Bumpy ride on my GTI

[bumpyride]

hi! I’ve finally got round to buying a GTI but I’m struggling with back pain -  as the ride is bumpier than my old 1.4 tsi , especially day-to-day round town. I’ve even been negotiating with the garage to swap for, say, a 150bhp EVO - but at a significant cost. Now, I had a breakthrough yesterday when I reduced the Bridgestone tyre pressure from 39 all the way to 30 psi!! It was really smooth over pot-holes and was still fine twisting around country lanes (I like to put my foot down but I’m not a hardcore racer). So - I get that I may be sacrificing mpg and speeding up tyre wear - but is 30 psi actually in the danger zone? It says 36 is recommended on the car (for a low load). I actually took them back up to 33 today and it’s lost a bit of smoothness again. Any thoughts? I’ve looked on lots of forums but haven’t come to a conclusion.

[mcmaddy]

36psi is what they are supposed to be not 39, on my pp GTi anyway. I always run mine at 35.8 all round and it's fine although I do have DCC.

[Jeff Wood]

When I was researching tyres, I noticed the Uniroyal Rainsport 3 had a soft sidewall compared to other tyres and because of that gave a comfortable ride.

So just a thought, cheaper than PX'ing for another car

The other thing is to buy wider tyres, so the sidewall height is more, ie, 235 instead of 225,

Or even go up to 45 profile, might spoil the looks a bit and throw the speedo reading out a bit ,but if it helps your back....
 
I'm assuming you're on 18" wheels

[SRGTD]

@bumpyride, is your GTI new? If so, then there’s a chance that the dealer didn’t remove the shipping pucks from the front suspension struts when carrying out the PDI. There’s really no excuse for this, as the dealer will have PDI’d hundreds, if not thousands of mk7 / mk7.5 Golfs since it’s launch.

If the pucks have been left in, then you will experience a very hard, bumpy ride.

[davyk31]

It will be a lot firmer than your old 1.4 as they are very different models. However I find my GTi on 19s to have excellent ride and comfort but depends on what you are used to.

Did you test a GTi before buying
and how did you find it?

[Guzzle]

Have you thought about smaller wheels?

A 17 inch wheel would make a noticeable difference. Cheaper tyres and less prone to kerbing too. Granted they don't look as nice, but a 1.5 Evo doesn't have 18's either. 17's are an standard in Germany, so the car can still be run on them to official VW specs.

[fredgroves]

Another bizarre post... a GTI isn't harsh. Absolute not harsh or bumpy at all.

[Ulysses31]

^^^ This. Mine's on 19s at 41 PSI and my elderly father, who knows little about cars, thought it was much softer than my old Leon Cupra on 18s.

[Watts]

There you go bumpyride, told you

Would still suggest you look into correct seat adjustment though.

[SRGTD]

Another bizarre post... a GTI isn't harsh. Absolute not harsh or bumpy at all.

^^^ This. Mine's on 19s at 41 PSI and my elderly father, who knows little about cars, thought it was much softer than my old Leon Cupra on 18s.

That’s why I suggested the shipping pucks might have been left in. There are still a few instances of this happening.