I recently bought a new Passat (the 2.0 litre petrol) to replace my previous (2002) Passat. It's all good, with one serious exception: the ride is harsh and choppy, even over good suburban roads. The contrast to the previous model, which was nicely compliant and handled smoothly,is enormous. The new one feels underdamped, or as if the tires had been madly over-inflated: is it just my car, or is it a 'feature' of the new Passat?
Regards
Geoff Hammond
It would not hurt to check the tyre pressure. It would not be the first time they forgot to check it.
Did you get the really big rims with skinny tyres (Gangster Look)? If so that is likely the problem.
My wife's new Passat (2.0T) has 18" wheels with very low profile Perelli tires, it rides harder than our last, it also has the sport package, which makes it worse.....
VW - Passat - Sport Package... yeah, right!
Mpfffff... No matter how it is sliced and diced, a Passat will not be a Porsche. Which means that when a family sedan gets a wannabe craving to be "sports car", it ain't nohow gonna happen. Either it will be a sedan with poor pretentions to sportiness, or a wretched, bulky, badly riding sports car - neither being optimum.
Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA
It's not the tire pressures. The tires themselves are standard -- German Contintentals, 235/45 on 17" rims.
Geoff
Maybe if you drive it fast enough in reverse it will feel like a porsche!!! lol
VW - Passat - Sport Package... yeah, right!
Mpfffff... No matter how it is sliced and diced, a Passat will not be a Porsche. Which means that when a family sedan gets a wannabe craving to be "sports car", it ain't nohow gonna happen. Either it will be a sedan with poor pretentions to sportiness, or a wretched, bulky, badly riding sports car - neither being optimum.
Peter Wieck Wyncote, PA
In the US Passat it appears 16 or 18 inch wheels are standard, depending on the specific model. 17" wheels will produce a harsher ride than the 16"
I have a NB 16" OEM wheels. I have fitted it with 15" rims for my winter tyres and it has a much smoother ride with the 15" wheels. The Outside diameter is the same on both. I have driven in one with 17" wheels on it and it was right uncomfortable IMO. It may have had the suspension modified however so I can't truly judge. I suspect that at least part of your problem is the 17" wheels.
Tires are part of the suspension of a car. Or shock absorbers of a car. 35 series tires offer virtually no suspension. Change those rims and tires out to a 65 series tire and the car will feel much different. Every few years some car magazine will do hot laps around a race course to see what tire and wheel combinations work best with a specific car on a road course. The 45 series seems to be more for style than actual great high speed handling. It sure is not in your pocketbook's best interest. Potholes like eating up low profile tires and rims.
Under dampened to me would be a mushy shock without a lot of road feel. Mushy to me is felt when the suspensi>It's not the tire pressures. The tires themselves are standard -- German
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