My moms Range Rover Sport really dips when you hit the brakes. I know it is heavy and it is weight shift, but man does it suck in traffic getting rocked back and forth like that.
Is there any good driving practices to help keep a car from nose diving under braking? I know to let the weight shift forward easier need gradually apply, but, in this thing it is pretty hard to do.
Stiffer front springs seems like the only thing to do
bad front shocks?
beside the actual weight of the car
I'd hate to mess with that. I can't find anything on the Internet about other people complaining about it in her particular model (Range Rover Sport 2016, pic is the SVR, she just has the v6 one)
Nah it's a new car. Yeah the thing weighs over 5,000-lbs. It's heavy as shit. That's probably the main problem.
would stiffer suspension dampers help?
(excuse the deleted post, i wrote bushings by accident)
No. The front dives because the front shocks are weak or the springs arent stiff enough. Do you have a faulty auto-levelling system? Isnt that a vehicle with air struts?
Yeah, it has air suspension.
Do they put softer shocks in for a better ride? Is it just a trade off?
Maybe I'm just sensitive to it, because can't find other people on the Internet complaining about it, but... fucking annoying as shit.
maybe the brakes are shit. maybe the way they grab
maybe you hit the brakes too hard, a heavy foot
my car does that because the previous owner was a jackass who put lowering springs on the front
I seriously hate that asshole
Even with a car that heavy, you shouldn't be experiencing that. Either the suspension is shot like some are suggesting, or you're driving it like a total idiot and treat the pedals as on/off switches
How old is it? I'd check the fluid for the hydraulic anti-roll bar system. The reservoir should be on the left side of the engine bay if you stand at the front of the car.
I've been really smooth driving everything else. This I've been trying to play with the brakes to get it smoother but it still rocks a lot.
The brakes do seem to grab non-linerally and kind of have 'steps' like you get a bit and then all the sudden they grab harder. If I let off just a little bit the thing rocks back a bit/nose comes up and it all just feels really boat-like.
I'd normally blame me but trying to push the brakes really softly was the first step. Also notice it when others drive it who are normally very fluid.
6 months old. I think it's in good shape.
Does the car have a sports suspension setting and if it exists, does it help at all?
You say it nosedives?
Usually I see cars doing that when the rear brakes are working, but the front brakes aren't. Have you checked your front rotors, pads, and brake lines?
It seems odd that it's doing this whole fairly new, but that's all I can think of besides front suspension
Nope. It's a regular one. There is one called a Supercharged that has a Dynamic mode that has that. I wonder if it is better.
My dad wants to get an SVR which likely has stiffer suspension but my mom says she'll feel like an idiot driving that (I told her she looks like an idiot already
I don't want to be a dick here op but are you used to driving these types of vehicles? the sports have very sharp brakes and you need to go easy on them. It's obviously an auto being a rangie, you're not using your left foot to brake? Some people treat a autos like go karts and use left to brake.
>Think that Dynamic mode would make a big difference?
No idea, that's why I was asking, but the difference probably isn't big enough to warrant purchasing the higher trim line just for that setting. Not to mention that if the issue exists in all base suspension models, then it's just a shitty bandaid fix on a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place.
I'm not saying I couldn't be a better driver, but concentrating on being very light on the brakes was my first step.
My dad has a lot of sports cars with big brakes so I'm used to driving those. It's like pushing on eggshells but they stop very smoothly and certainly no nose dive because of the shocks.
Yeah I'd just be interested to drive one. It doesn't seem to bother my mom as much as me, but, next time it needs service I'm going to ask about it. Maybe take the service guy for a little ride.
Maybe all big SUVs do that, I haven't driven a G wagon or anything.
New cars have shitty on/off brakes. It's a product of people driving too fast and blaming the car.
Have you tried test driving another same spec vehicle? It could be that they're all the same or perhaps you got a bad one.
I have heard that. Like most accidents only 40% of the braking performance was used because the driver didn't push down enough.
Still haven't had this problem in anything else.
Nope. I might ask the service guy to go for a ride with me next time I take it in for my mom. I get service duty in the family.
I'd definitely try another vehicle. I'm a mechanic and I've driven plenty of range rovers and if yours is behaving like you say then it could be related to the brake force distribution system. You could download a decelarometer app for your phone to see how powerful the brakes are.
Thanks m8, you guys have encouraged me to get it checked out more immediately.
The brakes seem to be working just fine.
What's the brake force distribution system? Computer that tells the car how much to send to each brake?
"Brake force distribution system" sounds like a fancy way of saying "electronic proportioning valve"
Yeah, brake and suspension issues are something you don't want to leave lingering around. I'd do and if the loaner brakes fine without any rocking around, it's service time
Yeah but it's a lot fancier as well using torque vectoring, yaw sensors and ABS modulation.
why would that cause an suv to nose dive?
sounds like it's just a heavy as fuck SUV. those things are like 5,500-lbs. probably rocks forward with inertia every time you slow down no matter what
Dampers (aka shocks) will help, but only after the initial dive. Springs control that.
It's also a matter of suspension geometry, but that's something you're not likely to be able to change.