How to soften up the ride on the Leon FR...?

[samjolly]

Hi Folks,

I am new here so hello. I am thinking of buying my wife's work FR which has 85K miles on it. It has standard tyres and fittings etc on it. It is a great car to drive and very responsive. However I do not find the ride very relaxing which is hardly surprising since it is a sports car. I currently drive a MK 4 GT TDI golf with 164K miles on it and it is very relaxing, but getting a bit high on mileage. I guess the FR is the spaniel and the Golf a labrador..!!!

So is there anything straight forward and practical that can be done to signifantly soften the ride on the FR? Ie not planning on a new suspension etc.... My current ideas are:

a) Tyres
b) New Shocks although I think these should be OK since the car is regularly serviced since it is a business car.

Thanks for any help...

Sam

 

[Gordz]

Go for smaller wheels with higher tyre profile? Will soak up a lot more of the bumps.

 

[samjolly]

Gordz,

Thanks for this...

Any idea of recommended wheel sizes and tyre sizes? Also how much this is likely to cost? Does any of this go against the "FR" design and cause any insurance problems since they tend to ask whether any mods have been done. Whether changing wheels counts as a mod I am unsure?

Thanks,

Sam

 

[Ruddmeister]

I would look at some good quality aftermarket shocks which will be a lot better in terms of damping.

It's not so much the mileage or servicing just the fact that the factory OEM kit is a bit crap in this area.

Your only issue may be finding something that is better in comfort as most dampers will be biased towards firming up the ride, sticking to a quality make Bilstein, Koni etc may be advisable (worked for me using Bilstein suspension on an LCR much improved ride over the rough stuff).

May be worth taking the advice of specialist tuner (depending on your location?)

 

[andycupra]

the standard set uop is known to be harsh and crashy.
so you could look into an aftermarket kit.

 

[nick9one1]

you could fir the wheels from your golf and take it for a run to see if its any different.
I would say the main difference is uprated springs on the FR. maybe change them for some springs from a non-sport model.

 

[james walker]

the non sport model springs will be different rated to the cupra or fr springs..

its not the spring but the dampers that will cause crashy ride..

as said better quality shocks may improve things. or look into replacing bushes as these may be worn

 

[Gordz]

Gordz,

Thanks for this...

Any idea of recommended wheel sizes and tyre sizes? Also how much this is likely to cost? Does any of this go against the "FR" design and cause any insurance problems since they tend to ask whether any mods have been done. Whether changing wheels counts as a mod I am unsure?

Thanks,

Sam

Unsure on insurance etc.

But as long as you keep same wheel & tyre circumfrence etc. Then it should be fine.

Cost for alloys, could just use ones from lower models of Leon? or Golf?

e.g. 17" alloys with 45 profile down to 15" alloys with 65 profile will give the same dimensions.

As said above, may be worth a try using your golf wheels? (assuming it's a mk4 golf)

 

[samjolly]

So would you say the tyre profile is the major contributor to hard ride?

Would there be any weirdness in handling with a FR suspension and a 65 profile tyre?

 

[Ruddmeister]

Insurance would consider any change in wheels to be 'aftermarket' and charge accordingly, don't risk not telling them

 

[Gordz]

So would you say the tyre profile is the major contributor to hard ride?

Would there be any weirdness in handling with a FR suspension and a 65 profile tyre?

Well it's mix between tyre profile and suspension that gives harsh ride. But if you don't really want to mess around with suspension. Then I'd suggest getting a bit more rubber on the wheels could do the job.

On the handling side of things it may not be as grippy, but that's because you'd have to go down to 195 tyre width most probably if you were putting 15s on. But I'm sure this would only be noticed if you were really throwing it into the bends etc.

As with many things in life, it's just trial & error to see what you're most comfortable with I guess.

