GMAX suspension kits - are they very bouncy or very good value?

[matth76 1]

Hi

I am thinking about getting the GMAX kit fitted. The Phirm recommended it as a very good value kit (which lasts) and which really improved the handling of the Golf VR6.

Has anyone on here got this kit fitted or ever had one? How did your car handle round corners compared to standard suspension - how was the body roll and cornering stability at high speed?

I've heard some people say SPAX kits are bouncy. I'm sure I read somewhere that SPAX and GMAX were the same or similar companies (I may be wrong on this though). In which case how bouncy are the GMAX kits?? Basically I want my standard suspension and handling to be much firmer and really improved with whatever suspension kit I get fitted (as the standard suspension is appalling). Can the GMAX kit do this? Or am I wasting my money?

My car's a golf vr6 on standard 15" wheels. How low will my car look - will it be noticably lower than standard? I believe the GMAX kit lowers the car 35mm.

Thanks for any help.

Cheers

Matt

[Seademon 0]

I had a GMAX kit on my Calibra for a few years and found them to be an ok bit of kit! The kit I had werent coil overs or anything just normal shocks and springs - can handled well and wasnt a bouncy or hard ride & gave a nice difference in height - how they perform on a VR6, I dont know :0)

You might have read that SPAX & GAX shocks are the same - engineers that worked for SPAX went off and set their own company up - GAZ shocks.

[stockers 1]

i had g max kit on the old vr, on for 2 years and the fronts were knackered. possibly due to the heavy lump, but the ride was good overall.(obviousely before they were knackered)

[matth76 1]

Cheers guys. Sounds like they are good. How long do uprated suspension kits (i.e springs and shocks) tend to last on average?

[Slim 0]

With suspension, you get what you pay for. Personally, I don't see much point in spending £250 on a budget set up when you can get a much better quality set up for £350. Some people say it's saving £100, I reckon it's wasting £250. If you look around for group buys, you'll pick up a set of FK Highsport coilovers for around £350.

[TVR6 0]

Let's be fair here, not all budget kit is bad. I have heard allot of good things about Gmax and I beleive there are a few members on this site who have them fitted and are quite happy with them. Granted you usually get what you pay for but that's not always the case. A local 'performance firm' to me in West London swear by H&R kits which are pricey but they also said that one of the best kept secrets is the budget Gmax kit. If you're keeping the car long term than it may well be worth investing in a 'better set', that is a set that should last longer but may not neccessarily provide better handling/ride.

[Slim 0]

You pays your money....

Incidentally, I know someone that can supply FK Highsport coilovers for £350 if anyone's interested..

[DeathBoB 0]

I just want to add my support for the Gmax kit. Had it fitted a couple of months ago so cant really say about the lifespan of the kit. The handling and look of the car are much improved. The ride is firm without feeling too harsh. Not the lowest drop either but in this world of speedbumps its lowered enough. Should easily fit some 17" wheels without any bodywork needing adjusted - hope so anyway as getting some kahn rsr this weekend.

DeathBoB

[TVR6 0]

£350 for an FK Highsport kit is bloody good money! I last saw them £410 from Venom and that was considered a low price. It wasn't too long ago that £350 only bought you the yellow budget FK kit

DeathBob, let us know how you get on with the 17s once fitted.

[six appeal 53]

I've got a G-max kit on my Mk2 GTI that cost me less than £200! Its a great bit of kit, fitted well, nice and low and fantatsic ride quality, I'd definately recommend them if your on a budget. (Although I've not been in a VR with them fitted)

Simon.

[DeathBoB 0]

Got the kahn rsr's from a friend who had them on his mk3 8v gti. Says he has VR6 brakes on his car and the wheels fitted fine , even if he did have 4mm machined of the rear wheels to fit flush on the hub. Wheels went on fine, dont see where the 4mm would have caused any trouble fitting the rear hubs though, tight fit around the front brake calipers but has a few mm clear. No bumping or rubbing so far, seems plenty of clearance around the arches. The overall rideheight is raised a fraction - just perfect to stop the daily scrape over a speedbump in my street.

Deathbob

[kilokilla 0]

Ive fitted g-max to quite a few cars now and found them to be extremely good value and ride but i only once fitted a g-max to a vr6 golf and found it was nowhere near as good as on the smaller engined cars such as 16vs and personally id go with something a bit better for vrs in future myself but thats just my opinion.

[matth76 1]

Thanks for the replies. Anyone on here got a VR6 with a GMAX kit? They only lower the car 35mm but that's still 5mm more than most kits (other than coilovers). My car's only got standard 15" bbs wheels so will be interesting whether my car looks a bit lower or not (I'm running the standard tyres for the 15" wheels - 205 width, 50 profile). Hopefully the handling will be improved though as the standard handling is cr*p.

