Rear rides low

[Bradley King]

Had my new SX with tow package for 5 days. Seems the rear sits about an inch lower than the front, without any weight in the back. Is this the norm? What about the auto-leveling?

 

[jw_tx21]

There is a discussion of the auto-leveling shocks in this forum - they work when the car is in motion. At a standstill, you may experience the rear-end being lower than the front.

 

[cheeks80]

As long as the shocks work when you actually drive and you do not feel it sagging you should be fine.

 

[mrmac]

Had my new SX with tow package for 5 days. Seems the rear sits about an inch lower than the front, without any weight in the back. Is this the norm? What about the auto-leveling?

Yes, it is normal. When the training crew for the Telluride came to my local dealership, I inquired about this very thing. Kia said the design aids in reducing the drag coefficient. He called it "AERO OPTIMIZED." When I heard this, I had to research it. here is an excerpt from an article in Autoweek.

AERO OPTIMIZED “Low drag improves fuel economy, increases high-speed stability and reduces noise levels. So our designers gave the new Telluride a number of wind-cheating features to lower its drag coefficient − like the front-wheel air curtain that takes inair from an opening in the lower bumper and guides it across the front wheels to reduce turbulence. Then there’s the tailgate roof spoiler and ‘winglets’ at the side of the rear screen that improves aero. The result: an impressive 0.34 Cd.”

I use a leaf blower to dry much of my vehicle. I found that slope helpful when blowing from front to rear.

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[mrmac]

Please keep in mind, I am not an expert on drag coefficient, so he may have been blowing smoke, but it sounded reasonable, lol.

 

[dba]

I've been following this thread and decided I would chime in since my wife and I are experiencing the rear sag on our Kia. When purchasing a new car you don't expect to have to Google search a problem only two weeks after purchasing.

I purchased the Telluride SX, a beautiful car, but my wife and I have both noticed the rear sag on the vehicle. It doesn't fix itself or return to level as we expect it would. At first, we questioned if it was our groceries or putting anything in the back caused the sag but after driving around without anything we still see the rear sag 1 or 2 inches.

It doesn't matter if Kia claims "AERO OPTIMIZED." For a vehicle sagging in the rear, it's obvious that this doesn't look right and shouldnt be the experience a new user has. It's a shame that this early into owning a vehicle I would even consider returning it because of the rear sag.

 

[Wap52]

if the sag is the only complaint you have I would trade it away so another person can have your wonderful ride. The question is does it effect your driving or riding in the car? I know from my experience there is no way I let an inch or two sag make me get another vehicle but each to his or her own. I have the towing and i really like the way the self leveling works. One other thing , welcome to the forum and sorry you are disappointed in your new Telluride.

 

[Telly]

It is working as designed.

"The rear of a car with Nivomats may sag while parked because the Nivomat is mechanical and the vehicle needs to be moving in order for the pump to build pressure thus leveling the vehicle. It may take between 1-2 miles for the shock to reach its full effect. It’s normal for the vehicle to lower when not in motion."

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[hammick]

It is working as designed.

"The rear of a car with Nivomats may sag while parked because the Nivomat is mechanical and the vehicle needs to be moving in order for the pump to build pressure thus leveling the vehicle. It may take between 1-2 miles for the shock to reach its full effect. It’s normal for the vehicle to lower when not in motion."

So when the vehicle is stopped does the rear immediately go down? My aluminum trailer is hooked to the telluride now in on a flat surface. The trailer is not perfectly level but tilted forward just slightly. Wondering whether I should flip the receiver to raise the tongue or leave it as is.

 

[dba]

if the sag is the only complaint you have I would trade it away so another person can have your wonderful ride. The question is does it effect your driving or riding in the car? I know from my experience there is no way I let an inch or two sag make me get another vehicle but each to his or her own. I have the towing and i really like the way the self leveling works. One other thing , welcome to the forum and sorry you are disappointed in your new Telluride.

Not disappointed with the Telluride at all. But if I knew the vehicle would sag like an old Cadillac I wouldn't have purchased it. Vehicles are meant to be level not sag so this seems to me like a case of overengineering a product. When the Telluride starts selling in larger numbers Kia will either have to address it or be more public about the sag.

