Hey guys, I have a 07 CRV Lx 4wd. I have a set of H&R springs, but was told to use OEM struts since it's only a 1.5" drop. So I went ahead and install them. The handling feels great, but the ride is rough on bumps and potholes. I have 17" rims on 225/50 tires. This is my daily driver, so I don't want coilovers just a decent drop and comfortable ride.

Should I upgrade to a 225/55 -16" rims & tires and urethane bump stops to make the ride comfortable?

 

Ride comfort comes from low spring rate and long suspension travel. If you want a better ride you should return to stock springs. You can't have your cake and eat it too.

 

I agree with you. However being that it's only a 1.5" drop shouldn't the oem struts be good enough for that drop? I've been looking for some aftermarket struts.

That's why I figured drop down to a 16" rims and 55 series tires.

 

1.5" is pretty significant, it is probably close to half of your jounce. Most road cars have in the range of +/-3-6" of wheel travel (about equal jounce/rebound). A 1.5" drop moves you away from the centre of the suspension travel so your normal ride height is closer to the bumpstop. So if you had +/-4, you now have -2.5(jounce) + 5.5(rebound). Excess rebound doesn't help or hurt you for ride comfort.

A higher sidewall tire would help. Changing your struts to softer/stiffer will make it better/worse for small/large bumps - always a tradeoff. Changing struts won't fix your bumpstop issue, unless you go very stiff, but that ride would be harsh all the time.

 

Thanks, I will be picking up some 16" rims & tires this week.

 

Just a update guys. The ride is much better with the 55 side wall instead of a 50. I did find out that Bilstein (Bilstein B6) makes stiffer struts for our gen. Imo I like the way the CR-V rides, so I won't be purchasing them. However it would be great if a company makes a rear sway bar & front struts bar for our 4wd.

 

Stock with 17' and 225/50 ? In my country 225/65 is legal.