Improving Ride Comfort

[Ibiza 130 tdi]

Doesn't say if they are stainless.
TBH you are partially right that is why I have made no decision but the other main reason is the pics of Ibiza 130 tdi's coilovers and the corrosion they had suffered when he looks after them and also what followed was a discussions saying I have to strip them down 12 times a years to look after them.
**** that paying up to £500 for this and having to do that, I am not capable of fitting them myself anyway let alone stripping them down. So now 3 reasons putting me off I can't solve.

I havent looked twice at my coilovers since I painted them up and covered them in denso tape - cos I know now they'll be fine! Shame they couldn't do that in the first place though!

 

[NickyJam]

aimez you recently fitted 215/45's on yours and recommended them didn't you? they definately don't rub on standard suspension so you should be fine with them as well

 

[cupra.al]

i wouldnt go for 24 psi to be honest might feel more comfy but will wear your tyres quicker make more road noise and probally increase the chance of damageing your wheels with the state of english roads.

 

[Aimez]

No I have 205 40 45 would rub the arches I think yeh. Rub the suspension didn't know that could happen actually so don't know. I know I can lower my car on the wheels and tyres I have as several people on here have done that is not the worry the worry is all the things I said above really.

 

[NickyJam]

lol...didn't mean rub the suspension...i meant rubbing in general when running standard suspension

24PSI is pretty low mind you...i'm running 28-30 on fronts and find it noisy as it is, can't wait til my p-zero's are done

 

[Altech]

Another thread putting me off coilovers, I find the ride harsh in my car even before I have lower profile tyres. I want to try to improve this and am worried lowering will ruin the ride even more. I hate the crashy ride find it embarrassing with passengers who comment on it!

Tbh the slight alterations that I’ve made have dramatically improved the ride comfort. My main problem with the standard suspension was the crashy ride. With the coilovers the ride is firm but it doesn't crash over bumps. It's so much more comfortable at higher speeds too.

It's interesting as this isn't the first thread of this nature I've read this week.

Our '54 Ibiza TDi FR suspension was very unforgiving with OE suspension , and if we hadn't got rid of the car so quickly I would have put Weitec springs / dampers on it.

There is no need for a crashy ride if you get lowered suspension, if the dampers and springs are well matched, of a certain level of quality, and set up well, you can achieve a pretty compliant ride.

Part of the problem is that Joe Public think hard = sporty. Hard actually = bouncy. Bouncy on UK roads means no grip / increased braking distance / more chance of crashing / trip to chiropractor! Coilies don't aspire to be comfortable, just road legal. I think that by fitting lowering springs / damper kit (30-40mm or so from OE) you can retain decent compliance in the ride, but then upgrade your ARB's. This seems to be one of the most successful mods to suspension as there aren't a multitude of set up parameters, and the roll characteristic will improve no end.

AdamIbiza is selling his coilies in the for sale section and states because they are harder than expected. I wish more people would think twice about the merits of coilovers for daily use before taking the plunge.

I spent a lot of time looking at different suspension kits. A lot of Fabia owners on Briskoda have fitted Koni shocks with Eibach springs and have had problems with ride comfort. I don't know of one Ibiza on SCN that has been lowered just by using a spring and shock combo. Most spring and shock combos will lower the front nicely but the rear will hardly budge. As I've said above I’m happy with my car now. It handles great, looks good now that its evenly dropped and also it rides a lot better than the standard suspension.

That is what I have been trying to to do for over year and giving up as don't know what to get still!

Nath as for lowering tyre pressure you may have a point just got my wheel back from re furbishers(v long painful story NOT my fault!) and they pumped it up to 28psi as we were worried about the wheel still causing a puncture on the new tyre. My tyres are all 28 that's what the tyre bloke did them at when he fitted them all is he wrong are they too high? they are 205/40/17s

I always put 28psi in the rear and 32psi in the front. With the heavy TDI lump upfront I find that any pressure below 32psi cause the tyres to flatten.

 

[Aimez]

Just realised I mean to put the wheel people pumped the tyre up to 35 psi, maybe I will try that have the fronts on 32 and keep the rears at 28, what coilovers you got Altech as you sounds like I want the same thing form the car as you?

This is the problem so many people on here just want it low as possible to look good and not about practicality and with the cheapest kit they can find. But for me that is not the main reason I would do it lowness would be secondary to handling.

 

[Altech]

Just realised I mean to put the wheel people pumped the tyre up to 35 psi, maybe I will try that have the fronts on 32 and keep the rears at 28, what coilovers you got Altech as you sounds like I want the same thing form the car as you?

This is the problem so many people on here just want it low as possible to look good and not about practicality and with the cheapest kit they can find. But for me that is not the main reason I would do it lowness would be secondary to handling.

I've got a set of FK Konigsports on my car. I wanted a decent drop...enough to make the car level but also to keep it practical on London roads! The most important thing for me was to try and improve the ride as I was getting really fed up with the standard suspension.

 

[Nath.]

Same here, I lowered cars in the past and regretted it. Ended up going back to stock and selling the springs/dampers.

I have never had coilovers but I'm past all that now. The Ibiza handles well enough for me.

I found that reducing the pressure in the rear tyres made a big difference Aimez, have a go, you will be shocked how low you can set the pressure in the rears (20psi) with no signs of soft tyres to look at.

I actually drove my FR for a day with only 20psi in the rears and it was bliss, the only reason I went back up a bit (24psi) was for fear that I'd overdone it.

IMO 24psi is fine in the rears as there is no weight at the rear of an Ibiza. Shoot me down in flames if you think I'm wrong though.

When I need some new tyres I'm doing all 4 and going up in profile for better ride comfort/noise.



Give it a go, you've nothing to loose except 20p...........................why are all the air pumps 20p these days

Just to reiterate, I am running 30PSI front and 24PSI rear. I have been running these pressures for 4 years (18k miles) now with no problems what so ever on stock FR 16's.

 

[Aimez]

I've got a set of FK Konigsports on my car. I wanted a decent drop...enough to make the car level but also to keep it practical on London roads! The most important thing for me was to try and improve the ride as I was getting really fed up with the standard suspension.

Sounds like the way I feel. Thanks I will make a note of them though but not doing anything about it in the next few months got other plans.