Fed up with ride comfort, any suggestions?

noahsark6 said:
RE the Konis, would coating in hammerite or other prevent the potential deterioration?
Click to expand...

This is the original thread on the Koni failure issues. https://www.a2oc.net/community/inde...-possible-failure-corrosion.21326/post-163370
In the main it was the spring pan which collapsed and pre treating new shocks would certainly delay the onset of corrosion. I treated my Konis with Waxoyl from new and repeated the process when replacing broken springs and they are lasting quite well.
I don't recall any rusting from the inside - out (they are full of oil) but one set did rust through around the top collar.

I like the 'variable damping' concept and am still happy with the Konis on my A2. In fact I've just ordered a set for my Q3.
I also respect the comments from owners who have experienced failures but to me it's not too different from the bottom wishbones collapsing as reported by many owners. It should not happen but once you know , with proper inspections and maintenance it's preventable.

Cheers Spike
 
DJ 190 said:
...go for 15" wheels to improve comfort...
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...or 14" wheels...

The A2 uses 256mm diameter front brake discs so 14" wheels will clear the front brake calipers.

Comparing 185/50R16 tyres on 6Jx16 ET35 rims to 185/65R14 tyres on 5Jx14 ET35 rims...one rides hard and one rides soft. The latest Goodyear G3 all-season tyre isn't even available in the 185/50R16 size.

Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons G3 185/65R14 86H

Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3 185/65 R14 86H @ mytyres.co.uk

Goodyear Vector 4 Seasons Gen-3 185/65 R14 86H Buy online, free shipping for orders of 2 or more tyres and quick deliveries from mytyres.co.uk - order comfortably online now!
www.mytyres.co.uk www.mytyres.co.uk

Alcar 5210 Steel Rim 5Jx14 ET35 5/100 57.1
www.autodoc.co.uk

Rim ALCAR 100mm, 5-Hole, 14Inch, steel wheel, 5210 — Buy now!

Buy ALCAR 100mm, 5-Hole, 14Inch, steel wheel, 5210 Rim at low cost ❗ RRP: £ 32,20 — Our price: £ 27,37 — you save 30% ❗ Buy now ❗
www.autodoc.co.uk www.autodoc.co.uk
 
I've been thinking ...... if I've found that the fitting of those Avon ZV7's have resulted in such a sensational improvement on ride quality when fitted to my Mercedes SLK, then I wonder if they might have a size suitable to fit the Audi A2? Definitely worth thinking about as a replacement! It's always good when you can speak from personal experience .... Oh, they're very quite, too ... virtually no road reaction and because I use the SLK with the top down, that is a real plus!

David
 
DJ 190 said:
I've been thinking ...... if I've found that the fitting of those Avon ZV7's have resulted in such a sensational improvement on ride quality when fitted to my Mercedes SLK, then I wonder if they might have a size suitable to fit the Audi A2? Definitely worth thinking about as a replacement! It's always good when you can speak from personal experience .... Oh, they're very quite, too ... virtually no road reaction and because I use the SLK with the top down, that is a real plus!

David
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Avon ZV7 was the worst tyre in this Auto Express tyre review.

www.autoexpress.co.uk

Avon ZV7 review | Auto Express

The competition has moved on since Avon last appeared in our tyre tests
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk
 
I’ve scanned the replies for this obvious question and didn’t spot it.
Was the ride acceptable before the the suspension repairs?
 
carlston said:
Avon ZV7 was the worst tyre in this Auto Express tyre review.

www.autoexpress.co.uk

Avon ZV7 review | Auto Express

The competition has moved on since Avon last appeared in our tyre tests
www.autoexpress.co.uk www.autoexpress.co.uk
Click to expand...

Avon have really not kept up with the game in recent years, my touran had a brand new set of their winter tyres on it at purchase, I swapped them out for set of Michelin CrossClimate+ simply because the Michelins are so much better at everything other than snow and ice (and even then they are almost the equal).

Sad that a British maker of such heritage is falling by the wayside.
 
carlston said:
Avon ZV7 was the worst tyre in this Auto Express tyre review.
Click to expand...
dj_efk said:
Sad that a British maker of such heritage is falling by the wayside.
Click to expand...
Well I'm gobsmacked! The leading poster in the other club that I'm a member of, "SLK World", rated these so highly and said that they were the best he'd fitted! So in my usual impulsive way, I fitted them all round. Oh well, I suppose that they did come first for noise and with a convertible, that is a real plus! I suppose that it does pay to do a bit of Research, first ....

David
 
philward said:
I’ve scanned the replies for this obvious question and didn’t spot it.
Was the ride acceptable before the the suspension repairs?
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The ride before was atrocious; was on original shocks and all bar the offside rear were completely non-functional. So the overhaul helped but nowhere to the level expected.
 
Thanks for all the tips re wheels and tyres everyone. It seems like quite a subjective topic. Atm Continental Eco Contact 5/6 and the Goodyears are looking like the ones.
It's proving hard to find decent condition original spec 15" rims, so is buying new steel ones the way to go?
 
noahsark6 said:
Thanks for all the tips re wheels and tyres everyone. It seems like quite a subjective topic. Atm Continental Eco Contact 5/6 and the Goodyears are looking like the ones.
It's proving hard to find decent condition original spec 15" rims, so is buying new steel ones the way to go?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't go steel though they are light and robust. See post 8 and 15 for the most common (and both very light) 15" options used by others here...

