Ride is Squirrely...

[mitzysman]

i have a 2006 with 84K on it. Got it this summer. It's not a harsh ride. But I feel like it's constantly adjusting to the road - even smooth roads. Hard to explain. I don't think the struts/shocks are worn out - maybe a little weak.

I'm thinking of dumping the newer Integrity tires and going to Michelin - i had michelins on my Odyssey and loved them. I'm guessing a better tire will help the weird ride character. Plus I live in the snow belt so I doubt this current tires are going to cut it. I spin in the rain already.

and maybe Rear Shocks - Do i need something firmer or softer to stop the side to side and constant adjustments ?

any thoughts on how to stable out my ride

[PilotMan0316]

I would suggest looking into new rear shocks and possibly struts for the front. I think this is typical with the weight of these vehicles and the fact that they are on a car chassis. Combine this with 5+ years and 60-70k miles and it starts to handle loose IMO. I started thinking the same thing about my wife's Pilot (an '05 with 98k) a while back. I put front struts on about a year ago and just put new KYB shocks on the back a few weeks ago. I think it helped a little. I also aired up the tires a couple pounds.

In regards to the tires you mentioned, Michelins are a very soft side-walled tire and that is not going to help firm up your ride- might make it feel looser. I would stick with the tires you have and air them up a coulple of pounds.

Just my 2 cents

[rocky]

Airing up will make the tires less absorbent of bumps and worsen the ride.
I typically recognize tired struts and shocks long before replacing them. 90k is a good time to replace them, as you have 15 K before the expensive Timing belt service.
The GYs were universally panned by everyone except residents in sunshine states. They have absolutely no snow grip and little wet grit. I have Michelin LTX MS2s and except for the whine when the road is damp love them

[CAjack42]

FWD or 4WD?
If 4WD, you might also want to check to see if the rear subframe brace was done.
Vibration/shimmy experiment -- MDX rear subframe brace retrofit
Helped ride on mine quite a bit.
I'm at 60K now, but my struts/shocks feel fine.
I'm running on the Michelin Lattitude Tours for 26K miles now - always at 36 psi. I never had problems with the GY in snow or rain, but the ride got harsh after 25-30K miles. The Michelin have been fantastic. Have been thru pretty bad conditions in WY, CO, and AZ. I also got a bump in mpg over the GY.

[belundy]

Jittery/Gritty ride can certainly be tire/pressure related, and can also be hardened rubber, especially lower control arm bushings and top strut mounts. My '03 Pilot suffered those symptoms towards 100k miles--my memory was a creamier more isolated ride when new.

If you are feeling grittiness/road reads through too much via the steering wheel then hardened steering rack bushings may be contributing, along with the play that develops within inner and outer tie-rod ends.

Struts/Shocks can also make for an unsettled ride or dartiness in dips and swells, especially if the one strut is notable weaker than the other side.