Fed up with ride comfort, any suggestions?

Birchall said:
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.
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I completely agree with what Steve has said here, my car's always been a rattler, and I have tracked down more than my fair share of rattles by now. But on the few occasions where the car has been completely rattle free, it has given the illusion of a better ride due to the quietness, so it's worth looking for rattles.
The fact is though, I don't think my ride is bad at all, and I'm running a bilstein b4/b3 setup with 17" sport alloys, maybe I'm just used to it.
 
The Ford KA is also a very light car and so underlines that as something that makes the firm ride more of a characteristic than a fault.
I won’t comment on the “Smaller wheels” solution because in my view the difference that makes us not huge.
remember that going down to 15” wheels from 16” wheels means half an inch of difference (it is the radius that matters not the diameter)

So don’t expect too much is all I am saying.
hit a pot hole and half an inch won’t be noticeable. By changing wheel size however might lead to the new tyres being a bit more compliant, not just due to the size difference but due to a different make and construction. Tyre pressures may well be different.
In short, smaller wheels will make a difference but hit a bump/pot hole and that difference might be too small to notice.
Steve B
 
From new, my 2001 SE tdi had the 'crashy' ride as described in the first post of this thread, described in this old thread - https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/do-a2s-have-low-clearance.4257/post-33105
I'm aware there were minor changes to the suspension on later cars (but never found out what) as no one seems to relate to 'the bottom has just fallen out of the car' sensation experienced by me and one or two others.
In my case the Koni FSDs made a world of difference

Cheers Spike
 
Premium tyres are a good idea, but, you need to choose a brand with flexible side walls, soft compound (slightly higher wear rate though), and the lowest load index you can find. The load index of a tyre is very important on a car as light as our A2s. Lower the load index, the more flex, the softer ride. It is difficult to find low index tyres, as car have got so heavy, but be sure it's worth the search. Tyre shops don't mention load index, just fit what they have, as they see no problem.
Have a look at your tyres, interesting to know what the index is. Might be a significant factor in your ride characteristics.
Mac.
 
Tyres are a very subjective subject. Speaking personally, I have found Falken to be very good both in the wet and in the dry. 185/50 16. I think you're suffering from slightly too high pressures, and need a change of tyres. I have never found "cheap" tyres to be much of a solution, and you may well be surprised at the benefit of a change. I find that 30 lb all round is a happy medium. [Petrol 1.4 SE no roof]

Best of luck.
 
Steve,

That's choice, not happenstance!

Your car is something else, but a daily driver on "British Roads" I doubt.

With admiration and affection,

Regards,

Simon
 
simon martyn said:
Steve,

That's choice, not happenstance!

Your car is something else, but a daily driver on "British Roads" I doubt.

With admiration and affection,

Regards,

Simon
Click to expand...

Yes it’s my daily driver but I only do 16 miles a day on decent roads plus I have a spare to use over the winter so it doesn’t get damaged ?
 
The roads in this neck of the woods [Oxfordshire] are horrendous. I lost a new tyre just going between Wallingford and Henley on Thames. Wet day, sunken drain. Pot holes all over the place!!!!!!!

Best wishes,

Simon
 
In see a lot of comments on here, (the forum, not this thread) suggesting that the tyre load index doesn't matter much. Does anyone seriously believe that a tyre constructed to support a 2 ton suv is suitable for a 1 ton A2?
The A2 is listed (I think) as a load index of 81, which equates to 462 kgs per wheel, not far short of 2 X A2s. Go to a load index of 90, and it's 600 kgs per wheel, or 2.5 A2s. The side wall is made much stiffer, as the load index goes up. A 16 inch wheel, with a low index tyre will give much the same ride characteristics as a 15 inch wheel with a higher load index. If you want comfort, it's low index, and a tyre with softer compounds.
Just searched tyres for my FSI, and am offered a load index of 84 (500 kgs per wheel), and all offers are XL. Auto Express tells us that:

"XL stands for Extra Load – or is sometimes referred to as Reinforced. Essentially, tyres bearing this stamp are designed for heavy cars rather than ones that carry big loads. Not only are they constructed to cope with weight, but also the higher tyre pressure these vehicles need to run at"

So, not really a good choice for our cats the, Yet that's what the tyre suppliers want us to buy, because it suits them.

