My suspensions tired - which way now?

[martyjmcfly 0]

My cars got standard supsension, the cars 12 years old with 90 odd K miles. I like the standard speedlines and i like the standard ride height.

 

I have been advised to get a Gmax kit which lowers the car 35mm but i think the car would look crap.

 

Do i get uprated supension or not? I mean can the standard suspension be improved over the factory standard to improve the handling or do you get these suspension kits just to fit larger wheels?

 

Would GSF VR6 suspension kits be as good quality as genuine VW?

 

Any input greatly appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[ben16v 0]

theres a lot of stuff about suspension if you use the search, generally you get what you pay for, a lot of people use the koni and H&R combo and are happy with it, me included, it is quite expensive but only a small drop (big improvement) and has adjustable damping so you can set the stiffness of your shocks,

 

HTH

 

ben

[steve_16v 0]

and i like the standard ride height.

 

:scratch: never heard that one before! Each to their own though, like ben16v says your best bet is to use the search though mate this has been covered once or twice before :wink: . Whatever you choose make sure to change all the mounts and bushes as well since they will mostly be well past their best by now.

[matth76 0]

The Koni/H&R combo is very high quality but only drops the car around 25-30mm. Koni suspension kits only drop the car 25-30mm. Gmax tends to drop it a margin more at 35mm. The Phirm really rate them and they use high quality gas shocks as opposed to the traditional oil based ones which don't last as long. Unless you go the coilover route there aren't many kits at all that drop the car more than 35mm... which is a pity. I'm lookin to lower my golf vr which is turning into quite a bit of hassle finding the right kit (believe me I've done a lot of searching but haven't found the info I need regarding the different makes of suspension kits that are out there) ...prob is my car sits a bout 2cms higher at the front, so a 35mm drop all round on my car will make the back look good but still leave a bit of a gap at the front. So I'm looking for a good kit or combo too to solve my problem...ideally 35mm at the back and 45mm at the front. No such kit exists for the golf vr which is a hassle. Very few people have pics of a golf vr lowered on 30 or 35mm so I'm in the same position as you...although my golf is different to the corrado. From what I've seen a drop as small as 30mm seems to make much more of a difference on a Corrado, making it look significantly lower, than compared to a golf vr.

 

I was looking into a KW suspension kit but apparently that uses gas shocks made by Spax which surprised me! Spax aren't that brilliant. I haven't been able to find out any other info about KW sus kits unfortunately or any good quality alternatives.

 

I may end up going with the Gmax and see if its possible to get 45mm lowering springs on the front...not sure if this will be possible though.

 

Give Darren at G-Werkes a PM. He's really helpful when it comes to suspension and can supply products at very low cost.

 

Good luck with your search mate.

[gradeAfailure 0]

Have a talk to Darren at G-Werks regarding KW, Weitec, and all things rado-suspension-related... :)

[kebabman 0]

I replaced the tired 130k suspension with a Koni kit (shocks and springs) on mine, personally I think the car looks much better for the drop, but I also think the ride on the road was better with the standard suspension. On the track there is no competition, the masses of understeer is gone, and the car doesn't look like it's going to tip over anymore! :lol:

 

It's just on bumpy country roads when makeing 'good' progress, it can get a little skippy and wayward. I'd say stick with standard suspension if you don't mind the looks and value the silky smooth ride of the VR. I'd be pretty confident the GSF kit is the same quality, a lot of the stuff they sell is actually produced by the same people as the genuine VW stuff.

 

My 2p. ;)

[W3RKD 0]

 

I was looking into a KW suspension kit but apparently that uses gas shocks made by Spax which surprised me! Spax aren't that brilliant. I haven't been able to find out any other info about KW sus kits unfortunately or any good quality alternatives.

 

 

 

Good luck with your search mate.

 

Who told you that ? I think you may of been misinformed there.