The Definitive Alloy Wheel Picture thread (Alloys)

Having recently posted a lot of pictures recently of A2s with different wheel combinations I thought I would start a thread where we can put individual wheels, and what they look like on A2s of different colours etc. If we have one post for each wheel, together with a name and possibly sizes...
www.a2oc.net
 
If you put up with virtually non functioning dampers for some (a long) time, you must like soft shocks. The ones you've fitted are not to your liking, so is your problem at both ends, or just one?
Why on earth did you mix Bilstein and Monroe, front rear, they'll have different characteristics, and may well be fighting each other, hence contributing to, if not causing the problem.
Try to analyse your problem, then look for a solution. Forget wheels and tyres for now, you've only changed the dampers, and this has made the ride unacceptable. You could keep throwing parts (and money) at it, replacing wheels, tyres etc, but this will just confuse things. Deep breath, and make your own decisions based on your own observations.
Mac.
 
noahsark6 said:
The ride before was atrocious; was on original shocks and all bar the offside rear were completely non-functional. So the overhaul helped but nowhere to the level expected.
Click to expand...
Can you tell us what you mean by "atrocious" Too soft, too bouncy, too much roll (side to side), too much yaw (end to end) etc?
Just trying to get a clear picture of the problem, and what's changed, and what hasn't (or is worse) with the new shockers, before suggesting solutuons.
Mac.
 
PlasticMac said:
Can you tell us what you mean by "atrocious" Too soft, too bouncy, too much roll (side to side), too much yaw (end to end) etc?
Just trying to get a clear picture of the problem, and what's changed, and what hasn't (or is worse) with the new shockers, before suggesting solutuons.
Mac.
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Cheers for the replies.
The reason for mixed front and rear is the monroe fronts i got sent were faulty, and the replacements they sent faulty (found this unbelievable), so I got put off monroe and changed the fronts to bilsteins. Not ideal but funds didn't allow for wasting the money I spent on the rears. If this could be making a significant difference I could change the rears to match in the near future.

Before I fit them the ride was wollowy and unstable feeling around corners, crashy, and nosedived under breaking. All in all an uncomfotable (and scaryish) drive.
Since fitting new parts, on really really smooth and undulating roads, the rebound is much less, and when cornering or braking it is much tighter and stable. The frustration is coming from the persistent crashiness when hitting moderate/minor potholes, and the feeling that every imperfection in the road surface is transmitted to the wheel and car. It can feel like washboard if the surface is continuously irregular (i.e. where multiple patching has been done).
Does this help? Sorry if I was confusing, frustration can manifest itself as rambling sometimes.
 
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noahsark6 said:
Cheers for the replies.
The reason for mixed front and rear is the monroe fronts i got sent were faulty, and the replacements they sent faulty (found this unbelievable), so I got put off monroe and changed the fronts to bilsteins. Not ideal but funds didn't allow for wasting the money I spent on the rears. If this could be making a significant difference I could change the rears to match in the near future.

Before I fit them the ride was wollowy and unstable feeling around corners, crashy, and nosedived under breaking. All in all an uncomfotable (and scaryish) drive.
Since fitting new parts, on really really smooth and undulating roads, the rebound is much less, and when cornering or braking it is much tighter and stable. The frustration is coming from the persistent crashiness when hitting moderate/minor potholes, and the feeling that every imperfection in the road surface is transmitted to the wheel and car. It can feel like washboard if the surface is continuously irregular (i.e. where multiple patching has been done).
Does this help? Sorry if I was confusing, frustration can manifest itself as rambling sometimes.
Click to expand...
Good description, no apologies necessary.
What wheels and tyres currently, and pressures if poss.
Mac.
 
philward said:
A2 ride quality is not great especially when compared to a Merc. It may be as it should be.
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The A2 is a light car, hit a bump and you will feel it because there is not enough weight to resist the effect. Heavy cars don’t “deflect” so much.
But in any car if you hit a bump etc you will feel it. It is the ride over small bumps and undulations that can be softened by shock absorbers, not pot holes and badly repaired road surfaces.
Is the ride in an A2 with brand new standard suspension dreadful, no but it is certainly firm.
A nice soft suspension can make you sea-sick and body roll affects handling.
So a firm ride is not necessarily as bad as all that.

One thing that sometimes makes it SEEM worse is where you have loose items in the boot, glove-box and cubby holes. Hitting a pot hole with makes these things rattle and squeak. That makes it seem worse.
Try sorting out any squeaks and rattles and loose items in the car. You will be surprised how that helps make the bumps seem slightly better.
Rant over, sorry

Steve Birchall
 
Birchall said:
The A2 is a light car, hit a bump and you will feel it because there is not enough weight to resist the effect. Heavy cars don’t “deflect” so much.
But in any car if you hit a bump etc you will feel it. It is the ride over small bumps and undulations that can be softened by shock absorbers, not pot holes and badly repaired road surfaces.
Is the ride in an A2 with brand new standard suspension dreadful, no but it is certainly firm.
A nice soft suspension can make you sea-sick and body roll affects handling.
So a firm ride is not necessarily as bad as all that.

One thing that sometimes makes it SEEM worse is where you have loose items in the boot, glove-box and cubby holes. Hitting a pot hole with makes these things rattle and squeak. That makes it seem worse.
Try sorting out any squeaks and rattles and loose items in the car. You will be surprised how that helps make the bumps seem slightly better.
Rant over, sorry

Steve Birchall
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No sorry needed, all help is much appreciated!
Absolutely, I don't expect merc-standard comfort, atm it feels on par with an old and unloved Ford Kia.
I'll have a root around and limit rattling, but thankfully rattling hasn't been too noticeable.
It seems from all this combined that smaller wheels w/ premium tyres is one of the few things left that could improve comfort on poor road surfaces?
 
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