Cupra Ride Comfort, Improvements?

[bagpuss0001]

Hiya all.
I've had my cupra (54 plate tdi) since last December and although I am happy as a pig in s*it and love the car to bits, I am being drawn to make some changes to the cars ride quality. As all of you who own one will know, the ride is quite hard and if you live in a rural town like me with a very restricted road repair budget, you get your fillings loosened by all the pot holes wherever you drive!

I am fully aware that a firm ride will improve cornering, but TBH, I never will take my car on the track, and I dont park up at night in McD's or sainsburys car parks doing donuts for a crowd of chavs.
So my reasoning is that my car can benefit from a softer ride. I mainly use the gorgeous power curve to overtake other numpties on the road when they crawl along, so cornering is never taken to the limit by me. I am sure a slightly softer ride wont impair handling on a normal public road too much. After all I have owned a wide range of cars in my time from 300zx to celica to lotus Esprit, and none have shaken my bones like my beloved Cupra yet handle superbly.

So what approach should I take? I did think about going to smaller 16" wheels with a larger profile tire as this will allow the bumps to be absorbed better, but can anyone advise me on what profile to use so as to keep the size ratio correct? (Ie is 205/50x16 the same total radius as 205/40x17?)
Also, do any of the aftermarket suspension kits address the excessive hardeness in ride, if so which one?
I am reluctant to 'Downgrade' the spings/dampeners to a standard ibiza setup as that is too much of a compromise in my opinion.

any recommendations or thoughts?

Cheers y'all!

 

[Ric 2001]

You could go Koni FSD's with eibach springs. This setup has gone very well with the leon people, but the FSD's havn't been tested on the Ibiza FR/Cupra yet.

Also this setup wouldn't lower the car either.

 

[MTIbiza]

Hiya all.
I've had my cupra (54 plate tdi) since last December and although I am happy as a pig in s*it and love the car to bits, I am being drawn to make some changes to the cars ride quality. As all of you who own one will know, the ride is quite hard and if you live in a rural town like me with a very restricted road repair budget, you get your fillings loosened by all the pot holes wherever you drive!

I am fully aware that a firm ride will improve cornering, but TBH, I never will take my car on the track, and I dont park up at night in McD's or sainsburys car parks doing donuts for a crowd of chavs.
So my reasoning is that my car can benefit from a softer ride. I mainly use the gorgeous power curve to overtake other numpties on the road when they crawl along, so cornering is never taken to the limit by me. I am sure a slightly softer ride wont impair handling on a normal public road too much. After all I have owned a wide range of cars in my time from 300zx to celica to lotus Esprit, and none have shaken my bones like my beloved Cupra yet handle superbly.

So what approach should I take? I did think about going to smaller 16" wheels with a larger profile tire as this will allow the bumps to be absorbed better, but can anyone advise me on what profile to use so as to keep the size ratio correct? (Ie is 205/50x16 the same total radius as 205/40x17?)
Also, do any of the aftermarket suspension kits address the excessive hardeness in ride, if so which one?
I am reluctant to 'Downgrade' the spings/dampeners to a standard ibiza setup as that is too much of a compromise in my opinion.

any recommendations or thoughts?

Cheers y'all!

I don't think you can go to 16" wheels as they wont fit over the hooge calipers and discs....

You could probably fit the Sport suspension which is not so low or hard as the cupra one.... not sure what would need to be changed as i don't think the front hubs are the same.

Can someone else confirm this?

Mike

 

[rob1]

wheels will be a prob mate, i was looking at getting different alloys as i seen some with new tyres which is quite a good deal for £300 ! but the alloys need to poke out a bit as already stated due to brake calipers ! if you look closely you will see that even with the alloys poling out there isnt a great deal of space there now!

 

[dozza.13]

Have you tried removing the dampers and fitting pillows instead???

 

[Guinness]

tbh mate its a car that comes advertised with sport suspension now I know u cant have it without but still if u knew your area was bad for roads then why buy one?

 

[dozza.13]

KW coilovers are supposed to give a softer ride, not cheap tho!

 

[Ad Lav]

Porsche or Mercedes AMG rims with fatter tyres?? They might give you the clearance you need on the brakes as they fit 4 pots under them standard??

 

[dozza.13]

Good idea that mate, would look class too! The ride comfort in the cupra must be due in part to the low profile of the tires!!

 

[Nath.]

can you not just go higher profile tyres on the stock rims

might fill the arches a little too ??

speedo calibration will change a little but hey they read high anyway

 

[bagpuss0001]

All good points. Cheers. Dozza, Pillows... hmmm... would be a good plan, but would hate to drive it in the rain with all those soggy wet feathers. lol
I am in nearly total agreement that the lo pro tyres are the main reason for the ride, but with the size calipers there wasnt much option left open to seat without total redesign of the arches etc

Guiness.
I have the right to buy any car I like, I love the power and everything else. My taxes pay (or should pay) for road repairs, so why should a crap local goverment dicatate what car I choose? lol
All I was asking, Guiness, was if there was a simple way to get the cupra ibiza to handle pot holes better. Everything else about the car, (poss except the stock radio) is superb!

 

[bellamy06]

Guiness.
I have the right to buy any car I like, I love the power and everything else. My taxes pay (or should pay) for road repairs, so why should a crap local goverment dicatate what car I choose? lol
All I was asking, Guiness, was if there was a simple way to get the cupra ibiza to handle pot holes better. Everything else about the car, (poss except the stock radio) is superb![/QUOTE]

well said my friend, ur choice entirely

 

[dozza.13]

Looks like its a nice set of coilovers for ya then matey, or try sum of them new koni FSD's, think jabba do them?

 

[Guinness]

fair enough just saying I wudnt buy a ferrari to drive it round speedbumps all day. Same principle

 

[mrcoyote]

Tyre choice will also make quite a bit of difference. Have a look for some with softer sidewalls as that'll allow more "give" in them over bumps, etc.

 

[Nath.]

can you not just go higher profile tyres on the stock rims

might fill the arches a little too ??

speedo calibration will change a little but hey they read high anyway

this not an option then ??

 

[air121005]

you could use KONI FSD's on the standard cupra springs to make it a little more comfortable!

aren't the Eibach springs stiffer and lower the car 25mm?

 

[mrcoyote]

Didn't think they had FSD's for the Ibiza Cupra?

 

[rashcupra]

diffrent brands of tyre defomake a diffrence on my old car i had aftermarker multispokes and they where exstreamly crashy and jolty over bumps/potholes ect but when it came to change the tyres i swapped the yoko's for perelli p7000 and the ride was so much softer i kept thinking i had flat tyres the sidewalls compensate the potholes ect and this twinned with nathwarr's idea of going higher profile will sort it out!

 

[dozza.13]

^^^^^Agreed, wot Rash sed is very true, sidewalls do make a big difference to ride comfort!