This discussion must be here somewhere...but I didn't find it.

The biggest downside of the GCSRT8 seems to be ride quality/comfort. Please remember the point of view I am coming form. This will be my daily driver. If I wasn't in an area of Canada with snow at least 4 months of the year I would likely go for a 300C SRT8.

Many reviews complain about the ride. The Car and Driver "comparison" test goes so far as to say they would not want to endure it as a daily commuter. While their article was clearly rediculous on many fronts the ride concern comes up over and over in various reviews. I don't expect it to be as forgiving as the 5.7 GC that I test drove but is it really that bad?

This discussion must be here somewhere...but I didn't find it.

The biggest downside of the GCSRT8 seems to be ride quality/comfort. Please remember the point of view I am coming form. This will be my daily driver. If I wasn't in an area of Canada with snow at least 4 months of the year I would likely go for a 300C SRT8.

Many reviews complain about the ride. The Car and Driver "comparison" test goes so far as to say they would not want to endure it as a daily commuter. While their article was clearly rediculous on many fronts the ride concern comes up over and over in various reviews. I don't expect it to be as forgiving as the 5.7 GC that I test drove but is it really that bad?The ride is fine. My daily driver's are my '02 M3 Vert, an '03 Z06, an '03 H2 and the GC SRT8. There is little difference in overall ride between the 4. My GC SRT8 rides better than my previous Infiniti FX45 for certain. If you are sensitive to stiffly sprung vehicles with a sporty suspension don't consider any of the mentioned vehicles.

I'm in the north east and the roads are far from perfect. I think the answer you're looking for should depend on where you live and where those that answer lives.
With that said the suspension is VERY harsh going over bumps and road imperfections. On the highway going 75 or 80, if you go over a road blemish while in a slight turn the car can jump and the traction could kick in. I'm carefull with my choice of words because is does not happen all the time, only sometimes. It is annoying and I'm looking into different shocks in the near future.
The car DOES handle amazing when the road is perfect, though.
My $0.02

I like the ride in the GC SRT8 much more than the 300C I traded in. The 300C was comfortable but too spongey for me. A 300C SRT8 is going to be similar to the GC. I like the firm responsiveness and the feel of the road in the Jeep. The seats are great and eat up a lot of the bumps. But, remember, this is a performance vehicle, it's going to be stiffer - and that's a good thing.

I live in PA with the worst roads on the planet. The Jeep is the daily driver and feel super comfortable in it. You could call the ride firm but smooth.

I live in PA with the worst roads on the planet. The Jeep is the daily driver and feel super comfortable in it. You could call the ride firm but smooth.

I find that very hard to believe. You're telling me that at 80mph + on the highway, on a sweeper, when you hit a bad bump in the road your car feels "super comfortable"? :rolleyes:

I find that very hard to believe. You're telling me that at 80mph + on the highway, on a sweeper, when you hit a bad bump in the road your car feels "super comfortable"? :rolleyes:

Yup, and the jeep barely moves when I hit bad bumps.

I find that very hard to believe. You're telling me that at 80mph + on the highway, on a sweeper, when you hit a bad bump in the road your car feels "super comfortable"? :rolleyes:

I gotta go with you on this one Trainer....I've got over 10.000 miles on mine now, and all kinds of roads. Live in Fl where we have some decent roads and great 80-100mph sweepers getting on varioius interstates....BUT...hit that seam where concrete changes to blacktop or vice versa, or a good bump, and coupled with a little torque steer, this puppy will jump a few inches sideways. You have to "drive" this vehicle under certain conditions, not just guide it. And, running I-75 like through construction in south GA, and I- 81 up and across PA on the way to Ma, you gonna be doing a little jiggling. Nice smooth road, 75mph or so and its smooth yeah....But like you said hit that bump you're gonna do a little butt sliding. Overall though I have no complaints for comfort on long trips. But do believe anyone needs to stay more focused when getting on this vehicle. I was doing the "Jersey-two-shoe" all over some of the roads in NJ...My ex-home state, and I can tell you the lottery or Atlantic City gambling money didn't go to road repair there.

