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MK8 GTD - Ride Quality Query

Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
Hello. Am new to the forum but have enjoyed reading back over the topics and wondered if anyone else has the same query as me about the Mk8 ride quality. I have a Mk8 GTD, which is about 6 weeks old now. It has the 19" Adelaide wheels but also DCC to try and offset any ride quality issues the larger wheels might provide. It does seem to me that the ride is extremely hard, even in 'Comfort' mode and every stone in the road seems to shake my bones! My previous Golf was a Mk7 GTD with the standard 18" wheels and also DCC and this was quite comfortable to keep the suspension in 'Sport' mode permanently. In all of the reviews of the GTD/GTI's I've seen/read, no mention has been made of an uncomfortable ride at all. I can't believe that the slightly larger wheels and hence lower profile tyres could be the complete reason for the harshness and would welcome any thoughts from owners of similar cars. I have slightly lowered the tyre pressures to 2.5 bar all round instead of 2.6 but this appears to have made no noticeable difference.

I'm waiting to hear back from the supplying dealer about the 1803 Software Update (thanks for the tip about this) and will ask them to check the suspension when it goes in for this. I seem to have been quite lucky softwarewise, with my only apparent bug (that I've found so far) is the heated steering wheel coming on when the ignition is switched on (despite this not being selected in the infotainment system). Like many other software problems though, this doesn't happen every time and hasn't for a couple of weeks now.

Anyway, any thoughts on the ride quality of the GTD/GTI would be most welcome - thanks in advance.
 

SRGTD

Autocross Newbie
Is it possible that the temporary shipping pucks that are fitted to the front suspension struts for transit from the factory to the dealer weren’t removed by the dealer when they PDI’d the car? If they were left in place, that would almost certainly explain the hard, crashy ride.

Not removing the shipping pucks was a common omission by dealers on early mk7 Golfs. I’ve read of one instance on this on a mk8 which really shouldn’t be happening (assuming that’s the cause of your issue) as dealers should be familiar with the removal of these pucks during PDI. If this is the cause of your problem, then be aware that leaving them in place could’ve cause damage to front suspension components that will need addressing by the dealer.

Please keep the forum updated with the cause and solution.

If you do a Google search on ‘mk7 golf shipping pucks not removed’ you’ll find quite a lot of content on the internet in relation to this.
 

Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
Many thanks for the reply. I did email the Sales Manager a couple of days ago to ask about the Software Update and also to ask whether or not these Suspension blocks were still used as I remember they were many moons ago. He confirmed that they were still in use and has offered to take a look into the ride when the car is back with them. However, having now seen through the Google search how relatively easy it is to see if they are still present, I’ll take a look at the weekend. Fortunately, I don’t need to use the car until then and I’ve only covered 700 gentle miles to date, most of which have been Motorway/Dual Carriageway. I’ll provide a further update after my investigations. Thanks again.
 

Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
Hello again. Having Googled about the shipping pucks, I found some pictures showing what they actually look like and the fact that you only have to jack up the car to investigate without having to remove the wheel. So, having done that it appears that the dealer did actually remove the pucks as part of the PDI. I’ve attached a photo showing the shock absorber clearly visible underneath the stretchy cover. I’m assuming that the grey/black part is all part of the suspension as it doesn’t move at all. My next step is to book it back into the dealership for investigation and their confirmation that everything is correct. In the meantime, any other suggestions would be most welcome.
 

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Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
Car now booked into dealership for investigation on June 24th and also to get 1803 software update. Will update again when I get it back.
 

Wallop

Go Kart Newbie
I've got DCC on my 1.5 eTSI style with 17" Ventura wheels and to be honest i've not been too impressed with it, on a smooth road its fine but hit any kind of imperfection (if you are unlucky enough to find any on UK roads) and the wheels seem to boom through the car whatever driving mode is chosen.The concrete sections on the M25 is a constant Ba Boom Ba Boom Ba Boom even in comfort mode.
There is a volkswizard video on youtube where he compares a GTI with and without DCC he too says it makes no difference on rough roads but rates it for handling.
I must admit that when i put it into sport and drove it around some lanes was the first time i really enjoyed driving the car whereas before i found it a bit blah and a bit like driving a van! (I did have the seat and steering quite high then i've slouched a bit now).
I'm wondering if the thread about tyre pressures might be the answer?
 

