Hello C-Max fans, I own a 2015 C-Max SE and have found the ride to be rather stiff. It's definitely better than the 2013 Escape that I used to own, but it's nowhere near the smooth ride that I was hoping for in a family car. I realize now that modern cars prioritize handling over the smooth ride that all but the sportiest cars used to tune towards. Ostensibly, this is what people want, at least, this is what car reviewers want. I can feel every little "jiggly" bump in the road. Driving over speed bumps is jarring. Head tossing is something I endure nearly every time I drive. Why is this necessary? I live in the city. I drive over bumpy roads with broken pavement. I rarely take drives through the country along "the twisties". Having tight handling is fine, but not if it comes at the expense of any ride quality, which it clearly does. I want to drive a car with a smooth ride, that will keep bumps on the ground. I really don't need to know about them. Is that too much to ask? They perfected the smooth riding automobile decades ago. Even small cars weighing almost 1000 pounds less (k-car) had a smoother ride than my C-Max. Why have we regressed so far? This car weighs over 3500 lbs! I removed the OEM 17" wheels and replaced them with 15" steel wheels. The tires went from 235/55 R17 to 215/65R15, if remember correctly. This definitely helped, but I realize now just how important suspension tuning is, because taller tires were not enough to make much of a difference in the ride. My question to you is, do you know of any way to decrease the suspension spring rates for a smoother ride? Is there enough space in the wheelwell for increased wheel travel? Would it be possible to decrease the effect of the anti-sway bar? I looked on the internet for this, but could only find performance mods doing exactly the opposite. I'd love to keep the C-Max, but don't know how much longer I can endure the uncomfortable ride. Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this? Thanks! Doug
