Q5 Bob

Our Q5 has 19" (Michelins) and we've adjusted to the bounciness which occurs on certain types of uneven pavement. It's acceptable to us, but that's subjective and one really has to drive one to see if it is to them.

ex-quattro PETE

You might want to experiment with different PSI in your tires. The values given on the door placard are assuming your Q5 is fully loaded. If you look in the owner's manual, you will see lower values for normal load. If you typically don't drive fully loaded, you might try those lower values and see if it makes the ride less bouncy.

But in general, you will have some bounciness regardless of wheel/tire size, due to this being a jacked up and somewhat short wheel base.

tmfstyle

2015 TDI in for repairs last 2 days and I have a low mileage 2016 Q5 2.0 loaner. My TDI has 20' wheels with Michelin Summer Latitude. Loaner has 19" wheels with Conti's. I keep 36 lbs of pressure all around I presume that loaner has factory recommended pressure. Comfort wise very similar. Interestingly the TDI may be slightly smoother - which may relate to the engine rather than tires or suspension. The TDI's damping feels quite different with less rebound - more European - less bouncy in my view.

Redd

In the 70's and 80'd, Cadillac and Buick used to claim they custom-cut their front springs to match the exact weight load of the options, ranging from battery size to engine size.

Perhaps Audi also custom cuts springs? Anyone know?

ZCD2.7T

It's not just cut springs - it's different spring rates, plus likely different shock absorber tuning, to deal with the different weights of the various motors.

motoguy128

We had a 2016 3.0T Q5 for a service loaner with 19" wheels and Michelin Latitudes. It totaled changed the feel of the car. It felt for firm and stable, but the ride was a LOT more harsh. Not by a small amount. It made us miss our 2011 2.0T. IT feels light,er more nimble and smoother ride. I did like the more luxuries and quieter V6. The actual performance was better, but not that dramatic since the 2.0T is so torquey.


Sidenote... it made me realize that with 103k miles, our car is overall in great shape and a helluva bargain considering the sticker on the 3.0 was something like $55k! more than 2x what ours costs.

Redd

Same thing GM did (different springs & shocks) just that supposedly, GM was custom cutting to "tweak" them to the exact option loads. Of course back the, "options" could be six or eight pages long.(G)

ex-quattro PETE

Did you happen to check the tire pressures on it? If it was over-inflated, it would have felt harsh, I'd imagine.

motoguy128

Not likely. If anything it was probably under inflated. It was 15-25F when I drove it most days.

When I installed my winter wheels/tires (which at 17's) I over inflated them by 5 psi since it was 1) 55F outside, and I wanted to reduce heat build-up. However, I haven't checked them in over 6 weeks. So they could be a little low, but probably not by much with a tire that large, air leakage rate proportionally will be lower.

heymanwuzup

Registered just so i could reply to this post. I have recently test driven the Lexus NX200t, Q5, and the X3. I test drove all three of them on the same day, at two different instances so i could really feel the difference.

Hands down I liked the Q5 ride quality. I am not an experienced driver (only been driving daily for work for 2 years) but I like how "sturdy" the Q5 felt. the NX and X3 felt more responsive and "fun" but that was not the ride i was looking for. Ended up going for a Q5. Actually taking delivery later this afternoon!!