Chrysler Concorde Limited, 2003

[EARL B. JACKSON]

Having owned a 1997 LHS, and thinking the Concorde was the
replacement, I
bought a used (9000 miles) 2003 Concorde Limited without doing enough
homework and a proper test drive.

The car has high interior noise level, rides very poorly (hard ride),
and gets much worse fuel mileage (16/26) than did my 1997 LHS.

QUERY: Is this common with the Concorde Limited OR do I have an
exception?

Any potential corrective measures would be appreciated.

 

[Mike Behnke]

Interior noise can be caused by the factory tires, especially the /BadYears.

 

[Arthur Begun]

Having owned a 1997 LHS, and thinking the Concorde was the
replacement, I
bought a used (9000 miles) 2003 Concorde Limited without doing enough
homework and a proper test drive.

The car has high interior noise level, rides very poorly (hard ride),
and gets much worse fuel mileage (16/26) than did my 1997 LHS.

QUERY: Is this common with the Concorde Limited OR do I have an
exception?

Any potential corrective measures would be appreciated.

Sounds like bad tire choice. Factory Goodyears which came with the 99
300M were awful too. Replaced them with Michelin MXV4 Plus and it
made it into a new car.

 

[EARL B. JACKSON]

Interior noise can be caused by the factory tires, especially the /BadYears.

Mike: The existing tires are Michelin MXV4 Plus. I tentatively
attribute some of the noise and ride problem to the 17 inch wheels and
the low profile (55 series) instead of the 60 series on the LHS. But I
can't blame the tires for the fuel mileage.

Thanks for the input/EBJ

 

[EARL B. JACKSON]

Sounds like bad tire choice. Factory Goodyears which came with the 99
300M were awful too. Replaced them with Michelin MXV4 Plus and it
made it into a new car.

Arthur (Art?): Well, the existing tires are Michelin MXV4 Plus, 17
inch, 55 series. I tentatively attribute some of the noise and ride
problems to the low profile tires (55 series) versus the 60 series on
the LHS. But, I don't see how the tires could produce that fuel
mileage so worse than the LHS.

Thanks for the input/EBJ

 

[Bill Putney]

Having owned a 1997 LHS, and thinking the Concorde was the
replacement, I
bought a used (9000 miles) 2003 Concorde Limited without doing enough
homework and a proper test drive.

The car has high interior noise level, rides very poorly (hard ride),
and gets much worse fuel mileage (16/26) than did my 1997 LHS.

QUERY: Is this common with the Concorde Limited OR do I have an
exception?

Any potential corrective measures would be appreciated.

I agree with the others that tires can make a huge difference in noise
levels. I have a '99 Concorde. After reading about all the tire noise
problems here and elsewhere, and having my own disappointment with a set
of so-called high performance tires, I changed to a set of touring
tires. The difference in noise and smoothness is like night and day.
Double to triple the tread life and a warranty that is honored if
problems do develop are a bonus. If you are willing to give up a few
G's on cornering capability, you might consider that. Would soften up
your ride a little too. Change to 16"?

As far as fuel mileage, I average about 25 to 26 (typically 23 to 27) on
my 80 mile daily commute. Mine is different in that it has the 2.7L
engine, but it is with lower gearing, so I wouldn't expect yours to be
that much different. My highest was 31.5, but that was on a long trip
on which I was able to go non-stop on a complete tank on an interstate.

You might find this thread (a poll about gas mileage) on the 300M
ezBoard to be of interest:
http://pub88.ezboard.com/f300menthusiastsclubfrm33.showMessageRange?topicID=1.topic&start=1&stop=20

Bill Putney
(to reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with "x")

 

[Arthur Begun]

Arthur (Art?): Well, the existing tires are Michelin MXV4 Plus, 17
inch, 55 series. I tentatively attribute some of the noise and ride
problems to the low profile tires (55 series) versus the 60 series on
the LHS. But, I don't see how the tires could produce that fuel
mileage so worse than the LHS.

Thanks for the input/EBJ

Don't have an answer for the gas mileage. My 300M electronic readout
says I average about 20 mph overall. I pretty much get that on every
car I own that has an electronic gauge. Conspiracy theory?

Have you checked the tires to make sure they are not over inflated?
Should be around 32 (check the sticker on the driver door).

Also make sure the plastic inner fenders aren't damaged and there
should be insulation near the hinges when you open the front doors to
isolate the front fender noise.

Chrysler filled voids in the 300M with expanding foam according to the
marketing literature. I assume they did that in the Concord too.
Check the advertising literature to see if it says. Maybe they missed
a void on your car.