[sciroccotune 0]

I to like the normal ride height, you can run koni shocks with std springs :-)

[matth76 0]

 

I was looking into a KW suspension kit but apparently that uses gas shocks made by Spax which surprised me! Spax aren't that brilliant. I haven't been able to find out any other info about KW sus kits unfortunately or any good quality alternatives.

 

 

 

Good luck with your search mate.

 

Who told you that ? I think you may of been misinformed there.

 

Hi Darren

 

The Phirm told me if they are using gas dampers they must be Spax. Apparently KW used to have Koni (oil based) dampers but not any more.

[W3RKD 0]

 

I was looking into a KW suspension kit but apparently that uses gas shocks made by Spax which surprised me! Spax aren't that brilliant. I haven't been able to find out any other info about KW sus kits unfortunately or any good quality alternatives.

 

 

 

Good luck with your search mate.

 

Who told you that ? I think you may of been misinformed there.

 

Hi Darren

 

The Phirm told me if they are using gas dampers they must be Spax. Apparently KW used to have Koni (oil based) dampers but not any more.

 

Well unfortunatly this time they are incorrect.

 

From the KW site -

KW suspensions sports shock absorbers are produced in cooperation with the major series manufacturer AL-KO, and meet all the requirements of a modern, high-performance shock absorber system. All KW sports shock absorbers are developed and tuned specifically for their intended use. KW engineers use all the knowledge they have gained from suspension development and motorsport in order to find the perfect tuning in extensive road testing.

 

Kw spend millions of euro's every year on development/testing they are totally dedicated to manfacture some of the best suspension for fast road/track use.

 

I put them on par with H&R but favour there INOX (stainless) design for the coilovers as there are no corriosion issues.

[matth76 0]

Thanks. From what I've read they seem to be one of the best in the world and used by top touring cars. I was a bit puzzled that if they use gas dampers they must be spax. Spax are budget dampers which was why I would be so surprised if KW did actually use them :?:

 

Would you say the KW suspension kit is better quality than an equivalent Weitec kit?

 

Thanks for your help Darren.

Matt

[W3RKD 0]

I have given you all the prices Matt if you wanted to place an order give us a call and we can process this order for you. :lol:

[martyjmcfly 0]

Cheers for the input everyone. It has kinda helped.

 

What i want is to maintain the ride height and actually improve the handling of the car.

 

Do any of these mods improve the handling of the car or just allow for larger wheels? My point is a car manufacturer spends millions of squid developing the suspension and wheel size for a specific car so it handles at its best, so why change this setup if you want to keep the original wheels for the car.

 

Whould a standard engined VR6 with new standard supension go round a corner quicker than a standard engined VR6 with non-factory standard supension?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Just replace the standard stuff from VW then.

 

You're not going to improve the handling (what ever your definition of that may be) without stiffening A) Dampers and / or springs and B) bigger anti-roll bars.

 

Try finding uprated Corrado springs of VW's ridiculous proportions on the aftermarket.

 

VW spend millions to prevent their cars coming back with complaints of jarring ride and whacking the ground. H&R, KW, Koni et al spend millions developing products for people that want what they want and not what some boffing in a lab coat assumes we want.

[gradeAfailure 0]

Like Kev says, factory suspension will always be a trade-off between pure handling, comfort, everyday driveability, and often the overriding factor - cost! It also has to be suitable for every possible owner of the car's preferences... By fitting uprated aftermarket suspension, you can tailor the ride more accurately for the particular type of driving that you do most... :)

[h100vw 0]

Whould a standard engined VR6 with new standard supension go round a corner quicker than a standard engined VR6 with non-factory standard supension?

 

I go round one bend on the way home from work, the M56 onto the M6 Northbound. The fastest I have been round it is 80-85. You could probably squeeze another 5mph out of it if you wore blinkers so you couldn't see the barriers.

