The Suspension Discussion Thread

[gradeAfailure 0]

Quite surprised to find that there isn't a definitive thread on suspension discussion like there is with tyres -opinions on suspension seem to crop up on a daily basis and would it not be worth having a single thread of opinions?

 

Mods, feel free to delete/lock this if there's already a definitive thread that isn't stickied... :)

 

Anyhoo, here's my experiences/opinions:

 

On my VR - Koni TA/H&R springs, 17" wheels, 40-profile tyres

Opinion - not a lot of body roll, very comfortable on ordinary everyday driving, responsive without being harsh, bit of "wince factor" on big potholes

 

On Laura's valver - Koni coilovers, Eibach ARBs, 16" wheels, stretched 40-profile tyres

Opinion - no body roll, bit harsh for daily driving, very responsive, lots of wince factor on big potholes

 

On NickRStorm's VR - Standard suspension, 16" wheels, 45-profile tyres (at a guess)

Opinion - comfortable, very wallowy, lots of body roll

[Trig 0]

Good Idea,

 

I've got Koni TA/H&R springs as well on 15's. Lowered 30-40mm.

 

I think they are a great setup, really responsive when needed, have a much better overall feel of the road. Can be a little crashy over bad bumps. I go over speed humps daily and have no problem with them at all, car always feels nice and solid when I go over the humps. I've found since getting this kit fitted that I can go twice as fast round roundabouts!

 

Only complaint is i'd like to be another 10-20mm lower..

 

EDIT: Oooh and could you capitalise the S, D & T in the thread title please? Looks better IMO :D

[Walesy 0]

Stuck.

 

Although, you should re-name it 'The Koni TA and H&R thread' :lol:

[gradeAfailure 0]

:lol:

 

actually, i'll be getting rid of mine as the car's too practical (ie. not low enough) and am interested to know what coilovers will give me the same ride quality - whether the FK Konigsports will be as good, or if i'm going to have to save for H&R or KW coilies...

 

though I think this will be a good thread of people list all the different suspensions they've experienced in a C, irrespective of whether it was their car or not, as it gives people a frame of reference - eg. i think that Konis/H&R are comfortable enough for daily driving and are less wallowy than standard, but some people might not think that the standard setup is that soft or wallowy, and so wouldn't like the uprated setup.

[Trig 0]

I was on standard and thought it was pretty good unitl I got my above setup. A lot less bouncy now, there used to be quite a bit of roll around the tight corners.

[Walesy 0]

I can say unreservedly that G-Max shocks and springs were bloody awfull on my last g60, I put them on as a quick and cheap fix, but regretted it.

 

I think the next set up i'll buy will be FK's

[timg60 0]

FK highsports were a budget option for me as my standard shocks were fubar.

However I am really happy with the ride even running 17s. Can recommend them for those with rapidly emptying corrado funds "CC" or GF :lol:

[STORM 2 0]

I will watch with interest - my personal debate is whether or not to go for FK highsports or pay the extra 70 quid for konigsports? The silverline option just compounds the matter further.....

[bristolbaron 11]

I've bought 2nd hand H&R coilies for mine, but they're still being refurbed. Will post up here when they're on.

 

From general experience though i've heard

 

Konis/H&R's is a good combo

or with coilovers buy FK Konigsports on a budget, and KW's or H&R's if you can! Anything less than Konigs will feel terrible.

[chrishill 0]

(on the old valver) bilstien 'sport' kit from ECP - comprises bilstien shocks and ventura springs. AVOID! cheap but nasty, -40mm springs with standard length shocks made for a bloody bouncy ride, better than 15 year old stock items, but not by much.

 

(on the old VR) Koni non-adjustables with koni 60mm springs. lovely, bit harsh over big bumps but nothing to worry about, great cornering, solid feel, good for everyday driving too.

[dr_mat 0]

Given that this is a suspension information thread, here's information about the OE suspension on the Corrado range (what I can remember, anyway).

 

OE manufacturer for shocks was Boge (a.k.a. SACHS). Early cars all came with simple oil filled shocks, later cars (maybe) and VRs (definitely) came with gas-over-oil shocks.

GSF sell the gas-over-oil ones for good prices (though still 3x the factory cost!) and they're branded either Boge Turbogas or SACHS Advantage. You can tell the gas ones because they spring back of their own accord. Gas ones can be happily fitted to any car without issues.

 

Don't know too much about the VW springs, but I know there's lots of different ones, and they're distinguished by coloured dots at the base of the spring coils.

[StuartFZR400 0]

gradeA - you've not said what the drops are :?:

 

Maybe H&R only do one drop height, I wouldn't know. You say that Lauras car on 16" rims gives the harsher ride over the 17"'s, is this because she is on lower springs?

 

I think that would be the best compromise, a hard spring with a 16" wheel that has enough tyre wall to soak up those pot-holes; for the road that is.

 

My own 2-penny: Ive got some Bilstein shocks that do a lovely job. Put the standard spings on and don't like them; lots of roll. The previous cheapo springs -40 gave a solid ride combined with the 17"/40prof' , super stable.

Im sure the 40 drop springs gave a bigger drop to the front (ie maybe only 35 at the back), and this made the car feel much more poised - now on standard, I feel like im looking up at the sky.

