smoother ride, help a newbie

[lukastrop]

Hello,

 

Recently i'm very dissapointed with my octavia stock suspension, or overall ride- it's quite solid, doesn't absorb bumps as i would like. It's more like a mazda 3 than an octavia

I'm not very car tech wise , so help a bro out. I've read here good reviews about bilstein b4 suspension kits for octavia, but all of you guys have vRS versions. will they fit my skoda octavia 2007 mk2 1.6 FSI hatchback? Will the bilstein b4's kit help me with getting a smoother ride?

 

What are other recommendations for more comfortable driving? (i've recently been looking for new tyres)

[Gissin]

the b4 kit will be harder than your current standard set up, the vRS stock suspension being even harder than that.

 

I cant advise you on softer suspension as I've never been asked that question, not sure why you would want your octy to drive like a boat

[Inex]

As much as I love my Octavia....I must admit, if you want a smoother ride... get an equivalent VW or Audi... I have a friend with a 2003 golf and it deals with potholes much better than my dad's 2007 mk1 and my own 2007 mkII. I also have a friend with a 2002 A4 and it feels even better....

 

I think Skoda made sure of this before they start producing their cars....

 

What's worse, I also noticed VW is slowly making the Golfs suspension feel like the Octavia's...

A few weeks ago I drove a mk4 Golf then I had to hop into a mk7 golf (both standard cars)... The old one has been dealing with potholes much better than the new one and it's the kind of car they really don't care about (airport duty car probably still running all original suspension components) comapred to the mk7 which was someone's personal car... Don't know if this is just me being paranoid or if it's the true but you can try it yourself. Test drive 2 or 3 cars based on the same paltform... a Skoda, a VW and an Audi.... there is a noticeable difference.

 

As Gissin said... our cars already tend to handle like boats (especially on standard 195/65 tires), can't see how a softer suspension would help with the handling :(

 

Edited 1 June, 2017 by Inex

[lukastrop]

Do tyres make much of a difference?

I have winter Nokian tyres 195/65 and they drive better than my current summer polish production tyres. What if i chose premium quality tyres, would that make a difference?

[Inex]

Generally, wider tires increas the stability.

I drive 205/65 R16 Michellin tires and I can tell you this: It handles much better than my dad's 195/65 R15... I am not into that kind of  mods... it just happens that my car came with nice rims and tires... maybe some pro has some better advice.

 

When you drive and try a quick quarter turn left and then quarter turn right then centre the wheel, you will still feel the car wobbling a bit after you have centered your steering wheel. On wider tires you don't feel that anymore and it's much more responsive and stable when overtaking or in windy conditions.

[Gissin]

The more sidewall you have, the more cushion there is between you and the road. Conversely, handling is diminished when tires have tall sidewalls because there is more chance for excessive lean and roll. you can change the wheel size + / - 1 inch so if you're on 17''s you can drop to 16''s

 

tyre wise - Performance tires are usually made with softer compounds that increase traction but also increase road noise and reduce tire life. specific brands wont affect comfort but road noise grip levels etc. and then it's down to personal preference.

 

I drive 235/40/18  but I want my ride hard for handling

Edited 1 June, 2017 by Gissin

[lukastrop]

1 hour ago, Inex said:

Generally, wider tires increas the stability.

I drive 205/65 R16 Michellin tires and I can tell you this: It handles much better than my dad's 195/65 R15... I am not into that kind of  mods... it just happens that my car came with nice rims and tires... maybe some pro has some better advice.

 

When you drive and try a quick quarter turn left and then quarter turn right then centre the wheel, you will still feel the car wobbling a bit after you have centered your steering wheel. On wider tires you don't feel that anymore and it's much more responsive and stable when overtaking or in windy conditions.

Interesting.

 

Currently i'm on 195/65 R15 stock octavia II rims. Can i fit 205/65 on these bad boys?

Can anyone recommend good tires for comfort ride? (please specify what width and height should i look for)

[Inex]

My bad. I have 205/55 R16, not 65. Still, I think 65 would fit too...

[andy-fisher]

If you have 195/65 R15 and want to go to 205 then you will have to use 205/60 R15 to give roughly the same rolling circumference.  That would reduce the side wall size meaning a slightly firmer ride.

[wiilydog]

Try goodyear efficient grip as they have soft side walls

[andy-fisher]

When I said it would reduce the side wall size it's only a matter of millimetres but going the opposite way to what you desired.  I have Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance on and they seem to work very well with regard to road noise and grip.  Not sure the provide a softer ride but I can confirm the side walls are quite pliable. 

[lukastrop]

9 hours ago, andy-fisher said:

When I said it would reduce the side wall size it's only a matter of millimetres but going the opposite way to what you desired.  I have Goodyear Efficient Grip Performance on and they seem to work very well with regard to road noise and grip.  Not sure the provide a softer ride but I can confirm the side walls are quite pliable. 

Yeah i've seen good reviews for these ones. and they are on discount in my area at the moment. gonna grab em and see if they give me much difference, cause these polish tires are driving me nuts with the noise.

[spottydog]

The two main reasons I sold my 2011 Octavia were too firm a ride and too much road noise. I only had it a few months and was very disappointed with the quality of the ride. Same as the Yeti I had it must be a Skoda thing. Hence my change to the Mk3 Scenic. Chalk and cheese. Smooth, quiet, lovely ride and drive. Slightly less luggage space.