The Suspension Discussion Thread

[jonrb 0]

@3corsameal ...

 

It could be so many different things or combination of things. Could be suspension bushes, top mounts, ARB bushes, engine mounts, track end rods, a dodgy damper, tyres (incl. pressures), steering rack, tracking / wheel alignment, etc.

 

For a decent spring & damper setup you can't go far wrong with Koni TA sports dampers and H&R springs. They really are a very good combo which is why so many people have them.

[Jim Bowen 1]

i had konis on my last car and found them to be very harsh, even on soft setting or would it be the springs that cause that?

[Jim 1]

I think the springs make a lot of difference.. I know that just changing the springs on 2cc's 1.8 16v totally transformed the handling (and comfort) - and that had Koni TA struts.

[jonrb 0]

I think the springs make a lot of difference.. I know that just changing the springs on 2cc's 1.8 16v totally transformed the handling (and comfort) - and that had Koni TA struts.

Indeed they do. The H&Rs seem well matched to the Koni TA and are a little softer than the Eibach springs that are often also used.

 

I haven't heard of any other springs being used with Koni TA so can't comment, other than to say that Koni TA / H&R is a very tried & tested combo and suits the Corrado very well for road use. It is of course stiffer and less compliant than the standard suspension, but is a good compromise.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

There's an old saying.... "Let the dampers do the damping and let the springs hold the car up". In other words, spring choice is important as they have to hold the car up, provide the ride comfort and not be so stiff that the body twists before the spring compresses, or be too soft that the damper is having to do all the work.

 

As mentioned previously, the Koni / H&R setup is very good, but it's important to trim the bumpstops accordingly. Too many people have used this setup and not altered the bumpstops and been less than pleased with the results. My only complaint with this setup is the low speed bump in the Koni Yellows is a bit too firm for my liking and the springs don't seem to gel fully with the dampers until you're travelling at a reasonable pace. Pottering round town over bumps and lumps can be a tad harsh.

 

I don't recommend this setup on the valver or G60 though as the H&Rs for these cars (blue, as opposed to the VR's green ones) don't seem well suited to the car or dampers at all. The ride is very bouncy, even when the rebound is turned up quite a way.

 

Based on the high praise KW coilovers receieve on here, that would be my choice but I'd be looking at the Variant 3s personally, as I like to have control over the bump settings.

 

You could of course go custom like Jon and I have been experimenting with which can be rewarding, but frustrating at the same time!

[Jim Bowen 1]

thanks for that very useful

 

i'm really not sure about gettig konis again, i think part of it is just that i've been there and want to try something different, even though its a different car.

 

i'm having a garage fit whatever i get, so not sure i want to get anything and then me baffle them, i.e: telling them stuff needs trimming, when they will probably do it without anyway etc

 

got car back from garage and they said top mounts are deffo buggered, and a rear shock is leaking, i also suspect the front one opposing that is buggered too, they both feel softer than the other two

 

is it worth having these ball joints done too? while they have it apart it would be sensible to get other bits done at same time? even tho they said they fine (i'm not sure they have their heart in it as much as me) :lol:

 

i'm just going to start buying parts myself and amassing them, starting with suspension kit and top mounts.

 

car is pretty terrible to drive, i really don't enjoy it anymore :(

 

i really not too clued up, but know a little bit.

[A-J 0]

I had two broken springs and put a set of H &R's yesterday. Since the suspensions was coming out I changed to vr6 spec at the front and replaced all rubber parts, bearings and top mounts etc. I never bothered with the ball joints or shocks. Search for a link I posted to clubgti where the part numbers are listed and I'm sure I have another post with rear part no.s. It's up to you how far you go put I would suggest getting parts ordered asap as I had to wait 6-8 weeks for some parts! If you don't trust the garage to cut bump stops buy and cut them yourself before handing them over.

 

Although the springs haven't settled and I won't have my geometry done until Thursday, the difference is incredible!

[Jim Bowen 1]

anyone used the koni FSD shocks?

 

are they quite new?