Mac.
Load-Index_500x735.jpg
Load-Index_500x735.jpg
 
I also found this, as the downside of XL tyres:

Higher noise levels. The tyre certification requirements permit reinforced tyres to produce 1 dB (decibel) more noise than normal tyres.
The use of reinforcement may involve increasing the thickness of the face (under the tread) and shoulder of the tyre. This, in turn, can cause increased rolling resistance and greater fuel consumption.
Reinforcement usually involves an increase in the tyre’s weight and mass, which again leads to higher fuel consumption.
Modifications may lead to a lowering of driving comfort, when compared to using normal tyres.

Sounds familiar, doesn't it ...
Mac.
 
Wowza, mega impressed with you guys running 17/18s! wheels filling the arches look so good on the A2.
Really interesting RE load indexes, I had assumed the XL varieties would be less suitable, but I'll be looking more closely at the load indexes now, thanks Mac.
I'm on the hunt for a decent priced set of 15s and am thoroughly researching tyres in the meantime.
A refresh of tyres and wheels is overdue and I think the cost will be worth the improvements in comfort. Even if not substantial improvements, at least i'll know safety and longevity will be improved (compared to the current setup).

Thanks for all the food for thought guys!
 
Mac, what I found when researching this exact point was that yes, lower load index in general means more compliance in ride, but there are variances within this according to the brand.

interestingly, I have seen more than one user report feedback on the XL Michelin CrossClimate+ along the lines of “driving on clouds”. And this is on a 91 load rating!
 
dj_efk said:
interestingly, I have seen more than one user report feedback on the XL Michelin CrossClimate+ along the lines of “driving on clouds”. And this is on a 91 load rating!
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Different opinion here - https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/michelin-crossclimates.42821/post-390676

Latest all season tyre tests shows there are a few brands which beat the Michelins on noise and comfort - https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2020-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

Cheers Spike
 
simon martyn said:
The roads in this neck of the woods [Oxfordshire] are horrendous. I lost a new tyre just going between Wallingford and Henley on Thames. Wet day, sunken drain. Pot holes all over the place!!!!!!!

Best wishes,

Simon
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Feel your pain. Cotswold’s/Oxfordshire my stomping ground and the roads are a nightmare!
 
spike said:
Different opinion here - https://www.a2oc.net/community/index.php?threads/michelin-crossclimates.42821/post-390676

Latest all season tyre tests shows there are a few brands which beat the Michelins on noise and comfort - https://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Article/2020-Tyre-Reviews-All-Season-Tyre-Test.htm

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

Spike,

Thats the first test I’ve seen of all-seasons that doesn’t put the Michelins ahead of the rest, where those tests don’t skew their points weighting towards snow and ice performance - if you look at the data, they are best on dry roads (The southern UK climate is mostly dry believe it or not) so I would have rated them higher in terms of order of results.

What is very clear however is nothing beats swapping between summers and winters if you can.
 
As a general guide, the flexibility of a tyre relates directly to the compound used.
Softer compound = more flexibility, especially in the sidewalls. Softer compound = higher grip, higher wear rate, and lower fuel economy (because they are sticky). So, for a softer ride, look at tyres that have high grip, and are NOT quite so good on economy.
Different brands take different approaches, Dunlop, for example, tend to go the soft compound route.
Mac.
 
Just as an update:
I sourced some very well priced 15" pepperpots and got them refurbished at another very good price (£80), the results being good (pictures below).
I'm getting a set of Michelin crossclimate+ fit on Tuesday and will report back with the difference in ride.
Whilst crossclimates have a slightly firmer sidewall (88) and poorer fuel efficiency than good summers, I live in the sticks so the all-weather aspect is comforting.

Cheers!
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