Hello, I have just joined. I have been an Audi owner for 14 years. 3 A6 Allroads and now an SQ5. The A6 had air suspension and a magic ride. My SQ5 had air but is quite a bit harsher. It has the 21” wheels and a pal suggested smaller wheels would improve the ride. Has anyone got any advice about this? Otherwise the car is amazing! Thanks in advance. Duncan Edwards 

Smaller wheels with higher profile tyres (to maintain the original diameter) will make some improvement to the ride, however it will not alter the fundamental harsh settings of the suspension, which several members have complained of.

Thanks for the information. I understood post purchase that the SQ5 does have harsher suspension then the standard Q5 owing to the 'S' spec. It does go round corners well though!!

 

It's always a trade off between comfort and handling.

Going from an A6 Allroad, I’ll bet you’ll feel the difference.

As far as I know SQ and Q5, you can go down to 18”. They are 8.0J pattern wheels. Check the back of the existing 21” wheels for the offset.

Assuming tyres are currently 255/40 R21 on 21” 8.5J, wheels that’s based on 2025 model year.
 

Going down to say, 19” which would be good compromise, they would be 235/55 R19 (available on S Line).

More details here, taken from 2020 45 TFSI PDF: https://press.audi.co.uk/assets/documents/original/1889-AudiQ545TFSIquattroStronicUKTechnicalDataNovember2020.pdf

Alloy wheels from 2018 model year (page 31 of PDF): https://press.audi.co.uk/assets/documents/original/21084-AudiUK00017541AudiQ5andSQ5Brochure.pdf

Like everything, do your due diligence. Online alloy wheel configuration handy to cross check, or speak to local tyre fitters you trust.

19's on a 55 sidewall would be the best option I'd think. My Sq5 is on 20's and suspension set to comfort .  Normal shocks n springs. Coming from Mercedes that possibly has the worst suspension ever across all models in sports guise ,I find the sq5 to be very comfortable tbh.   Run flats also spoil comfort levels over bumps etc. 

Sorry I don't know as much as the other people here but, for what it's worth, I've found the choice of tires matters a lot too.
I owned a BMW that came with run-flats and then changed to non-run-flats and noticed an immediate difference.
When I put that car on winter tires, there was another significant improvement to comfort

Thanks for the info’ I’ll have a trawl. May just have to get used to the harsher ride. I have a pal who downsized his wheels on a VW Touareg and said it made a difference, but that wasn’t sitting on air. I was a bit naive I suppose. I thought the SQ5 would be a near replacement for the A6 Allroad bi-turbo, but not so. On main roads it’s brilliant - ah well, a first world problem! 

Thanks all for the input. Much to contemplate! 

Thanks for the input however I have decided to change from the SQ5 to an A8! The ride quality of the SQ5 was disappointing and not what I was expecting from a car with Air suspension. My fault for being a bit naïve. The ride quality of the A8 is outstanding so I am happy again. Now I have to find someone to fit a towbar - not straight forward it seems

You are not the first to complain of the harsh ride of the SQ5, nor will you be the last.

I am 18 months into SQ5 ownership and was also exasperated by the poor ride, having owned 3 A6 Avants which were all brilliant (other than the notorious BSG issue on the last one - well documented elsewhere in this forum).

Having played extensively with tyre pressures and seeing as I don't drive at the limit on German Autobahns, (these days anyhow!), I have found that running pressures at 35 front and 32 rear with Individual ride setting on Comfort does significantly improve ride quality without compromising handling. It also reduces road noise on the (still original) Pirelli Scorpion Verde tyres, which are wearing very slowly. I do intend to switch them to a lower noise brand when they have worn a bit more.

Well done for pursuing a resolution. Likewise, I had 3 A6 Allroads before which were superb. I would have had another one but they are no longer made/imported, so I thought the SQ5 would be a good replacement. Air suspension, Bi-Turbo (my last A6 was a Bi turbo). The SQ5 felt like a bit of a boy racer car and was quite cramped in the back compared to the A6. I was a bit miffed to find the dual twin pipe exhausts, which looked great, were actually not connected to anything, which I thought was a bit of a con. I saw an SQ8 the other day with the same issue. The ride finished me off eventually though (and my wife also!). The handling of the SQ5 was pretty outstanding though if you were not carrying passengers!

I have now got an A8, which is wonderful to drive and incredibly quiet, so I am happy at the moment.

Now I have to find someone who can fit a towbar on the A8, which has proven to be difficult.