Old thread, but curious if your improvements held up over time? My new-to-me 2019 GTI with DCC has the same issue. It feels like there's no damper travel in the front, regardless of drive mode. Just bang bang bang over every expansion joint in the road.
YOU MIGHT WANT TO TRY THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK: I guess I would need to see how big the expansion joint is. If it's big enough, I get a big thump on wide ones. I run my tires 2-3 PSI under the prescribed 39 pounds cold for my 19s. I adjust them in the garage. I also have a thermometer in the garage at about 5 feet from the ground in the middle of the garage. I set the tires to 36-37 PSI cold, taking into consideration what the outside temperature will be for the time of year, so I'm not "overfilling" them when the garage is warmer than outside. I consider this the main cause of a poor ride. I bet 99.999% of people either overfill their tires, or worse not check them every couple of weeks or so. Even if the car is outside, which is worse for trying to set tires pressures, the tire pressures will rise a good 2-3 pounds just from the heat generated through friction from driving and any direct sunlight. It's a tricky thing to get it so the ride is good all of the time. Keep in mind that's what we signed up for when we bought the cars. One other thing to consider - I initially fill the tires to 39 cold in the garage and set the TPMS to 39. You don't want to set the TPMS to, for example 37 after you adjust the pressures a little lower, because the tires will be too low before you get the TPMS warning. It could mean the difference between being able to stop in a safe place to pump it up or ruining a tire. Being set at 39 will also give you advanced warning if you get a sudden cold spell. Keep in mind that, at least in the US, there is no recommendation in the owner's manual to do this on an R with 19s, at least not on my 2016. So, do this experiment at your own risk. And try not to take corners fast until the tires warm up, which is good advice no matter the tire pressures or outside temperatures. You probably already know it could about a mile for the TPMS to detect a low tire, so check your tire pressures before you get on a highway if you don't have the time to spare to pump it on the way to your destination. I live about 1-2 miles from a main road depending which direction I'm going, so it's not usually an issue for me. A good tire gauge and portable air are a must when you have high-performance tires. One other thing I noticed when I went to replace my old PS4S's with new ones. Despite all my efforts, the tire treads were all worn more in the middles more than the outsides by about 1/32. That lead me to believe the VW-recommended tire pressures are only there for better MPG, but since tires are not my field of expertise, what do I know.