GolfGTIforum.co.uk
Model specific boards => Golf mk7 => Topic started by: EB2019 on 26 May 2024, 13:36
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Hi
Looking for some info on what others have done to the GTI/TCR without wanting to resort to coilovers? Car is 5 years old this year (2019 seems like yesterday to me though) so wanting to refresh things as i think it has a little too much roll and pitch. I have had coilovers from Bilstein on other cars, but don't really want to head down that road with the GTI and want to keep the original springs.
Searching the VW part system non DCC dampers are all the same on the front and rear regardless of GTI GTD or TCR only the springs are different which was a bit of a surprise. but with this in mind I was thinking
OE
The default low pressure gas, I took one off today and you can push it down to the bump stop with 2 fingers pressing on the top mount and it rises back up at moderate pace. I'm sure new ones will be better although mine are not blown leaking or faulty just 5 years old.
OEM Sachs
List 1 part number to fit the entire multilink rear suspension range, being new its likely to be better than 5 year old with improvement on 5 year old dampers. definitely the safe choice
Bilstein B6
Stiff both in compression and rebound? do they pair well with GTi springs, Anyone fitted these? Did they raise the ride height at all, I have heard the high mono tube pressure in the B6 can raise it a little?
Koni
Stiff in compression but adjustable rebound so could set softer than B6 a little, but the rears need to be removed to adjust so its likely fit and forget. Anyone tried these?
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I was tempted to refresh the suspension on my ED40 which runs passive suspension. My conclusion (but did not act on it) was to go for the B6 dampers, even if they raised the ride height a few mm. Volkswizard did a install drive video around 4 months ago which is worth watching.
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Yeah I'm sort of thinking the same, B6 is a safe mod option, brand cost ratio, if a little hard for UK B roads, but Likely fit and forget, and if you really really wanted to I guess you could later on pair them with Eibach pro springs (b12 kit) which lower 25mm (from full suspension height) and the gti is already 10mm lower so a small drop overall 15mm?? I would like to choose a UK damper option as our roads are far worse than Europe especially Germany, but not really any options without big £££ and rebuilds each year (thinking Nitron suspension). If Ohlins did just a damper I would likely go for them but don't want the R&T coilover option they do. The Koni FSD get mixed reviews about the inconsistent feedback so would only consider the Koni Sport (yellow).
I watch Volkswizard vid, thanks for that, but still wasn't sure on anything other than a few B roads. I would be interested in town/slow/ road driving. I kind of know they will be better than stock when pushing on, but for 95% of the rest of the driving I'm not so sure.
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Up until I got my Mk6’s I worked my way through every generation of Golf and modified the suspension on all of them. Since the mk6 and mk7 days I’ve never really thought the cars needed aftermarket with the caveat that if I’d run the cars past about 40k miles the dampers would have been sufficiently worn to consider fitting new ones. If I’d fitted new ones I’d have definitely gone B6.
Albeit it all being a rather long time ago, I’ve had Bilstein, Koni, H&R, Boge and possibly others I’ve forgotten.
Koni yellows too hard, Koni FSD too spongy, H&R too hard, Bilstein yellows too hard when fitted with lowering springs (great on track though!), Bilstein black are nice but very similar to OE. Boge turbogas used to work really well with mk2 and mk3 Golfs but that’s hardly relevant here!
For modern cars running standard springs my attention would immediately focus on B6’s (and that’s nothing to do with Volkswizard!)
If I won the Euromillions it’d be Ohlins. But they be fitted to my Lambo not a poxy Golf 😁
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Its surprising how many options are available, but when you boil it down it seems like almost no options at all.
Euromillions? Manthey Porsche for a full package me thinks :laugh:
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Ride height is determined by the spring, the damper has no effect on ride height.
If you were to remove the springs the car would drop down until it was the bumpstops holding the car up.
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I agree madstaff, it does seem weird, but have read on multiple forums that the high nitrogen gas pressure in B6 acts as a slight lifting force increasing spring rate, and in turn marginally raises the ride height due the spring not fully settling when static, I think I have explained the gist of it. Whether its true or not its seems all over the net for B6 dampers, (it may apply to others).
@ Exonian, one brand I can't see in your list of suspension brands is KW? I've never tried them, but they now seem to do a road version coilover as well as the performance coilover, Comfort V2 and standard V2.
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I had Koni FSD fitted to my mk5 GTI and they raised the suspension nearly an inch compared to the 48k(ish) OEM’s that came off. Same springs, I didn’t change those. So it’s very possible that B6’s will do the same.
