[rocco c]

Compared to my 500 Abarth the ride is so soft! I think this is just a preference thing, some people like really soft rides, some (like my wife and I) like a firmer ride that handles well. It's the kind of thing you should check out before you buy - there's not that much you can do later unless you can find softer springs and dampers.

Personally I'm very impressed with the ride/handling tradeoff on our Latitude with 18" wheels.

I just Bought a 2021 Renegade 2WD LATITUDE, and like you I had a 2018 Fiat 500 pop with the 1.4 turbo with 16". I'm old 60, and the 500 was a fun car, but the ride was choppy, felt ever bump in the road. I am gonna miss it, but to the Renegade ride is firm, but I'm not bouncing all over the place.

 

[Mud Pie]

This isn't helpful, but I think you bought the wrong vehicle. The suspension is somewhat stiff by design. You bought a short wheelbase vehicle, with a stiff suspension and drive on crappy roads. Yeah, it's gonna rock-n-roll. If it had a softer suspension it would constantly bottom out on those crappy roads, causing damage or excessive wear. Take it out on a paved road and you'll see the ride isn't that rough. The short wheelbase is the most noticeable factor; within a second or two of the front wheel clearing a hole/dip, the back wheel is in it. Then the rocking begins. No upgrade or modification can cure that.

 

[FiatPower]

There is also a lot of side-to-side pitch, especially when you're hustling it though corners. That's just the result of the ride/seat height and a fairly stiff suspension.

 

[raz-0]

The renegade is designed to do it's best to handle like a car. That means minimize body roll. Between that and the short wheelbase mud pie mentions, the net result is it will get a bit bouncy and floaty under some conditions with really bad pavement. Having spent a lot of miles riding shotgun in a 1990 and 2000 wrangler, and having owned an old mid 80s ramcharger with 8" of lift and basically no suspension travel and some sportier cars. The renegade suspension is pretty compliant. I mean it's neve even once launched me into the roof or made me bite my tongue. Which is something I can't say for that ramcharger.

For those bits of road where the wheel bounce starts getting out of hand well... slow down. If you live someplace where roads in that condition are labeled 55... well that's gonna suck with most things. A longer wheel base will help, as will switching to a non SUV where mitigating roll over risk is high on the list of needs in suspension design, as will moving.

 

[jdm]

I came to this forum with the same problem - 2016 Jeep Renegade latitude 1.4L 6spd MTX and the ride on this thing is harsh as hell. Yes short wheel base and sporty tuning are part of it (and the low-end-of-the-market body ringing and rattling don't help), but has anyone tried another shock/strut? I forget what tires we have, but my guess is they are a hard, fuel-economy focused design and not helping either. Thanks!

 

[puddlesplasher]

I have no issues with my stock 2015 diesel 2.0L 4x4.

 

[jdm]

I came to this forum with the same problem - 2016 Jeep Renegade latitude 1.4L 6spd MTX and the ride on this thing is harsh as hell. Yes short wheel base and sporty tuning are part of it (and the low-end-of-the-market body ringing and rattling don't help), but has anyone tried another shock/strut? I forget what tires we have, but my guess is they are a hard, fuel-economy focused design and not helping either. Thanks!

Put new tires on and it made a huge difference. The factory Kumho tires were hard and had poor traction. I bought some middle-of-the-pack tires (Courser Quest Plus) and now the expansion joints aren't as bad, my teeth don't feel like they are going to rattle out, and the tires don't slip so much in the wet or snow, even the wheel hop with the torque steer is better. I am really surprised by the improvement and like it.

 

[IronMike3406]

Put new tires on and it made a huge difference. The factory Kumho tires were hard and had poor traction. I bought some middle-of-the-pack tires (Courser Quest Plus) and now the expansion joints aren't as bad, my teeth don't feel like they are going to rattle out, and the tires don't slip so much in the wet or snow, even the wheel hop with the torque steer is better. I am really surprised by the improvement and like it.

I went to the different route on tires, I didn't mind the Kumho Crugen Premium 18's but yesterday I took delivery of 4 Yokohama Avid GT 18" which I paid $164 a piece through Amazon and I also did a MPG reading and also a DB reading headed to the Tire Shop this morning on the way I was averaging 26 mpg @77mph @74db on the way back home with the Yokohama I was averaging 29.5 mpg @77mph and a whopping @65db handling is far superior as well. Can't wait for our trip into Zion National Park and maybe sneak up to Moab for EJS. Now wish this crappy cold weather would leave Texas so I can clean up the Renegade !

 

[IronMike3406]

I came to this forum with the same problem - 2016 Jeep Renegade latitude 1.4L 6spd MTX and the ride on this thing is harsh as hell. Yes short wheel base and sporty tuning are part of it (and the low-end-of-the-market body ringing and rattling don't help), but has anyone tried another shock/strut? I forget what tires we have, but my guess is they are a hard, fuel-economy focused design and not helping either. Thanks!

Bilstein has a couple great options for struts now !!!