Suspension

[Jonnyhatesjazz70]

Evening,

 

Need a bit of advice on shocks please.

 

My Superb 2.0 tsi dsg is very twitchy in Sport mode, 1st and 2nd gear at 7k rpm the front is not settled at all, 3rd at 80mph it settles a bit but not what I would call completely stable, I paddle up a gear to smooth it out.

 

I have the 197bhp Elegance model.

 

It's very spongy on the B road I live on also.

 

Would lowering it help? It corners very well but far to bouncy for me on the straights.

 

Any recommendations on better suspension welcome, my previous car was a Passat Sport and handled far better on my roads, although it was a piece of crap car wise! 

 

Thank you in advance.

 

Ps, I know nothing about suspension but my budget is decent.

 

 

[Carlston]

47 minutes ago, Jonnyhatesjazz70 said:

My Superb 2.0TDI DSG is very twitchy in Sport mode.

 

Try new shock absorbers, such Bilstein B4. That should give the ride more composure. A set of four of these shock absorbers would cost about £250.

 

I would avoid lowered suspension springs because it makes the ride harder. Plus you might want to fit Bilstein B8 shock absorbers to match the lowered/sports springs. This lot could cost about £750. So perhaps around three times the price of the first option.

 

Edited 3 June, 2022 by Carlston

[Jonnyhatesjazz70]

Thank you Carlston.

 

I will look into the B4's, good price and my local garage will fit them for me.

 

The wallowing on my road in certain fast sections is pretty bad.

 

Will let you know the outcome.

 

 

[Derbyshirebod]

I've recently changed all the springs and shock absorbers on my 2012 2.0 4 x 4 Superb which had 180,00 on the clock when I bought it.  I've only replaced with standard gas shocks but on the front I've certainly noticed a difference and the car no longer wallows on undulating roads. Started with a broken front spring, when I came to change both front springs found that neither front shock absorber had much gas left in them and were extremely lethargic. 

 

 

  

[Jonnyhatesjazz70]

Good morning Derbyshirebod.

 

Thank you for the info, mine is only on 48000 but maybe its time I changed the front, the wallowing and recoil on my 60mph is getting a bit disconcerting.

 

Will save some cash not upgrading....can spend it on fuel.

 

Cheers.

[chimaera]

On 06/06/2022 at 08:33, Jonnyhatesjazz70 said:

Good morning Derbyshirebod.

 

Thank you for the info, mine is only on 48000 but maybe its time I changed the front, the wallowing and recoil on my 60mph is getting a bit disconcerting.

 

Will save some cash not upgrading....can spend it on fuel.

 

Cheers.

While your mileage is low, if the car has done a lot of urban miles the suspension could still have had a hard life. Also, there's a fair chance the seals on the gas capsule in the shocks have leaked a bit over time and left them weak; this will also lower the ride height due to the loss of the spring assistance from the shock.

 

I'd suggest you start by checking the ride height front and rear. I put together some useful information on this in the thread linked below. You can find the PR code for front damping on the build label in the spare wheel well or the inside of the service book.

 

 

[Jonnyhatesjazz70]

Thank you.

 

I bought the car from Colchester at 37k and its done the rest up here on fast mountain rds.

It's 10 years old so I agree that the gas has leaked out gradually. I think I will just change them soon, stock shocks are not expensive.

 

 

[J.R.]

Mine on the Yeti were absolutely fine and then within no time at all the car was pitching violently on undulations ate autoroute speeds, before the suspension was so stiff that I could not do a bump test on the front without bending a wing, even on the bonnet slam panel I could not exert enough force, when I tested after noticing the pitching it wallowed up and down with zero damping, they were completely shot.

 

Its a testament to the vehicle that in normal driving I had not noticed, the same happened when a rear anti-roll bar link detached, I was completely unaware of that one having already changed the front struts.

[Jonnyhatesjazz70]

Thanks J.R.

 

I think everything is leading me to get new stock fronts, the wallowing is not going to get any better, I had a pogo moment earlier at 60mph on my B road that nearly made me cross the centre white lines! 

 

I will have a hunt tonight for prices and book it into my local indie.

 

Thanks for your advice.

 

 

[nuala]

On 06/06/2022 at 01:19, Derbyshirebod said:

I've recently changed all the springs and shock absorbers on my 2012 2.0 4 x 4 Superb which had 180,00 on the clock when I bought it.  I've only replaced with standard gas shocks but on the front I've certainly noticed a difference and the car no longer wallows on undulating roads. Started with a broken front spring, when I came to change both front springs found that neither front shock absorber had much gas left in them and were extremely lethargic. 

 

 

  

I'm in the same boat as you, just noticed a broken front spring and I find my superb a bit boaty. Can I ask where you found the best place for shocks and springs. Thanks

[chimaera]

Just now, nuala said:

I'm in the same boat as you, just noticed a broken front spring and I find my superb a bit boaty. Can I ask where you found the best place for shocks and springs. Thanks

I got KYB springs and shocks from a local motor factors, reasonable and good performance. You should replace the bump stops as well.

[nuala]

17 minutes ago, chimaera said:

I got KYB springs and shocks from a local motor factors, reasonable and good performance. You should replace the bump stops as well.

