hard ride

[stan801]

hi, ive had my octy 1.6 tdi 105 for a few months now, overall its great but just a couple of minor niggles i thought i'd mention.

first thing that bothers me is the hard ride, ive looked into changing the springs to get a more compliant ride (been told to get springs from mk7 golf) second is the sound insulation. it gets a bit noisy at times. any one with similar experiences or fixes?       stan

[Sh0cky]

Hi Stan, I also have the 1.6tdi 105 personally for me I haven't had too many issues with the a hard ride. I have a 2013 whether it makes a difference or not maybe age has made it a little softer. noise however I've only really experienced excessive noise above 70 or in heavy wind/ rain other than that cruising round town the engine is fairly quiet and outside noise is quite minimal but due to road surface this can change.

I hear the wind deflectors can cut down a fair bit of noise too

Edited 10 May, 2015 by Sh0cky

[countryboy]

hi, ive had my octy 1.6 tdi 105 for a few months now, overall its great but just a couple of minor niggles i thought i'd mention.

first thing that bothers me is the hard ride, ive looked into changing the springs to get a more compliant ride (been told to get springs from mk7 golf) second is the sound insulation. it gets a bit noisy at times. any one with similar experiences or fixes?       stan

Hi Stan, if you think the ride is overly hard then I would take it back to the dealer and get it checked to make sure the transport blocks were taken out of the suspension during the PDI. It has been known for that to be forgotten.

Ian

[stan801]

hi countryboy, i bought the car used with 13k on the clocks, and it already had a service since then, wouldnt they have checked if the blocks were removed or not, i have not took it to dealers myself but will definately mention it on  the next service, someone else has mentioned this to me,   thanks

[andyvee]

The first service is an oil change only, they won't be taking the wheels off or inspecting under the shock absorber boots so they could well still be in there.

 

It has happened before .....

[stan801]

ok, will have it checked out in next service but you would think they were inspected before keys are given to first owner. anyway,  thanks for the replies

[andyvee]

They are, but quite a few have left the dealer with the transport blocks still in place

[neiln]

I was thinking of trying a few bits of silent coat sound proofing mat to quiet things down.  although I can't be bothered to get carpet up and trim off so wouldn't get to the wheel arches which probably means it wouldn't make much difference.  its not costly though

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Silent-Coat-2mm-10-Sheets-Car-Van-Vibration-Sound-Proofing-Damping-Mat-/161282941044?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item258d366074

 

so I might stick a bit on the boot floor and some on the underside of the bonnet (the tsi bonnet doesn't have a liner, think the tdi does)

[tanelv]

My experience with professionally installed sound proofing - it does not get rid of tire noise if the tires are bad. Pirelli Cinturato P7 that came from factory were noisy as hell. Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance fixed this issue.

Sound proofing helped with going through potholes, Canton and doors close like a premium car's now. Also engine noise. Generally low frequency is dampened.

[stan801]

Thanks for info. The noise issue I can live with but will look into extra insulation. The ride issue is more serious. Ive been told I can fit 15 inch alloys from skoda mk2 to get a softer ride. Has anyone here tried this and would it effect the warranty...

[tanelv]

Another thing. The Skoda recommended tire pressures are a bit too high IMO. I lowered from the recommended 2.2 to 2.0.

[kotlewm]

My experience with professionally installed sound proofing - it does not get rid of tire noise if the tires are bad. Pirelli Cinturato P7 that came from factory were noisy as hell. Goodyear Efficientgrip Performance fixed this issue.

 

Not just me then.   I was thinking that the Pirelli P7s on my new Scout drone badly around the 70mph area,  but was hoping that they may settle in once it gets a few miles on the car ( only done 700 so far ).  

[stan801]

I have michelin 205 55 16 tyres on mine, had good reviews...tyre pressure 28 psi rear 30 front...dont think it'll make thay much difference to rideyby dropping it..

[themanwithnoaim]

I have michelin 205 55 16 tyres on mine, had good reviews...tyre pressure 28 psi rear 30 front...dont think it'll make thay much difference to rideyby dropping it..

Meh... for gereral use you maybe ok but, start pushing it round roundabouts and your gonna wear that NSF tyre edge and fast with heavy diesel lump up front too, with that much sidewall fast corners are gonna have a little more turn-in lag as it were too but, its your call cause you know how you drive.  The VW Mk7 shocks you want have both coloured stickers in blue BTW.

[stan801]

Themanwithnoaim. Thanks for your advice. What do you mean by blue stickers.

