My dealer stated my Telluride came in today. However, one option was not on it was the towing package. I had specifically ordered that option for various reasons. However, the dealer states they can add the tow hitch but can’t of course add the self leveling option. My question is for those of you that added the tow hitch have you noticed any issues with it not being level with a significant load? Is it a requirement? For the those that have the self leveling rear suspension were you glad to have it or is it not worth the additonal cost? I‘m waffling whether accept the vehicle and have them add the tow hitch or just wait for another one. I appreciate any feedback on this. Thanks!
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Self Leveling Rear Suspension
- Thread author kgie1217
- Start date
sprengBoard
Well-known member
I’d take the Telluride that came and have them install the hitch.
While the self-leveling suspension can definitely e helpful if you have a heavy load, the type of self-leveling system Kia uses isn’t really meant to help with towing. Higher-trim Palisade come standard with the same self-leveling suspension even without a tow hitch or package.
You’ll actually have less sag at rest without the tow package as the self-leveling shocks only activate after a few miles of driving, and they necessitate softer coil springs that normal since they support some of the weight.
If you have an issue with sagging you can install manually-inflated air bags inside the coil springs for around $100.
While the self-leveling suspension can definitely e helpful if you have a heavy load, the type of self-leveling system Kia uses isn’t really meant to help with towing. Higher-trim Palisade come standard with the same self-leveling suspension even without a tow hitch or package.
You’ll actually have less sag at rest without the tow package as the self-leveling shocks only activate after a few miles of driving, and they necessitate softer coil springs that normal since they support some of the weight.
If you have an issue with sagging you can install manually-inflated air bags inside the coil springs for around $100.
Kao
Well-known member
I tow an 18 foot Grady White outboard boat with my SX -P with towing package. The back will sag significantly with that kind of load without the self-leveling system. It does an awesome job of leveling out that big a load. I would not accept the vehicle without it, if that's what you wanted and ordered. If you are just putting a bike or two on a bike rack, maybe the sag you get with that won't bother you. I'd insist they pay to install a comparable (or better) after market true self leveling system or take the cost off your negotiated price. Sounds to me like they didn't really place an order for your vehicle, they just got one on the lot similar to what you wanted and told you your vehicle came in (but somehow Kia manufacturer "forgot" to add an $800 option). I just don't buy it that the Westpoint plant is screwing up on so many orders. The number of people on this forum that claim the dealership said their car came in with a missing option is way too high to be believed. I think your dealer is lying. But you have to decide how bad you want the car, to accept a vehicle that isn't exactly what you requested and ordered. And have to deal with a (possible) dishonest dealer for the life of that car.
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WhiteSX
FOUNDING MEMBER
Not a major issue. Take delivery of this vehicle. It may cost just a bit more, you can add the hitch - see how the vehicle performs without the selff leveling shocks - and add the Nivomat (self leveling) shocks if you'd like at a later date. It would require changing out the rear springs and spring seats as well.. Owned my SX-P fwith tow for 27 months. Don't do too much towing. Nivomat shocks failed. Was tired of the poor ride and rear sag that never corrected once underway. Had my dealer remove and replace with standard rear suspension setup. Much better. Search the forum for more on Nivomat shock issues and multiple points of view.
Enjoy the ride.
Enjoy the ride.
