Volkswagen ID.3 Forum

I've been trying not to focus on this, but I was hoping for a magic-carpet like ride from my ID.3 and I haven't really got it. My town has truly dreadful road surfaces, and driving at low speed over rutted and potholed tarmac results in a bucking bronco effect, as though the car was trying to shake me out of my seat. My previous car, a Passat Sport with fat tyres and lowered suspension, did much the same, but the car I had before that, a Passat with 'normal' tyres and ride height, was very good at smoothing out these bumps.

I've noticed that the ID.3 doesn't appear to have a front anti-roll bar, although there's one at the back. I wonder if this is why it can jiggle so badly on certain road surfaces? Why did VW omit a front anti-roll bar? I thought all modern cars had them?

To be fair to the car, the ride is absolutely fine on decent roads, and lovely at motorways speeds. I probably wouldn't be so bent out of shape over it if I didn't live in a town with such awful roads.

I’ve noticed the same, superb on good roads, but less so on the poor local roads, I find cobbles especially jarring. My previous car, Mini countyman Plug in hybrid, did a much better job, despite it having a more sports oriented suspension. I’m putting the difference down to the sheer weight of the ID3, I hadn’t considered roll bars and didn’t realise it had one missing.

It will be interesting to hear from anyone with the ID3 Max, with the DCC, to see if it’s any more forgiving

Jono wrote: ↑Thu Apr 08, 2021 11:45 am I’ve noticed the same, superb on good roads, but less so on the poor local roads, I find cobbles especially jarring. My previous car, Mini countyman Plug in hybrid, did a much better job, despite it having a more sports oriented suspension. I’m putting the difference down to the sheer weight of the ID3, I hadn’t considered roll bars and didn’t realise it had one missing.

It will be interesting to hear from anyone with the ID3 Max, with the DCC, to see if it’s any more forgiving

I actually found it pretty good. If i compare it to my previous car (tiguan with high profile 17 inch wheels) then it's not as forgiving. But on bumpy roads compared to my dad's golf gti or my old Polo Blue GT, christ the ID3 is like a cloud. It's a happy medium for me. Never going to get the best of both worlds.

I just read on a third party website (possibly, therefore, not authoritative) that the ID.3 has front suspension as follows: Independent McPherson, Coil Springs, Anti-roll bar - and rear suspension: Multi-link, Coil Springs, Anti-roll bar. The same site says the car has disc brakes at the rear, which I know to be wrong, so I'm not going to trust it...

So maybe I'm wrong and my car does have an anti-roll bar at the front. But I couldn't see it the only time I was given a look under the car by the dealership, although the rear one was evident. Can anyone clarify for me?

This shows the front anti Rollbar running behind the front wheel centreline.
I don't think you would be able to see it under the car.
Makes sense with 50:50 weight balance that stringing and roll control would be roughly the same front and rear.
Having said that this isn't exactly ID3 because the Charge port is at the front!!

Sorry "Fake news"!!
this one is ID3 front anti-roll bar runs forward across front of front sub-frame

Not sure that diagram shows it?

But If you look at your car you will see a drop link to the rear of the strut attached to an ARB running across the front of the car.

I looked. And yes I can confirm my car does have a front anti-roll bar. Thanks folks.

But the car still doesn't ride well over really bad surfaces...

Front anti roll bar is definitely fitted on the ID3. In any case, the ARB will not affect slow speed suspension compliance - the behaviour you are unhappy with will be due to spring and damper settings. I personally find our ID3 pretty good on uneven surfaces - certainly better than our other car, which is a Tesla Model 3. That has a pretty hard ride that rattles your fillings out! You can probably get after market suspension mods that will soften the ride, but suspension set up is a bit of a black art, so I’d personally not go down that path.