I’ve not tried KW’s. They might not have been freely available in the UK back in the days I was messing about modifying.
The last set up I had (on an elderly SEAT Ibiza Cupra that I ran as a second car for years) was a Bilstein B8 and Eibach springs combo. I’m pretty sure those dampers had shortened pistons(?) and were hard. The Eibachs went on after one of the front springs that came with the Bilsteins snapped. Those were some unknown brand supplied by Euro Car Parts as part of a kit when they were UK distributors. Neither set up rode well on urban roads.
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https://www.eurocarparts.com/shock-absorber
Seems to be an interesting array of different supposed OE shocks here. Sachs, Bilstein are common names. Monroe and starline?
Although I'm not there yet I was thinking about possibly going with koni Special active dampers when the time comes. They seem to be quite well regarded. My only issue is that it would potentially classed as a mod on insurance as it's not OE spec.
Back when I modded my 2003 Ibiza sport 130 I'd got a weitec suspension kit which KW owned and have now rebranded as ST suspension. It was great, everything about it was better. Original suspension was really crashy. The weitec was a smoother ride and had less roll with about 30mm drop. Strangely felt a lot more like my brother's cupra of similar age. Not sure why the sport suspension was a worse ride than the cupra.
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I once owned an Ibiza TDI 130 Sport of similar vintage back in the noughties.
Hated the thing! It looked like a hippopotamus, the only thing harder than the interior plastics was the ride quality and the gearing was way too long.
I only kept it a very short time.
The 2006/7 facelift big bumper cars were much much nicer and VW nicked the FR bumper style for the current mk8 Clubsport…
Anyway, I didn’t keep the 130PD TDI long.
I went from a 2000 mk3 Ibiza TDI that I’d modified the arse off but couldn’t live with the H&R suspension, to a Leon Cupra 1.8t with which I left the suspension standard as it rode and handled nicely (remapped it though) to the Ibiza 130.
Immediately realised my mistake, traded it for a highish mileage Golf 1.8t which I added a Koni yellow kit to (and remap!) and hated that suspension too…
A Fabia vRS followed which had a much more compliant ride than the Ibiza 130 cousin so was left standard (AmD remap and 17” alloys aside), then a mk5 Golf 140 TDI and then mk5 Golf GTI.
The mk5 GTI was treated to a set of Koni FSD’s which were indeed nice and compliant. However they raised the suspension and would bottom out over large undulations :rolleyes:
That’s the nostalgia trip over for today, plenty more kits I’ve tried in the very distant past though.
Caveat emptor when buying modified suspension parts is the message.
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Bilstein B4's fit the OEM criteria.
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Thanks for the advice, the B4 look like a good OEM+ but think I'm going to head down the Ohlins R&T route when I have saved for it, I know I will regret not getting them if I don't do it to the Golf, as I think its a good candidate for subtle suspension mods but with something that rides well on the road. (I hope).
Although i'm just as likely to flip flop again and go for B4 down the line as i've never had a problem with Bilstein, absolutely terrible at making up my mind :)
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Probably not that helpful but I've been in an Audi R8 with the KW V3's and it rode great. I'm currently looking at the KW Street Comforts myself for that bit lower and better handling but they're meant to retain comfort completely, ideally I'd want the Ohlins but the KW's massively cheaper and also very high quality.
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All info is welcome :wink:
I contacted KW and asked them about the V2 Comfort and V2 performance and they said the valving and spring rate is different, which is a good sign. But to adjust on the rear for rebound requires the damper to be removed and that puts me off a little. I think the KW V3 is 2 way adjustable and can be set as soft as the comforts (apparently) but only the damper so how it will feel I don't know. KW V3 is also adjustable without removing the rear damper I understand.
Couple of things I have been reading about Ohlins puts me off. The customer service and warranty is pretty dire I have read, and a Mod of another MK6 forum who raved about the Ohlins sold them and said never again. Also they need rebuilding every 30k and are only alloy with coating, not stainless like KW and Bilstein, both also having life time warranty.
Yeah I have too much time on my hands. :whistle:
The B16 Bilstein I have used on a couple of cars and found them to be fine for road use and the adjuster is well balanced for road and light track (if a little soft on full hard damper setting on track).
But not many seem to spend lots of cash on suspension for the mk7 in the UK/Europe so its hard to get reviews.
