Best Standard Set up

[Mr Funk]

Right then, as part of an on going project I'd like to know what people consider to be the definitive STANDARD suspension set up (we'll assume that the lower, front brace is a given).
I'll admit complete ignorance on this as I've not driven a standard spec rocco in years. And before anyone says "whatever VW sell you" I mean the manufacturer of said parts. Part No.s would also come in incredibly handy.

Cheers in advance

Portland Bill

[GTXTRA]

Boge used to have a very good rep re the oil and also gas filled dampers - matched to some eibach springs they were very good on a daily driven Storm a mate owned years ago.

[MikeH]

New bits are best! Std shocks are made by Sachs Boge IIRC. Most people only drive std cars that are on tired, soggy suspension, which means they never have a good experience of it.

[dozzum]

Ive been looking at the Boge and Sachs ones from here.

http://www.vwspares.co.uk/g1suspension_rear.php
http://www.vwspares.co.uk/g1suspension.php

Dont know how old the ones on the car are though. They are Sachs branded and dont want to replace them needlessly. How easy is it to test them definitively to see if they are shagged or not?

[polov8]

I like the way the cars drive on Boge turbogas, but the shocks don't seem to last as long as the originals. After a couple of years driving around Sheffield they seem to be leaking. All Sciroccos I've come across came with sachs or boge shocks, but the mk1 GTI/GLI/Storm originally came on unique spec Bilsteins that are no longer available. Same goes for the mk1 Golf GTI.

I had a full set of these on my old mk1 in combination with a set of Eibach springs, and it drove extremely nicely:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350579088973? ... 1423.l2649
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/350579089293? ... 1423.l2649

Going to be going with the same shocks on my mk1 GLI project too, but this time with brand new standard springs. I will be modifying the strut housings for a little more travel though.

[MJK 24]

I've just ditched my Boge Turbogas and I'm delighted to see the back of them! Though I cannot really fault their longevity!

I have just done a top to bottom overhaul of the suspension, brakes and steering on my Mk2. I was after the handling to be as good as possible BUT I wanted a car with OEM levels of ride quality as despite being 27 years old, the Rocco is my daily driver 365 days a year.

I went with Bilstein B4 Gas dampers for a few reasons. 1) Standard valving for OEM ride quality. 2) Bilstein state their suitable for upto a 40mm drop. 3) Price. £150 for a full set shipped from Germany. I'd recommend replacing all four but if it's just the fronts your after, they're much cheaper than the rears! Balance Motorsport the UK distributor. No stock is held so they'll be special order from Germany over 7 working days. Bilstein will ship direct to you!

Springs I used were Eibach ProKit -35mm. 1) I've had Eibach springs on my Lotus for years without issue. 2) Both Eibach and Bilstein say these springs and dampers are matched to each other. You're looking at £135 for the kit.

Anti roll bars - I went with Eibach. £277 for the pair (ouch!) from Demon Tweeks. 3-5 working days. They come with bushes.

Bushes - Superflex. I think they were around £100 for front wishbone, rear beam and steering rack. Check availability with Superflex before you order as they kept me waiting 2 weeks which annoyed me a bit...

Ballpoints, steering arms, track rod ends I went with Lemforder. They're a German supplier to the Volkswagen Group and part of ZF. I got this lot from Eurocarparts (who I despise!) but they always have a 25% discount code all year around.

Top mounts and wheel bearings I went with SKF. You can get some super cheap top mounts and wheel bearings these days if you're happy to change them every 18 months. SKF are the OEM supplier to VW and a whole load of other manufacturers. If they last the 27 years the first lot did, I'll be a happy man. Top mounts are sold in pairs at £63 and the wheel bearings are £33 for the fronts. Again the Eurocarparts 25% or 30% bank holiday codes will bring this down to something more palatable!

I had the rack overhauled locally. Built the whole lot up and most essential of all, had it professionally set up. I used Phoenix Motorsport who've looked after the Lotus for years and do a brilliant job. £60 plus VAT.

The difference to before is astonishing. You can fly over speed bumps and pot holes without any harshness yet it'll now corner at frankly silly speeds whilst feeling very safe and predictable but remaining virtually level. Very stable on the motorway. It feels fantastic and very OEM. I'm delighted with the results and though it wasn't a cheap exercise, I do feel it was well worth it afterwards!

Good luck :)

[Mr Funk]

Cheers all. WIll compile and see what I can come up with