original suspension

[trigger83 0]

hey hey, i have owned my corrado 4 3years now and love the way it looks, its lowered on coilovers, however im thinking of going back to original suspension set up any ideas where i can get some, what im gona need and cost ideas. i know its gona look like 4x4 corrado but want more of a comfortable ride and would like to drive round europe and dont wanna worry bout rippin the front off ever time i see a speed bump. any help would b greatly appreciated. thankyou

[daleyboy 0]

Coilovers go up as well as down, the original suspension is not comfortable whichever way you look at it, and leaning round corners make you feel seasick.

 

If you are willing to ignore what i have said above, then second hand with new top mounts is the way to go, there was a thread on here a while ago where someone wanted or at least asked about getting new a OE set up and it was the same if not more than some of the most expensive coilovers.

[jamiehamy 0]

I wouldn't say original suspension is uncomfortable, quite the opposite. It`s only choppy on tight twistiies, otherwise fairly sublime! I took the Corrado to France lowered with Koni shocks ,then away the next year on standard springs and the difference was amazing. I'd like to get bigger ARBs to keep the roll down, but doubt i'd ever go back to lowered on the Corrado. You can go fast over any road without sideways whiplash!

[daleyboy 0]

Point being with any "fairly decent" set up it'll be as comfortable if not more so than oe, if you buy cheap coilies it will probably be appalling, mate its uncomfortable compared to most family cars so i suppose it depends on what you compare it too. I have FK sportline coilies and if you set the dampers quite soft the ride is five times better than OE with a 28mm neuspeed rear there is next to no roll.

 

If the chap want's the 4x4 look, his coilies will (probably) go that high, if he want a comfy ride then get some coilies you can adjust the dampers on and he'll have the best of both worlds.

 

If he spends his money on standard then he'll get the 4x4 ride and be stuck with it.

 

To me its a no-brainer, get a decent set of coilovers to get a world of adjustability, you dont HAVE to set them ultra low and rock hard.

[AlexDG 0]

Generally speaking coilover sets will be setup with stiffer springs and higher damper rates than standard.

 

The Corrado is not as compromised in standard form as many other cars because the standard setup is actually pretty good, obviously it has its limitations but then so does running a stiffer setup.

 

Mine (not surprisingly) is standard, albeit totally refreshed (incuding all bushes with new rubber items) a couple of years ago and handles fine, the only real limitation is multiple direction changes close to the limit, which can overwhelm the shocks, but this is a minor aspect of the driving I do.

 

I wouldn't run coilovers at the same height as standard without making sure the spring and amper rates are appropriate, the standard suspension 'give' will allow a dynamic change to the CofG (amongst other things) at the extreme of the handling characteristics and actually helps grip at the limit.

[daleyboy 0]

It was a rather tongue in cheek comment about someone actually wanting six feet of ground clearance.

 

At the end of the day its the op's money and his choice, and he asked the question to get peoples opinions, i have given mine. Standard set-up may not be as compromised as other cars until you have coilovers and a arb's then you realise that you've entered a whole new world of what the car can do, i'd rather open the door for the chap, than say standard is great don't touch it, it isn't great, its good but can be much better.

Edited November 18, 2012 by daleyboy

[KIPVW 0]

Coilovers go up as well as down, the original suspension is not comfortable whichever way you look at it, and leaning round corners make you feel seasick.

 

If you are willing to ignore what i have said above, then second hand with new top mounts is the way to go, there was a thread on here a while ago where someone wanted or at least asked about getting new a OE set up and it was the same if not more than some of the most expensive coilovers.

 

Afraid you are talking complete rubbish here chap, have you ever driven a VR6 with ALL new suspension, i'm guessing not.

 

They were built like they were for a reason and didn't spend years developing the suspension just for a short term fix, having just refurbished my whole underneath including every single nut,bolt,bush, clip, clamp, bracket, driveshafts, I will tell you now it handles sublimely and cruises along like something far more luxurious. Yes it rolls a little on corners but the op isn't after a track car ride.

 

Welcome to a drive in it anytime i see you ;)

[AlexDG 0]

So getting this back on topic...

 

...your local motor factor should be able to supply OE spec shocks and springs.

