Bumpy Ride?

[GodHarri]

It's not really a problem... but In NY there are plenty of potholes so even if you steer clear of one you're driving into the next. Is there anyway to mod this vehicle to have it less bumpy? New Shocks perhaps? I have < 4k miles on it.

[Chuck P]

Get rid of the 18's

[ryantiguan]

Are you hearing noises inside the car when you go over bumps? Is that the problem or?



Modified by ryantiguan at 3:41 PM 3-29-2010

[.:Tig:.]

Quote, originally posted by Chuck P »

Get rid of the 18's

x2
This is most likely your main problem. I have 17's on my Tig and it doesn't feel bumpy. Ths Tig does have a stiffer suspension on it, but that is what makes it so fun to drive. I'm afraid if you put a softer suspension on it, you'll regret doing so.

[Straz85]

Yup, find some factory 16's. You could probably find someone to trade wheels with you plus give you a few hundred bucks. This will also mean tires cost you a lot less, are better in the snow and are less prone to bending and curbage. The OEM 18's also come with high performance all seasons, which probably have a pretty stiff sidewall. Different tires may help.

[DT EXP]

I have my OEM 16's as my winter set.. they work very well for the pot holes here in the midwest..

[chrishart1]

I agree that changing to 16" wheels and tires is your most practical solution for ride quality improvement.

Making suspension mods would also be an option, but choosing just the right springs and shocks for the job could be tough (and you will lose ride height). I fear that it could end up being an expensive mistake.

For the time being, you can try lowering your tire pressures to the lowest you can go without the TPMS triggering. I'm not totally sure at what pressure the alert is triggered, but I don't think it's any higher than 30 PSI. So you could try 30 and see how you like it.

I've been running 32 since I got my Tig (it came to me with the tires at the factory pressure of 38 and it felt like a rock) and I'm also going to try going down to 30.

Just remember that if you load up the Tig with lots of people and/or cargo, you need to bring the pressure back up a little -- especially when summer rolls around. I wouldn't carry a big load with less than 32-34 psi in the tires.



Modified by chrishart1 at 11:34 AM 3-30-2010

[kentsabrina]

aftermarket shocks/coilovers are usually stiffer than stock ones....so it will only makes thing worse...if u are looking for comfort

the safest play is, smaller rims with thicker tyres.....like what I have done to my tig

go for stock 16" if u are on budget.

if u got $$ in pocket, OZ Ultraleggera 16" on 215/65 Michelin Latitude Tour Hp like mine are decent choices.

a further measure is to inflate the tyres with nitrogen, that will give u certain degree of extra ride comfort...bad thing is....once inflated with nitrogen.....u have to inflate ur tyres with strict nitrogen afterwards......shouldn't cost u much.....just troublesome.


Modified by kentsabrina at 11:36 AM 3-30-2010

[.:Tig:.]

Quote, originally posted by chrishart1 »

I agree that changing to 16" wheels and tires is your most practical solution for ride quality improvement. Making suspension mods would also be an option, but choosing just the right springs and shocks for the job could be tough (and you will lose ride height). I fear that it could end up being an expensive mistake. For the time being, you can try lowering your tire pressures to the lowest you can go without the TPMS triggering. I'm not totally sure at what pressure the alert is triggered, but I don't think it's any higher than 30 PSI. So you could try 30 and see how you like it. I've been running 32 since I got my Tig (it came to me with the tires at the factory pressure of 38 and it felt like a rock) and I'm also going to try going down to 30. Just remember that if you load up the Tig with lots of people and/or cargo, you need to bring the pressure back up a little -- especially when summer rolls around. I wouldn't carry a big load with less than 32-34 psi in the tires. Modified by chrishart1 at 11:34 AM 3-30-2010

Bad advise! Do NOT lower your air pressure. The tires and the car is designed to run at 35 psi. Lowering PSI for ride comfort is exactly what the Ford salesmen told customers to do with their Firestone tires. And what happened? The tire fell apart b/c of incorrect pressure.

[GodHarri]

doh... I like the look of the 18's didn't know that would add to the bumpiness... I guess since it's more solid and less air to absorb shock. Maybe I'll just deal with it... I don't mind the ruggedness... Just for my wife's sake. And here I was thinking of the 19" savanah's lol. So there's no way to lift the chasis or something where the body is higher? Or that wouldn't do anything. I'm just thinking about those jeeps that are like a foot above wheels.

[GodHarri]

Nope no noises at all.

Quote, originally posted by ryantiguan »

Are you hearing noises inside the car when you go over bumps? Is that the problem or? Modified by ryantiguan at 3:41 PM 3-29-2010

[JettaGoer]

Quote, originally posted by GodHarri »

So there's no way to lift the chasis or something where the body is higher?