 

[sheffboy]

tyre profile is the biggest factor imo. I'm running fsd's with eibach pro springs which are designed for comfort but its harder than the oem kit.

maybe a set of fsd's with the oem springs would help soften things if its purely comfort your after. throw in some 16's on 50 profile tyres and you should have an armchair with a 20vt engine

 

[andycupra]

as well as unsprung weight.

there is no point in fitting new alloys so you have a higher side wall if the alloys are heavy.

 

[Nautilus]

Keep in mind stock dampers on a FR are not only harsh, but also dependent of the outside temperature - if weather is cold, around 0 degrees C and below, ride will be harsh for many miles after start, before softening by itself. It may be the oil inside becoming more viscous at lower temperatures.

The same fault had been reported by a user of Bilstein HDs (American version of the B6/B8 series), not only they were harsher at lower temps, but sometimes they provided no damping at all, like having a hard metal rod instead of a damper.

As I've found out after 5 years of driving my LFR, stock dampers absorb rather well big bumps in the road or large potholes, almost like in a luxury car, but they are HORRIBLE on small and hard bumps like cobblestones, concrete paved road or ripples in the tarmac. I can't bold it enough to make you understand They rattle both the bodywork and the passengers to loosen their tooth fillings. Turning over a rippled surface also makes the rear end jump. As soon as possible they are going to be replaced by FSD-type dampers.

~Nautilus

 

[samjolly]

Hi Nautilus et al,

Interesting observations since I have observed these, but thought it was just me!!! We have a rough track up to our house and it handles this well, better than my spongy golf. However cruising on the open tarmac roads, then the golf wins hands down on "laid backness" whereas the FR drive is somewhat "hyper".....

Just checked with my insurance about the impact. £100 for the bigger engine and 25% loading for the mod.... but 25% of only a category so will be about £25 I guess....

Now to find out what the new wheels are likely to cost....

Sam

 

[samjolly]

Just done some research on the wheel/tyre cost. It seems that I can get a set of Rochford wheels and Dunlop 195/65/15 for about £100 so £400 for the 4 which seems doable.

Now for the million dollar question. What percentage of the hardness will be removed by doing this? 70% or ??? and the remainder being the suspension. Just trying to guage how significat this tyre change will be. Id it marked then it will be worth doing, if only slight then it is debatable.... A hard question perhaps.... but just trying to get a feeling.

Thanks, really appreciated,

Sam

 

[Gordz]

Just done some research on the wheel/tyre cost. It seems that I can get a set of Rochford wheels and Dunlop 195/65/15 for about £100 so £400 for the 4 which seems doable.

Now for the million dollar question. What percentage of the hardness will be removed by doing this? 70% or ??? and the remainder being the suspension. Just trying to guage how significat this tyre change will be. Id it marked then it will be worth doing, if only slight then it is debatable.... A hard question perhaps.... but just trying to get a feeling.

Thanks, really appreciated,

Sam

Ouch expensive tyres!!! One of the plus sides of smaller alloys is meant to be cheaper tyres. They sound quite expensive to me!

EDIT: Just realised you were on about Alloys & Tyres! My bad! Have you tried ebay or such like rather than brand new wheels???

 

[samjolly]

Just got some inout from my mechanic and he thinks that putting on softer standard non sport springs would make a more significant impact and then change the tyres if still not satisfied.... Probably safer since one would still have the grippy tyres.... and certainly cheaper....

Sam

 

[james walker]

seriously speak to your mechanic again and ask him if the spring rates are the same for the fr and non sport.... id say not as the engine weight are different on the turbo and non turbo.

 

[samjolly]

Hi James,

Thanks for this....

If I am trying to get as nearer to a "comfy but reliable ride" as in the golf how far could I achieve in total?

20, 50 or 75%?

Also of this % what makes the difference?

a) Softer Springs 20% ????
b) Quality Dampner 30% ??
c) Quality Bushes 10% ??
d) 15" alloys with 65 tyres... 40% ????

What spring would your recommend for the FR that would be softer yet be appropriate for the heaver engine?

Thanks,

Sam