Coilovers or spring and damper set?

[Dragon Dave 1]

Hi, I know this sort of question has been asked many times, I have tried the search and can't find the answers I am looking for.

I need new suspension and don't know what will be best for me. I don't really need it to be adjustable but that would be an advantage. I'm looking for a 60/40 drop and a reasonably comfortable ride. I still want sporty handling but I don't want to feel every bump in the road.

My last car was a GTI 8v and was lowered 40mm all round with a Hottuning spring and damper kit. I was happy enough with the ride on this kit but I don't expect that kit to last too long. The new car has been lowered 40mm all round by a previous owner, it looks like a similar cheap kit to the Hottuning kit, it doesn't look too old and is knackered already.

I want to spend a bit more money and get a good quality kit.

I spoke to someone at The Phirm and they said all coilovers are a very hard ride unless I spend a lot of money. They suggest I go for springs and dampers.

I'm thinking that I should go for a Bilstein B10 60/40 kit for just over £400, this fits my budget. Any comments?

First question.....Coilovers or fixed height springs?

Second question......If I get a fixed 60mm drop on the front, will that be OK, with out rolling or cutting the arches (or any other arch work)?

Any suggestions would be great,

Thanks for your help.

Dave

[VR6Nat 9]

Hi Dave

This will all come down to opinions and im sure you will get different answers, but from my experience, i found coilovers to be as good as the ride on springs... i have the Gaz GHA coilover kit... which although expensive its worth the money, the are fully adjustable (and if you become a premium member you get 15% off them with one of their suppliers!!) worth becoming a premium member anway as we get great discounts with suppliers of all sorts and you will find you get more than your money back on suspension alone!

I had springs on my last car and coilovers on this, and everyone comments on how nice my ride still is compared to others. Plus getting suspension kits you are stuck with whatever drop you are given, there is no option to go a tad lower or raise it a tad and i think that is quite important in getting your car exactly fitted to you.

Obviously i dont know as much as guys at the phirm etc, all i can go by is my car, mates cars and my previous cars. Cheap coilovers are rubbish, but with everything, you get what you pay for and suspension is woth the extra bit i think....

[Dazdub 0]

I would have to say coilovers but that is just my personal opinion. The ride from coilovers isnt as harsh as you might think. I think its good that you can change the ride height whenever you like, so in the future if you change your mind about the stance you can raise or lower to what you want as apposed to being stuck with a fixed ride height. As for possible arch rolling it will depend on what size rims you have mate. You should be ok with -60mm on 16s and probably 17s. Obviously the guys at the phirm are top boys so they know what they are talking about.

[Lukey. 381]

The ride on my AP coilovers is better than the ride on the lowered suspension that came off before them.

If you arent bothered about adjusting damping rates the AP coilovers are well worth the £350 for the quality, which was a fair bit cheaper than most offer fixed height suspension at.

[Dragon Dave 1]

Thanks for the replys......The rims are 17's with 205/40/17 tyres.

Can anyone suggest a good quality coilover kit for about £500

The Phirm recomend Koni but they are almost double my budget, I asked about AVO's and they said they are prone to leaking.

[Lukey. 381]

£590 would get KW v1

if you are swapping suspension i would get all new top rubbers too, you can get the lot for about £40 from a dealer

[VR6Nat 9]

Well if you become a premium member i can get you Gaz GHAs for close to £500 inc vat & delivery... thats about £60 cheaper than anywhere else and a great price for a great kit... but that is something i can only offer out to premium members... one of many benefits...

[Dazdub 0]

Avo's are still expensive. I would say FK or as lukeyb says AP. For the price the quality is amazing. Have a look on Venoms website. Let us know what you end up getting matey

[Ian_rogers 0]

Also with coilovers if u change ur wheel size u can adjust to suit the wheels

[Dragon Dave 1]

It seems coilovers are the popular choice.

I have found a supplier that's not too far from me that does Gaz GHA's for £474.22 incl. VAT.

This seems like a very good price for fully adjustable coilovers. They don't come with the German TUV quality approval. Does that mean they are not as good as the ones that do?

[VR6Nat 9]

Bloody hell.... who's that?!?!

[Dragon Dave 1]

Carnoisseur Direct

[VR6Nat 9]

am i looking at the wrong bit?? http://www.carnoisseurdirect.com/epages/es109596.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es109596_es12033330919/Products/%22GAZ%20GHA%20%20GOLF%20ALL%22

they're on offer, but not wuite as cheap as you said... i need to get some for my bfs 4motion!! lol.

[Lukey. 381]

TUV means they have passed quality tests for german road use, which they have to have in germany, basically means its as good as or exeeds the quiality of the stuff the manufacturer put on it.

Not required in the UK, but good to know your stuff has a certificate

[Dragon Dave 1]

I did a google search for 'Gaz GHA'. I clicked on the third search result and it said that price. Having looked at the page again, I can see that kit was not for a Golf. The price for the Golf kit is a little higher.

