A thread about ebay coilover kits and other set ups !

[ghost123uk]

OK I will remind them re the top mounts and bump stops, though as I mentioned, these guys are pretty experienced with Golf's and Scirocco's ( http://www.centralvwaudi.com/index.htm ) their website makes them look pretty Glam, but in reality they are only a small back street garage, but non the less very honest and I recommend them ( a rare accolade in the world of garages ! )

Question = is 30~40 mm drop considered, average and OK or a bit severe and might result in reduced ride quality ? (I ask because they said they were going to find some -20~25's but I cannot find such a beast, only -30~40 mm)

[Maikki]

Usually Eibachs have better ride comfort in city than oem suspension but on motorway or B-roads they are much stiffer.

You cannot say that -40mm drop is harsher than -25mm because it depends which springs and shocks you are bying.FK or JOM will ´drop your teeth but Eibach/Bilstein sports will be great.

[ghost123uk]

At present I cannot find any Eibach shocks for our MKII's

Bilstiens are available (at a price, but hey ho, if I must I will)

How about complete kits from Spax as per =

http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... l=Scirocco

At £325 per set they sound good value...

Comments invited...

[MacColl]

Just my 2p..

I personally think budget wise 30-40mm drop with shocks and springs is the way to go. My suspension is a mixture of old new stock GSF -40mm springs and Boge shocks as inserts/cheaper veedubmachine ones on the rear. This only really came to around £150 but also important was new Febi Bilstein top mounts and bump stops along with fresh dust covers.

The only down side I find to a fairly comfortable ride (to my old lowered harsh Polo) is the stance. This obviously wouldn't be an issue with coilovers. Front tyres are a slight lower profile but I still feel the front needs to come down.. Anyone tried these lowering caps at the front?


has anyone tried these Koni STRT? http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... l=Scirocco which i was considering before I found my bargain/budget set up.

[ianaudia4]

At present I cannot find any Eibach shocks for our MKII's

Bilstiens are available (at a price, but hey ho, if I must I will)

How about complete kits from Spax as per =

http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... l=Scirocco

At £325 per set they sound good value...

Comments invited...

Try searching for MK1 Golf!

[ghost123uk]

At present I cannot find any Eibach shocks for our MKII's

Bilstiens are available (at a price, but hey ho, if I must I will)

How about complete kits from Spax as per =

http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... l=Scirocco

At £325 per set they sound good value...

Comments invited...

Try searching for MK1 Golf!

Do you mean for the Eibach shocks ?

If so, I don't seem to find any with a Google search as per = eibach shocks MKI golf -springs (the -springs to filter out all the "springs only" findings, tried it with search = to eibach shocks MKI golf as well.)

[Tim_R]

Do you mean for the Eibach shocks ?

Eibach only make springs and don't do dampers as far as I know, I believe you can get kits that are Eibach springs and 3rd party dampers designed to work together, though I don't know what is available in rocco fitment.

From my personal experience I'd struggle to recommend anything other than Koni's for my rocco. I've been using the same yellow top adjustables on my car for the last 5 years, before that I was killing front dampers every 6 months and rears would last 18 before they went bouncy and didn't damp properly anymore. That said, they were expensive when I bought them so no idea what they cost now. But they can be rebuilt by specalists for close to the price of a cheap set of Boges from GSF or similar.

[ghost123uk]

So I take it the Spax kits mentioned above ( http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... l=Scirocco ) are not recommended as a good idea.

Yep a full set of KONI / REAR YELLOW SPORTS SHOCK ABSORBERS ( C&P !) is going to cost over £500

I cannot justify that expense, this is not a track day car !

There must be summat out there that is OK but not that price ? (I mean OEM ones last many years before they wear out...)

Anyone got any further ideas ?

Someone above (or maybe on another thread, I have been researching !) said suspension choice is a confusing can of worms and I see what he meant

Should have gone to Kwik Fit

[ghost123uk]

Flip, this is getting complicated

I know find that at least in Tim_R's opinion, and I gather he knows his stuff, that if I fit the 40mm drop Eibach springs I should also fit shortened dampers

Off now to research that but I bet we are back to looking at sets that cost 4 or 5 hundred quid

If only I knew whether the Spax full kits were any use...