 

the writing gumpf makes them sounds good?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

MK5 GTI owners swear by them and I went out in a MK4 GTI with FSDs and Eibach springs and they felt pretty effective over bumps, but the difference isn't night/day compared with normal dampers though.

 

Forget the FSDs anyway, they're not available for VWs older than MK4 :?

 

I too am no longer a Koni fan. I had a total of 4 front ones fail within the first year of their life on my Rado and my MK2 Golfs over a good few years, so it can't be a 'bad batch' thing.

 

Sachs dampers are very good, they seem to last forever. The OE VR6 dampers are SACHS and mine were fine after 93,000 miles! Just not firm enough :lol:

Again, sachs dampers have a limited range. OE fine, but dampers like the ones fitted to the Clio Trophy and their new coilovers (a ZF / Sachs collaboration), again, aren't available for older cars. Many of the top racing teams use Sachs kit.

 

Anyway, enough of Sachsophones and things we can't have, I would suggest spending the most you can afford as you only want to do it once and get all those bushes, BJs and top mounts replaced first. Refresh the entire chassis with new rubber and go from there.

 

I have a feeling you will like the KW V2s, might be worth a look?

[jonrb 0]

get all those bushes, BJs and top mounts

It's true, you know. You just can't get enough BJs. ;)

 

Edit: A bit of bush is nice too. And the odd top mount is a nice change. :)

 

(Sorry)

[daves16v 1]

Not much on this thread about Eibach springs, read views saying too hard and crashy, sit too high at the front then some say they are great. I'm looking at these for my valver but Eibach only do the 1 set for all Rado's so would this make the front end sit a little higher at the front on a valver (lighter engine)?

 

Lots of good reviews about H&R but had these on my previous valver (supplied & fitted by Stealth) and the front end didn't sit much lower than standard which seriously put me off them. The ride quality was great though. I guess it's hard to prove whether the springs have lowered by the specified amount should I want a refund?

 

I will be using Koni T/A's or Bilstein shocks, prefering the Koni's (had them before) for their rear height adjustment. I'm not wanting to go down the coilover route.

 

It cost me alot to put right the wrong choice of suspension last time so I'm being ultra picky this time.

 

Appreciate opinions on the above or any other shock/spring combintion, I'm scratching my head quite badly over this.

 

I'm willing to travel to try before I buy.

 

Thanks

[DUBAI-VR6 0]

Does anybody have any opinions on the coil over sets on ebay?

 

Are they any good?

 

Are they sh*t?

 

I am looking at getting all the bushes etc done and some other susp parts but wondering what is best? Coilovers or just uprate the dampers. Not really that concerned with lowering it, although it would be nice to have the option especially when I change the wheels when I have worn out the eagles on my 15'' BBS'.

 

Cheers

 

Jamie

[CorradoVR6-Turbo 0]

Just thought i pop this one in

 

Ive just bought my 3 VR and its already had fitted Avo Fully adjustable coil overs and ive never had a raddo handle and soke up the bumps as well as this one and its very easy to play with.

 

Gets my BIG thumb of approval 8)

 

 

And The post above,you get what you pay for,if its cheap and on Flebay its more than likley it will be crap..

[DUBAI-VR6 0]

And The post above,you get what you pay for,if its cheap and on Flebay its more than likley it will be crap..

 

Noted I suppose.

 

Anybody know of any places where I can get some decent susp parts at reasonable prices by mail order as over here there is pretty much no tuning shops and even the ones they do have are more beemer, 4x4 specific.

 

Its so bad that I called VW to talk to them about my Rado g/box and it took me getting passed through two people and finally to the manager before anyone knew what a Corrado was!

 

Think I must have one of the only ones in Dubai!

[Jim Bowen 1]

i ordered mine from http://www.g-werks.com/

 

not sure where they deliver but my suspension came straight from Germany apparantely, so worth asking

[DUBAI-VR6 0]

i ordered mine from http://www.g-werks.com/

 

not sure where they deliver but my suspension came straight from Germany apparantely, so worth asking

 

 

Cheers. Email sent!