[scarlett 0]

. You say that Lauras car on 16" rims gives the harsher ride over the 17"'s, is this because she is on lower springs?

 

mine is set up with an approx 60-70mm drop at the front on Koni Coilovers and approx 50-55mm at the back on Koni adjustable shocks and springs, I also run 9x16's all round which admittedly doesnt help with the ride quality, although I do feel the handling at speed has improved. I do however want to even the suspension out to 70mm approx all round.

 

Apparently the Koni front coilovers/rear shocks and springs was a proper suspension kit sold by Koni a while back - I originally thought it was just mismatched....

 

The Eibach ARB's are fantastic and add so much more to the handling of the car... I dont think I could own a Corrado without them now....

[double-6s 0]

do you reckon stretched tyres makes a difference to ride quality? i suppose it could go either way really?

does it feel any different when the tyres are stretched?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The Eibach ARB's are fantastic and add so much more to the handling of the car... I dont think I could own a Corrado without them now....

 

I'll second that!

[iow_corrado_g60 0]

hi all I had gmax springs and shocks on my golf 8v and i actually thought that handled very well that was dropped 40mm on 17's with a 40mm tyre profile! the ride was very hard thou!

 

on the G60 i have KONI coilovers which i think still havent been set up right but when i have got the rear shelves of to ajust the dampening etc ill let you all know! but they do react very well to differing road conditions and the dampening is very effective

[scarlett 0]

do you reckon stretched tyres makes a difference to ride quality? i suppose it could go either way really?

does it feel any different when the tyres are stretched?

 

from driving a few other rados with and without drops and on various wheel sizes I'd say yes, a low-profile, stretched tyre does feel harsh. However, at speed, I think the car feels more stable on the 9's... (my car was on std 15's when I got it so I do have a point of reference...) but its all personal preference at the end of the day... I am really happy with my set up and would recommend it to anyone looking for a drop of more than 40mm....

 

 

Kev - to be honest when I bought the car the ARB's didnt really mean anything to me but affter driving with them, and driving a rado without, it would be one of the first mods I'd do to any other Rado I own.... :)

[double-6s 0]

must feel well stable - 9 is super wide. quality :)

[Colley 0]

I have H&R coilovers and i love them! They have lowered my car a lot and the ride is still excellent!!

[iow_corrado_g60 0]

i run 9's only on the rear thou are you 9's upfront too scarlett?

 

also sorry what does ARB stand for?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Kev - to be honest when I bought the car the ARB's didnt really mean anything to me but affter driving with them, and driving a rado without, it would be one of the first mods I'd do to any other Rado I own.... :)

 

Absolutely! ARBs make the car feel lighter and more responsive to turn-in, as well as reducing roll, probably the best £200 you could spend on a Rado I reckon!

 

Colley - Good aren't they? ;-)

[scarlett 0]

Its Anti Roll Bars... they help prevent body roll on the car and make the handling feel much more responsive.... not a hugely expensive mod either....

 

and yup, I have 9's both front and rear.... :)

[Walesy 0]

iow_corrado_g60, point your mouse over the ARB in red and it'll tell you what it is! :)

 

It works with any abbrieviation that comes up in red mate.

[rmn 0]

I have experiece of a few different setups

On my old VR6 golf i have koni coilovers, made the car 100 times better nicer handeling less lift under acceleration and much less dive under braking, that was coupled witn new OE bushes in the front suspension.

Worked very very well

then i got my g60, in that it had some horrific gmax setup that was pure hell on wheels, so i binned that and got a set of koni coilovers with some powerflex bushes, the turn in was 100 times better and nice and firm to drive, not to everyones taste, but i liked the harshness and feel of it on twisty road its was fun to drive.

on my 16v corrado i have koni top adjustables and H&R springs, these are a great setup for an every day car, not too harsh but yet firm enough and the adjustment makes them tweakable enough to see what suits you.

 

I would not recomend coilover for anyone who likes their car as comfortable on all road surfaces, cheap coilovers are a definate no no to as they are just crap generally.

For the money koni t/a's and h&R springs are a great bet

poly bushes are a good bet for anyone who wants a hard car that turns in well, but OE for comfort

I have some eiback ARB's to fit to the g60, once it gets painted but they are supposed to make a fantastic difference, we will see.

 

Has anyone had any experience with KW suspension, i am looking at theyir V3 setup for my blue corrado at the moment and have heard lots of good stuff, mainly form BMW owners thougth, only a few vw heads

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I would not recomend coilover for anyone who likes their car as comfortable on all road surfaces, cheap coilovers are a definate no no to as they are just crap generally.

 

The H&R coils are the exception to that rule :-) They ride better than the Koni/H&R combo. They were designed to be forgiving and used to be called 'Comfort', but they're just called "H&R coilovers" now, which is the cheapest of the range, "PCS" is the middle range with adjustable bump and rebound and the "RSS" is the range topper with 9 position damping adjustment, but it's very hard! All H&R coils are built around Bilstein PSS dampers (PSS9 in the RRS's case). They cost about £70 to rebuild and last approx 3 years on average.

 

Has anyone had any experience with KW suspension, i am looking at theyir V3 setup for my blue corrado at the moment and have heard lots of good stuff, mainly form BMW owners thougth, only a few vw heads

 

Yeah I want to hear feedback on those too as I was considering getting some myself.