Ride Quality Opinions

[Anarkistic]

Hey guys. Those of you with S5's, especially if they're Sportbacks, how do you rate the ride quality?

Not in the sense of shock absorption, I think the car's suspension does a great job with ironing out bumps. More in the sense of dampening road/tyre feedback and vibrations.

I'm personally finding the quality pretty dire, every road surface feels like rough tarmac and getting the vibrations, buzzing etc through the pedals and steering wheel that would come with driving on poor roads, even when they are nice and smooth.

I know it has 19" wheels but jeez, my 2016 Golf R did too, and that wasn't anything like this! It really spoils the refinement of the ride imo and for a 55 grand luxury performance car, I expect it to be a smoother feel on the same roads than my partner's 5 grand Ford Fiesta.

Maybe it's not transmitted from the road, maybe something else is causing a reverberation, it's too hard to tell.

FYI - This is with the car in comfort settings, tyre pressures as they should be etc.

 

[DarkyUK]

I won't need any issues with mine mate, yes it's rough on rough roads but fine other than that, I have mime in comfort most of the time too.

I did read a review saying the active dampers was a wells worth option to have though.

 

[JonChalk]

I have the stock standard suspension, and definitely not got the sort of feedback / feelings you describe.

Recent change to PS4S's has improved (reduced) road noise a bit over the supplied Hankooks.

 

[Anarkistic]

Mine came with Bridgestones rather than the Hankook ones. Nice and grippy but don't rate them for noise and comfort. Good call on the PS4S though, that was always my tyre of choice on the Golf R.

The active dampers are well worth it for sure, I have those, they make the bumps so much better, and tighten the car up really nice in dynamic.

Like I say, bumps are fine, its a sensation of excessive road feedback, or something else vibrating. Road noise is not excessive though, it's a nice quiet car to cruise in.

 

[AlexS]

I've got s5 sportback on contis 5p, ride is perfectly smooth on good most roads, no vibration, no nothing, even comparable to my previous s6 4.0 with air suspension. On rough road like e.g. m25 towards m23 counterclockwise it's very noisy at 80 mph+ level but this is due to 255 tyres only. Maybe try balancing or alignment check.

 

[Anarkistic]

Thanks for the suggestion Alex, I'll look into some checks like balancing etc.

It's useful getting feedback from others so I know if the car isn't just 'like that', as dealerships always do and already have claimed. Not that I believe them that a 55 grand Audi shouldn't drive like butter when a VW half that price does!

 

[Nham68]

I won't need any issues with mine mate, yes it's rough on rough roads but fine other than that, I have mime in comfort most of the time too.

I did read a review saying the active dampers was a wells worth option to have though.

I’ve got active dampers on my S4... still get the odd buzz and rattle over rough surfaces.. though it rides rough roads bery well.. and on smooth surface the cabin is eerily quiet (running on Goodyear eagle assymetric)...

 

[IJB1959]

I have had an S5 Sportback for 18 months now. Have changed the wheels for 20" and it still rides very smoothly on most roads even in dynamic. With regard to the OP, I think that something is seriously wrong from what is described.

 

[FritzyFritz]

I purchased my first Audi ever a couple weeks ago: 2018 S5 Sportback Prestige with adjustable dampers, S Sport Package, Dynamic Steering, etc. My previous car was a 2006 Lexus IS350 with sport-tuned suspension, 18" wheels, 40 series all seasons. I drove the same 75 mile round trip commute for 5 years in my IS350, 75% of which was repaved within the last 2 years (amazingly smooth fresh asphalt). However, I found the S5 SB is "jittery" in comparison. I don't know how else to explain it. It definitely had a wheel balance issue in the 75-80 mph range (19" 255/35 Pirelli P Zero All Seasons, about 2/3 tread left) I felt in the seat - so assumed the rears needed a rebalancing. I took it into a Discount Tire and they said the rears we're pretty dialed-in. So I then took it into an Audi service center and asked them to perform a road force match balancing. They did and said they could not get two of the wheels inside the normal/acceptable range prior to adding the weights. After the weights, they said they're good(ish), but the only way to really fix them is to put all new tires on. It definitely rode better after the road force balancing, but almost feels like the chassis is just prone to jittering (kind of like a 91 Supra targa top I owned, but to a much lesser degree). FYI - I drove a front-drive A4 as my loaner, second Audi I ever drove, while they worked on my S5 and it DID NOT have the same issue. I noticed a little shimmy in my S5 still around 65-70 mph now, so I took it in this morning to have a complete new set of "loaner" wheels/tires put on to determine if it's indeed my wheels/tires or if it's something in the suspension, drive train, or if this is just as good as Audi gets with it's ride quality. As a final note, I drove an A3 as my loaner into work this morning and it exhibited many of the same jittery road manners on the freeway as my S5.
BTW, I realize I drove a Lexus for 14 years, but my Lexus had a sport-tuned suspension and you could feel every bump on bad roads. This is not an issue of feeling bumps. It's like quivers or jitters through the car. Maybe it's just a Sportback issue with the hatchback, no 3-box design to help hold together the back end?
Curious if you ever sorted out your issue or just came to live with the "meh" ride quality. I expected the adjustable dampers to be the end-all as it would be great for my commute and could dial it to Dynamic for off-ramps or weekend getaways through the mountains. Wondering if the adjustable suspension might just "be this way". Disappointing it can't just glide down newly-paved asphalt without the chassis being all rumbly...
Otherwise I love this car.

