Ride with 18"wheels hard - how to soften ride a little?

[dave_r]

Shoot me down if you wish, but how many GTI's are sold to people who want one because "It's a GTI" and haven't thought about how it is to live with day to day?

IMO (add me to the firing squad), I reckon more than 50% of GTI and R sales for that matter are by people who wanted the top of the range and have no clue or care about what the car actually is.

Don't try and tell me that every old lady I see in one, bought it because they handle great and perform well when the $10k less vanilla model does the job they require just as well!

[brad]

it is entirely possible to have a taught, sharp handling vehicle without sacrificing primary & secondary ride comfort.

[Corey_R]

IMO (add me to the firing squad), I reckon more than 50% of GTI and R sales for that matter are by people who wanted the top of the range and have no clue or care about what the car actually is.

Don't try and tell me that every old lady I see in one, bought it because they handle great and perform well when the $10k less vanilla model does the job they require just as well!

Bingo!!

[gareth_oau]

the more money spent on suspension, the better the handling, without necessarily making comfort unbearable. a cheaper "sping-lowering" exercise will give low and firm, but the ride is likely to be crappy. A much more expensive coilover may deliver the same performance without too much compromise on comfort (though you can always expect some)

[nat225]

when I was in Melb CBD, I saw 2 GTI's with Detroits driven by mature ladies (like 40 y.o. plus).

last week, I saw one in Sydney with Detroit, also driven by a mature lady.

those were quite eye catching for me, as the GTI is a performance car. but I'm sure those ladies (or the husbands) chose the GTI for some reasons and would be silly if they thought the GTIs were comfy, quiet car (at 4000rpm PLUS) and gentle for their backs at WOT! oH My bACK....

last year I saw a convertible Ferrari driven my a granny on Princess Hwy!!

what is comfortable to each person is different.

I sometimes find some car reviewers complaining about harsh ride for cars with 40 / 45 profile tyres... ?????

it's the same as a reviewer complaining about lack of power for a Suzuki w/ 1Litre engine.

[nat225]

I have had my Mark VI GTI for about a week, and while I love the car, I find the GTI ride with the 18 "225/40 tyres hard / harsh. The various Melbourne roads with repairs all jolt a little much. Not just suburban roads, but even highways one notices all the undulations a bit much.

Now I am probably a little soft having had a Honda Accord Euro before (with standard 17" 225/45s) with no doubt softer suspension.

Firstly, what is the main cause - wheels or shocks? I love the wheels, don't want to change to 17" if I can avoid it. Is it the shocks? If so, what do people recommend ? Anyone else notice this? (in reading other threads, most want lower profile tyres, lower suspension, .......).

swap the shocks / springs to a 118TSI non sports pack set, which i have sitting in my garage for nothing :p

i'll give them to you for a bottle of red label Johny Walker :p

[7R]

when I was in Melb CBD, I saw 2 GTI's with Detroits driven by mature ladies (like 40 y.o. plus).

last week, I saw one in Sydney with Detroit, also driven by a mature lady.

those were quite eye catching for me, as the GTI is a performance car. but I'm sure those ladies (or the husbands) chose the GTI for some reasons and would be silly if they thought the GTIs were comfy, quiet car (at 4000rpm PLUS) and gentle for their backs at WOT! oH My bACK....

last year I saw a convertible Ferrari driven my a granny on Princess Hwy!!

what is comfortable to each person is different.

I sometimes find some car reviewers complaining about harsh ride for cars with 40 / 45 profile tyres... ?????

it's the same as a reviewer complaining about lack of power for a Suzuki w/ 1Litre engine.

Wow... you make me feel so old at 41. My last four cars have been somewhat performance oriented.... VE Calais V V8 with a CAI, and tune, VE Calais lowered with 20s, ZC Vectra CDXi and VY SS... I had no idea 40 was the new 65... Still with these cars costing as much as they do maybe you need to be a coffin dodger to afford them??

