2001 VW Bora rough ride

[dylan8]

After recently upgrading from stock 15" wheels to 18" i found the ride a little harder (expected) but then after doing a 5hr trip to ballarat, boot loaded with sub, loads of clothes and books for my gf and her sis at uni i found the ride alot smoother. And again with the car loaded up with 3 mates and i and some gear in the boot the ride was smoother then the usual empty boot/backseats.

Can anyone explain/have any ideas on what i can do to keep the smooth ride all the time? i have stock suspension, almost 115,000km on the clock and 18*8" wheels. Will lowering solve this problem at all? I was looking at bringing it down a inch or so just for looks more then anything but now i also have this issue.

Thanks in advance

[Manaz]

Lowering won't solve ride issues, and may actually make them worse (as you're giving the struts less room to move before they hit the limits of their movement).

It sounds like the existing suspension is underdamped (not uncommon I believe) - adding weight to the car is increasing the effective damping rate due to inertia, and this is increasing the effective damping rate.

At 115,000 the original suspension is probably past its use-by date. I'm currently in the process of replacing the stock suspension in my 2003 Bora V6 4Motion, and the current front-runner is a Koni FSD kit with matched struts and springs. The alternative I'm considering is the Koni Sport struts with matched Eibach springs. Both Koni options will lower my car by about an inch apparently, but that's a side-issue - the important issue is the matching of strut and spring rates to provide a properly tuned ride.

[dylan8]

Lowering won't solve ride issues, and may actually make them worse (as you're giving the struts less room to move before they hit the limits of their movement).

It sounds like the existing suspension is underdamped (not uncommon I believe) - adding weight to the car is increasing the effective damping rate due to inertia, and this is increasing the effective damping rate.

At 115,000 the original suspension is probably past its use-by date. I'm currently in the process of replacing the stock suspension in my 2003 Bora V6 4Motion, and the current front-runner is a Koni FSD kit with matched struts and springs. The alternative I'm considering is the Koni Sport struts with matched Eibach springs. Both Koni options will lower my car by about an inch apparently, but that's a side-issue - the important issue is the matching of strut and spring rates to provide a properly tuned ride.

Ok, Thanks!
Do you know how much those two options are going to set you back? Mines only FWD... Make much of a difference?

[Manaz]

I believe the FWD has a slightly different suspension setup - potentially more like the regular Golf (whereas the V6 4Motion is more like the R32 due to the identical drivetrain).

I've been quoted just under $2k fitted for both the Koni options (that's from Wholesale Suspension at Blacktown in Sydney - they have a good reputation amongst those I know who drive Liberties, so I figured I'd give them a go - they seem on the ball so far during the quoting stages). Still investigating other options at present - but I only want to do this once, so I want to get it right the first time.

[dylan8]

2K is a little out of my range... haha. Ill have to have a look around, will update with what i find. Also with the possibility of upgrading to something with abit more power when i get off my Ps in 5months or so i dont want to be spending up to big

[Manaz]

The Koni gear I've been quoted isn't the cheap end of town by a long way. You'd probably pick up something decent from Pedders or similar for half what the Koni stuff costs.

My car's a long termer, so I can write the cost off over quite a few years...

[qsilverza]

If you want cheap stuff try looking for GTI suspension shocks for a fwd car...