Why IS my Leon TFSi Ride So Bloody Choppy And Hard

[monkeynuts]

I have owned some good performance cars in my time but as the title says why is my 06 TFSI so bloody hard

It twangs about the road ,with scuttle shake sometimes and the ride is just poor is this the norm .

I had a 53leon cupra R and the ride was spot on what have the Pedro's done to this one .

 

[m0rk]

FR?

They're really very very stiff

 

[petercastleton]

stiff is good!

 

[monkeynuts]

stiff is good!

Not when it impairs the drive to the extent of rear end stearing sometimes .
I ahd the car on the test track at Chobham last week and if you are driving on a flat road its fine but any ripple or imperfection the car just pogoes around to the extent of being boring .
is there an aftermarket spring set you can fit to make the ride more progressive .

 

[Bretty]

Loads of threads about this and the solutions available...have a good mooch around and see whats what

 

[Nath.]

I would get a mate to drive it on the motorway and get him/her to drive it over the catseyes. If you can see daylight under the tyres as it goes over the catseyes you have worn out dampers.

Dampers can last as little as 30-40k miles sometimes and worn out ones on the rear can deffo cause scuttle shake/bump steer round corners.

 

[monkeynuts]

I would get a mate to drive it on the motorway and get him/her to drive it over the catseyes. If you can see daylight under the tyres as it goes over the catseyes you have worn out dampers.

Dampers can last as little as 30-40k miles sometimes and worn out ones on the rear can deffo cause scuttle shake/bump steer round corners.

Cars only done 9thou so I doubt if the shocks are shagged just seems a bad design ................Looks like a spring change could be on the cards

 

[Nath.]

You'd be surprised, I have seen an 09 plate golf with one rear wheel skipping and jumping all over the place only last week.

A spring change will prob finish the dampers off double quick.

 

[stephenSF]

Monkeynuts, I am currently looking into what I can do about it too. The consensus seems to be new springs and/or dampers. I think I'm going to go for the Eibach pro-kit first and see how it feels and then decide after that whether to go for the Koni FSDs.
I think it's true that we have to accept that a sporty car means a stiffer ride but there are limits to that. Driving on some roads down here in Brighton is just plain miserable. Christ, can you imagine what it would be like with a type R?

 

[Nath.]

My FR's stock ride is fine, way softer than my old Ibiza FR.

 

[stephenSF]

My FR's stock ride is fine, way softer than my old Ibiza FR.

It really is a lot to do with the roads you drive on Nath. Round my mum's way its no problem really. Round my way it's a f@£!ing nightmare.

 

[Nath.]

^^^^^agree, but I'm driving on the same roads that I used to use with my old Ibiza.

Honestly, If people think the Leon has a harsh ride they should have a go in Ibiza, phone your dentist first though.

 

[monkeynuts]

As mine is a 06 car I thought I read that the early ones were Uber stiff then the Pedro's changed the spec .

 

[Nath.]

Could be.

 

[Toxic]

if your car is "bouncy" then my guess is the shocks are done as they are not supressing the rebound from the springs quick enough.

 

[Leigh15]

^^^^^agree, but I'm driving on the same roads that I used to use with my old Ibiza.

Honestly, If people think the Leon has a harsh ride they should have a go in Ibiza, phone your dentist first though.

Couldn't agree more Nath - I find the ride night and day better than the Ibizas. It's firm, but I'd never call it crashy

 

[GainfulShrimp]

My FR TFSI is booked in to have Eibach Pros and Koni FSDs fitted, three weeks today.

I find it embarrassing having to 'explain' the ride to passengers. It's very true about the roads you drive daily making a difference. There are two stretches on my daily commute which are painfully crashy.
To be honest though, if I still lived in Sheffield I would probably just buy a Land Rover... the roads there are nothing short of a disgrace (for a developed country).

 

[monkeynuts]

if your car is "bouncy" then my guess is the shocks are done as they are not supressing the rebound from the springs quick enough.

Not Bouncy just choppy ........harsh ......should be more progressive maybe .

After a time the ride just gets boring .
The Evo at slow speeds was just jiggly and as the speed increased it road the bumps and undulations with more poise .
Some times the TFSI seems it falls over a cliff with the crash bash

 

[SteveTDCi]

you should try an Audi A3 S Line the the FR that I test drove before it offered rolls royce levels of comfort.

 

[monkeynuts]

you should try an Audi A3 S Line the the FR that I test drove before it offered rolls royce levels of comfort.

With a test drive I doubt if you are the car long enough to notice the ride sometimes .
I part exed a Focus ST in for the TFSI so the ride would be differant.

It is only after about a week that the choppy ride became more apparant