An 18ft center console outboard motor trailered boat is probably going to be one of the best setups to tow with a Telluride. The center console with all the guts and the hull are aligned left to right and the outboard motor is centered which makes the bulk of the weight fall above and a little forward from the trailer axle(s). That probably keeps the load centered and a trailer hitch weight of under 300lbs at the tongue. Just enough to activate the self leveling shocks but not too much to overwhelm them. Nearly everything else you tow (travel trailer or utility trailer) will require cargo management and careful weight distribution. Even a 3-4 bike hitch mounted rack could exceed the tongue weight of an 18ft loaded boat trailer. Without the self leveling shocks you will still be able to tow an 18ft boat, it is not required, and you can get air helper bags for the struts or wait for good aftermarket shocks. I’m sure the Kia Mando self leveling shocks are covered by a warranty if they fail prematurely but it’s probably prorated. You can buy aftermarket ones that have lifetime warranties when they are sold for the Telluride at a fraction of the cost of the new Kia ones. I still contend that the self leveling shocks are very minimal towing benefit. The standard struts may be more stiff than the ones that come with the self-leveling shocks so you might see more of a sag when parked if you have the self-leveling shocks. I have the standard shocks and struts and have loaded up a utility trailer with 1,300-1,500 lbs and about ~250lbs of tongue weight and noticed a 3/4" drop in height with a balanced load and no rear passengers nor rear cargo. So I'm not sure if that would have been enough to trigger the self-leveling shocks if I had them. When I add a couple hundred pounds of cargo on my hitch mounted cargo basket I see more sag, but I think I can overcome that eventually with air helper bags or better shocks for less than the cost of the self leveling suspension upgrade from Kia. I see no benefit to getting air helper bags or an air bag suspension if you have the Kia Mando self-leveling (Nivomat-like system) because you are adding a system that competes with the more expensive shocks and could force them to age more quickly.
My advice, if you ordered the tow package and it didn't come, take it anyway. Save the money and get the dealer to put the Kia tow option. If you ordered it without but it came with and don't plan to do serious towing, go for it and it will be a comfort convenience when you aren't towing. If you plan to do serious towing and have it, just inspect to make sure they aren't failing or leaking and you should be fine if you pay attention to cargo management and weight distribution.
I suspect the dealers aren't lying as much as we think. I think it's a miscommunication between a close to matching dealer allocation and a custom order. Some people dropping down the deposits may be thinking they have a custom order, but instead the dealer is looking for a factory allocation meant for that dealer as close to matching the request as possible.
My advice, if you ordered the tow package and it didn't come, take it anyway. Save the money and get the dealer to put the Kia tow option. If you ordered it without but it came with and don't plan to do serious towing, go for it and it will be a comfort convenience when you aren't towing. If you plan to do serious towing and have it, just inspect to make sure they aren't failing or leaking and you should be fine if you pay attention to cargo management and weight distribution.
I suspect the dealers aren't lying as much as we think. I think it's a miscommunication between a close to matching dealer allocation and a custom order. Some people dropping down the deposits may be thinking they have a custom order, but instead the dealer is looking for a factory allocation meant for that dealer as close to matching the request as possible.
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TONYK11
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Lots of good advice here. Ideally, the factory TOW package would be your first choice IF you are towing anything approaching the rated gross weight or hitch loading.
Aftermarket airbags actually work well. They are simple to use, fairly reliable, and cheap to replace if a bag fails.
On the who is lying question, I think it fair to say that many sales people will repeat what they have been told and/or what sounds true-ish.
What's the difference between a marketing guy and a sales guy? The marketing guy KNOWS when he is lying!
Aftermarket airbags actually work well. They are simple to use, fairly reliable, and cheap to replace if a bag fails.
On the who is lying question, I think it fair to say that many sales people will repeat what they have been told and/or what sounds true-ish.
What's the difference between a marketing guy and a sales guy? The marketing guy KNOWS when he is lying!
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I agree with everything you said except this statement.
Self-Leveling is not exactly the same as Automatic Leveling and Load Leveling ride height when towing in general is not accomplishing Load Distribution.
If the Tow Package were really such a must have, why not offer it on every trim instead of just an upcharge on the higher trims? I think it's because it was incorrectly labeled and marketed for this market. They got it right outside the US and on the Palisade. They offer AWD on all 4 trims with different drive modes because people buying feel that is a must have.
