[Gannu_1]

Good to hear that both the front and rear struts have been changed and that there is a difference in the ride quality. Any feedback from those who sat on the rear bench? Just curious.

By any chance, do you have the importer's sticker from the packaging of these struts? Wanted to know who is the official importer/distributor in the country, from where these were imported from (Germany?) and the model number of the struts. Should be helpful for others.

[coolboy007]

38,000 kms update

The car is chugging alone fine after the suspension overhaul. Had also got the link rods and strut mounts changed soon after changing struts as they were showing signs of giving up. Will give the car for its 3rd service by end of this month with an added expense of engine mount change which are worn out.

The experience of owning this car has been very good so far barring the early suspension overhaul and brake shudder issues i faced earlier. My driving style is hard so can not blame the car entirely but the suspension parts just gave in too early. The interiors are as they were, no squeak/rattles and the paint still has its sheen.

1.6 TDi is an effortless cruiser and provides solid thrill when you are in the mood for it. I use this car for highway runs and totally love this engine. Even with new 205 tyres (more on this later), it still pulls relentlessly. VW have chosen the gear ratios perfectly, had a drive in the 1.5 TDi as well and it is much more tame and boring compared to the 1.6 iteration. Returns 19-20 easily on highways with enthusiastic driving.

Have got the head lights upgraded to 90/100 set up with relay as even with 55/60 Philips XV, the throw was pathetic. It has improved a bit but far from being termed as good. Will have to go for bi xenon projector set up or i will get blind very soon.

Still wish the car came with stiffer springs and dampers as stock with a well calibrated steering. The engine is very enthusiastic but the overall dynamics let it down. The steering is light (now weighs sufficiently heavy with 205 tyres), there is quite a bit of roll and the car bobs over undulations. VW went all out to satisfy those with a fetish for ride quality. I drive my sister's new Fiesta regularly and that car feels a class above in chassis balance and dynamics compared to Vento.

4000 kms update on the new TRW struts

I wanted to post about the new TRW struts but though it was prudent to wait for a while and clock atleast 3-4k kms to give a proper review. I have now covered over 4000 kms on these new struts and they have provided fantastic ride/handling combination. The old OEM struts were totally comfort oriented while these are biased towards handling. I just wish the front struts were as stiff as the rear as there is still some nose bobbing over sharp undulations.

Just yesterday, had a chance to drive a stock Rapid as my friend was interested in buying the car. I had expected the Rapid's front struts to be better and stiffer than TRW struts but boy i was so very wrong. It flew over undulations, the rear end did not seem planted and that irritating thud from the back came multiple times. TRW struts are much much better damped and crash rarely ever. I am very happy to have gone with TRW instead of OE VW/Skoda struts. Wonder why the suspension is so noisy in VAG cars, thuds/thumps are just too many.





New link rods and struts mounts
After changing the struts, the mechanic had informed me that link rods were weak and would require a replacement soon. After a month or so, i encountered grinding noise while turning the steering and it was diagnosed to worn strut mounts. Got the new strut mounts (make - febi bilstein) and new TRW link rods.
Ride is much much better after changing these two things and front end feels very tight especially during quick lane changes.




New brake pads

My brake pads which i had got installed at 14,000 kms when i faced shuddering were worn out. I was in two minds whether to go for brembo pads or some thing else. Did not want to go for the stock pads. Had a look at Ferodo brake pads available on Amazon India and ordered them with 1 day delivery. Got them fitted as the rotors were fine and needed no skim/lathe. These offer an excellent bite and unlike Brembo pads, they do not have any squealing issues. Ferodo is a UK brand and OEM supplier to many cars there.

Whole heartedly recommend other members to use these brake pads for their Polo/Vento, very good pads.



New tyre upgrade - Yokohama S drives 205/55 R15

The bridgestone potenza's were on their last legs, having covered 35,000 kms, they had still some life left but i was sensing loss of grip under some situations and they had become rock hard. They had around 3mm left so i did not want to take a chance with my driving style and started hunting for new tyres.

