Probably not related. We own 2.0 TDI Elegance 2013 and RS 230 2017, so torsion beam vs independent suspension, no booms in any of the cars (or we simply do not hear it).

 

Both cars are hatches.

Good info - thank you!

Check the boot lid for vibration & adjust the bump stops as required. If you don't have a spare wheel add some weight/sound deadening in the wheel well, it acts like a drum

On 07/04/2017 at 19:02, guitarman001 said:

What's the difference and could this be a contributing factor to the rough ride and cabin boom I experience?

The difference is that with the IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) each wheel has effectively its own suspension, meaning that bumps on one side of the car won't affect the other side.  A torsion beam rear suspension has the wheels directly connected via a beam running from one wheel to the other meaning that bumps on one side change the position of the tyre on the other side.

 

Typically a torsion beam is cheaper to build and maintain, weighs less, takes up less space, and deals with heavy loads better. An independent suspension typically provides a nicer ride and more grip, especially in rough conditions.

 

The torsion beam likely contributes to your rough ride (I have read that switching to Golf shocks can improve things), but it likely doesn't have anything to do with the booming (there is a very long thread on that issue).

Edited 23 April, 20179 yr by hobbie2k

Should the stoppers make the boot lid tighter or less tight for reduced noise? I'm thinking less tight..

 

Thanks for the info on IRS and torsion bar!

i have a 2.0 litre elegance estate its horrible over most roads only quite on motorways i wont be buying another simply down to the awful crashing ride , its so bad ive had it checked and been told there all like that ,so next car will be a 4x4 estate vrs

27 minutes ago, mickboxster2700 said:

i have a 2.0 litre elegance estate its horrible over most roads only quite on motorways i wont be buying another simply down to the awful crashing ride , its so bad ive had it checked and been told there all like that ,so next car will be a 4x4 estate vrs

Have you have tried a 4x4 estate vrs to confirm the ride is ok for you?

I thought they had a firmer ride and possibly bigger wheels so might be even worse than your current ride

How long do you plan on keeping it despite the noise?

18 hours ago, mickboxster2700 said:

i have a 2.0 litre elegance estate its horrible over most roads only quite on motorways i wont be buying another simply down to the awful crashing ride , its so bad ive had it checked and been told there all like that ,so next car will be a 4x4 estate vrs

You're lucky, I've got the 1.4 TSI DSG so I don't have the tractor like drone to muffle the sounds of the rear torture suspension setup 

Is it possible to replace the suspension and is that costly?

Springs and shock absorbers yes, but if your car came with a torsion beam you're stuck with it. Skoda won't sell you an independent rear suspension kit and engineering one yourself is the stuff of a mad science project.

 

But yes. The Octy's cheap rear suspension is its biggest weakness in terms of the basic driving experience (and the reason I bought an SE with conventional wheels rather than an Elegance with low profiles). They've got to do better when the Mark IV eventually comes out.

I fear the damage is already done for some folk

5 hours ago, MorrisOx said:

Springs and shock absorbers yes, but if your car came with a torsion beam you're stuck with it. Skoda won't sell you an independent rear suspension kit and engineering one yourself is the stuff of a mad science project.

 

While it is a personal thing I don't have a problem with the torsion bar suspension on normal roads, which is 99% of our driving.

I have had a look underneath mine and a multi-link fitted Octavia and while I agree it would be difficult to get the parts at a reasonable price it looks to be a straight swap to me. They would not make a separate chassis for the two systems after all.

It would not require any programming changes either as it is just the part that gets dragged around by the front and there are a few 'spare screw holes' on mine that are probably used by the multi-link.

The question really is whether or not a Golf rear multi-link could be fitted. Far more likely to be able to get Golf parts here in Australia.

Fitting a 4WD system however would be far too difficult

23 hours ago, guitarman001 said:

Is it possible to replace the suspension and is that costly?

 

Anything is possible, but like many questions it's a "if you have to ask you probably cant afford it" question.

 

Even if you were able to get a complete rear setup from a front-damaged car (the only way it could ever be feasible) the costs and work involved simply outweigh the cost of swapping your car for one of the many that have the multilink suspension even taking into account that those cars may have slightly higher running costs.

 

4 hours ago, Gerrycan said:

Fitting a 4WD system however would be far too difficult

 

You are not wrong, a few have looked at mine on the ramp with similar ideas and left disappointed, coding alone would be a small world of hurt.

13 hours ago, MorrisOx said:

They've got to do better when the Mark IV eventually comes out.

I wouldn't hold your breath. Remember the Golf has the same suspension, while the Focus has had fully independent rear suspension since it was launched nearly 20 years ago.

On 24/04/2017 at 15:15, guitarman001 said:

How long do you plan on keeping it despite the noise?

as soon as i can afford to replace it

Any news about the replace of the torsion beam suspension? I gather data to change the rear suspension from an 1,8 TSI model...

