Rougher ride sitting in 3rd row?

[young dude co]

New '24 limited max bought a month ago. 3.5 HO with CCD. Yesterday I rode 3rd row. It was noticeably bumpier than driving. On a road trip now and car has a bit over 2k miles.

After trip, will take it to dealer to get suspension looked at just in case.

Did an oil change at a reputable local shop after 1500 miles, but can't think of that having anything to do with this.

 

[Rob6805]

Yea, I bet it is.. Third row is behind the rear axle/suspension.

 

[Ugh_J]

Weight distribution is better than a truck but not a whole lot as the engine/trans/battery is still up front. The 3rd-row seats are also thinner padding.

 

[Ugh_J]

As a follow-up, I'll say the Max is light-years ahead of the regular length Expeditions in terms of overall ride quality. Get one as a loaner sometime when yours is in for service and you'll likely agree. They've at least moved the headrests back a couple inches in the 2025s so you don't get rabbit-punched in the back of the head every time you hit a big bump.

 

[cptbligh]

You never ride at the back of the bus when you were in school, OP?

 

[SunnySunshine]

We had a 2024 Platinum MAX (recently lemoned, we're looking at 2025 rn) and it was a pretty rough ride even up front. Before that we drove a 2006 Honda Pilot.

 

[young dude co]

We had a 2024 Platinum MAX (recently lemoned, we're looking at 2025 rn) and it was a pretty rough ride even up front. Before that we drove a 2006 Honda Pilot.

I saw your post about the mirror problem, as well as your post about looking at a 25 Tremor vs. Max. In that thread, someone mentioned '25s ride much smoother. I test drove a '25 (with CCD) and '24s, and didn't find any difference in ride quality. As far as what's published, there SHOULD be no ride differences. Curious to hear what you think if you drove both?

In fact, mechanically, '25s have had a downgrade with the removal of the limited slip differential. All the upgrades have been in tech.

 

[SunnySunshine]

@young dude co We test drove the 2025 Tremor, which is different than our 2024 Platinum MAX, it's no comparison to GMC Yukon air suspension. It is still somewhat rough. However the dealership we rode at had absolutely no speed bumps nearby or rough roads to test it on.

 

[roard]

I had the same impression in the 3rd row, especially on irregular roads. The CCD does the job well at the front, but the rear remains firmer. Keep us posted after your visit to the dealership.

 

[dlcorbett]

Its pretty standard for the 3rd row of any suv to feel bumper, the fronts are tuned differently to handle a different load. Even in the second row, you can feel the back end is tighter. We were in a jeep wagoneer back seat and the rear felt pretty stiff compared to the front.

Were you all driving expys with the tow package? I haven't driven a tremor, but the tremor doesn't have ccd, so it won't feel the same. Even with the 24s, the ride was much better than my 20 nav or 18 expy. I hit every bump i could find to include a couple pot holes and railroad crossing that use to jar in my nav and nothing went into the cabin, just your usual truck jitterness. The 22s ride better than the 24s by a good margin as well. Also, air vs coils the air Should feel better. As i mentioned in the nav forum, my dad had an 22 Escalade without air, and we both thought the 25 expy was better riding.