I knew i was going for 205/55 R15 now as the 195/60 i had earlier had too much sidewall flex + the increased sidewall height added to the bounciness. Talked to a lot of members and every one suggested S drives if you drive hard as it is a very good performance tyre. Got Jan 2015 stock, Made in India S drives and i have already covered 1000 kms on them, cost was 5400/tyre.

I have just 2 words for these tyres "ON RAILS". The tyres took 500-600 kms to settle in but these have totally transformed the car. It really feels as if am driving on rails, abundant grip during hard cornering and the stiff sidewall really helps the sporty character. The old tyres had become so hard that the ride has improved with S drives.

That is it for now, planning a remap soon and will talk to Petes and TOT guys.

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

I am very happy to have gone with TRW instead of OE VW/Skoda struts. Wonder why the suspension is so noisy in VAG cars, thuds/thumps are just too many.

Did you ever consider the Bilstein B6? Any experience with those, compared to the TRWs?

The soft suspension really gets to me as well, and I hear the Bilstein B6 really transforms the car. Plus, a lifetime warranty doesn't hurt.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

New brake pads
My brake pads which i had got installed at 14,000 kms when i faced shuddering were worn out. I was in two minds whether to go for brembo pads or some thing else. Did not want to go for the stock pads. Had a look at Ferodo brake pads available on Amazon India and ordered them with 1 day delivery. These offer an excellent bite and unlike Brembo pads, they do not have any squealing issues. Ferodo is a UK brand and OEM supplier to many cars there.

Nice to know that they cost about the same as the stock pads. How do they compare with the stock brakes?

I was satisfied with the stock pads, so when the time came to change last week, I went with stock, again. Now, thing is, they really transformed the car, so reading all these reviews, I always wonder how much of it just boils down to new pads.

I did consider the Brembo pads, but heard about the pads grabbing, and being less progressive (though, with more bite) which was a deal breaker for me.

Incidentally, I had the same issue as your car, which surfaced once at 9,000 km, and then again at 16,000. The first time the pads with changed, the second time, the brake discs, which I suspect was the issue all along. Both times, it was done under warranty.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

New tyre upgrade - Yokohama S drives 205/55 R15
I have just 2 words for these tyres "ON RAILS". The tyres took 500-600 kms to settle in but these have totally transformed the car. It really feels as if am driving on rails, abundant grip during hard cornering and the stiff sidewall really helps the sporty character. The old tyres had become so hard that the ride has improved with S drives.

Congratulations! Cool tires. Also considering the same for myself, though the noise on my stock Acceleres bugs me, so was wondering if you had a sense of the noise levels on the S-Drives compared to the Acceleres. In fact, I'm tempted to go in for the Primacy ST, which I believe offers similar grip but with the noise issue contained.

Incidentally, the Yoko dealer suggested the AVS db V550, and mentioned they offer the same grip as the S-Drives, but are silent. Any experience with those?

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by bosporus

The soft suspension really gets to me as well, and I hear the Bilstein B6 really transforms the car. Plus, a lifetime warranty doesn't hurt

The soft suspension is indeed an irritant, i have got used to it by now and the TRW struts are much stiffer than the oem struts. After a drive in Linea/Fiesta, i do get irritated when i push the car hard and it starts bouncing, VW is known to make great handling cars but they totally messed it up with Vento by only giving significance to ride quality.

As for B6, they are the best investment and will totally change how this car rides and drives. The TRW struts costed me just 8k whereas the B6 cost 70k so it is a significant difference. As for lifetime warranty, Petes is the official supplier here and as per my mail exchanges with them, warranty is 2 years/1 lakh kms on B6. I did not want to spend so much on suspension upgrade at this point but maybe next year.

Nice to know that they cost about the same as the stock pads. How do they compare with the stock brakes?

My stock brake pads were worn out badly so any new pads ought to give a feel good factor. What i love about these pads is that they have a very good progressive bite and with 205 tyres, the braking has improved by a significant amount. These pads are shedding a lot of brake dust so they are not the hard long lasting variety, very very good braking.