You can raise it 1.2" on the front and 0.6" on the back using the H&R raising springs:

http://hrsprings.com/scripts/a...ID=38

[ryantiguan]

Yeah, I have stock 17" and the ride isn't bumpy, just normal suspension noises. This car is a pleasure to drive. I really do line the way the stock 18" look in motion though!!!

[Straz85]

Quote, originally posted by .:Tig:. »

Bad advise! Do NOT lower your air pressure. The tires and the car is designed to run at 35 psi. Lowering PSI for ride comfort is exactly what the Ford salesmen told customers to do with their Firestone tires. And what happened? The tire fell apart b/c of incorrect pressure.

QFT. Ford lost a ~$25 million law suit last month because of this. Lowering your air pressure will result in uneven tire wear, reduced tire life and much higher risk of a blowout.

[GodHarri]

yep, that seems about right, didn't plan on doing that anyway, I was always an advocate of have poofy tires. Would those Springs make a difference? or would they just add to the bumps?

[Straz85]

Quote, originally posted by GodHarri »

yep, that seems about right, didn't plan on doing that anyway, I was always an advocate of have poofy tires. Would those Springs make a difference? or would they just add to the bumps?

Most aftermarket springs are stiffer than stock.

[chrishart1]

Quote, originally posted by .:Tig:. »

Bad advise! Do NOT lower your air pressure. The tires and the car is designed to run at 35 psi. Lowering PSI for ride comfort is exactly what the Ford salesmen told customers to do with their Firestone tires. And what happened? The tire fell apart b/c of incorrect pressure.

It is not bad advice.

I'm talking about 31-32 pounds of air, which is still proper inflation.

The firestone/explorer tires that blew were seriously under-inflated. Like 20 pounds.

The TPMS alert doesn't sound until you get under 31 pounds. Which means that 31 or more is still safe.

So no it's not bad advice.

I now have my Tig at 31 and it's made a nice improvement in ride. Still not great, but better.

[chrishart1]

Seems like the TPMS may actually trigger at 32 PSI.

The alert sounded this morning when the ambient temp was cooler than when I originally set the tires to 32 (so they had gone down to 31 with the lower ambient).

So I have raised them to 33 pounds. The ride quality is acceptable.

[JettaGoer]

My fuel cap lid reads that the tire air pressure for my Tig should be 32 psi all around. 36 at the front and 39 at the back if fully loaded.

You should not have any problems riding it with 32 all around.

A Tiguan owner already installed the H&R raising springs and here are his comments:

http://www.mytiguan.com/index....ings/

[.:Tig:.]

Quote, originally posted by JettaGoer »

My fuel cap lid reads that the tire air pressure for my Tig should be 32 psi all around. 36 at the front and 39 at the back if fully loaded. You should not have any problems riding it with 32 all around. A Tiguan owner already installed the H&R raising springs and here are his comments: http://www.mytiguan.com/index....ings/

Fuel cap? what? Tire pressure is not supposed to be in the fuel door. Maybe it's different in Cali.
If you look in your door jam, where its supposed to be, it'll say 35psi.

Also, under inflated tires will not wear evenly and/or may wear out faster

There is a reason why the tire manufactures say 35psi.

EDIT: and under inflated tires will decrease fuel millage.


Modified by .:Tig:. at 6:46 AM 4-3-2010

[JettaGoer]

Quote, originally posted by .:Tig:. »

Fuel cap? what? Tire pressure is not supposed to be in the fuel door. Maybe it's different in Cali. If you look in your door jam, where its supposed to be, it'll say 35psi. Also, under inflated tires will not wear evenly and/or may wear out faster There is a reason why the tire manufactures say 35psi. EDIT: and under inflated tires will decrease fuel millage. Modified by .:Tig:. at 6:46 AM 4-3-2010

Mine is a Mexican market bound model and the sticker it's in the fuel cap door and it reads 32 in the front and 32 in the back. My door jam only includes a dealer sticker which states when my next service is due, a sticker with the VIN and a "devices with mercury included" warning.

What you read on your tire is the maximum tire pressure, which for the tire sizes we are used to, is 35 psi. Check your tires and you'll see.

By the way, I'm Mexican


Modified by JettaGoer at 12:24 PM 4-4-2010

[.:Tig:.]

Quote, originally posted by JettaGoer »

Mine is a Mexican market bound model and the sticker it's in the fuel cap door and it reads 32 in the front and 32 in the back. My door jam only includes a dealer sticker which states when my next service is due, a sticker with the VIN and a "devices with mercury included" warning. What you read on your tire is the maximum tire pressure, which for the tire sizes we are used to, is 35 psi. Check your tires and you'll see. By the way, I'm Mexican Modified by JettaGoer at 12:24 PM 4-4-2010

Max pressure is like 40-45 psi. What tire companies want you to run their tires at is 35

[JettaGoer]

Quote, originally posted by .:Tig:. »

Max pressure is like 40-45 psi. What tire companies want you to run their tires at is 35

Do you have a link for a tire manufacturer stating that?

