ride hard... or HardER.... I will be looking at that more closely as I look at them on lots....
TxVet33
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can u even compare the rides between Q7 and a Yukon? I own a 2019 Yukon XL with 18" wheels and the ride is a bit bumpy, but I can live with it. I've thought about going to 20's but the cost is not what I can do right now. Hope u enjoy your ride!
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