I would like to get something with the TUV approval.

The FK Sport edition plus kit looks like a good choice

- Adjustable height and dampening

- TUV approved

- Fits my budget

Any comments on this kit?

[Lukey. 381]

when i was getting mine a lot of results came up that they cease up quickly.

if you are after "around" 500 and dont mind goign a bit higher id recommend the KWs, if i had the cash at the time id have gone for them. do a search on them, nothing but praise. The reason i went for APs was 1. because they were in the right bracket and 2. they are made by KW

[kie_dub 0]

ive got kw on mine, the ride quality isnt very comfortable when your riding low, you feel every bump in the road and the ride is a little bouncy but i would recommend the brand as its well known

[Dragon Dave 1]

I don't want to ride very low. 60/40 would be fine for me.

I don't want to feel every bump in the road and I don't want bouncy.

The KW V1's don't have damping adjustment.

When the coilovers sieze up...what actually siezes? The damper or the height adjuster or something else?

[Lukey. 381]

the threaded bodies and collars sieze up, by their nature if you are at the very top or bottom coilovers get hard, the middle is usually far more compliant

[VR6Nat 9]

I did a google search for 'Gaz GHA'. I clicked on the third search result and it said that price. Having looked at the page again' date=' I can see that kit was not for a Golf. The price for the Golf kit is a little higher.

I would like to get something with the TUV approval.

The FK Sport edition plus kit looks like a good choice

- Adjustable height and dampening

- TUV approved

- Fits my budget

Any comments on this kit?

[/quote']

I have heard a lot about FKs only lasting 2 years before seazing up... but just to clear it up... Gaz as a company are TUV approved and work to TUV regulations, the only reason the individual coilovers arent TUV approved is that it would cost £1000 for each spring set, and coilover or all levels to be tested, then thats for every model of car they supply to, so as you can imagine is loads! Which in turn would put the cost of the suspension up by loads. But its the same difference as the company has to work to regulations and be checked or they lose it. I wouldnt have something on my car that wasnt safe... but i appreciate what you say....

[kie_dub 0]

Don't go for the kw then lol, mind you mine arte a few years old now, surely if you grease up the thread on install they won't seize up. If you arnt slamming it or keeping it high you should be ok with kw dude

[VR6Nat 9]

Its the FKs that are renound for seazing up or leaking after a couple of years... not heard much about KWs and any problems.

[Dragon Dave 1]

I can't find KW V1's for less than £650 and they are not adjustable damping. If the Gaz GHA kit is TUV approved then I think this is the one, it has adjustable damping and comfortably fits my budget.

VR6 Nat...you said you could supply the Gaz kit for about £500 if I become a premium member. Does that price include delivery to my house, or delivery to you? How long would it take to supply the kit?

[VR6Nat 9]

Please see the Gaz site to make sure you are happy... http://www.gaz-shocks.co.uk/product.html

Basically one of the premium membership benefits is 15% off Gaz Shocks with one of their main distributers.... i will give you the details of the guy to call and he takes your spec and they get made for you... (this is because you can chose your spring load rate etc.. or just go with the standard) so they can take 2 weeks for delivery.

The guy you speak to is actually the Gaz technical help guy that you get if you phone their helpline so he is clued up, any info you need to know before buying just ask him, he's a a really nice guy so dont worry about asking him anything.

The coilovers are £515 that's vat & delivery included. So £515 to your door. You just do it all over the phone with him.

But as i say, this is only a premium benefit.... people that help the club survive get help getting cheap parts... :)

[Rayhoop 0]

Hi Nat.

Would I be correct to assume you are running the GAZ GHAs, with standard bushes/top mounts and arbs?

If not - what else have you up-rated... and as a result, how would you describe the ride?

i.e.

currently my VR is running worn original shocks with 'heated & compressed' original springs. As a result, the ride is like jelly and the shocks bottom out occasionally over bumps/pot holes. Bushes are worn, so occasional knock and tyres wearing on the edge.

I was running Koni ride adjustable coilovers on my old mk1 gti with poly bushes all round and standard top mounts. With an approx 45mm drop. The ride was lovely. Bumps were controlled. At low speeds you could feel the road surface but it was not uncomfortable. As the speed increased, the bumps got a lot smoother (very comfortable/stable at speed, felt like it glided over big bumps and small). Body roll was still there, but minimal. At all speeds, the car never bounced or hopped when taking bumps whilst mid bend or on a straight.

Im interested to hear how the GAZ set up rides for you, as I'm swaying towards getting a set for my VR, but I'll be running them with poly wishbone bushes, poly rear axle bushes, standard arb + bushes and standard top mounts. Wheels will be VR6 Speedlines (when I find a set) with standard profile tyres (or possibly 1 profile lower...)

Bearing in mind, my VR will 98% be used for daily drive, lots of A roads (fast road), and occasionally I would like to enjoy track days/ring trips - but not find the suspension is too soft for track/Ring enjoyment (not to win any competitions).

I look forward to your reply!! :-)