Incidentally, I had the same issue as your car, which surfaced once at 9,000 km, and then again at 16,000. The first time the pads with changed, the second time, the brake discs, which I suspect was the issue all along. Both times, it was done under warranty

You are lucky buddy. VW rejected my warranty claim and i did not have the patience to fight with them so just got the work done outside, the shuddering has not appeared yet but when/if it does, i will be changing to Brembo rotors. Heard from few members that they are very good, VW/Skoda cars are still having this shuddering issue after so many years, some thing is seriously wrong with rotor metallurgy so stock brake discs would be avoided by me.

Congratulations! Cool tires. Also considering the same for myself, though the noise on my stock Acceleres bugs me, so was wondering if you had a sense of the noise levels on the S-Drives compared to the Acceleres. In fact, I'm tempted to go in for the Primacy ST, which I believe offers similar grip but with the noise issue contained.

No idea on Acceleres as i had thrown them out the same day i got delivery of my car and switched to Bridgestone 195/60 R15. These served me well for 35000 kms but were noisy and ride was hard, performance/durability was top notch.

S drives are silent for now but they will get louder with age as they are performance tyres. If you want pin drop silence, avoid S drives, these are performance oriented and will make noise. As for Primacy 3ST, have driven a Rapid shod with it and the grip levels under cornering/straight line or quick lane changes are not even remotely close to S drives. They are very good comfort tyres but just do not like spirited driving, there is plenty of sidewall flexing. If you drive sedately, you can go for it but if you push the car hard, you will be very disappointed. Even steering feel and directness is way behind S drives.

I drive my car swiftly and on highways the S drives really provide excellent grip with a feeling of being on rails.

Incidentally, the Yoko dealer suggested the AVS db V550, and mentioned they offer the same grip as the S-Drives, but are silent. Any experience with those?

Sorry, no clue about AVS DB. Read some where that their production has stopped so double check the manufacturing date if buying this particular tyre.

[bosporus]

Thanks for the detailed replies

Originally Posted by coolboy007

As for lifetime warranty, Petes is the official supplier here and as per my mail exchanges with them, warranty is 2 years/1 lakh kms on B6. I did not want to spend so much on suspension upgrade at this point but maybe next year.

I can live with 1 lac km, but a measly 2 year warranty at that price makes one think twice. Plus, while Bilstein's are otherwise known to be reliable, it also shows that Bilstein is not confident of it's product in India - and if they aren't, why should we be.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

You are lucky buddy. VW rejected my warranty claim and i did not have the patience to fight with them.

I've learnt that if you're firm with them, and just insist, they usually do accommodate you. They had initially rejected my claim too, both times.

I know most people hate VW A.S.S., but I'm in fact, a happy VW customer. My experience says that both the service stations, and VW, are eager to please. So, as long as your demand is reasonable, just sticking to it, or dropping a simple email (i've never had to do that, but i've heard stories while getting my car serviced) really works.

So, in the future, don't give up buddy.

Originally Posted by coolboy007

I drive my car swiftly and on highways the S drives really provide excellent grip with a feeling of being on rails.

Sorry, no clue about AVS DB. Read some where that their production has stopped so double check the manufacturing date if buying this particular tyre.

Car on rails is just what I'm searching for, so, the S-Drives are looking increasingly tempting. And while tire noise bugs me, frankly, between grip & silence, I'll choose grip, so your experience with the Primacy is a downer. Quite surprising, really: Michelin don't have a single performance tire for a Vento class car - I really would have liked Michelin written on the tire sidewalls

What initially put me off the S-Drives is the horrible reviews on tyrereviews.co.uk, which is otherwise pretty reliable when it comes to user reviews. http://www.tyrereviews.co.uk/Tyre/Yokohama/S-Drive.htm

Btw, any views on getting 16" or 17" wheels for the Vento? The tire choice may get more interesting, plus, looks quite cool. I mostly drive in South Delhi / Gurgaon / Chandigarh, and the highways, which is all not too bad in terms of roads.