Yup, and the jeep barely moves when I hit bad bumps.

We're clearly having seperate conversations..

...coupled with a little torque steer, this puppy will jump a few inches sideways.

Torque steer????? I have never had any torque steer on my Jeep - at all. The size of the tires will cause it to follow ruts in the road but that is the only handling issue I have ever had. Maybe this topic is all about what you expect out of this Jeep. If you're looking for a "comfy" ride this may not be the vehicle for you.

Torque steer????? I have never had any torque steer on my Jeep - at all. The size of the tires will cause it to follow ruts in the road but that is the only handling issue I have ever had. Maybe this topic is all about what you expect out of this Jeep. If you're looking for a "comfy" ride this may not be the vehicle for you.

It's already confirmed by the SRT production team as well as many others from this forum not to mention other SRT owners I spoke with personally that our cars have torque steer. No worries, there's nothing wrong with our cars, this is normal.

I do find it interesting how there are some people out there that want to believe that their car has none of the little quirks that we're all experiencing, as if their car is "special" and "different" than the rest.. :rolleyes: LOL

Everyone's perspective of reality is grossly different. 10 people can watch the same movie and walk away with 10 very different opinions. Such is the case with our Jeep SRT I suppose...

It's all good, just go out and enjoy your car people! :D

It's already confirmed by the SRT production team as well as many others from this forum not to mention other SRT owners I spoke with personally that our cars have torque steer. No worries, there's nothing wrong with our cars, this is normal.

I do find it interesting how there are some people out there that want to believe that their car has none of the little quirks that we're all experiencing, as if their car is "special" and "different" than the rest.. :rolleyes: LOL

Everyone's perspective of reality is grossly different. 10 people can watch the same movie and walk away with 10 very different opinions. Such is the case with our Jeep SRT I suppose...

It's all good, just go out and enjoy your car people! :D

If there is torque steer, it's so minimal that it is a non-issue. Have you ever launched a built Honda, a Stage III SRT-4 or any other hot FWD car? That's torque steer!

I think it's more of a case of unrealistic expectations for a performance vehicle vs your mom's car. These SRT vehicles seem to attract a lot of first time performance vehicle owners who have been on several forums complaining about everything from brake dust, engine vibrations, bumpy rides, noisey exhaust, gas mileage, etc. These are normal for a performance vehicle. This Jeep and the entire SRT line are impressive because of the level of performance combined with the level of drivability they provide. What I tried to say earlier is that if someone thinks this Jeep is too uncomfortable they should look elsewhere - like a Buick or a minivan.

We're clearly having seperate conversations..

I don't know why you feel the need to argue with me.

I started this thread to get a feel from people about the ride in general. I certainly don't expect a ride like my wife’s Honda Odyssey. The car I currently drive is a 2003 Maxima SE 6 speed. This is the nearest I’ve recently owned to a performance vehicle, unlike many of you.

I have driven the A4, 300C, and 330i. These cars all have decent rides. My concern was really the way the Car and Driver comparison to the Trailblazer SS made such a big deal out of the ride quality for everyday use. I am mister suburbia here in Canada. I have a wife, 3 kids – okay 2 but the 3rd is due any day – and a hunting dog. When I’m taking the family camping and the kids are trying to watch a movie on the DVD player is the ride going to be a real issue. Again, I don’t expect a cushy ride but I don’t want to invest in a kidney belts for the whole family either :-)

Our roads in my area are generally pretty good with some city streets that are pretty crappy so it sounds like it shouldn’t really be all that bad but some bad roads won’t be quite as fun to drive on.

Here's a quote from an MPH Magazine article on the Jeep. "Stiffer springs and dampers, larger anti-roll bars, and 20-inch run-flat tires usually make for a gut-jolting ride. But the SRT-8 is surprisingly supple—no crashing, no drink spillage."

