Hi

I recently bought a 2007 Skoda Octavia TFSI vRS estate and have to say I'm loving it. Lots of power, loads of space and altho it's very thirsty (28 mpg) it brings a smile to my face every time I drive it.

 

My only gripe is that it when you drive over any tiny pothole/drain etc in the road you really notice it. I'm guessing with it being the sportier model the suspension would be harder but I never expected it to be this hard. Mechanically the car seems fine and flew through it's MOT in May with no advisories so I don't believe anything it wrong/broken. It may just be that coming from a Vauxhall Astra Hatchback I'm noticing it more.

 

Can anyone put my mind at rest and tell me that's how the car is and that I've nothing to worry about with it and it's just a hard ride?

Many thanks.

Yes they are all like that. Coming from an Astra or Focus it will feel very firm. Even my 1.8 L&K has firm suspension on 16 or 17 inch wheels. Also there is quite a bit of road noise especially in the estates regardless of wheel alignment.

I came from a 2013 C Max to the Octavia and really miss the Fords ride quality. However the Octavia is a better all round car.

No issues from a firm ride with my estate. Crap roads, big wheels and sport suspension don't mix.  :notme:

Edited 22 December, 20169 yr by Baileydog

If you do a search on here, or other forums, the ride quality and tyre/road noise are probably the most criticised areas of the car, even the mk3 to a lesser extent.

Fit some Goodyear F1 Assy 3's. They are very quiet and massively reduce tyre noise. Plus they also grip and handle excellent.

I've got a 2011 vRS Estate. I actually find it a little soft. Would like the Bilstein B12 kit or B8s.  Agree though, 18"s do make it crashy. I think 17" were far more balanced on my Mk5 Golf GT Sport, The suspension was a lot stiffer on that too! 

I've owned far more crashy cars than the Octavia and it feels like a magic carpet compared to my last car that was running 19" rims.  I'm on the standard 17" Zenith at the moment so maybe that helps with the ride quality.  I've also bought a set of TD Pro Race 1.2 in 17" for the summer as I think it's the best size for the Octavia as the 17" wheels weigh less, make the ride acceptable and I don't have to drive like like I've had ten pints to avoid every imperfection in the road.  Having said that, the 18" wheels look a lot better.

Yes 18" do look better but I think you're right, 17" probably better balanced. They certainly were in a mk5 golf...

Mines pretty crashy ride wise. Actually mentioned it to the wife today as we were driving round Southampton, but the roads are very awful there!

You haven't mentioned what brand/size tyres you have or what pressures you run.

 

Also, how many km have you done and what condition are all the bushes in?  

 

If the pivot bolts are rusted into the bushes it will be a worse ride.  Also, dampers are probably sad by now and springs tired.

Thanks for all the replies. Put my mind a bit at rest.

 

The car is a 2007 plate with 131,000 miles on the clock BUT it has full service history with one owner. Last serviced/MOT'd in May with no advisories. The tyres are Goodyear Continentals I think but I know at least one or two will need replacing soon.

Fully take on board that I need to check the bushes and the dampers/springs may be a bit tired. I'll get this all checked out in the spring.

Search for my other posts but as above I would suspect your suspension components are at the end of their life.

We replaced ours with bilstein b12, transformed ride and handling. Our car had mid 70000 when we changes