[Mad Max]

Thank you for your ownership report and for sharing your experience. As a Vento owner, I am glad that you're enjoying the car just like the rest of us. The car is made for the highway, no doubt.

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by bosporus

I can live with 1 lac km, but a measly 2 year warranty at that price makes one think twice. Plus, while Bilstein's are otherwise known to be reliable, it also shows that Bilstein is not confident of it's product in India - and if they aren't, why should we be.

+1, that was a big downer for me as well. Each single strut costs almost 20k and a measly 2 year warranty on them is nothing compared to what Bilstein provides world wide.

I've learnt that if you're firm with them, and just insist, they usually do accommodate you. They had initially rejected my claim too, both times.
So, in the future, don't give up buddy.

I don't think i hate VW ASC's yet. They have not yet troubled me much so far in 3 years and the car has been running good barring the early suspension overhaul. (you can blame my driving style too)
I have learnt the trick now, will be firm with them next time the need arises.

Car on rails is just what I'm searching for, so, the S-Drives are looking increasingly tempting. And while tire noise bugs me, frankly, between grip & silence, I'll choose grip, so your experience with the Primacy is a downer

Well yeah, the S drives are that good buddy. You can take my Vento for a spin if you want to since you also reside in NCR, you can check the struts and tyres as well
Michelin or Bridgestone just do not launch any good performance tyres in India whereas they provide so many good options worldwide. Every one here wants soft suspension, soft tyres, light steerings etc.
3ST were disappointing for enthusiastic driving.

Btw, any views on getting 16" or 17" wheels for the Vento? The tire choice may get more interesting, plus, looks quite cool. I mostly drive in South Delhi / Gurgaon / Chandigarh, and the highways, which is all not too bad in terms of roads.

17" would be an overkill for Vento and the ride quality would be demolished + more chances of alloys getting bent etc. 16" would look and there are a lot of tyre options in this size but be aware that the ride will get much stiffer on 16" and 55 profile.
Do let me know what you choose.

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Thank you for your ownership report and for sharing your experience. As a Vento owner, I am glad that you're enjoying the car just like the rest of us. The car is made for the highway, no doubt.

Thanks mate. 1.6 TDi does provide all the fun and thrill, waiting for it to get remapped to bring the real potential out. It indeed is a highway car

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Well yeah, the S drives are that good buddy. You can take my Vento for a spin if you want to since you also reside in NCR, you can check the struts and tyres as well

Thanks a ton! I really appreciate the offer! In fact, I've been trying to find a way to experience the S-Drives first hand, so I will take you up on your offer. I'm traveling for about two week, but do expect a DM from me after

Originally Posted by coolboy007

17" would be an overkill for Vento and the ride quality would be demolished + more chances of alloys getting bent etc. 16" would look and there are a lot of tyre options in this size but be aware that the ride will get much stiffer on 16" and 55 profile.

I've too have heard similar things, but do consider this:
Sidewall of stock 185/60 R15 = 111mm (60% of 185)
Sidewall of a 16" upsize, say, 205/50 R16 = 102.5mm (50% of 205)
Sidewall reduction, in going from 15" to 16" = 8.5mm

Now, I'm just not sure that an 8.5mm reduction, over 111mm would really amount to something that can be felt. And I guess, any felt reduction in comfort has more to do with people generally going in for less comfortable performance rubber when they usually upsize.

If we apply the same math to 17"
Sidewall of a 16" upsize, say, 225/40 R17 = 90mm (40% of 225)
Sidewall reduction, in going from 15" to 17" = 21mm

Logic says, that 2.1cm will be felt, so you may be right.

My apologies for rambling here, but this just occurred to me, and there is a lot of accepted wisdom about tires which we don't question, so thought I'd put it here in case I'm missing something.

And, the above makes me thing, maybe, I should go to at least 16".


P.S.: Please don't revoke your drive offer after reading the above. I'm less geeky in person. Plus, coffee's on me

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by bosporus

Thanks a ton! I really appreciate the offer! In fact, I've been trying to find a way to experience the S-Drives first hand, so I will take you up on your offer. I'm traveling for about two week, but do expect a DM from me after

Always welcome bosporous. Would be great to see both the cars together and compare how they are holding up. Ping me, once you are back.