I was thinking about FK Highsports coilovers a couple of months ago and posted a couple questions about them but nobody on here has been able to give any reviews about them nor how long they last, and Stealth have never used them to give a good or bad review about them. Since then have been recommended GMAX by The Phirm (who are very local to me) who have said they are very good value and last (longer than a lot of coilovers too apparently) - they have a 3 year guarantee too.

For just over £400 (fully fitted) the GMAX seems pretty good. Anyone running their car with them at the mo or have in the past? How was the handling compared to standard on the vr6?

Cheers for any help.

[matth76 1]

DeathBob... is your car on GMAX springs in your first pic with the standard alloys?

The gap between the tyre and the wheel arch looks much smaller with your new 17" wheels than with the standard 15" wheels..which is odd.. I would have thought the gap would be the same regardless of the alloy size, because the overall wheel+tyre diameter should be the same (unless the first pic was with standard suspension). Your new wheels really suit the car, much better than the standard alloys.

Do you have any close up pics with your car on GMAX with the standard alloys please?

[Slim 0]

Without wanting to sound harsh, if you're going to spend over £400 to fit GMAX shocks and springs to your car, you're off your head.

[stockers 1]

this is my old vr on gmax set up

so you get a nice drop even on 15's, not overly low, pretty subtle but a huge improvement on stock

i have fk highsports on my new vr and really like them, great for tight cornering, no roll or learching. (and stealth fitted them)

[DeathBoB 0]

£400 does seems a bit steep. Cost me £200 for the kit, £70 for fitting and £20 to get the tracking done. Perhaps they aren't the best or most expensive but its a real improvement over the standard suspension.

As requested here are a couple of pics of the car with 15" bbs' and Gmax kit fitted.

DeathBoB

[matth76 1]

Without wanting to sound harsh' date=' if you're going to spend over £400 to fit GMAX shocks and springs to your car, you're off your head.

[/quote']

Stealth quoted a little over £200 to fit and this includes full 4 wheel laser alignment etc/ tracking/ balancing (which is necessary), and The Phirm quoted a similar amount.

£70 fitting seems extremely good.

Thanks for all your replies and pics.

If I went for coilovers I'd be looking at around £600 or more (for Highsports say)... around £750 for H&R springs and Koni shocks !dodge (excellent handling but only a 30mm drop)

[matth76 1]

this is my old vr on gmax set up

so you get a nice drop even on 15's' date=' not overly low, pretty subtle but a huge improvement on stock

i have fk highsports on my new vr and really like them, great for tight cornering, no roll or learching. (and stealth fitted them)

[/quote']

How much did Stealth charge to supply and fit the FK Highsports? How long did Stealth say they should last? How long does standard suspension tend to last? The thing that worries me is that if one coilover goes you need to buy a whole set of 4 again. With suspension kits (consisting of shocks and springs) am I right in assuming if one wheel's shock or spring goes you can replace just that part that has gone, or can you do the same with a coilover?

[Slim 0]

Don't know what garages are like down south but I got mine fitted in 2 hours and I got my wheels aligned with lasers for £25 at the tyre place down the road, job done.

[stockers 1]

i got my highsports from venom for £320, not sure how much stealth charged to fit them as they had to put new camber arms in and they also fitted the exhaust.

£200 sounds ok as stealth now have a digital system for wheel alignment and camber setting, i got mine done a bit cheaper as they were offering a discount for members.

[DeathBoB 0]

I knew it was too good to be true. Last night i had 4 people and a full tank of petrol in the car. Back wheels were rubbing on the arches so gonna need to get them rolled.

Deathbob

[TVR6 0]

Slim, why's he off his head? It's the fitting cost not the shock/spring kit that's in question. The fitting cost seems a little pricey but if he can get them fitted at a much better price then he's still saving him self around £150 on the setup. Coilovers usually cost a little more to setup as they require adjustment.

[Slim 0]

Over £400 is silly money to be paying to have a budget suspension set up. You might see it as a saving of £150, I see it as a waste of however much it costs. If you're spending money on suspension, you're better off saving that little bit more to get something better.

[TVR6 0]

I don't disagree, you will always see the 'merit' of something better but some people really do have a budget and as far as budget kits go they're quite highly regarded. I agree that if you plan to keep the car for any extended time i.e. a few years then it's always worth the outlay but if you plan to keep it a couple of years at the most you won't see the money back. It's purely a personal thing.