[Pelican18TQA4]

Quote, originally posted by .:Tig:. »

Bad advise! Do NOT lower your air pressure. The tires and the car is designed to run at 35 psi. Lowering PSI for ride comfort is exactly what the Ford salesmen told customers to do with their Firestone tires. And what happened? The tire fell apart b/c of incorrect pressure.

Not entirely bad advice, if followed accordingly. All VWs (and most cars) in the U.S. used to come with two pressure recommendations, one being for normal loads and the other for high-speed and/or heavy load driving. A number of years ago that changed and the stickers were suddenly only reflecting the high-speed/heavy load pressures. This was in part, if memory serves me right, a reaction to the whole Ford Exploder crap that was happening due to insufficiently inflated tires. If I had a Tiguan, I'd be looking to European Tiguans for their recommended tire pressures and using those figures. Chances are, the ride will improve slightly because the tires won't be practically bursting with air pressure. I'm also smart enough to recognize that loading up the vehicle also requires a hike in tire air pressure. Most 'mericans are kind of dumb though when it comes to stuff like this, however, so the lawyers get involved and suddenly we have dumbed-down tire pressure stickers with only one number that anyone can interpret.

[JettaGoer]

That makes sense to me.

I haven't seen the inside of a US market bound Tiguan, so I didn't know you only have one tire pressure setting. All my previous Mexican market VW vehicles had either a 30 or 32 PSI normal load setting, so it seemed normal to me to see in my Tiguan a 32 PSI normal load tire pressure recommendation.

The Mexican market bound Tiguan shows the following recommendation in the bar/PSI/kPa format:

(icons) 2 Persons and 1 small briefcase: Front 2,2/32/220 Rear 2,2/32/220
(icons) 5 persons and 3 small briefcases: Front 2,5/36/250 Rear 2,7/39/270

Spare Tire: 4,2/61/415

Mine came with Dunlop SP Sport 01 tires with a maximum tire pressure of 51 PSI.

I've seen someone from the UK around this forum. Maybe he can publish his specific market tire pressure settings here.


Modified by JettaGoer at 7:01 PM 4-5-2010

[KVWilliams]

You think the Tig is bumpy, try driving a Rav4, v6, Sport (SAP) w/ 18" & runflat tires. Sometimes, it felt like that POS was bottoming out over certain bumps! Tig rides like a damn caddy comparatively.

[chicoze]

Regarding the tire pressure recommendation, my 2.0 TSI brazilian version has exactly the same as Mexican, as posted by JettaGoer, only difference is the tire brand: Bridgestone Dueler 235/50 18R

Regarding the TPMS warning, at least as stated in the manual of my car, is based on the ABS sensors, it is an indirect mesuarement: if a tire loses pressure, its circunference gets smaller than the others, so the number of rotations for the same distance is slightly larger, after a certain threshold the warning light flashes. Note that you should reset the TPMS immediately after filling the tires. As far as I am concerned, the system threshold will triggered around 5 psi down from what was set.

I also feel a little bumpy drive (usually I use 33 psi). But worst, is the creaking noise that I got coming from the front right suspension when driving over unevem road. The VW dealer says they will have to change the engine rubber mount...I am not so sure about it...but I will try. (car has only 2000 Km)

[feels_road]

Even though it is also mentioned in many manuals, we don't get the indirect TPMS via the ABS in the US: the "real" pressure monitoring is mandated in the US.

[MediumAl]

I am curious if it helped.

I am in the exact same situation. Bought a used Tiguan with 18 inch wheels and Pirelli tires. Loved the test drive but now that i own the vehicle and have driven it a bit, I find the ride a bit jarring. I am considering switching to 16 inch wheels but it is an expensive proposition.

If you did get smaller wheels, I would really appreciate hearing your opinion on if it was worth it.

[geevis]

This is the reason why I stuck with my factory 16's and had them professionally painted to my liking.

I'm coming from 20" wheels on my last vehicle, and wanted a softer ride and didn't want to feel every little bump in the road.

[DT EXP]

I am curious if it helped.

I am in the exact same situation. Bought a used Tiguan with 18 inch wheels and Pirelli tires. Loved the test drive but now that i own the vehicle and have driven it a bit, I find the ride a bit jarring. I am considering switching to 16 inch wheels but it is an expensive proposition.

If you did get smaller wheels, I would really appreciate hearing your opinion on if it was worth it.

If you're in TX I could make going to 16" wheels an cheap proposition....

[VR6Now]

Even though it is also mentioned in many manuals, we don't get the indirect TPMS via the ABS in the US: the "real" pressure monitoring is mandated in the US.

2012+ Tiguan models in the US have ABS based TPMS and the US mandates having TPMS. How it is done is not mandated by U.S. Federal law so either is acceptable according to FMVSS (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards).