Ok so i bought a Superb 2.5tdi last year as a kind of stop gap car. I have of late been looking at other cars but i really have got to like the Superb and what ever i look at i keep thinking is it worth the expense to change.

The superb does very well on fuel on my daily work drive and on a run , even when i put my caravan on the back so ticks all boxs there.

The issues i have are

Rear suspension seems very soft and saggy,

Unsure if i have the ticking time bomb VP88 fuel pump.

I have been looking at replacement suspension and i am unsure which way to go, Should i lower it or not, Should i get some heavy duty rear springs and shocks.

So my question is who has changed/upgraded there suspension and weather or not you tow with it. I do not mine spending a few quid on the car if it will sort out my issues.

Sorry for the long waffle

How old is your car? If it's post 2005 then fuel pump has been fixed, here is a bit of history of 2.5TDI problems.

The troubles described so far on Briskoda with a later BDG engine are due to bodged timing belt jobs, quality of servicing should be your main worry rather than the pump itself. If the engine runs fine, I'd give the car at least time till next TB job (every 73k miles).

If you are still on original shocks, my advice is to stay with current suspension and fit Bilstein Sport B6 monotube shock absorbers all round. Comfort does not suffer, but handling improves massively. Plus they have about 25kg/shock worth of pre-tension, so net effect on saggy suspension on an older car is to bring it back close to factory height. If you are serious about towing, I'd fit OE(Skoda) HD rear suspension springs as these will lift rear about 20mm and result in close to stock height when you are towing. I'd steer away from aftermarket springs as in my experience even Eibachs sagged much faster than Skoda ones.

But the shocks make most difference, and frankly having used stock, ProDamper, Koni, and Bilstein, Bilstein B6s win my vote, especially that after 90k+ miles on my car they still feel as new. I drive all sorts of roads from autobahn to twisted/hilly country lanes, frequently with towbar box attached, and am very happy with the setup (rear HD OE springs, front Sport OE springs).

Edited 30 March, 201313 yr by dieselV6

Thank you for your reply. Interesting reading on the link you posted. My car is a 2005 manual. , so i guess i should be ok with the pump. Car has just hit 133000 miles and apart from taking a few turns when cold the engine runs really nice. It uses next to no oil, in fact i think i didnt even need to top it up over the last 10k.

The B6's sound very good, but i have only found fronts and at £140 each it could work out expensive, are the B4's that much worse? Also do you have any idea on the price from Skoda for the springs? I am trying not to be a cheep skate but looking at £600 at a guess for a set of shocks plus springs at what ever they are could be in for £1000, so if i was to do it i would have to keep the car a while.

B6s are monotubes while B4 are standard (though well made) twin-tube. B6s react quicker, are a bit firmer (and the Superboat needs some extra damping) and B6s will last longer than B4s in active use on account of dissipating heat much better. So on a nearly-new car, B6s are no brainer. But I agree that I would first think hard about how much longer you want to run the car for, then check the rest of suspension for wear and tear, as it makes no sense to spend a lot of money for new shocks if other elements need to be renewed first/alongside/instead.

Just replacing rear shocks only for the B4s at the rear will be a sensible lower cost option an a good quality replacement, and will give you restored handling, but no better than factory new car, in fact if the fronts are loosened up by now then handling may still not be much better.

The general problem with replacing only rear axle suspension is that you will likely not end up with much improved handling. Uprating just rear springs and shocks will worsen stability. What you need to get good handling on a nose-heavy FWD car are stiff front springs, soft rear springs, and a set of stiff dampers all round. B6s fit the bill for dampers, and factory springs are OK-ish, ie fronts stiff enough, rears soft enough.

The setup I find works best so far for me, are front Sport springs from 2.5V6 Auto, and rear HD suspension factory springs. The car came with factory HD suspension, so the only expense was front springs +Bilsteins all round for me, it was pricey, but then 90k miles later it is clear it was worth it.

If you decide to go after a full set of front+rear B6 shocks+a set of HD rear springs to lift the rear in anticipation of towing, a set of rear springs should be under £170 from the dealer. I don't like the price either, perhaps would be worth checking out Bilstein springs somewhere since their shocks are durable as is evident on my car (I replaced factory ones after just 15k on both Octy and Superb, Bilsteins are on 90k+).

katalog.bilstein.de should help getting part numbers. Quick google found motorsportworld selling B6 fronts at £140 each, B6 rears £150 each, or a sensible low cost option of a couple of B4s for £92 total inc shipping.

Ok so the car passed mot the other day, while on the ramp i had a good luck underneath, and all seemed well. The tester is a friend but his mot's are fair, no funny mot's as i would not nor would he condone such a thing. He has a one man test ramp so it is quite rough when testing joints etc and we found no play.

At the moment if you look at the car the rear end is lower than the front. Would it be wrong to assume the front springs are still ok? The came with tow bar fitted so it could have had a van or something on the back hence the rear sagging.

All in all i think i would keep the car at least another year maybe longer as the space in the rear is fantastic, I am 6ft3 and my 16 year old is now 6ft4 hence why we went for the superb. I know i could get a newer one but Skoda dropped the v6 and to be fair i had a Galaxy with the 1.9pd engine and even with a remap it didn't have the guts of a v6 , more so when the van was on the back.

I think i will have a browse around the net for Bilstein springs etc. I did come across a Bilstein B12 kit http://www.larkspeed.com/index.pl?a=i&p=11346182661∂=Skoda-Superb-2-5-TDI-2-8-V6-Bilstein-B12-Pro-Kit-Suspension-Kit

I know it lowers by 30mm but looks good value.

For a year, I'd just fit B4 rear shocks and forget about the rest. £92 (actually £82 at ECP now) for a pair really is not much.

If you want to restore height, for this long time any replacement springs will do, rear Sachs springs are £102 for a pair at ECP (till Monday). I noticed B4s are £41 each there, so perhaps it's time for a quick order (I think their sale runs out on Monday). For under £200+fitting you would have rear suspension in good as new shape (sach springs +b4 shocks at ECP prices).

But ultimately, it's your wallet

Regarding the B12s, driving comfort will suffer a lot with B12s, there are no miracles with 30mm shorter suspension travel and stiffer dampers than B6. Plus it uses Eibach springs which in my experience sagged after 2 years. It is a step too far IMHO, B6+factory springs offer better comfort/handling balance. Again, your decision

dieselV6 is there any chance of a pic of your car, just interested in how it sits?

Just been looking round the net and come across these http://www.monroeshop.co.uk/info-monroe-what-fits-my-car?make=Skoda&model=Superb&engine=2.5000&year=2005&search=Part+Number

They are listing HD Suspension , what do you think?

These Monroes are lower price than Bilsteins, if they are listing HD they probably have enough damping, but I don't know how durable they are. If you buy these, you'd need to replace all 4, as taut shocks just at rear not improve handling much. The rear B4s + possibly new rear springs are still a lower cost option. But to replace all shocks, the Monroes might be OK. Keep in mind they still will not handle as good as the B6s, because HD Monroes are twin-tube, B6s are monotube.

My car is in the garage now, not enough space to take a side-on picture. Due to hols we are using Roomster only for the moment, next time the Superb is out I might take a picture, but it could be a quite a few days away.

.

A little update

I spoke to Bilstein yesterday and the guy there who seemed very clued up on suspension asked why i didnt go for the B12 Kit, i told him what i had been advised and he told me he had had both B6 and B12 on his A6 and the ride was pretty much the same but a little lower on the B12's.

I also rung TPS about the oem heavy duty springs but there is 5 options depending on what paint markings are on the car springs already, soi will give a dealer a call at some point to see if they can help....

This is turning into a right mine field.