Depends on what you are towing. The Tow Option is required (or aftermarket hitch and harness). But the Tow Package may not be everyone's first choice. If you plan to use a Weight Distribution System for a pop up camper, smaller travel camper, smaller pontoon boat or anything heavy enough to require brakes or a WDS, you might be better off without the self-leveling shocks and softer struts. The self-leveling helps with a boat trailer in leveling side to side and that might help avoid sway issues especially if you have a tall boat. These shocks balance reacting to each other by leveling left to right with the net effect being a raised rear end. But a WDS and proper cargo placement may actually raise the back end much closer to unloaded drive height (even while parked) by leveling you front to back as well by distributing the load to the front axle or back to the trailer axles. That helps with anti-sway and helps your braking work better. Even air bags don't do this. Load leveling with distribution can be accomplished with the standard suspension (standard shocks and standard struts) and it will be easier to see when you are approaching the gross weight. Bottomline, don't ignore tongue weight. Even if you have failed self-leveling Mando shocks, that would still be a better scenario to fix immediately than a broken rear axle. I think if you have the standard suspension (shocks and struts) you can even get a Weight Distribution System with Anti-Sway and that might give you the best of everything.
Self-Leveling is not exactly the same as Automatic Leveling and Load Leveling ride height when towing in general is not accomplishing Load Distribution.
If the Tow Package were really such a must have, why not offer it on every trim instead of just an upcharge on the higher trims? I think it's because it was incorrectly labeled and marketed for this market. They got it right outside the US and on the Palisade. They offer AWD on all 4 trims with different drive modes because people buying feel that is a must have.
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Be careful if dealer offers to install hitch. Make sure it’s the Kia hitch and not an after market hitch. Other people on forum had dealer install after market hitch which hangs below bumper, looks terrible and lower to ground. Kia hitch also requires replacing lower bumper trim piece to fit hitch.
Yup!
These are the three Kia part #s that equal the Tow Option on a 2022 Telluride: Hitch Install ... Dealer vs Aftermarket $475 from the dealer either installed from the factory or installed upon delivery is a good deal given that the three parts by themselves would run you $600 without installation.
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Kao
Well-known member
Because some people go their whole life NEVER NEEDING TO TOW ANYTHING. So why pay for an option you'll never use?
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Ordered our EX wanting just the trailer hitch for bike carrier and the ability to tow if needed (but not planned). It came w/ the tow package w/ Nivomat self-leveling shocks. We do not like those shocks. The rear suspension bounces and squeaks over bumps at slow speed. Rear sag does not seem to go away and get flashed w/ high beams a lot. Just over 6k miles so far and dealer will be looking at the shocks next week. If they have failed will be asking them to replace them w/ the standard rear shocks and springs. Any advice on how to approach dealer on this request?
WhiteSX
FOUNDING MEMBER
Keep in mind your dealer service dept is beholden to the Kia Tech Line for the diagnosis and repair procedures in order to be compensated for a warranty repair. With that stated, it makes sense to reach out to the dealer service manager to see if they'd be an advocate for you in order to explore options, accelerate the repair and navigate quickly through the Kia process.
Now that the days are shorter and we're using the headlights more we're still getting high beam flashes. Especially on smooth interstate where it seems the rear settles down and lights go up.
During the first oil change appointment at Arapahoe Kia (yes, I'm calling them out) I asked that they look at the rear suspension squeak and also adjust the headlights. The service advisor said they adjusted the headlights, but couldn't hear any squeaking from rear suspension. It makes noise all the time, they obviously didn't drive it on the street or anywhere other than to/from the service bay.
Will be reaching out to service manager to schedule a test ride so they can listen to the noises from the rear suspension.
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I’ve asked a few dealerships if you can replace the Self leveling system with the Conventional system and they keep telling me you can’t do it because it will throw a code. Is that the case? Could I just buy the conventional rear shock and swap them out?
Did it throw a code when you replaced it?
WhiteSX
FOUNDING MEMBER
Absolutely no code. The Nivomat self leveling shocks are not connected to the CAN network of the Telluride. They are stand alone individual shocks that operate independently. There is zero integration with the ECU of the vehicle. See this below.......courtesy of This is the Best Way To Fix Nivomat Suspension Problems
As I noted in my original thread, this was a one-off performed at the discretion of the General Service Mgr at my dealership based on a 25 year relationship. Just because they did it, doesn;t mean it's a standard menu item at every dealer. The "throw a code" comments simply mean they don't want to do it. Suggest buying the parts and having an indy suspension shop do the swap for you. All the best.
