[Vwdiesel] 89 Jetta D Harsh Ride

[Matt Alkire]

I've used Bilstiens on both of my VWs.  On the Rabbit I used Bilstein sports, which were a bit harsh for my taste.  The car handles like you wouldn't believe though!  I also put on H&R sport springs.  The car was lowered slightly, and drives better than it ever has, but you feel all the bumps.

On the Golf, I used Bilstein TCs.  They were a bit stiffer than stock, and the car handles well, but still soaks up bumps nicely.  They were fairly reasonable too.  I reused the stock springs, so maybe that's part of it.

Your stock struts probably don't do much at this point.  If it were me, I'd replace all the hardware plus the springs and the struts.  

-Matt

On Sep 11, 2010, at 3:07 PM, Doyt W. Echelberger wrote:

> 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
> 
> 
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