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i had a new 7.5R in 2017 and fitted B16 coilovers. I had been averse to coilovers thinking they world be too hard for the UK, but eventually took the plunge.
I was pleasantly suprised as they were only slightly firmer, but the much more resiliant damping transformed the car. Very easy to adjust and I left the ride height only slightly lowered as I didn't want a boy racer look. I took the car to the Nordschleif and Spa- the car was just brilliant, even over the kerbs.
I cannot recommend the B16 kit enough, my wife felt the car was much more comfy as a result as well.
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even over the kerbs.
Now there’s a man who wasn’t just there to soak up the ambience and admire the scenery!! :grin:
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i had a new 7.5R in 2017 and fitted B16 coilovers. I had been averse to coilovers thinking they world be too hard for the UK, but eventually took the plunge.
I was pleasantly suprised as they were only slightly firmer, but the much more resiliant damping transformed the car. Very easy to adjust and I left the ride height only slightly lowered as I didn't want a boy racer look. I took the car to the Nordschleif and Spa- the car was just brilliant, even over the kerbs.
I cannot recommend the B16 kit enough, my wife felt the car was much more comfy as a result as well.
That's interesting, thanks Andygo.
Spa and the Ring are both fantastic fun, that was one of the things I liked about the B16, hopping across kerbs was better with B16 than normal suspension over rough B roads.
I have had B16 on 2 cars and really liked them as you can set it up with very minimal drop. Wasn't too sure if it was ok on this platform but that gives me food for thought. Bilstein ThyssenKrupp (UK H/O) really helped me when I messed up a damper (I explained it was my own fault) I boxed it up returned it to them and they fixed it for free! excellent service.
I have also started looking at OE plus mods and wondering if I could get some little parts and mod without anything major. This is some of the part numbers I have been collecting and checking against updated info and the TCR.
Highlighted is different to GTI Performance,
Was thinking of getting the front and rear wishbone from the CCS for the stiffer bushes and the springs and front bumps from the TCR as they are uprated but suitable for non dcc dampers, still amazed at how little they changed and yet how much they are better according to reviews. But the B16 could be worth it now you mention it.
I also checked some of the suspension part numbers from a RS3 2019 and it also has some of the GTI parts which just seems mad for a 50k 400 bhp car, I guess VAG do like the parts bin to cross shop and save money.
(https://i.postimg.cc/N0Tvf7FY/GTI-TCR-CSS.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/qtk51K2Z)
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Was thinking of getting the front and rear wishbone from the CCS for the stiffer bushes and the springs and front bumps from the TCR as they are uprated but suitable for non dcc dampers, still amazed at how little they changed and yet how much they are better. But the B16 could be worth it now you mention it.
I can say from experience that adding the CSS Knuckles/hubs, the CSS front LCA rear busing, CSS rear control arms and ARB together with a geometry set up made such a difference - that is on passive Clubsport suspension. Setting up the rear axle geometry together with the additional front camber from the CSS knuckles translates into a very sweet handling car!
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Forgot about the CS will have a look what spring/dampers come on that as standard passive setup, and see if its another little upgrade option along with CSS and TCR parts thanks Paul70 :wink:
Those CSS front hubs are £483 each now! But still cheaper than Ohlins :whistle:
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If I was in your position, I would look at 034 motorsport front LCAs. Slightly increased castor, and adjustment to increase camber by up to 1.2 degrees of camber. They also have stiffer rubber bushings for increased feedback. They are pretty good value to and quite easy to change over to.
Awesome GTI sell them.
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They look nice, :cool:
Bit of camber and simple bolt on.
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Hi
Looking for some info on what others have done to the GTI/TCR without wanting to resort to coilovers? Car is 5 years old this year (2019 seems like yesterday to me though) so wanting to refresh things as i think it has a little too much roll and pitch. I have had coilovers from Bilstein on other cars, but don't really want to head down that road with the GTI and want to keep the original springs.
Searching the VW part system non DCC dampers are all the same on the front and rear regardless of GTI GTD or TCR only the springs are different which was a bit of a surprise. but with this in mind I was thinking
OE
The default low pressure gas, I took one off today and you can push it down to the bump stop with 2 fingers pressing on the top mount and it rises back up at moderate pace. I'm sure new ones will be better although mine are not blown leaking or faulty just 5 years old.