Hey Wise Guy, I also own an 06 Jeep GC SRT8 and I live in NE Pa. You can take as gospel the remarks that Teda posted.The roads here in NE Pa suck. The GC srt8 rides nice on smooth roads and not too bad on rough roads but where you have to watch is if you are going over a concrete bridge and at the end of the bridge it becomes rough blacktop and you are doing say 65-70 mph the rear end of the SRT8 can hop sideways a few inches. I am 69 years of age and have had performance vehicles since I first got my drivers license. This is one tightly sprung vehicle. The stiff ride I attribute to the 20" runflat tires. Trust me, the sidewalls do not give. This is one of the reasons that the GC SRT8 corners so flat. To get the handling something else has to give or better yet NOT GIVE. Overall I would buy one again. This is definately one fun vehicle but you do have to RESPECT it. You have to know when to use that power and when not to. I don't know where you live and how many Jeep dealers are near you, but if you can test drive one on a fairly rough road and see if this is the vehicle for you. Hope this helps in your decision. Rich

Wise Guy, I forgot to mention that as far as torque steer goes don't even let that be a concern because this is AWD and not FWD. Rich

...Many reviews complain about the ride...
If you read reviews on just about any SUV you will find at least some negative observations about ride quality and handling. For a performance SUV I think that the SRT team did an outstanding job of balancing everything out. The "handling" positives far out weigh any negatives in my opinion. In decades of owning dozens of different types of vehicles there is nothing that comes close to the incredible driving experience of the GC SRT8.

Look at it this way, no matter what vehicle you end up buying there will be "negatives" and "positives" in a variety of different areas. If premium ride quality is your absolute No. 1 priority you may want to look at another vehicle. But there is nothing else out that that even comes close performance-wise. Unless the majority of your driving is on very rough roads you'll be more than happy with the "ride" of the GC SRT8. I've got 4k on mine now and no passenger has ever complained about a harsh ride, but then again they are usually so stunned by the amount of power this thing has that they are speechless...

I don't know why you feel the need to argue with me.

This isn't an argument, simply a conversation.

If you read reviews on just about any SUV you will find at least some negative observations about ride quality and handling. For a performance SUV I think that the SRT team did an outstanding job of balancing everything out. The "handling" positives far out weigh any negatives in my opinion. In decades of owning dozens of different types of vehicles there is nothing that comes close to the incredible driving experience of the GC SRT8.

Look at it this way, no matter what vehicle you end up buying there will be "negatives" and "positives" in a variety of different areas. If premium ride quality is your absolute No. 1 priority you may want to look at another vehicle. But there is nothing else out that that even comes close performance-wise. Unless the majority of your driving is on very rough roads you'll be more than happy with the "ride" of the GC SRT8. I've got 4k on mine now and no passenger has ever complained about a harsh ride, but then again they are usually so stunned by the amount of power this thing has that they are speechless...

Agree with both this post and NE PA "silver's" input. The balance is here, and I will definitely buy again. The fun factor and overall ride comfort far far outweigh any negatives regarding this vehicle. And although I CAN throw it into a harsh curve under extensive throttle input, or launch it on a crowned road and "induce" some torque steer, it is NOT a concern or issue. Love this ride! Also, most of my 10,000 miles in 4 1/2 months are trips of 600 to 900 and a time, and when I get to destination, no fatigue, cramps, or loss of butt feeling. To original poster....go for it.

It's already confirmed by the SRT production team as well as many others from this forum not to mention other SRT owners I spoke with personally that our cars have torque steer. No worries, there's nothing wrong with our cars, this is normal.You are the first person I've ever heard mention torque steer issues with the GC SRT8. The heavy rear wheel drive bias of the transfer case should eliminate torque steer from the equation. Please post the link to the info stating the "SRT production team confirmed torque steer is an issue".

You are the first person I've ever heard mention torque steer issues with the GC SRT8. The heavy rear wheel drive bias of the transfer case should eliminate torque steer from the equation. Please post the link to the info stating the "SRT production team confirmed torque steer is an issue".

Hey, I mentioned it! Heavy throttle, tight sweeper, little gravel or oil, quick transfer of power applied to front, unloading the back a bit, you might need to correct a little. Not arguing here, but don't see where trainer said it was an "issue", which I consider to be an important or unsettled dispute or matter. IMHO torque steer is a non-issue in our vehicles, just something that can be induced.