 

[Sc08 LAB]

Mine are the Bridgestones and I don't rate them as a tyre, I will be getting PS4S' when I get 20`s put on. However suspension wise I'm more than content, maybe get yours booked in and see if they can look at it before the warrenty expires.

 

[quattrorally]

Mine are the Bridgestones and I don't rate them as a tyre, I will be getting PS4S' when I get 20`s put on. However suspension wise I'm more than content, maybe get yours booked in and see if they can look at it before the warrenty expires.

what diffuser is that?

 

[Nham68]

I’ve just got to 900 miles in my b9.5 S5 sportback (getting used to the diesel torque monster). I came from an S4 avant with active dampers .

the S5 is running 20” 275 Pirellis and has active dampers .

Vs S4 I can feel the car is lower and has more road noise (not as well sound insulated as S4 and more rubber on the road).. , I don’t experience any of the feedback you describe .. it smooths out the harshness of bumps pretty well.. no buzzing . It feels a tiny little bit skittish but that’s also the slippery roads right now .. on dry, none of that ..

what I have noticed is the tram lining ! Yesterday was the first time i put my foot down (being a good boy and running it in) and the combination of the grip and torque means that if it finds a groove, it’s a real fight to get out of it .. though that might be a characteristic of the tyres. I had an A5 3.0 tdi B8 years ago and that also tramlined ....

anyhow , I definitely think the OP has something that needs checked out .. good luck ...

 

[quattrorally]

My B9 coupe tram lines a lot, well it did, until I increased the tyre pressures, which has helped.

Comfort is better than the S3 i've come from...but not by much, which surprised me. I don't have adaptive dampers though.

 

[Bells]

I think comfort is a lot better than my previous S3 that was running 19” alloys without mag ride.

I’ve got 19” alloys on the S5 but do have adaptive suspension, mostly have it in individual with the suspension setting in auto that seems to be the best. Dynamic certainly firms everything up but is way too firm to be driven like that permanently.

Only thing I don’t like is the Conti tyres it came with, I will upgrade to PS4’s when it comes to changing. Be tempted to see how much it effects ride comfort if I decided to upgrade to 20” alloys too.

 

[quattrorally]

I think comfort is a lot better than my previous S3 that was running 19” alloys without mag ride.

I’ve got 19” alloys on the S5 but do have adaptive suspension, mostly have it in individual with the suspension setting in auto that seems to be the best. Dynamic certainly firms everything up but is way too firm to be driven like that permanently.

Only thing I don’t like is the Conti tyres it came with, I will upgrade to PS4’s when it comes to changing. Be tempted to see how much it effects ride comfort if I decided to upgrade to 20” alloys too.

yeah, i was looking for a used S5 with adaptive dampers, but its hard to find one with a good spec.

 

[Bells]

yeah, i was looking for a used S5 with adaptive dampers, but its hard to find one with a good spec.

Yeah was weird I didn’t think mine had it spec’d when I originally went to purchase the car as it wasn’t listed on the options. Then on the drive home I was having a play with the individual setting and noticed it was in there

Think one of the only options the last owner didn’t spec was the tow bar, I’m just the lucky benefactor