Then there is KW Automotive kits that drop 45 at the front and 25 at the rear, that is a drop ratio I like the sound of, but I have no info on "KW Automotive" kits (£342 by the way) except they are German

[Tim_R]

Had a quick look around for manufacturers who offer short stroke dampers and there's not a great deal of choice from what I can see. Motorsport World list Koni as one supplier, but I can't find any other manufacturers who list shorter dampers, would have thought there would be some. It could be they have stopped making them due to the cheap coilover market.

I've got no personal experience with the Spax kits and don't know anyone else who has so really can't say what they would be like I afraid.

The setup I've ended up using is a set of standard springs that came off Gtxtra's 16v, Koni top adjustable dampers, set just slightly above softest damping and Eibach anti roll bars and lower front strut brace. I wanted something that would cope with badly surfaced country roads, speed bumps in suburbia but be capable of keeping the car stable and predictable on A and B roads as that's where it spends most of it's time.

[Mr Funk]

Honestly, when it comes to something as fundamental as suspension you can justify pretty much anything.

Yes, I am a Weitec whore but as I'll happily tell you (and the other guys on here that run them), there isn't much that will touch them. They aren't too harsh regardless of ride height (I run them wound down, conservative estimate has to be 8-10 cm) and yet it's never suffered from what a lot of people assume with things like shattering spines and poor handling.

Now obviously I'm not suggesting you go out tomorrow and shell out that amount of money. But give it some consideration. How long are you thinking of keeping the car, what performance do you want (good coileys + strut braces = amazing handling) and what can you justify in your own mind.

If you aren't fussed about waiting a bit then perhaps try a couple of cars. I did and it certainly opened my eyes. If you're ever in the area and you fancy it you're more than welcome to take a ride in mine.

[GTXTRA]

Listen to Funk.

i've got weitec fully adjustables on the scala - even with silly wheels it's the best set up on my cars. firm but supple if that's possible and, i am happy to admit, offers stance potential. i like the nose down look.

i have the ap coilovers on the gtl and the 16v..........for the money great but i'm going to budget for weitecs on the mk1.

your point re longevity is a good one - my brm car is running on 21 year old bilstein shock/springs and they are still going strong.

bottom line? sample a few cars if you have the opportunity and accept that the cheaper route does mean compromise re comfort.

non coilover set up - i sold petegli my koni top adjustables a while back when i decided to go coilovers on the 16v, they were very good.

[ghost123uk]

I had not planned on spending that sort of money, but OK I am new getting tempted by this Wietec option on the grounds that they are highly recommended and I do plan on keeping this car.
They do a Coil & shock kit that does 45 at the front and 25 at the rear and that IS what I originally wanted stance wise.

@ GTEXTRA & MrFunk, Are we talking Coil overs (£680) or springs and Shocks (£630) ?

I feel a decision may be getting close !

btw, Thanks for all the input folks

[ghost123uk]

I had not planned on spending that sort of money, but OK I am new getting tempted by this Wietec option on the grounds that they are highly recommended and I do plan on keeping this car.
They do a Coil & shock kit that does 45 at the front and 25 at the rear and that IS what I originally wanted stance wise.

@ GTEXTRA & MrFunk, Are we talking Coil overs (£680) or springs and Shocks (£630) ?

I feel a decision may be getting close !

btw, Thanks for all the input folks

OK so I can get ( from http://www.dcperformance.co.uk )

Complete 45 / 25 Wietec shocks and Eibach for around £450
Wietec Coil overs with fancy gas for around £450
Wietec Coil overs with Nitrogen gas for around £400

All the above = non adjustable damping.

Or a Spax kit with adjustable damping for ~£325

Decision time

[PeteGLi]

Or a Spax kit with adjustable damping for ~£325

Decision time

I am fitting a Spax PSX kit to a Mk1, but will not be able to tell you how it performs, as the car will not be on the road for some time yet.
Should you go this route, then in case you are thinking it is a straight bolt on kit, it is not.
You get front damper units and springs and rear shock absorbers, lower spring seats and springs.
The front damper units are inserts which go in the existing struts.
When you take your existing struts apart, make a note of where each washer, etc goes in the sequence. Look at the exploded diagram of the front suspension on either Wagenstad (if it is up and running again) or Vagcat. Don't forget the washer that goes on the piston above the bump stop but below the upper spring seat.
I would also suggest that you fit a shorter bumpstop and the rubber bellows instead of the hard plastic dust cover.