SRGTD

Autocross Newbie
I've got DCC on my 1.5 eTSI style with 17" Ventura wheels and to be honest i've not been too impressed with it, on a smooth road its fine but hit any kind of imperfection (if you are unlucky enough to find any on UK roads) and the wheels seem to boom through the car whatever driving mode is chosen.The concrete sections on the M25 is a constant Ba Boom Ba Boom Ba Boom even in comfort mode.
There is a volkswizard video on youtube where he compares a GTI with and without DCC he too says it makes no difference on rough roads but rates it for handling.
I must admit that when i put it into sport and drove it around some lanes was the first time i really enjoyed driving the car whereas before i found it a bit blah and a bit like driving a van! (I did have the seat and steering quite high then i've slouched a bit now).
I'm wondering if the thread about tyre pressures might be the answer?
If it’s noise you’re experiencing rather than deterioration in ride quality on different road surfaces, then I’d say it’s more likely to be tyre related rather than an issue with DCC. Also, from what I’ve read at various times since the mk8 was launched, VW may have used less and / or poorer quality sound deadening material than they did in previous models of the Golf (cost cutting), so external noises will probably be heard more easily in the cabin.
 
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Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
So, got my GTD back from the dealers today and no issue was found at all with the suspension. I was lent a MK8 GTI for a couple of days whilst they had my car. The GTI had standard 18" wheels and no DCC. It took about a mile of driving the GTI to realise that this was a harsher ride than my GTD when the DCC is set to Comfort. Therefore, I don't believe that the 19" Adelaide wheels are responsible for the harsh ride. It seems that the MK8 GTE/GTD/GTI are running a much stiffer suspension than that that was present in the MK7 versions. I know I'm getting older and our roads are getting worse and worse, but I cannot believe the difference between the MK7 and MK8. I'm just so glad that I have DCC to soften things a little! Also got the 1803 Software Update which still contains bugs about speed limit sign post recognition and also not being able to switch off the Convenience Seating function, the latter of which the dealership is in contact with VW about. Planning to take a 400 mile journey up to Scotland to visit family next week, so I think I'll try a reduction in tyre pressure from the recommended 2.6 to 2.4 bar to see what difference (if any) this makes.
 

SRGTD

Autocross Newbie
@Martinbury; VW‘s current recommended tyre pressures are on the high side IMO - helps them achieve better official CO2 emissions figures, so the resultant fines imposed on them for missing 2021 target emissions levels for their overall fleet of vehicles will be lower than they otherwise would be. VW used to have a ‘comfort’ setting for tyre pressures for some of their vehicles (it was printed on the tyre pressure sticker on the B pillar and in the owner’s manual) and that comfort setting was a few psi lower than their ‘normal’ recommended tyre pressures. They may have stopped publishing a comfort tyre pressure setting in light of them needing to minimise the cost of emissions based fines.

High tyre pressures, plus low profile tyres - which are probably XL (extra load) rated and so will have stiff sidewalls - will contribute to a firm ride. It’s good that the dealer confirmed there are no issues with your suspension, though I’m a little surprised that the mk8 Golf performance models have noticeably stiffer suspension than the mk7 versions did.
 

Handydave

Go Kart Newbie
I know it’s not a GTD, but just for added context our Style is very comfortable on 17” wheels and the standard suspension. Obviously not sporty handling like a GTI/GTD, but pretty good compromise for normal use.
 

Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
Having completed the best part of 1000 miles in the last 10 days on both long dual carriageway/motorway sections and twisty ‘B’ roads, I do think I’m seeing an improvement in the harshness of the ride. I did set the tyre pressures to 2.4 instead of 2.6 bar (about 3 psi less), so not sure if this was the major contributing factor, whether the suspension is softening a little or whether it is just me getting used to it. I still wouldn’t go as far to say it was comfortable, but it is getting to an acceptable level. I’ll leave the pressures as they are for a while and then increase them a bit to see if that makes any difference.
 

SRGTD

Autocross Newbie
@Martinbury - what make of tyres do you have on your GTD? Some tyre brands have stiffer sidewalls than others and a stiff sidewall combined with a low profile tyre can make for a firm ride that some might consider uncomfortable and lacking compliancy.

VW fit Bridgestone tyres to many of their performance models with 18” wheels, and Bridgestones do tend to give a firm ride.
 

Martinbury

Passed Driver's Ed
@Martinbury - what make of tyres do you have on your GTD? Some tyre brands have stiffer sidewalls than others and a stiff sidewall combined with a low profile tyre can make for a firm ride that some might consider uncomfortable and lacking compliancy.

VW fit Bridgestone tyres to many of their performance models with 18” wheels, and Bridgestones do tend to give a firm ride.
My GTD has Hankook Ventus S1evo3’s on it. Never had Hankook tyres before so not sure if that is also contributing. Will look to change for something different when the time comes (Michelin/Continental) to see if that changes the characteristics at all. My MK7 had Continentals which I found very good even though they weren’t particularly hard wearing.
 

Wallop

Go Kart Newbie
My car has just done 4k and i've noticed a major improvement over the last week or so, the sound has lessened a lot,Me and the missus both commented on it on a journey last week.
The ride has become a lot more comfortable in all settings and doesnt seem to be so bouncy (kinda from side to side).
There was a point where i was becoming convinced the car was affecting my hearing!
 
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