Supercharged 2 Posted July 9, 2016 You can hear it at 70 , with the radio on ?! Bear in mind that Jim only listens to radio 4 and 70 is his age, not the speed he's doing :-) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robrado974 1 Posted July 9, 2016 Lol! . I suppose with the shipping forecast on you can pretty much hear anything . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted August 11, 2016 Well time for an update! Not long after buying the car about 6 years ago I got new suspension fitted - Bilstein B4 dampers and some KW lowering springs. Honestly that combo never felt right and after a couple of years it became worse and got to the point this year where I was convinced that the dampers were not even working any more - evidently B4's don't like being teamed with lowering springs! The car was so bouncy on the front.. cornering felt like trying to steer a boat around... potholes felt extremely bad, like the car would really crash into them. Something needed to be done. I thought about returning to OE suspension but thought it would end up being a bit of a minefield trying to find the correct springs for a VR to not give that sort of comical really late ride height. I took a punt on the AP coilovers which are I guess mid range bargain basement. I just couldn't stomach £700+ on suspension!! They're made by KW and apparently look very similar to the V1's, but just don't have the inox coating - so I'll need to keep an eye on them. However for £340 delivered they seemed worth a go. In addition I ordered new top mounts for the front and rear (, and new nuts and bolts all round too and fitted the suspension myself. It was a bit of a ballache to be honest - I assumed it would be a cakewalk (which on paper it is) but the logistics of getting the car up, dropping stuff out, etc with only one crappy trolley jack and two axle stands soon became apparent! Only problem was bolts on the rear which secure the struts to the rear beam - the ones that came off my car were much longer than the ones I was supplied. I guess because I have an aftermarket antiroll bar setup, the bolts were longer to compensate for that?! No idea, but reluctantly I had to re-use them. Anyway - after some teething issues got them all on and I'm very pleased with how it's driving. Cornering is so many orders of magnitude improved over the old dampers it's hard to believe. Plus the car doesn't crash into potholes any more - the damping is actually really good. Going to try get a wheel alignment done tomorrow - camber on the front is a bit excessive :) Here's how it's sitting this evening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VAG-hag 0 Posted August 11, 2016 Good news indeed mate :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
robrado974 1 Posted August 11, 2016 Looking nice Jim . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted August 11, 2016 It's rusty with a heavily stone chipped front end - but it always looks ok in a photo :) I've decided I'd quite like to go back to BBS Solitudes too - think I prefer them over the Speedlines after all. Washed the cobwebs and spiders off the set I have sitting in my garden and will be seeing about getting them sent off for refurb in the not too distant future I think. Just need to find somewhere local and decent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted August 11, 2016 Storm envy eh Jim............. :scratch: :lol: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
easypops 8 Posted August 11, 2016 I can't wait until mine (any one) looks as good as yours mate. We are all the worst critic of our own cars, I'd take yours over most of the generic boxes littering our roads at the moment 8) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted August 11, 2016 Storm envy eh Jim............. :scratch: :lol: Too true mate :) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted August 13, 2016 I've decided I'd quite like to go back to BBS Solitudes too - think I prefer them over the Speedlines after all. Washed the cobwebs and spiders off the set I have sitting in my garden and will be seeing about getting them sent off for refurb in the not too distant future I think. Just need to find somewhere local and decent. I like the Solitudes too. I picked up a set finished in black a couple of years ago. Trouble with these old wheels is it's cheaper to buy a set in decent nick than to get a single wheel refurbed .. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 1 Posted August 13, 2016 They're actually available new from VW Classic Parts for just 86 euro per wheel - probably cheaper to buy NEW than to refurbish to be honest though shipping them from Germany might be a bit pricey. *edit* £332 delivered. OK so not cheaper than a refurb but brand new! Hmm... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ChrisL 15 Posted August 13, 2016 Buy brand new Jim then sell your set. The finish on new is better then refurbished Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jon_vr6 1 Posted August 13, 2016 They're actually available new from VW Classic Parts for just 86 euro per wheel - probably cheaper to buy NEW than to refurbish to be honest though shipping them from Germany might be a bit pricey. *edit* £332 delivered. OK so not cheaper than a refurb but brand new! Hmm... Could you not order through vw heritage and save on postage? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted August 13, 2016 They're actually available new from VW Classic Parts for just 86 euro per wheel Actually yes that's a surprisingly good price.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Supercharged 2 Posted August 14, 2016 Actually yes that's a surprisingly good price.. They'll probably do a better price as well for 4... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