 

It won’t happen in the lifecycle of the current Octavia, which will probably be around until the 2020 model year, so unless you’re in the market for a vRS or a 4x4 you're stuck with the torsion beam.

 

There is talk that the next Octy might move upmarket slightly (because the next generation Rapid will be a proper Hatchback Golf alternative rather than the compromise it currently is). Whether that means all models will get indepedent rear suspension remains to be seen.

I'll do it by myself. I'll look up for a donor car or I'll try to buy the rear independent axle from 1,8TSI. I have some technical data, maybe not enough...It's a major purpose for me. I found some parts in Germany, and there are not so expensive, about 600 euros. I don't need to modify the car structure. It's the same for both rear suspensions. It's almost plug-n-play...

 

Edited 26 March, 20188 yr by radiomaniack

Good luck with your project - suspect your challenges will be electronic and hydraulic rather than mechanical.

Thanks a lot! I know that's a little bit like an headache. I have to adapt the length of the cables for ABS sensors and the brake hoses. Nothing else...

I see Ford will be moving the new Focus onto Torsion Beam for all but the highest powered models.

 

The broad suspension principles remain the same, at least on most versions. But it’s all been renewed. Also, there are now three completely different rear suspensions.

The hatches with the smallest, lowest-power now have a torsion-beam setup. Sounds like a retrograde step given it’s the first time we’ve had one of those on a mid-size Ford since the Escort. But the engineers swear it’s actually well-enough refined that it rides as well as the current Focus, and it’s closely related to the Fiesta ST design.

Meanwhile, more powerful hatches get a short-and-long arm setup. This one, they say is better developed and gives a quieter ride than the torsion beam, and more precise steering response.

Finally, estates get a different layout of SLA system, with the dampers laid near-horizontally. It’s not as tunable as the hatch setup, but it gives more space in the boot, especially between the wheel-arches.

Some models get the option of adaptive dampers too, for the first time in a mainstream Focus

 

Lee 

Edited 11 April, 20188 yr by logiclee

6 hours ago, logiclee said:

I see Ford will be moving the new Focus onto Torsion Beam for all but the highest powered models.

 

The broad suspension principles remain the same, at least on most versions. But it’s all been renewed. Also, there are now three completely different rear suspensions.

The hatches with the smallest, lowest-power now have a torsion-beam setup. Sounds like a retrograde step given it’s the first time we’ve had one of those on a mid-size Ford since the Escort. But the engineers swear it’s actually well-enough refined that it rides as well as the current Focus, and it’s closely related to the Fiesta ST design.

Meanwhile, more powerful hatches get a short-and-long arm setup. This one, they say is better developed and gives a quieter ride than the torsion beam, and more precise steering response.

 

Total cheapskates, suppose they saw how VAG got away with this one and thought it was good enough. 

Be interesting to see if this is, like  Octavia, 3 primarily a cost cutting redesign.

When ford tried this trick before with the Escort 4 to Escort 5 redesign it really didn't go too well.

On the plus side had the Escort 5 not been so dreadful Ford may not have felt the need to try quite so hard with the first Focus.

 

Yeah, but everybody must admit that O3 cost cutting is a masterpiece what they have functionally and aesthetically achieved --> my humble opinion. I prefer _so much_ A7 over A5FL we've previously owned, and now RS230 is a marvelous car. If I may say, it is a smart cost cutting, not affecting important things of one car. 

 

For example A5FL had independent suspension while A7 has a torsion beam, cheaper, but overall car impression is way better. It is more comfortable, less noise and better handling then old one.

 

I don't care if on paper design is cheaper if end product is optimal for my needs. Of course, at the end you must have realistic expectation from a car of such a segment.

 

Just as an example, Apple is making great product by assembling some cheap hardware. It is not about individual parts but how complete product works. It is a skill indeed to put all those different parts into a harmony, especially a budget ones.

9 hours ago, logiclee said:

I see Ford will be moving the new Focus onto Torsion Beam for all but the highest powered models.

 

 

The broad suspension principles remain the same, at least on most versions. But it’s all been renewed. Also, there are now three completely different rear suspensions.

The hatches with the smallest, lowest-power now have a torsion-beam setup. Sounds like a retrograde step given it’s the first time we’ve had one of those on a mid-size Ford since the Escort. But the engineers swear it’s actually well-enough refined that it rides as well as the current Focus, and it’s closely related to the Fiesta ST design.

Meanwhile, more powerful hatches get a short-and-long arm setup. This one, they say is better developed and gives a quieter ride than the torsion beam, and more precise steering response.

Finally, estates get a different layout of SLA system, with the dampers laid near-horizontally. It’s not as tunable as the hatch setup, but it gives more space in the boot, especially between the wheel-arches.

Some models get the option of adaptive dampers too, for the first time in a mainstream Focus

 

Lee 

 

I loved the line from one of the Ford suits - ‘you’ll hardly notice the difference, except over potholes perhaps’. Definitely not a problem in the UK, then...