The Suspension Discussion Thread

[Critical_Mass 10]

Kev - yeah that's what I meant when I said top plate but I reckon Mike is refering to the very top plate thing inside the car which is retained...

 

This is one of the advantages of coilovers - you just shove the top mounts on and off you go!

 

Yes i was referring to the top plate that sits on top of the spring on a shock/spring setup. But as Mike said his H&R coilies didnt come with a 'cone' top plate, where as my coilovers do come with the 'Cone' top plate.

[Mike Edwards 0]

The pic shows the lower bush that gets compressed between the top plate and the body of the car - the side that goes against the top plate

[randomist 0]

just had koni t/a's with eibach springs fitted to my car & the back end seems to be sitting lopsided. there's a bigger gap above the passenger side wheel than the drivers. did a search & saw a few mentions or circlips, does that adjust the ride height? also i'm wanting to drop the front end a bit, is that done the same way with the circlips?

 

bought 'em off a guy on here & i think they're adjustable but cant find the original advert! doh!

 

cheers,chaps

[Critical_Mass 10]

Yes itll will have to do with the circlips. Though even when set of the same level either side, i still noticed the rear was lower to the n/s then the o/s

[davidwort 0]

a common problem with eibachs is front/rear balance, next week I'm taking my koni's off the back and having another spring base plate retainer groove cut into the leg, that'll raise the back by 10mm to make my car more balanced an give me a bit more suspension movement before I hit the (cut down) bumpstops, some koni's have 3 grooves for the baseplate some 5, I think it's a top ajustable/off the car ajustable thing between the two types of koni rear dampers.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

It's common on the VR6 with any suspension.

 

The weight of the 6 cly block naturally tilts the car to that side. It's worse with a full tank of gas as the bulk of the tank is also on the driver's side.

 

Before raising the height, double check the ride height by checking from the sill to the floor. Sometimes a lop sided looking car can actually be level!

[Supercharged 2]

It's common on the VR6 with any suspension.

 

The weight of the 6 cly block naturally tilts the car to that side. It's worse with a full tank of gas as the bulk of the tank is also on the driver's side.

 

Before raising the height, double check the ride height by checking from the sill to the floor. Sometimes a lop sided car can actually be level!

 

So I assume your going to convert to LHD to get round this? :)

[Guest]

As well as mentioned above, most car manafacturers actually have a 10mm higher or so difference in ride height on the drivers side from factory, its to compensate for single occupancy driving, and to stop the effect of the car "leaning" as it goes along the road

 

 

Mind you.... if your a big lump it will do it anyway :lol:

[n3p 3]

Weitec Hicon GTs fitted to my 16v, and omfg what a difference - the C feels like it's on rails! Highly recommended 8)

[ianVR6 0]

Hi guys

Ive managed to snap a spring on the front suspension so i need to get it fixed pretty quick! I quickly tried to read through this thread and it seems most people recomend H&R springs. However as I have standard suspension (not coilovers) will these be ok. Any help would be appreciated as i'm a complete novice in his area. Thanks

[Critical_Mass 10]

Hi guys

Ive managed to snap a spring on the front suspension so i need to get it fixed pretty quick! I quickly tried to read through this thread and it seems most people recomend H&R springs. However as I have standard suspension (not coilovers) will these be ok. Any help would be appreciated as i'm a complete novice in his area. Thanks

 

If they're shorter springs then OEM to lower the car, its generally adivsed to get shorter shocks too. Or buy standard springs. You'll find the suspension will always bottom out and will shorten the life of your springs. Got a set of springs and shockers -40mm if youre interested - £100 +postage or collection.

[ianVR6 0]

Thanks

I should have said my car was already lowered when i bought it so i'm presuming it has shorter shocks

[Guest]

Can give some better feedback on the KW V1`coilovers now, surfice to say they are superb! its still settling in but the transformation of the cars handling is quite amazing but the comfort has remained, really does rip corners now with hardly any body roll to speak of, so much so you have to watch for oversteer!!!!!!! im so used to correcting the slight drift i got with the standard set up i suppose :lol:

 

has also helped with acceleration where the car has virtually zero lift at the front now, lower centre of gravity and all the new suspension top mounts/rubbers will have something to do with that aswell i suppose

 

 

my advice before you go buy a cheapo coilover kit or settle for spring shock combo (as good as the koni/eibach set up is), drive someones car with KW`s on it, you will save the extra money up and you will get some!, im chuffed to bits with mine :clap:

[boost monkey 0]

Hi suspension peeps,

 

does anyone know the specifics between the colour codes on standard front springs (and rears, but I'm asking about fronts!)

 

VAGCAT does explain it a bit, but I am trying to work out which are better to use on my early valver.

 

I have a set of Orange Orange Greys, and a set of White White Orange. The OOGs are shorted than the WWOs, but they all feel like the same stiffness.

