[Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta D Harsh Ride

[Doyt W. Echelberger]

I bought an 89 Jetta D 5spd last month, and have driven it about 400 miles. 
I'm still sorting it out. It gets 54 mpg but the ride is _considerably_ 
harsher than my experience with my 85 Jetta TD, which it replaced.

What do I mean by "Harsh?"  We feel most of the bumps and dividers in the 
road, through the seat and lower back, and we hear them also. This is true 
at low speeds around a big department store parking lot, and at middle 
speeds on average asphalt roads in town. At higher speeds on rural roads 
the ride is less harsh, but still uncomfortable for two hour trips.

The car doesn't exhibit any unbalanced behavior that would suggest a single 
failing shock or strut on one corner.  But I want this great little car to 
soak up those harsh roads and ride more like my Mercedes! (More-like, not 
same-as.) Is this an impossible dream?

I'm gonna take it in to a suspension shop and have them go over it. And I'm 
PROBABLY going to have to decide on which new shocks and struts they put on 
the car....KYB,  Bilstien, Monroe, Sachs-Boge, etc.

Anybody made this choice with good results? By that I mean....did the harsh 
ride get considerably more comfortable? Which manufacturer has earned the 
best reputation for making YOUR Jetta ride better? I'm interested in 
benefiting from your experience.

Here is some extra information about the suspension:  It has almost-new 
175-70-R13 Douglas MS tires which I run at 26 psi. I thought one of them 
might have a bad belt, so I took off all 4 wheels and balanced them and 
checked them for running true. Replaced the passenger rear tire because it 
wasn't quite round. (Had about an 1/8 inch high spot in the tread at one 
point.) Will use it as a spare.  Ride improved some on smooth roads, but is 
still harsh.

Also, the car has the original struts and shocks, and is now at 100k miles 
and 21 years. The original shocks and struts probably were good for 60-80k 
miles, and it probably needs new ones.  WHICH new ones is the 
question....and which should I avoid.

Doyt
in Northern Ohio, near Cedar Point