[Gerrycan]

Thanks for info. The noise issue I can live with but will look into extra insulation. The ride issue is more serious. Ive been told I can fit 15 inch alloys from skoda mk2 to get a softer ride. Has anyone here tried this and would it effect the warranty...

 

It will not affect your warranty to change to 15 inch but is unlikely to give you much improvement as 16 inch wheels give you a pretty generous amount of rubber anyway.

I am guessing you currently have steel wheels and while they don't have much 'street cred' they are very light and you would have to spend a lot of money on really good alloys to even match the weight of the steels.

Steel/tyre weight is around 16kg and typical OEM alloy/tyre weight is greater than 20kg. Doesn't sound a lot but usually less unsprung weight is the better for ride.

So unless you are doing it for the looks I would not bother. 

 

I have michelin 205 55 16 tyres on mine, had good reviews...tyre pressure 28 psi rear 30 front...dont think it'll make thay much difference to rideyby dropping it..

You are already have pressures set below minimum recommended tyre pressures which could be dangerous if you put any sort of extra load in the car and/or sustained high speed, not to mention increased fuel consumption.

My 1.4tsi minimum pressures are 32psi front and rear and I usually put in 34psi. Not sure what your 1.6D recommendations are but since the engine will be heavier they are unlikely to be less.

I would try them at the higher pressure and also get your own tyre pressure gauge to double check the petrol forecourt inflation figures (they are notorious for being very inaccurate).

Regarding the transport blocks, it is easy to check them, just jack up a front wheel off the ground as if to change the tyre. Peer behind the wheel at the exposed springs and see if there are any brightly coloured plastic blocks there. Check both wheels.

You can choose to remove them yourself or take the car to the original dealer and demand they acknowledge their incompetence in writing to be used for any subsequent claims.

After you have done all that and the ride is still poor THEN start thinking about damper replacement. At least three contributors claim significant improvements after changing to Golf 7 or non OEM uprated dampers but obviously there are costs involved unless the dealer agrees the ones fitted have prematurely worn or are malfunctioning.

I have no problems with my Mk3 as I consider it ideal. I agree it is firm, but that is my preference anyway to avoid motion sickness and it does not 'bottom out' on potholes or speed humps. I may also just be one of the lucky ones that do not have defective dampers.

Edited 13 May, 2015 by Gerrycan

[stan801]

It will not affect your warranty to change to 15 inch but is unlikely to give you much improvement as 16 inch wheels give you a pretty generous amount of rubber anyway.

I am guessing you currently have steel wheels and while they don't have much 'street cred' they are very light and you would have to spend a lot of money on really good alloys to even match the weight of the steels.

Steel/tyre weight is around 16kg and typical OEM alloy/tyre weight is greater than 20kg. Doesn't sound a lot but usually less unsprung weight is the better for ride.

So unless you are doing it for the looks I would not bother. 

 

 

hi gerrycan, i have the standard 16" alloys that come on SE models, look great, dont really need to upgrade them for the looks, im no boy racer anymore so am just looking for comfort over looks . lol

 

You are already have pressures set below minimum recommended tyre pressures which could be dangerous if you put any sort of extra load in the car and/or sustained high speed, not to mention increased fuel consumption.

My 1.4tsi minimum pressures are 32psi front and rear and I usually put in 34psi. Not sure what your 1.6D recommendations are but since the engine will be heavier they are unlikely to be less.

I would try them at the higher pressure and also get your own tyre pressure gauge to double check the petrol forecourt inflation figures (they are notorious for being very inaccurate).

 

 

I changed the pressure today to 34 psi all round today, it made the ride even worse, really jittery on rough surfaces but ok on the mototway, reduced back down to 30 all round and the rides not as jarring now, im tending to lean toward the opinion that the blocks havnt been removed.....

Regarding the transport blocks, it is easy to check them, just jack up a front wheel off the ground as if to change the tyre. Peer behind the wheel at the exposed springs and see if there are any brightly coloured plastic blocks there. Check both wheels.

You can choose to remove them yourself or take the car to the original dealer and demand they acknowledge their incompetence in writing to be used for any subsequent claims.

 

Cars booked in for service next week but ill take a look myself before taking car in....

After you have done all that and the ride is still poor THEN start thinking about damper replacement. At least three contributors claim significant improvements after changing to Golf 7 or non OEM uprated dampers but obviously there are costs involved unless the dealer agrees the ones fitted have prematurely worn or are malfunctioning.

 

Ive had conflicting reports, one mechanic freind has said its the springs another that the shocks are to blame, been advised to fit oem golf 7  springs & shocks..

I have no problems with my Mk3 as I consider it ideal. I agree it is firm, but that is my preference anyway to avoid motion sickness and it does not 'bottom out' on potholes or speed humps. I may also just be one of the lucky ones that do not have defective dampers.