 

Based on this I think I'm gonna use the OOGs as they are shorter, or is this a bad idea? AFAIK these are std early fitment whereas the OOGs are from the 92 spec that got binned.

[boost monkey 0]

I know standard suspension is a taboo subject, but.... anyone?

[Mike Edwards 0]

The ones fitted to later cars taper to a smaller diameter at the top to give a more compliant ride and are longer as a result, but they will both need to be compressed quite a bit to fit.

 

Hence, provided you have the correct spring top plate, either will work but the earlier ones will let the car sit about 15mm lower.

[boost monkey 0]

Cheers mike, coming through as always!

 

Yeah I bought VAG top plates for my car so they will be earlies no doubt, along with early top mounts so I'm hoping they will all fit together right nice :-)

[Supercharged 2]

I know standard suspension is a taboo subject, but.... anyone?

 

Is it???

 

I'd say it's the way to go, I have standard VR shocks back on mine now, Blue H&R OE sport springs (meant to be used with standard kit) and new VAG wishbones with TT rear bushes - handling is superb and much better than when on Konigsports and Powerflex'd wishbones, despite being 1cm higher. Ride quality is also so much better.

[boost monkey 0]

That was just to grab someone's attention really :) I like the standard stuff! The setup on my valver is tired and worn, but it doesn't feel like it will let go the second I go round a corner or anything like that.

 

Blue H&R springs....cheers Steve, I will go have a look at them!

[CrazyG 0]

I have had FK Sport Edition Coilovers on for a couple of weeks now and I really want to raise the back up a little. Trouble is, the offside perch and locking ring seems to have seized already. I've tried dousing with WD40, holding the tool on the locking ring and banging the end of the handle with a hammer but it just won't budge. I've also tried wrapping a cloth around the handle for better grip and pulling to the point where my elbow feels like it's about to snap! Still no movement. The other three can be adjusted with very little problem. Any hints?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Sounds like you've got some grit trapped under the threads unfortunately. Very common problem!

 

Probably a bit late now, but the trick with coilovers is to duct tape over the exposed, unused threads (below the locking rings) and when you need to adjust them, crack the rings off and wind them down onto the clean threads. Then WD the threads above and you should then be able to wind them back up to raise the ride height.

 

The other hassle with C/overs is when you raise the ride height, it puts the spring under a lot more tension, which exacerbates the seizing problem.

 

You'll probably need to remove the strut and strip it down in a vice if the lock rings are siezed solid, or worst case, cut the rings off and replace them.

[CrazyG 0]

Sorted! For future reference, a two foot piece of metal tubing slipped over the tool for extra leverage and the heat from a hairdryer works wonders :wink: I shall make sure my threads stay greased from now on!

[randomist 0]

having read through this whole thread i'm in a total dilemna about what to do....

at the mo i've got koni t/a's & eibach springs on 17's which will soon be getting swopped for 16s as i'm finding the current set up at bit crashy/harsh but hopefully the 16s will make a bit of a difference ( or will it?). ideally what i would like is something between standard & what i've got with better damping as i use my car every day. i'm not too fusssed about how low it sits, something between 25-40mm will be fine. as i bought the suspension kit 2nd hand i've no idea if it's usually this crashy or it's just worn so my dilemna is.....

buy new koni ta's with h&r springs which seems to be a popular choice

fit coilovers but don't know enough about them so not sure what kinda ride they'll give (any advice on which ones to go for would be great)

just fit new h&r springs onto my konis & hope for the best

 

i've put 400-500 quid aside but i want to get it right first time.

basically i'd like something that won't make me wince everytime i see a pothole but not make the car look like it's on stilts!

any help/advise would be greatfully recieved as my heads battered trying to work out what to do for the best.....

[mbaker8v 0]

I have just been through replacingt my coilovers as they were knackered.... My advice would be if you want ride comfort, do not go for coilovers. My FK Konigsports were way too hard for normal roads and actually compromised the handling on a normal road as they didnt ride over the bumps.... I now have a Sachs lowered kit fitted which is non adjustable and its a revelation. The car now site about 30mm higher than I had it set on the coilovers, but still probably 50mm lower than standard, and it rides brillaintly. Does not crash through pot holes, rides over speed humps properly... brillaint ) It cost me £300 plus vat for hte kit from www.ricci-concept.com

 

Mark

[Kevin Bacon 5]

But you're comparing a 70,000 mile old coilover kit (of historically average quality) to brand new struts and springs, which now have more suspension travel. The revelation was inevitable.

 

Koni/Eibachs are too hard imo, and they have a reputation for it.

 

I like the KW V3s for ride quality, it's exceptional and a few members on here can vouch for that.....and I use 17" wheels :D

 

Unfortunately it's a £900 setup though, but you certainly get what you pay for with suspension.

 

KW V1s, V2s and Weitecs also get the thumbs up for ride quality on here.