Fidgety ride at motorway speeds????

[kmc]

I've had my 1.9TDI Elegance for nearly a month now and whilst it is superb at bombing down twisty A-roads at around 50mph, I've found the ride at 70mph upwards to be a bit fidgety compared to my last car which was a Peugeot 306. Just anybody else find this to case as well? The tyre pressures seem okay (actually running at 30 psi as opposed to recommended 32 psi). The car doesn't seem as 'well planted' onmthe road as I would expect at high speeds. Is it because there's a pay off to enable to have sharp handling and steering at the lower speeds?? I have an old What Car review from 2005 (!) when the Octavia was group tested against a Golf, Focus and C4 and they reckoned the diesel Octavia was a touch unstable at high speeds then. Would like to think what you all think. Thanks.

[fatboy58]

I drove an st24 before gettin vrs tdi. It does seem a bit more twitchy over 70 than the mondeo, but gets better with speed. Not suggesting you drive faster. The octavia is apparently softer than the equivalent golf, but even the 1.9 TDI I test drove was more firm than my girlfriends focus 1.6VCT, but then (without wanting to offend briskodians) the focus is an amazing machine for the price, if you ignore the ford badge!

[bryan]

Taking mine on its 1st long high speed run on sat, will come back and let you know what I think of it

[GAFF]

Originally Posted by bryan

Taking mine on its 1st long high speed run on sat, will come back and let you know what I think of it

So will I be so I'll let you know how Bryan's is

[Taxi 219]

I constantly am on motorways in my job and my steering is very positive and responsive at 70 and also at 100+(but not on public rd).

[ged.fi]

Originally Posted by kmc

(actually running at 30 psi as opposed to recommended 32 psi).

So you are running almost 10% under recommended minimum pressure, and you are wondering why the car is fidgety at motorway speeds?? 10% is enough to significantly increase fuel consumption and tyre wear!

If anything, when running at higher speeds, you should exceed the minimum pressure a bit.

[bryan]

Originally Posted by GAFF

So will I be so I'll let you know how Bryan's is

[mannyo]

I agree, up the tyre pressures. I run mine in europe regular as clockwock and drive through germany at well into 3 figures MPH, and the car is perfectly steady and feels no different to 50MPH. The longest run I did was from the border of Southern France/Spain to Calais in one day, that was all motorway and the car felt planted and sure footed the whole way despite the high speeds involved.

[cheezemonkhai]

Dunkerque to Just south of Munich at good German autobahn speeds where the law permitted and there were no steering problems.

It can be a tad twitchy in crosswinds, but I'd agree you want to put your tyre pressures up.

Also what tyres are you running as this can make a lot of difference, especially in damp weather.

[kmc]

Hi folks! Thanks for all the responses and advice.
Tyres - I've got the Dunlop Sports on my car with nearly 11k of wear on them - could look at swapping the fronts with the rears as there is quite a bit more tread on the rears.
As regards the tyre pressures, I thought the ride was a bit fidgety when I first got it as well as being a little harsh at low speeds. Checked the pressures and they were 32psi but after reading some of the threads in this forum decided to give 30psi a try. I'll push them back up to recommended and see how it goes. it's funny because going 50mph around a some of the tight slip roads off the motorway the car grips well and feels very stable. it's just on a straight line at 70 plus that I get the feeling it could just be so better. Maybe I'm expecting too much!!!!

[classic]

I drive a Focus sometimes at work - They are horrible at speed. get a test drive in one at a Ford dealer, you will be glad to get back in your Octy......

[bahnstormer vrs]

I'd go with the tyre pressure theory/suggestions. Try going up to 34psi (not 32psi). It will make the low speed ride around town a touch 'jittery' but will stabilise the car at speed.

I run my vRS with 35psi all round, as opposed to 30psi, and it is really precise and responsive.

Also perhaps worth bearing in mind that the weather has been pretty foul recently with strong gusty winds that will affect the car, except that you don't really notice it as the noise levels are low and the car is inherently stable, so is not buffeted; it tends just to drift a touch.

[ged.fi]

If upping the tyre pressure doesn't help, then you may want to have the wheel angles checked out. A slight misalignment would show up in uneven tyre wear and strange handling, but I don't have experience with that myself...

[cheezemonkhai]

I'd also suggest that those tyres are nasty

[smstext]

i found mine hates being at the 2.2 bars that are recommended and actually prefers 2.1 bars where it sticks to the road better and doesnt skate at high speeds.

[timjfw]

I agree. I have my tyres at 34 psi and it makes a big difference. It feels very sloppy if the tyre pressure is 30.

[vRSLen]

I have problems on depressed manhole covers at low speeds,
but not at high speed