I am really thinking of getting the B12 kit for a couple of reasons.

1 the price for the full kit looks good vfm at £596

2 they seem highly rated combo

3 from what i have been speaking to Bilstein and lark speed the ride should be firm but very stable and i keep my teeth.

4 warranty looks good, 2 years on the shocks and 5 years on the springs.

B12s are probably not a bad option, all I stated was that as soon as you lower the car, the springs/shocks have to absorb the same energy over ~25% shorter travel, and that means 30% firmer ride (1/0.75). Plus I had personal experience with sagging Eibachs so would use factory springs over the Eibachs.

But given the B6s result in almost factory comfort and greatly improved handling, B8s should be still bearable, just noticeably firmer.

One thing worth remembering is tyre wear, as soon as you lower the car, camber change may cause problems (uneven wear across tyre). Not sure if it is already noticeable at -30mm on the Superb.

I'd take just rear B4+Sachs springs from ECP mentioned earlier as a low cost and good upgrade, B12s as full upgrade on a budget, and B6+OE springs as on my car for best comfort/handling balance.

PS. I remembered your request

Photos on a slightly uphill driveway, front Sport V6 TDI Auto springs, rear factory HD suspension springs, B6 shocks all round, 16in alloys with 205/55/16 tyres at 2.9bar. Now that I look at it, rears have sagged somewhat over the last 7 years, but the rear is still higher than the front.

Edited 13 April, 201313 yr by dieselV6

Thank you for the pictures and your input in all this. After a week or so of thinking should i just change my car i have come to the conclusion that i do not think i could buy anything that would give me the space and power of the superb other than buying another, as the new shape does not come with the v6 engine i think i am just better off spending a few quid on mine and running it for the next few years. I know there are the people of the opinion the v6 is no better than the 1.9 but i have had cars with the pd engine (still got one sitting on the drive needing 2 injectors) and even with a remap the performance is nothing like what you get from the v6.

I did look at a Audi A6 and too it for a drive and i did like it, it sat lower than the superb and the ride while quite firm was still comfortable , shame the rear leg room was of no use to us with me being 6'3 and my 16 year old 6'4 . I will make another post and see if anyone who has lowered there superb by 30mm has had the tyre wear issue.

Thank you for your input. B12 Kit just ordered from Damian @ DPM Performance

Yes, saw the other thread, seems no tyre wear issues at least with normal wheels at -30mm.

I hope you get the pinch bolts out in one piece

Let us know how it rides afterwards.

Yes, saw the other thread, seems no tyre wear issues at least with normal wheels at -30mm.

I hope you get the pinch bolts out in one piece

Let us know how it rides afterwards.

Pinch bolts? I have not even looked yet. Guess that they can be a pain then ?

Pinch bolts are the bolts that hold the 2 upper control arms together (in a pinch/vice) on each side of the car. Unless pre-greased, they tend to seize up after a few years. Make sure they are soaked with plusgas or similar before removing, though probably wd40 would work as well.

If you do DIY, you need to replace the pinch bolts, the strut to bracket nut, the steering arm joint nut and the lower strut mount nut.

When remounting struts, the hole in the spring seat should be on the inside, ie closer to body.

Tightening torques:

Suspension strut to supporting arm 90 Nm

Steering arm to wheel bearing housing 40 Nm

Suspension strut to bracket 22 Nm

Wheel bolts 120 Nm

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info, i will get some gear on the bolts and look for part numbers to order the new nuts etc.

Thank You

John.

Little update.

I fitted my B12's on Friday. Very happy with them, Ride is firm but not harsh and the long boat feel has pretty much gone.

Good to hear that, looks like B12s are best upgrade if both shocks and springs need be replaced.

From the picture, rear ride height would be a bit low for my needs, half term trip soon with full boot and a towbar box carrier But for standard loads it looks OK.

Well i had it very well loaded yesterday coming home and the back end did not drop loads but i do understand your point.