1.4 FR Ride Quality

[andrew_ww]

Hello,

I'm interested to know what people's opinion is regarding the ride quality of the fr - torsion setup

Too soft
Too hard
Just right

How does it handle the UKs roads, which let's be honest are mostly ploughed...

 

[pubsinger]

Well having gone from a 2.0 diesel Mk2 on 16" wheels to the 1.4TSi Mk3 on 18" wheels I have to say the ride is noticably harder.

Whether that's owing to the wheels or the suspension I wouldn't like to say, but in answer to your question I'd have to say too hard.

I'm not keen on the standard FR 17" wheels, it's a shame the SE 17" dynamic wheels aren't available for the FR.

All the best

Pub

 

[Starbucks78]

I've come from a mk1 diesel cupra with hard suspension to the mk3 1.4fr also with hard suspension. I find it a touch to firm but I'm fairly used to it. I drive on poor village roads so feel it at its worst, but on a main road I find it very smooth.

 

[metomurti]

Hello,

I'm interested to know what people's opinion is regarding the ride quality of the fr - torsion setup

Too soft
Too hard
Just right

How does it handle the UKs roads, which let's be honest are mostly ploughed...

I am also very curious about this subject. In Turkey roads are not very smooth especially in villages. So is it really annoying to drive it at such roads? Now I am using an Opel Corsa C 2004 model. And I am thinking to buy a new Leon FR model. If there is anybody can compare these cars' ride comfort, I will be very happy. Thanks.

 

[northernmonkey]

You might want to make a point of driving around any pot holes! Speed bumps are hit and miss depending on if you can drive aronud them or not lol

I have a 1.4tsi FR on the 18inch Machined wheels that come with the Titanium Pack.....I'll say the drive is urmm...'firm'

It can be a bit of a bone cruncher but I still love this car as the offset is such great handling!

 

[WildWestHero]

Sometimes it depends on what you are used to.

Had a Leon Mk1 Cupra TDi - fairly firm, from what I remember
Had a Leon Mk2 FR PD TDi - way too hard for my liking. Crashed off every bump. Only found it comfortable on smooth roads
Had a Leon Mk2 FR CR TDi (i.e. facelifted model) - perfect setup and ride for me.
Now got a Leon Mk3 FR150 TDi - I think the ride sits in between the two Mk2's.

I'm happy enough with the ride of the Mk3 (on 18's), but I appreciate that it could be too firm for some people. I find it a refined firmness, i.e. I don't feel like I'm crashing off of each bump and pot hole, but you know that it's a sporty ride.

Personally I think the Leon looks more suited with 18's, so I was willing to accept a bit of a trade off in ride quality. However a similar ride to the original Mk2 would have been a deal breaker for me.

So my (fence sitting) answer is, in between just right and too hard.

 

[Suicida1 Zombie]

Having come from a Fiesta ST to a MK3 Loen FR 2.0 TDI (On 18's) I would say that the ride is just right, its firm enough on the corners, puts down the power perfect but you don't get the negative factors you get when its too stiff (Crashing on bumps and cabin rattle).

Perfect.

 

[metomurti]

Is there anybody here who can say the ride difference between 17 inch stock fr rim and 18 inch original fr rim? İ could not find anybody who drove both and could compare in Turkey.

 

[Suicida1 Zombie]

I have driven both on the 2.0 TDI FR, the 17's seemed a little softer and smoothed out the ride a little but also made the steering feel that little bit less responsive when throwing it into corners IMO.

 

[LBB]

The ride of the FR I drove was firm & you could feel road imperfections but it wasn't not harsh or crashy. Oddly I found the ride quality of the FR better than the SE. Though you felt more isolated from the road surface in the SE, it was somehow more less pleasant over bumps, somehow a little choppy & less in control of its own isolation. The FR let you feel more of what was there but you could feel the car simply dealing with the road imperfections.

Also be aware that the tyres used on the wheels will have a big effect on the ride quality. Even things like the high version rather than standard load variant of the same tyre can effect the ride quality. It's not always obvious what's going to happen as the tyre & suspension interact with each other.

I should mention that the compliancy & wheel control of my current car exceeded that of the Leon, however I'd not expect an OE setup to beat top-draw aftermarket suspension tuned to my tastes. I'd expect that the Leon could well be upgraded to beat what I have now.