My apologies for rambling here, but this just occurred to me, and there is a lot of accepted wisdom about tires which we don't question, so thought I'd put it here in case I'm missing something

I love any discussion on cars so it is not an issue . 8.5 mm drop in sidewall height coupled with a set of performance tyres would affect the ride quality and seeing the deteriorating roads of NCR, a total handling set up is not practical, we do need that little bit of extra cushioning. The 45/50 profile tyres are also much more susceptible to bulges/blowouts as there is not much to cushion.

P.S.: Please don't revoke your drive offer after reading the above. I'm less geeky in person. Plus, coffee's on me

, not at all buddy.

[thenomad]

Originally Posted by coolboy007

Got the new strut mounts (make - febi bilstein) and new TRW link rods.

Hey, how much did the strut mounts and link rods cost you? Also the labor charges from the FNG?

[coolboy007]

Originally Posted by thenomad

Hey, how much did the strut mounts and link rods cost you? Also the labor charges from the FNG?

The strut mounts costed 1000 for a pair (without bearing) and the link rods were around 1500-1600 for a pair. The labour for this work was 800 and it took 2-3 hours for the job. Do remember to get the wheel alignment checked after getting the job done.

[antardaksh]

Originally Posted by bosporus

And, the above makes me thing, maybe, I should go to at least 16".

Hi bosporus,

Did you upgrade to 16"?

Regards.

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by antardaksh

Hi bosporus,

Did you upgrade to 16"?

Regards.

Hi, haven't done anything on the tyre front yet - the tyres do require a change, but I've been travelling quite a bit, and the car's barely done 2-3000km the last few months. I think should get it done by Nov. / Dec. when I get a breather and when my usage of the car is likely to normalise.

I did check prices though, and while alloys are only marginally more expensive, tyres are 50-100% more expensive, as one moves from 15" to 16". What attracts me to 16" is the more contemporary rubber available - for example, the Pirelli Cinturato P7, which is a good mix of performance & comfort (actually, silence, which is important for me). In 15", the only options are either touring tires, like the Michelin P3ST, or all out sports oriented tires such as the S-Drives. I'm wary of the latter because a) S-Drives is a very old tyre, not taking advantage of recent advances in rubber / tire technology, and according to people with experience, isn't very high on performance either, compared to more current rubber b) is supposed to get very noisy after 10-15,000kms.

I'm not really worried about the 16" being too stiff, because despite what sceptics says, logic says it should not be an issue due to the adequate the sidewall height that one still retains in the Vento size.

Will ping you as & when I change tyres. Are you planning to do the same?

[antardaksh]

Originally Posted by bosporus

Will ping you as & when I change tyres. Are you planning to do the same?

Hi bosporus,

Thanks, I am planing to upsize to 16".As you already mentioned price difference in case of alloy is only 4k for a set of 4, but there is huge difference in case of tyres

205/50/R16- INR 8400(Yoko S Drive)
205/55/R15- INR 5700(Yoko S Drive)

Do you have any idea about price and availability of Pirelli Cinturato P7 (205/50/R16)?

Regards.

[bosporus]

Originally Posted by antardaksh

there is huge difference in case of tyres

205/50/R16- INR 8400(Yoko S Drive)
205/55/R15- INR 5700(Yoko S Drive)

Do you have any idea about price and availability of Pirelli Cinturato P7 (205/50/R16)?

I'd checked about a month back, and if I remember correctly, Zig Wheels, Golf Course Road, Gurgaon, quoted ~Rs. 8,500 for 205/50/R16, and they were available.

I've been told by the community that availability of the P7 is a bit of an issue but didn't hear anything of the sort from the dealer - in fact he mentioned this was a popular choice in 16", and vehemently argued against the S-Drives. He said if I wanted Yokohama, AVS db or Advan Sports is what I should go for - I did not check about availability in the size.

Only ever checked from this one place, so my sample size is limited.