Improve ride comfort

Apr 29, 2020
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0
@davidvilao; Tyre brand can affect ride comfort - Bridgestone’s on 18’s seem to be a preferred tyre choice by VAG - they must’ve negotiated a really good (cheap) price with Bridgestone to fit these in preference to other (better) brands of tyres. The downsides of Bridgestone’s are that they are a very firm riding tyre, and they’re also quite noisy too. They also have a tendency to suffer from wheel hop and tramping at the slightest provocation in colder and damp conditions. The only benefit of these tyres seems to be they last forever, which isn’t necessarily a good thing if you place a high value on the handling, grip, ride quality and noise levels of your tyres! So if your car is fitted with these Bridgestone’s, they could be a contributory factor to the poor ride you’re experiencing.

Golf owners over on golfgtiforum.co.uk who’ve changed from 225/40 R18 Bridgestone’s to Michelin PS4 have noticed an improvement on ride comfort, plus other benefits such as better grip/traction, and reduction or complete elimination of wheel hop/tramping on wet roads.


I think i'll also be going with the Michelin PS4s for my fist tyre change, what about Continental and Pirelli? Are they as good?
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
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What about Continental and Pirelli? Are they as good?

I've never hat a Continental tyre I don't think. Not one I've pushed anyway. Not a fan on the Pirelli tyres I've had. Liked every single Goodyear I've used, they are very predicable and dependable tyres. Had a few other good brands but my next tyres will be Goodyear.
 
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BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
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I think i'll also be going with the Michelin PS4s for my fist tyre change, what about Continental and Pirelli? Are they as good?
All depends what Pirellis you choose.

choose the Pirelli Pzero Rosso and yeah they are good, they come on Ferarri’s out of the factory so they are on that for a reason.

continental sport contacts also score very high in tests and are right up there
 

Jazzjames

Active Member
Sep 13, 2018
160
68
Germany
Yes the bridgestones are crap, i myself have changed to goodyear eagles and it is better.
What i am saying is yes they will help but in the grand scheme of things only a small percentage, moving to a smaller alloy / larger side walled tyre will make a bigger difference.

The wheel size and sidewall height obviously do make a difference, but at least in the relatively large sizes of modern wheels (16-19), the difference isn’t as big as you might think.

Two weeks ago I changed from my winter wheels (17” with 225/45 Continental winters) to my summer wheels (19” with 235/35 Goodyear Eagle F1s).

The car is very nearly as comfortable and quiet on the 19s as it is on the 17s. It really isn’t a big difference at all.

The best modern tyres these days are so good in all areas, that going from a bad, used tyre, to one of the best of the current crop of UHP tyres makes a huge difference to comfort, even on bigger sizes.

I’m sure if you fitted a 14” wheel to a Leon it would improve comfort, but would anyone do that? Surely if absolute comfort is the priority, then another car without lowered sporty suspension and a longer wheel base would be a better choice.

Back to the OP, fitting some better tyres would be a simple solution for improving the ride. In my opinion, it’s not worth the hassle of sourcing, buying, fitting and insuring new wheels.
 
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davidvilao

Active Member
May 28, 2018
43
9
[mention]Jazzjames [/mention] I do agree with you. Will probably get new tyres, new rear shocks and replace, rubbers, shock mounts and so on... hope it will make a difference


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Jazzjames

Active Member
Sep 13, 2018
160
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Germany
Hope you get the result you’re looking for. Keep us updated when you have made the changes!

FYI regarding tyres: The reviewer mentions the Falken at 13:45 onwards as a good comfort oriented tyre which may be worth considering.

 
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davidvilao

Active Member
May 28, 2018
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Hi guys,

So regarding this topic i will be changing my tyres from 225 40 18 to 235 45 18, hope the ride gets a little better.
 

martin j.

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Feb 11, 2007
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Fife
Although unlikely, check to see if the 'transport' blocks have been removed from the front springs, there are quite a few cases
where they have not been removed on the PDI.
I saw this several times on a Honda owners forum, some were still on the car 10 years after delivery.
 
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SRGTD

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May 26, 2014
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I don't think that's a good idea, it may invalidate your insurance due to non-standard tyre specification, also the speedometer readings will be incorrect.
It would be better to use 17 inch wheels/tyres (225/45R17).

I think @davidvilao maybe from Portugal - that’s the national flag shown under their forum name alongside their posts when I’m logged on to the forum - so the position in Portugal regarding insurance implications of changing tyre size might be different to the UK.

Certainly in the UK for a given wheel size, some insurers can be a bit funny about changing the tyre spec from the original spec of those fitted in the factory. The speedo reading error for the tyre change size that @davidvilao is thinking of making will around 5%, so when travelling at an indicated 60 mph, the actual speed will be 57 mph.
 

Glosphil

Active Member
Nov 10, 2004
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Gloucestershire
changing my tyres from 225 40 18 to 235 45 18, hope the ride gets a little better.
This will cause the speedo to under-read by 5%. As it almost certainly over-reads as standard that probably will not matter but your insurance company must be informed and may object or, at the least, increase your premium.
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
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.. so when travelling at an indicated 60 mph, the actual speed will be 57 mph.

Glosphil is right, it will read under. Car will also not accelerate as quickly. There are a whole bunch of reasons why it's a bad idea.
 

SRGTD

Active Member
May 26, 2014
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Glosphil is right, it will read under. Car will also not accelerate as quickly. There are a whole bunch of reasons why it's a bad idea.

Oops! My apologies. Yes, it’ll read under, not over.
 

davidvilao

Active Member
May 28, 2018
43
9
This will cause the speedo to under-read by 5%. As it almost certainly over-reads as standard that probably will not matter but your insurance company must be informed and may object or, at the least, increase your premium.
I don't live in the UK. In Portugal we can change the tyres without having to inform the insurance company. Also since it's still one the 5% margin that is acceptable on our MOT it's not an issue.


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davidvilao

Active Member
May 28, 2018
43
9
Glosphil is right, it will read under. Car will also not accelerate as quickly. There are a whole bunch of reasons why it's a bad idea.
Regarding this, I didn't notice any difference in acelaration.

What are the other reasons?

Enviado do meu Mi 10 através do Tapatalk
 

BigJase88

Jase
Apr 20, 2008
3,767
1,069
Could also foul the wheel arches
Regarding this, I didn't notice any difference in acelaration.

What are the other reasons?

Enviado do meu Mi 10 através do Tapatalk
fouling of tyre onto body work when travelling over undulating surfaces (potentially)
Also won’t look as sporty

ride height increase of 15.7mm. Did you follow that link i posted before? Did the hard work for you and have filled out the information for you
 

Mr Pig

Active Member
Jun 17, 2015
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I don't live in the UK. In Portugal we can change the tyres without having to inform the insurance company.

You're not just changing tyres, you're changing the specification of the tyres. The tyres you are fitting do not meet the manufacturer's specification for the car, they are too wide for the wheels, will alter the ride height and speedo reading. I'd be very surprised if any insurance company was ok with with that.
 
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