Harsh ride? Or just my expectations too high?

[manicm]

Had a c3 before the ride could be explained as bouncy I guess that sums it up, pots holes, road bumps etc no problem the little thing bounced over them with little feedback in the car.

Ds3 feels harsh when compared, I haven't done many miles, yesterday I did 50 but it felt like every bump I could feel through the car, is this normal? I've got the style plus.

It's no where near as bad as the c2 vtr I had but not as good as the c3.

I was thinking, just thinking about retro fitting 16" alloys and bigger tyres as I have the old c3 ones, I forgot I swapped them out for the clover wheels when I traded, will they make much difference?

[Chris_Blue]

Usually the shocks and springs that dictate ride quality

[Old Bloke]

You are right. The ride is not as good as the C3 and there is more road noise. I have a set of 16" 195/55 winter tyres and it is better with those on.

[XanderCage13]

I feel the same. I find it not as smooth as other cars, then again - it's not really a country road car.

[cyclone]

It is all about you and me and our perceptions of the car. What you find harsh and bumpy I find exactly the opposite! Think you all need 1970's Cadillacs LOL. Had to spend thousands to get the ride properly sporty. Stock was just way soft and squishy! Only a hint of what a sorted suspension should be.

[Jo67]

I agree, it's a vey hard ride. Since this is the smallest car I've owned, I assumed it was par for the course. And for the road holding and handling I get in corners and bends, I overlook it.

[Old Bloke]

It's surprising how different it is to the C3 and noisier though. I like the car though and am often asked about it.

[Jo67]

Yes, noisy too. Now I'm used to it though (I've had it about 4 months) I like it for what it is - a fun little car.

[TheWineMonkey]

Compared to by previous car a Seat Ibiza FR TDI on 205/40R17s, the DS3 is softer, which is a good thing

[manicm]

If it's normal then won't worry too much then, hoping it will hold some value so I can get a ds4 in 2 years.

[StevenRB45]

The ds3 isn't bad ride wise, it certainly is at the sporty end of the ride/handling balance. I feel as though the damping is perhaps a bit stiff so on rippled surfaces it transmits those faithfully to your backside as well as sharp bumps. My mazda on wheels and tyres that are the same size with similar semi sporty pretentions delivers better bump absorption and fewer vibrations while delivering similar levels of roll and grip. It does have independent suspension all round though unlike the DS3.

Tbf the C3 is a blancmange of a car so the DS3 was always going to be harder with it's more sporting set up, I'd imagine the DS3 is also a fair bit better handling than a C3 if you were to attack a good road in one.

[manicm]

To be honest I never attacked the road with the c3! Not enough under the bonnet!

[Saintsteve]

Some of the road noise is attributed to the Tyres...

Try a softer compound tyre and see if like I found switching to Toyo Proxes Over the Factory Bridgstones made it ride nicer and road noise was much improved along with its road manners.

Dsport 155 owner.

[cameron20020]

The very reason I bought this car is for the harsh ride quality.
Firm suspension/shocks - and good thickness anti-roll bars.

Translates to some nice handling.
True story, I actually wanted a Veloster, until I sat in one and it became apparent the suspension had erectile dysfunction.
Ended up buying the DS3 because it was so firm how i liked it, straight from the factory.

[StevenRB45]

The very reason I bought this car is for the harsh ride quality.
Firm suspension/shocks - and good thickness anti-roll bars.

Translates to some nice handling.
True story, I actually wanted a Veloster, until I sat in one and it became apparent the suspension had erectile dysfunction.
Ended up buying the DS3 because it was so firm how i liked it, straight from the factory.

This to me is interesting if a bit odd...

I assume you drove the Veloster and it was a pudding of a thing, I've never driven one so can't comment but the reasoning behind this seems a little faulty otherwise. Hard springs, dampers and roll bars do not automatically give you better handling. It's all in the set up, Audi have been proving for many years that firm springing can give you worse handling and worse ride quality than comparable cars (even the none sports suspension of the same car) day to day. A set of well tuned springs and dampers can take the edge off without compromising on the limit handling.

Anyway my point being there is hugely more to creating a good handling car than fitting hard suspension, especially when the car in question has to deal with the off road tracks known as the uk road network. I know it's a personal taste thing in your case but I think you would find something like a fiesta (with similar tyres and power) would be able to carry similar corner speeds to a ds3 while not transmitting as much into the cabin. I use the example of the fiesta as it is a well set up car I'm not suggesting it is a DS3 equivalent.