[Jim 1]

Don't know if anyone is interested but thought i'd mention this here. I emailed Stealth Racing enquiring about a reccommended suspension setup from them. Told them i'm not bothered about coilovers and damper adjustability.. just want good comfortable suspension setup with a sensible drop for a daily driver.

 

Vince has come back and advised that Koni are preparing a Corrado version of their "Koni (STRT) kit" - says he's running them on his Passat and they're a great middle of the road combination. Prices seemed pretty fair and included fitting and he says they should be coming end of October. I think I might give them a whirl!

[jonrb 0]

Vince has been a big proponent of the Koni TA / H&R hit for many years, so if he thinks Koni have something even better then it is probably worth considering.

[daves16v 1]

Jim, that's interesting, I'll look out for that too.

[toon vw 0]

Hi,

 

Sorry have'nt read the full thread but i wondered if anyone had had any experiences of 'Spax' lowered 40mm shock/springs, i have just booked the car into the garage & they have recommended these & priced them up at about £150 + fitting, it seems pretty good to me as i don't need anything 'extreme' for what is mainly just for cosmetics to get rid of the '4x4 look' :D

The only other kit that seem comparible pricewise would be the FK's which i know are well thought of on here.

 

Anyway any comments would be great.

 

Cheers Andy

[Kevin Bacon 5]

The missus is away next week, so thought that would be a good time to sneak these onto the car - http://www.kw-suspension.co.uk/variant-3.htm

 

I've been curious about the V3s for ages and could resist no longer :-)

 

I'll let you know what they're like. They seem to get good reviews on the old net....

[Jim 1]

On a slightly more budget oriented subject, i'm hoping to pick up some Koni STR.T suspension from Stealth in the coming month or two funds permitting. I think I gave Vince the hump by saying I wanted them then changing my mind (as more important, broken stuff came up on the car that needed my money) so had to delay the shocks temporarily.

 

So that should be two lots of feedback on suspension fairly soon.

[Jim Bowen 1]

my car still handles a bag of shite, i have a gremlin somewhere, the shocks and springs are doing their job fine, weitec ultra GT, they seem very comfort orientated, not too fair from standard until you corner hard then you notice the extra stiffness.

[Laughingboy 0]

Hi,

 

Sorry have'nt read the full thread but i wondered if anyone had had any experiences of 'Spax' lowered 40mm shock/springs, i have just booked the car into the garage & they have recommended these & priced them up at about £150 + fitting, it seems pretty good to me as i don't need anything 'extreme' for what is mainly just for cosmetics to get rid of the '4x4 look' :D

The only other kit that seem comparible pricewise would be the FK's which i know are well thought of on here.

 

Anyway any comments would be great.

 

Cheers Andy

 

My advice is avoid, eveything I've ever driven with spax has been horrid! Go for weitec Ultra GT's with a 40mm drop. Got them on the Valver and can't speak their praises highly enough. good cheap setup that doesn't comprise the ride, got to be a winner!

[toon vw 0]

Hi,

 

Sorry have'nt read the full thread but i wondered if anyone had had any experiences of 'Spax' lowered 40mm shock/springs, i have just booked the car into the garage & they have recommended these & priced them up at about £150 + fitting, it seems pretty good to me as i don't need anything 'extreme' for what is mainly just for cosmetics to get rid of the '4x4 look' :D

The only other kit that seem comparible pricewise would be the FK's which i know are well thought of on here.

 

Anyway any comments would be great.

 

Cheers Andy

 

My advice is avoid, eveything I've ever driven with spax has been horrid! Go for weitec Ultra GT's with a 40mm drop. Got them on the Valver and can't speak their praises highly enough. good cheap setup that doesn't comprise the ride, got to be a winner!

 

 

Yep i think i'm gonna have a proper look for something a bit better, i like the sound of those Koni STR.T's that Jim had mentioned with them being specially developed for the corrado....if they're not too pricey it might be worth a trip down & get them sorted on the day.

 

Andy