Seeking suspension advice

2015S, almost 37k miles. No mods of any kind.

Fort Worth: miles and miles of older, uneven concrete slab road surface. Our particular commute is unbelievably rough, and the Leaf gets tossed fore/aft, and side-to-side. The suspension gets an amazing workout. I think it has become worse, but maybe because I'm comparing it to our 2018 Gen IV Prius, or our 2014 Avalon Hybrid Limited.

There's no extra bouncing after compression/rebound of the struts, so it doesn't seem like they are "worn out" in the traditional sense. I'm wondering, though, after 4 years of rather rough/abusive pavement, if it would be worthwhile to replace the struts.

Thoughts?

37k is a short life-span but under harsh conditions the suspension could certainly loosen up. It could well be rubber bushings that are worn out also. Unless there is play in the wheels I'd just live with it. You could take it to an alignment shop to get a professional opinion but it's not a new car anymore. Replacing all the suspension components will probably make it feel more like one but whether that is worth it is up to you.

Thanks, Goldbrick. There are no rattles, clunks of any kind, steering is tight. Tires wearing evenly. Simply a lot of movement.

Would you like that duplicate post removed?

Yes. I have no idea how a duplicate occurred. Thanks.

I wouldn't replace them, unless they're leaking (and even then I'd drag it out).

I live off dirt roads that get potholed and rutted, and find the LEAF to be quite a rough-and-tumble car. Slow down a bit, try to miss the big ones, and hold on for the ride!

The leaf in general is a very smooth riding car. The suspension and ride quality is quite a bit better than a Prius but won't win against an Avalon.

One shortcoming is the suspension range (on deep bumps or potholes) is not as refined as it could be, once you exceed a certain amount of travel.

I would compare it to a new leaf to see if it's worthwhile, but generally we don't see suspensions failing even in some rough northern city environments.

pc500 said:

The leaf in general is a very smooth riding car. The suspension and ride quality is quite a bit better than a Prius but won't win against an Avalon.

One shortcoming is the suspension range (on deep bumps or potholes) is not as refined as it could be, once you exceed a certain amount of travel.

I would compare it to a new leaf to see if it's worthwhile, but generally we don't see suspensions failing even in some rough northern city environments.

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I have to respectfully disagree with your comments about Leaf vs. Prius or Avalon. I own all three, and based on my experience, and where we drive on a daily basis, the Leaf is quite a bit worse than our Gen IV Prii and our Avalon. In fact, it's because of the direct comparison of all the vehicles that I'm reminded how rough/choppy the Leaf is.

I don't think anything has failed, I'm simply wondering if freshening the suspension would return any significant improvement. I'm now thinking it wouldn't improve at all.

I think we're just cursed that the space between the road issues here aren't suited to the wheelbase/weight/strut valving/spring rates of the 2015 Leaf. I'm reminded of my days on the Chesapeake Bay, with unpredictable wavelengths (distance peak to peak) and the chop would be unbearable one day, and even larger waves the next would be perfectly manageable.

It probably won't substantially unless you think you're done something to damage yours. If you want a quick answer, test drive one off a used car lot or rent one for a day on Turo and see if there's a difference.

I have been in enough Uber's (Prius's) on almost a daily basis to think the other way around on typical balanced urban road conditions. In addition to a rougher ride, there's drastically more road noise on them. However, there may be something very localized about your roads that specifically is not good for the Leaf's geometry.

I have not heard of any leafs with worn out suspensions either, but mileage is typically low. I've seen the occasional failed component but it's typically obvious (clunks, slack, or something else).

YouTube search for how to check for warn out struts.

My 2015 Leaf S rode like a gocart. It was stiff. If it hadn't been totalled I was going to pull the rear shocks and check them.

The 2019 Leaf SV+ that replaced the 2015 has a very different ride. It is way better than the 2015. Whatever Nissan did with the second generation, it worked.