 

I have done that speed in all the following cars over the last 7 years 2 litre MK1 lowered, 1.8GT Passat std (and 150K), Syncro Passat std and lowered, Golf G60 std and lowered to death, MK3 16V lowered, 1.8T Passat sport std(125K) and 1.3 Polo breadvan std etc etc. I have chased a 968 Porsche round there in my G60 Golf and he couldn't get away and I could see him trying.

 

So really the speed hasn't varied at all regardless of the vehicle or suspension. The only difference is the amount of lean. It is much more a question of driver ability than suspension, were Ayrton Senna still alive, do you think you would get past him in a std VR6 with a modified one? Not a chance in hell. Not without a shortcut anyway!! :lol:

 

Gavin

[markp 0]

Do any of these mods improve the handling of the car or just allow for larger wheels? My point is a car manufacturer spends millions of squid developing the suspension and wheel size for a specific car so it handles at its best, so why change this setup if you want to keep the original wheels for the car.

 

I used to be of the same opinion as you. I used to think that the handling on the standard setup was good anyway so why mess with it. However I have now seen the light! Lowering the car/stiffening suspension will keep the car much flatter and stable through corners. The only downside is that it makes the ride a bit harder so it will not be as comfortable. To answer your other question a car that has been lowered will go round a corner much faster than a c with standard suspension. If you can afford it go with the Koni H&R combo as it is still quite comfy on a vr. Have a look at triggermyson's gallery as he is running speedlines with a 35mm drop... http://www.the-corrado.net/.archive/forum/viewto ... sc&start=0

 

I agree with Kev though, if you want to keep the standard height then just get VW parts and forget about the improved handling.

[martyjmcfly 0]

Ok thanks all - i'm sure your all bored to death with suspension talk.

 

Cheers

 

Martin

[Kevin Bacon 5]

You can fit Eibach anti-roll bars to a standard car, which will reduce understeer and body roll without sacrificing ride quality as the front bar is only a couple of mill thicker than standard (rear bar does 80% of the roll reduction), but that only addresses one area. The VR dampers will still be under damped and the same wallowy, sloppy feel will be present over B roads.

[bcstudent 0]

Just to revive this slightly...what was the opinion of Weitec fixed-damping suspentsion kits? They seem good value on the G-Werks site.

 

* EDIT *

 

Never mind. I can see from other threads that the Weitec kit is well received. I'll be mostly calling G-Werks this week...

[Jim Bowen 1]

is it worth buying the weitec kit for £290ish instead of the KW equivilant for £340ish?

 

is there any known difference in them?

[dr_mat 0]

Would GSF VR6 suspension kits be as good quality as genuine VW?

 

To add to the comments already made ..

 

GSF use Sachs Advantage or Boge Turbogas shocks for the VR - these were VW original equipment, and are gas-over-oil dampers. (The VW ones are just a different colour, they are otherwise identical.)

You *will* notice an improvement over your 90k mile suspension just by spending the £100 or so putting new shocks on.

 

If you don't want to lower it, don't. Pretty much all aftermarket kits will harden the ride, which may not be your choice, even if the result is "better" handling. They're popular on the continent, but they don't have any potholes over there..

[martyjmcfly 0]

Cheers Dr Mat,

 

"GSF use Sachs Advantage or Boge Turbogas shocks for the VR"

 

I'm going for the GSF as last week at MOT time there was a lowered C in the same time as mine and the clearnace of the splitter when the car was put on the brake testing equipment was nil!

 

Which is better - Sachs or Boge or are they both identical if i get to choose?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

They're popular on the continent, but they don't have any potholes over there..

 

They do in Belgium.....loads of them.

 

 

Which is better - Sachs or Boge or are they both identical if i get to choose?

 

SACHS

[martyjmcfly 0]

SACHS it is and i'm going OEM top mounts as i've heard that Bonrath are either bust or fail earlier than OEM.

 

I've heard that the rear arb is the one to go for but does anywhere them seperately?

 

Cheers Kev for the rapid repsonse by the way :)