FR TDi Suspension

[Owen Snell]

There are a couple of reasons I have been thinking about changing my 55 plate FR TDi, and one of the big ones is suspension.

I find the A3 and Golf to be generally better damped and more suitable to the crap road surfaces that we all have to drive on, but I don't want to part with a big pile of cash to 'upgrade' to a more premium brand for essentially the same car in different clothes.

So, have any of you guys gone for a suspension upgrade. I don't mean lower and stiffer, as I am already low and stiff enough thanks What I mean is some better quality damping to improve the handling and eliminate some of the harshness in the ride.

 

[MJ]

They are the same parts mate you order a damper and spring form vw for a golf tdi or audi for an a3 tdi or even an octavia tdi they will all be identical and have the same parts numbers.
You have to bear in mind that the equivalent cars from the other brands use a newer chassis that your mk1 leon, here is a list of cars with the same chassis setup:

Golf mk4 1998-2004
A3 1996-2003
Octavia 1997-2004

where as the mk1 leon was built from 1998-2005 - the last brand to stop using this chassis.

So if you've been in a car built later than those dates it will have the later chassis which is why it feels different.

 

[Owen Snell]

They just seem better damped - or is that the better updated suspension? Does the MkII Leon ride much better than the MkI? Reviews I saw said the Leon MkII was still harsher than the equivalent MkV Golf, with the same chassis?

 

[MJ]

Yep same chassis but slight differences like solid bushes on the leon as oppose to none solid on the golf etc etc
The only real way is to have a ride out in both, but to be honest the standard suspension is hard to beat comfort wise.

 

[chris285]

another local fr owner which is good to see

i do find the ride kind of crashy sometimes so i know what you mean, but on the whole i don't complain myself. when i come to getting collies in the future think i will try for some which are a bit siffer ride wise, but try and keep the ride as comfy as possible

 

[Gordz]

I thought that was supposed to be the points of SEAT in the VAG group?

That SEAT are the 'sporty' one.
VW is the 'everyday' one.
Audi is the 'middle class pretending to be upper class' one.
Skoda is the 'cheapo' one.

So SEATs will have firmer suspension over the others generally?

Maybe just how I see things anyway

 

[Owen Snell]

I appreciate the sporty nature of the Seat and I like the way it drives. However, there is always a compromise on mass produced items like cars with the quality of the equipment. High quality shocks can give better control and a better ride as well. I just wondered if anyone had gone down the route of fitting quality shocks to a Mk1 Leon, not together with lower and stiffer springs, just as an improvement to the OEM setup without actually 'modifying' the car.

 

[Gordz]

I appreciate the sporty nature of the Seat and I like the way it drives. However, there is always a compromise on mass produced items like cars with the quality of the equipment. High quality shocks can give better control and a better ride as well. I just wondered if anyone had gone down the route of fitting quality shocks to a Mk1 Leon, not together with lower and stiffer springs, just as an improvement to the OEM setup without actually 'modifying' the car.

I'm sure some people have a done a similar thing, but more along the lines of getting comfortable lowering suspension, but that can work out being very expensive!

As said above, you could look into Golf suspension set up? As I'm sure you could get a cheap used set from ebay to try on?

 

[Muttley]

"Better damped" is a pretty vague requirement, unfortunately. Can you be more specific about the problem you have and what you think might improve it?

From my reading, you think the ride is too stiff over poor-quality road surfaces and you'd like to smooth out some of the worst shocks? Now, I'm no suspension expert, but that sounds to me like you want to *reduce* the stiffness of the car, the "sporty" nature which makes for a good track car but poor rally car, sort of thing?

In my simple mind, that means change of dampers to something softer and more progressive. It may be that a change of anti-roll bar is also indicated, to allow the individual wheels more freedom to react to potholes and etc.

You could see this as a move away from "sporty" suspension - but in truth, you want your car to perform well on the sorts of surface you drive on every day, and if that's got potholes, gravel and lumps in it, then you need to go towards a rally-car setup (See, still sporty, just a different sport).

Lowering is NOT recommended in your situation. You need all the suspension travel you can get to absorb the lumps and bumps while keeping your tyres in contact with the road surface. Different dampers may offer extra travel and allow raising (with new springs), an option which is said in several places to improve the handling. Lowering is mostly about cosmetics, the look of the thing, and almost always makes handling worse.

 

[Owen Snell]

"Better damped" is a pretty vague requirement, unfortunately. Can you be more specific about the problem you have and what you think might improve it?...

Better damped means that the shock absorbers are better quality and with maybe more range of adjustment. The spring rates (or stiffness) are fine, it is just that the dampers are a bit crashy over harsh bumps and also fail to control wheel patter on bumpy corners.

OEM shocks are fairly basic kit and high quality shocks will control the springs better and at the same time give a more plush ride, it's just a matter of quality of manufacture and the ability to adjust the shocks.

So, if I could get some shocks with separate adjustment for bump and rebound and also high / low speed damping, I could dial out the crashy nature of the suspension by reducing the high speed damping and reduce the patter by reducing the rebound damping a bit.

 

[Bignod00]

I have the FR+ and am at the other end of the spectrum! I would like to know which ARB's, and maybe coilovers to get fitted to my car as I feel its just not planted enough under 'excited' driving!! I know people recommend the S3 strutbrace but again, any advice on this would be appreciated! Before anyone kicks my ass for not searching the forum, I have and can only really find vague info or stuff aimed at the LC or LCR! ANY advice would be greatly appreciated guys, thanks!!

 

[Slimy]

Better damped means that the shock absorbers are better quality and with maybe more range of adjustment. The spring rates (or stiffness) are fine, it is just that the dampers are a bit crashy over harsh bumps and also fail to control wheel patter on bumpy corners.

OEM shocks are fairly basic kit and high quality shocks will control the springs better and at the same time give a more plush ride, it's just a matter of quality of manufacture and the ability to adjust the shocks.

So, if I could get some shocks with separate adjustment for bump and rebound and also high / low speed damping, I could dial out the crashy nature of the suspension by reducing the high speed damping and reduce the patter by reducing the rebound damping a bit.

I would love to get some suspension where the compression and rebound could be set up as well as I can do on my bike! It is so easy to set up a decent bikes suspension to exactly what you need, whether it's smooth and comfortable, or razor edge sharp.

My first thought for a proper suspension upgrade was to go for high quality dampers with standard springs. DPM suggested Bilstein or Koni as being a good choice of damper, and online reviews suggest others agree. But they were so far beyond my budget it was silly! Bilstein B6's are highly regarded with standard springs, and B8's for slightly lowered cars. Both will give you a massive improvement over any OEM or budget coilovers, and a massive dent in your bank account.

Still, I guess you get what you pay for...