 

 

My previous car was a mk5 golf gt tdi which was lower and stiffer but rode better even on 225 45 17's and was much better damped than the octy, handled the speed bumps better as well, i prefer a stiffer set up car to the wallowy toyoyas or renaults but the octy is just uncomfortable, and jittery on bad surfaces,  im hoping (after its been to the dealers)  to change the shocks as a first measure and will keep you posted ....

 

thanks again

Edited 13 May, 2015 by stan801

[stan801]

Meh... for gereral use you maybe ok but, start pushing it round roundabouts and your gonna wear that NSF tyre edge and fast with heavy diesel lump up front too, with that much sidewall fast corners are gonna have a little more turn-in lag as it were too but, its your call cause you know how you drive.  The VW Mk7 shocks you want have both coloured stickers in blue BTW.

 

hi, the micheleins are ok for everyday driving and after reading the reviews they seem to perform quite well so changing tyres wont make that much difference to the ride, i remember a few years ago i had continentals on a golf i used to have, they were terrible and tramlined all the time, changing tyres on that car really helped and showed me the importance of having the right rubber on any car but i dont think it will help in the octys case..........  BTW what do you mean by coloured stickers in blue,

[Mardu]

Thanks for info. The noise issue I can live with but will look into extra insulation. The ride issue is more serious. Ive been told I can fit 15 inch alloys from skoda mk2 to get a softer ride. Has anyone here tried this and would it effect the warranty...

I have 195/65 winter tyres on 15 inch steel rims and it was quite a bit softer and comfier in winter with them than with 16 inch alloys in summer. If the tyre and rim parameters are listed in your manual (don't know if the manuals are all the same in different countries or not), it should not affect the warranty.

[AllanDJ]

This issue has been much commented on with varying opinions and many people starting to replace large chunks of their cars original suspensions often for slightly different VW Golf equivalents. Recent car surveys (maybe Autocar? Know I filled in one a few months ago) have shown that despite being very reliable that the hard suspension of the Octavia 3 is very widely criticised by those owners who have written down their opinions.

Say what you want, the suspension as fitted in the factory is not up to scratch for UK roads and owners should not at this point in their cars life be having to spend money to try to fix something that Skoda did not get right when they built the cars. My own car has been perfectly reliable so far, just a bit rough suspension wise in town driving but a complete change of character when taken onto motorways, where it seems so much happier and more composed that it is hard to believe that it is the same car!

Usually manufacturers will try to adjust a cars suspension to a point where it is well balanced across a wide spectrum of driving environments, that is how Ford do it, my old Mondeo had fantastic suspension compared to the Octavia but it does seem that Skoda have only ever tried the Octavia on silky smooth autobahn type roads and have not bothered themselves with testing this model on UK type roads. If they had, I'm sure we wouldn't be hearing all these complaints, torsion beam isn't going to help matters much either.

[pipsyp]

General consensus is that Skoda use a different damper on the Octavia to what is used on the Golf....and its probably not as good.

I gather it is possible (and people have done so) to put Golf Mk7 1.6 TDi standard suspension (S, SE spec) dampers on and makes a real difference.

Again 16' wheels make quite a difference too due to their 55 profile v 45 of 17's and 40 of 18's...bit less road noise due to the 205 v 225 cross section too.

Its also true that Skoda skimp a bit on soundproofing on the O3...except in regions where the roads are particularly bad and they cannot get away with it.

The Golf of course gets better damping and soundproofing...two examples of where the money goes on the higher purchase price. Doesnt bother me particularly as relatively speaking the Octavia is still a bargain and at least 90% as good all round.

[JungleJames]

Yep, a well known problem. Dampers are rubbish. Change for Golf dampers as suggested, or Bilstein dampers (can be had for less money than dealers charging for Golf dampers). If you were a little bit of a boy racer then the Pro Kit lowering springs could also be a good addition along with dampers. However if you just want comfort, its probably just dampers you want to change.

[stan801]

Thanks for all the replies. Think ill just bite the bullet and change to golf or as suggested bilstein shocks. I do around 35k a year so spend a lot of time in the car otherwise I wouldn't bother changing.. ill let you know if they make a difference. I will also mention it to dealer to see if theyll contribute....

[spacenase]

Having fitted them to my car I can recommend the Golf shocks, they do make a very noticeable difference. They are quite expensive of you change all four though (around £160 plus fitting).

[mr1]

Definitely check for transport blocks, cross-post with my thread: http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/355369-another-transport-blocks-thread-any-on-the-back/