 

[jw_tx21]

Not disappointed with the Telluride at all. But if I knew the vehicle would sag like an old Cadillac I wouldn't have purchased it. Vehicles are meant to be level not sag so this seems to me like a case of overengineering a product. When the Telluride starts selling in larger numbers Kia will either have to address it or be more public about the sag.

In this thread, there are pictures that people took measuring sitting height with regular shocks and with Nivromats (on SX/EX with factory towing package only). Does your SX have the Towing package? Measure your height from center bottom of rear tire to car and see if it matches up with this thread and pics. If it's lower, you might indeed have some sagging issues. If not, then it's working as designed.

 

[JCzoom]

Not disappointed with the Telluride at all. But if I knew the vehicle would sag like an old Cadillac I wouldn't have purchased it. Vehicles are meant to be level not sag so this seems to me like a case of overengineering a product. When the Telluride starts selling in larger numbers Kia will either have to address it or be more public about the sag.

Who says vehicles are meant to be level? Most vehicles have some rake for a reason. Now, if you don't like the look, that is one thing, but its not a flaw of the vehicle. I actually think it looks good to have a slight rake towards the back. Thinking of putting front lifting springs in my Tacoma so it looks as cool as my wife's SX Telly.

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[JonFar111]

I have an EX with the factory tow package. After loading the cargo area my rear may be up to a 1/2” lower than the front. After driving it levels out. Sitting empty today the rear is 3/8” higher (32”) than the front.

 

[G-387269]

if the sag is the only complaint you have I would trade it away so another person can have your wonderful ride. The question is does it effect your driving or riding in the car? I know from my experience there is no way I let an inch or two sag make me get another vehicle but each to his or her own. I have the towing and i really like the way the self leveling works. One other thing , welcome to the forum and sorry you are disappointed in your new Telluride.

I have a Telluride SX with load leveling shocks and the sag causes the LED headlights to blind oncoming vehicles. Not good

 

[G-753415]

I have a Telluride SX with load leveling shocks and the sag causes the LED headlights to blind oncoming vehicles. Not good

There is no sag, so that's not the issue. The SX Led lights are simply super bright.

 

[hammick]

Who says vehicles are meant to be level? Most vehicles have some rake for a reason. Now, if you don't like the look, that is one thing, but its not a flaw of the vehicle. I actually think it looks good to have a slight rake towards the back. Thinking of putting front lifting springs in my Tacoma so it looks as cool as my wife's SX Telly.

Yep. That's why a lot of the 3/4 ton pickup truck guys put a leveling kit on their trucks. My understanding is it slightly degrades the gas mileage and handling but they think it look better.

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[alexdrums]

In this thread, there are pictures that people took measuring sitting height with regular shocks and with Nivromats (on SX/EX with factory towing package only). Does your SX have the Towing package? Measure your height from center bottom of rear tire to car and see if it matches up with this thread and pics. If it's lower, you might indeed have some sagging issues. If not, then it's working as designed.

FYI, I didn’t see the thread linked in your post.

 

[alexdrums]

The sagging issue and the fact that there is no 7-pin connector is why I did not order the towing package.
I honestly don’t see the need for self-leveling shocks unless you are going to be hauling around a bunch of rocks in the back of your Telly. Even then, I believe the load floor can only support 350 lbs, so you better be careful.
My dad hauled a 17’ camping trailer with his 1970 Land Cruiser. We had a weight distribution hitch—and there was never any sagging. That was almost fifty years ago...so the technology necessary for proper towing has been around forever.

Keep in mind if you have the tow package you will have to deal with it 100% of the time. My guess is most people will only be towing 1% of the time.

 

[jw_tx21]

FYI, I didn’t see the thread linked in your post.

I meant in this actual thread. But, some of the posts appear to have been moved or deleted - there is nothing between July 2 and October 30. In those posts folks had taken measurements tire to wheel well and there was no difference in height with and without tow package.

My vehicle does not sag with tow package and rides very well.

 

[alexdrums]

I am glad to hear that! So if others have the sagging issue they should probably take their Telly to the dealer to get checked out.
There was some measuring done of the ride height in this thread:

Self-Leveling Suspension

Nice, maybe a future upgrade. Thanks for the info Makes Me feel much better for the 800 bucks I spent

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