[jamiehamy 0]

Afraid you are talking complete rubbish here chap, have you ever driven a VR6 with ALL new suspension, i'm guessing not.

 

They were built like they were for a reason and didn't spend years developing the suspension just for a short term fix, having just refurbished my whole underneath including every single nut,bolt,bush, clip, clamp, bracket, driveshafts, I will tell you now it handles sublimely and cruises along like something far more luxurious. Yes it rolls a little on corners but the op isn't after a track car ride.

 

Welcome to a drive in it anytime i see you ;)

 

 

Well said that man! :)

[KIPVW 0]

Bit of a rush this morning but if you want standard dampers i'm not sure of availability of original from VW anymore, springs may still be available as are all the bolt on bits ie top mounts bushes washers etc.

 

Only use VW top mounts and bearings as they are proven to last way longer than others.

 

A good choice of OE style dampers would be Bilstein B4's I have these on my 8v with standard springs and the ride is Awsome, especially over country roads.

 

I recently removed koni top adjustables for standard VW ones as i wanted to go completely factory spec, the ride with the konis was excellent as you could tweak the fronts a little to firm them up so i'd definitely consider that option too.

 

I know the VR rolls a little bit more with standard springs but if you are wanting a good ride with comfort and good all round drivability i think you could do a lot worse.

 

I really cant comment on what coilovers are like when wound quite high but i'd expect them to be not as good if wound up to a standard looking ride height.

 

I dont suspect many have actually done that before either.

 

I didn't mean to sound too harsh daleyboy, but trust me a ride in mine would change your opinion :) it's just superb for general driving and heavily loaded boots lol!

Edited November 19, 2012 by KIPVW

[captainredeye 0]

I always found the standard vr suspension to work better the quicker you go but wallowed alot in the corners and that being the reason i went to coilovers, i have them wound up quite high to negate getting thrown about but still have the firmness when going into corners.

[daleyboy 0]

Im not sure many people have driven these cars on brand new suspension, so i based my opinion on what i had with my car when i got it, i have however driven after replacing all bushes with OE on stock suspension.

 

I was expecting people to take what i said with a little pinch of salt, and maybe not accuse me of talking rubbish, although i appreciate your final paragraph Kip.

 

Lets just talk about the money/time factor, what i was trying to get at is that the guy has started with zero so he has to source second hand struts, change the shocks to his choice and maybe renew/upgrade to his choice of spring all new top mounts and bearings, so it'll take quite a bit of work and time and money.

 

Or just get a good set of coilovers for the same price as above, in which case in the future he can set it up however he wants and whenever he wants, point being this is much more flexible.

 

I was hoping this wasn't going to fall into the OE/modifying argument.

 

Like i have said before this is all just opinion based on what you/me know, and im sure the chap can take all opinions and then base his idea on what we all have said.

Edited November 19, 2012 by daleyboy

[KIPVW 0]

Agree mate, i'd actually like to try coilies set at a standard height to see how they are but also wondering if it's still possible for them to be as good as a standard set up when wound that high kinda thing.

 

Indeed we all have opinions and mine are probably more diverse than anyone's wanting to be completely standard. Not that i'm against modding in the slightest by the way it's just the way I roll Literally lol! :)

[pbradley98 0]

hey hey, i have owned my corrado 4 3years now and love the way it looks, its lowered on coilovers, however im thinking of going back to original suspension set up any ideas where i can get some, what im gona need and cost ideas. i know its gona look like 4x4 corrado but want more of a comfortable ride and would like to drive round europe and dont wanna worry bout rippin the front off ever time i see a speed bump. any help would b greatly appreciated. thankyou

 

Hi,

 

I've got a standard VR6 setup (shocks & springs) just sat in my garage from when I upgraded to Konis / H&Rs about a year and a half ago... pm me if you'd be interested and we can see if we can work out a price and postage....

 

For what it's worth original suspension = more comfortable, but more roll in corners until you go really hard at which point it seems to firm up a bit, Konis / H&Rs are a bit harsher for everyday driving but much flatter through the corners, still waiting to see how they compare on a track day as haven't managed one since the upgrade!

 

Cheers

 

Phil