Thanks chimaera, your a font of knowledge😀

[Derbyshirebod]

6 hours ago, nuala said:

I'm in the same boat as you, just noticed a broken front spring and I find my superb a bit boaty. Can I ask where you found the best place for shocks and springs. Thanks

If it's a broken front spring quite often you'll find the top mounting breaks and you loose most of the ball bearings. You can buy a complete top mounting or just the bearing part of the mounting. If I'm not in a hurry for the parts I'll trawl Ebay. Most of the suspension parts I've recently bought are either  Febi or NAPA.

[Jonnyhatesjazz70]

I am going to let my long suffering mechanic source and fit the lot, I undertake a lot of jobs but stay away from fitting suspension as its much easier if the car is in the air.

 

I will have a look at the KYB's though.

 

Cheers 

[nuala]

Sorry if this is a dumb question but is is possible to raise the height of the superb outdoor? Would higher springs work🤔

[Carlston]

37 minutes ago, nuala said:

Sorry if this is a dumb question but is is possible to raise the height of the superb outdoor? Would higher springs work🤔

 

Why do you want to raise the ride height?

 

How much do you want to raise the car?

 

Have you checked your current ride height?

 

Sometimes, just fitting new springs/shocks to replace old sagging springs/shocks will raise the ride height back to the factory height.

 

What are the OEM part numbers for the factory fit springs? If you've got the car's build codes, this is easy to find out by reference to a Skoda online parts catalogue such as 7zap.

 

Skoda online parts catalogue

https://skoda.7zap.com/en/cz/

 

Have you considered oversize tyres such as 215/55R16, 205/60R16, 215/60R16, etc.

 

Edited 13 June, 2022 by Carlston

[nuala]

Just wanted to raise it up by an inch of so, I be up and down some rough lanes and just wanted a little bit more ground clearance. My old 4x4 octavia sat quite a bit higher.

I think that perhaps you're right about my old shocks and springs sagging. I'll get the mechanic to check.Thanks

[Carlston]

49 minutes ago, nuala said:

Just wanted to raise it up by an inch of so, I be up and down some rough lanes and just wanted a little bit more ground clearance. My old 4x4 octavia sat quite a bit higher.

I think that perhaps you're right about my old shocks and springs sagging. I'll get the mechanic to check.Thanks

 

One inch is a big increase in ride height.

 

When you order a new Skoda with increased ride height, it's normally about a 15mm increase from the standard ride height.

 

When you order a new Skoda with sports/lowered suspension, it's normally about a 15mm decrease from the standard ride height.

 

Do you need AT (All-Terrain) tyres for going down rough lanes?

 

AT tyres are only readily available in certain sizes, so this could affect which size tyres to fit.

 

If you wanted AT tyres and you have 288mm front brake discs (these are the smallest size on the Superb MK2), 205/70R15 would be a possibility and would raise your ride height by about 15mm. In combination with 15mm increased ride height springs, that's an increase in ride height of about 30mm.

 

camskill list both Bridgestone and Yokohama AT tyres in size 205/70R15

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m53b0s2481p0/Car_Tyres_-_MPV_Tyres_-_People_Carrier_Tyres_-_15_inch_R15_inch_-_205_70_15_205_70R15

 

Unlike ordinary summer tyres, AT tyres give traction in wet mud.

 

Yokohama AT tyres are also available in size 215/60R16, and that size would also raise the ride height by about 15mm compared to the standard 205/55R16 size.

 

camskill list Yokohama AT tyres in size 215/60R16

https://www.camskill.co.uk/m62b0s111p0/Car_Tyres_-_MPV_Tyres_-_People_Carrier_Tyres_-_16_inch_R16_inch_-_215_60_16_215_60R16

 

Edited 13 June, 2022 by Carlston

[nuala]

No the lanes aren't that rough. I would just like it a bit higher. I see what the mechanic says.Thanks

[chimaera]

1 hour ago, nuala said:

Sorry if this is a dumb question but is is possible to raise the height of the superb outdoor? Would higher springs work🤔

The Outdoor is already raised compared to the standard setup. If you go to the thread I linked a few posts back you'll see the data there for it. Check the build label for the front damping PR code - I would guess it's G57 which indicates 10 mm above standard ride height. There is another higher rough road setting which is 20 mm above standard but I haven't been able to definitively identify the component set for it. In the research I did, I came across 4 sets of damping PR codes: 1JA which is standard, 1JB which is listed as heavy duty, 1JC iisted as sports (also used by the Greenline) and 1JD listed as 'Higher Chassis' which is +10 mm. I'd hazard a guess that the heavy duty chassis might be the +20 mm setup but I'm not really sure - it doesn't share parts with any other setup. It's also possible that the heavy duty setup is the one they offer for police vehicles only and may not be available to regular customers.

 

Assuming yours is the 1JD setup you have 4 weight range options available, and if you're going to replace springs and dampers, it's worth going for the highest. To get an indication of what's currently fitted, you can jack up the car and make a note of the paint mark colours on the rear spring. I can cross reference that with the front damping PR code and give you some better guidance then.