[markwid]

I had no idea 40 was the new 65... Still with these cars costing as much as they do maybe you need to be a coffin dodger to afford them??

The opposite I would say, for the Gen X, 40's is the new 30's. Still young at heart.

[gareth_oau]

young whipper-snappers!!

i'm 48 this year and drive a modded GT-P and a modded S3

(and in my spare time, i do weight-training 4 times a week and taekwondo and kickboxing 4 times a week), gee, i wish i was young again!

[ozvino]

I have had my Mark VI GTI for about a week, and while I love the car, I find the GTI ride with the 18 "225/40 tyres hard / harsh. The various Melbourne roads with repairs all jolt a little much. Not just suburban roads, but even highways one notices all the undulations a bit much.

Now I am probably a little soft having had a Honda Accord Euro before (with standard 17" 225/45s) with no doubt softer suspension.

Firstly, what is the main cause - wheels or shocks? I love the wheels, don't want to change to 17" if I can avoid it. Is it the shocks? If so, what do people recommend ? Anyone else notice this? (in reading other threads, most want lower profile tyres, lower suspension, .......).

Suck it up. You will get used to it, I'm coming up for a year with mine with detroits, it's firm and the ordinary inner city roads, tram tracks and inspection pits are a killer. Most of my miles are inner city, you will get a photographic memory of every pot hole, rut and pit, trust me....after a month you will get into another car and it will drive like a barge.

I think for a factory car these roll out with a great setup (wheel/tyre/rim), after all didn't we buy a GTI for handling and performance?

If you can't man-up after a month, go trade it on a Prius......

[hooba]

Is it possible to find a way to contribute to this thread without insulting the OP?

[nat225]

my cousin mentioned to me before that my GTI with Detroits rode softer than a Lexus IS250...

a few days later I checked the tyre pressure and it was 32 psi.

but then I pumped it up to 36 psi

may be 32 psi is your simple quick fix?

[MikeB]

thanks for all the suggestions (and thanks for your comment hooba )
- yep checked the tyre pressures (2.5kg/cm2 = 2.5bar?). For single person, it says 2.6kg/cm2. This is about 37psi (which seems high to me)
- checked the springs and no shipping spacers in them

Also, test drove one before buying didn't notice it. Dealers test circuit was perhaps less potholed or undulating. It became more apparent after some days. Firm ride is fine, jarring ride isn't.

I rang my dealer today; they said bring it in and the 'foreman' will come for a drive and see if it is normal / or offer some suggestions. I will do that later this week and then work out what I do....

[ozvino]

mike, it was tounge in cheek....it gets better, give it time...

Not sure where you are located but your welcome to take mine for a drive and compare apples to apples if you think it's car specific

Dave

[MkVIGTI]

when I was in Melb CBD, I saw 2 GTI's with Detroits driven by mature ladies (like 40 y.o. plus).

last week, I saw one in Sydney with Detroit, also driven by a mature lady.

those were quite eye catching for me, as the GTI is a performance car. but I'm sure those ladies (or the husbands) chose the GTI for some reasons and would be silly if they thought the GTIs were comfy, quiet car (at 4000rpm PLUS) and gentle for their backs at WOT! oH My bACK....

last year I saw a convertible Ferrari driven my a granny on Princess Hwy!!

what is comfortable to each person is different.

I sometimes find some car reviewers complaining about harsh ride for cars with 40 / 45 profile tyres... ?????

it's the same as a reviewer complaining about lack of power for a Suzuki w/ 1Litre engine.

I just saw a Lotus Excel driven by a mature lady on my way in to work!

But anyways, my GTI with the standard 17" Denvers and Bridgestone Potenza RE050s is riding fine. Actually I find the ride for the front passengers really supple! Never have any problems with the normal undulations. Same cannot be said for the rear seats though. The ride at the back can be a bit harsh, a bit like my cousin's X3 actually. I think I'm running 32psi front and back.