OEM Sachs
List 1 part number to fit the entire multilink rear suspension range, being new its likely to be better than 5 year old with improvement on 5 year old dampers. definitely the safe choice
Bilstein B6
Stiff both in compression and rebound? do they pair well with GTi springs, Anyone fitted these? Did they raise the ride height at all, I have heard the high mono tube pressure in the B6 can raise it a little?
Koni
Stiff in compression but adjustable rebound so could set softer than B6 a little, but the rears need to be removed to adjust so its likely fit and forget. Anyone tried these?
Im having B6 Bilstein rear springs and shockers fitted to my 2L TDI Mk7 later this week.
Chosen because of recommendations and made in Germany not china or wherever.
Not a boy racer but I do want a quality performance if or when it is needed. Driving is 40% motorway, 30% B&C roads, 30% gravel and grass tracks.
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let us know how you get on after a week or two :wink:
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Wanting to do the suspension in stages to see how the OE+ parts work together and whether that's enough, before I make a bigger jump to dampers.
Why not Poly? I read the front LCA rear bush shouldn't be Poly as it doesn't move in the correct orientation for a poly bush i.e. it doesn't rotate which poly is good at, but it flexes along it axis. whether that's true I don't know but you can read people seem to rip them apart after a year in that front arm rear bush so sticking with Rubber.
(https://i.postimg.cc/FK4NPRcX/new.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/SnDBRmDg)
I fitted mk8/RS3/S3 front Lower control arms, as you can see the void in the GTI bush is gone in the new ones. Also fitted CCS/MK8 rear arms with the stiffer bushings, the mk8 arms are basically the new CCS replacement and the front is now the Mk8 R/RS3/S3 which all fit. (hope that makes sense)
Its technically only the rear bush that different to a standard arm for the front, therefore matching part numbers I have cheated and got Mk8 R 2020 lower control arms which are also S3 2016/RS3 2016 arms instead which use the no-void rubber bush part number as the CCS but at a fraction of the price of new CS arms. ZF Lemforder (EO to VAG for the rear CCS bush).
new bushes with no real voids to speak of
(https://i.postimg.cc/1RjSkM6H/new-b.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/K4BCLP0k)
GTi bushes with large gap for compliance and reduced NVH (I guess)
(https://i.postimg.cc/QM67Yb55/old.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/cKn6rfF4)
(https://i.postimg.cc/VNgQDFmX/OG.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1g8jzwgz)
Front LCA
ZF Lemforder 44610 01
https://aftermarket.zf.com/en/catalog/products/44610+01/?country=GB (https://aftermarket.zf.com/en/catalog/products/44610+01/?country=GB)
Rear LCA 5WA 505 311 A
I replaced all the nuts/bolts as they are stretch bolts. The new Mk8 rear arms will require 2 rivet nuts for the rear ride height potentiometer as they don't come fitted to the new ones. Or shop on ebay for used rear arm number and see if anyone is selling light used ones from mk8 plenty with front end crashes :wink:
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I very much like your approach to this EB. It’s easy to just bolt on some springs and dampers, which many people do, not paying attention to the bushes and associated bits until the MOT tester mentions them a few years down the line. The subtleties of bushes wearing are quite significant on a performance car where handling finesse is appreciated, and uprated rubber bushes should add even more feedback and tautness.
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Thanks for the update EB2019 - look forward to the next instalment.
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I very much like your approach to this EB. It’s easy to just bolt on some springs and dampers, which many people do, not paying attention to the bushes and associated bits until the MOT tester mentions them a few years down the line. The subtleties of bushes wearing are quite significant on a performance car where handling finesse is appreciated, and uprated rubber bushes should add even more feedback and tautness.
Thanks Exonian, Paul
As you say, I could slap on a coilover kit but these bushes are 5 years old and replacing with a little OE upgrade should make the car a sharper tool (if a GTi can be a sharper tool). Will let you know how it feels when i actually drive it.
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Thanks for the update EB2019 - look forward to the next instalment.
It will take some time , bathroom comes first now and even though its the same size as a postage stamp its 7k :shocked:
I think it will be Bilstein as KW drop more than I want, and Ohlins customer service and corrosion resistant is lacking. But will make a decision whether it's B12 or B16 at some point. :wink:
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Could you please share the part numbers for both the front and rear arms?
Also, what size rivnuts are needed for the rear?
Will be doing a refresh of my suspension soon, along with Racingline dampers and either Racingline or Eibach springs.
Thanks
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Front Lower Control Arms
ZF Lemforder 44610 01
https://aftermarket.zf.com/en/catalog/products/44610+01/?country=GB
Rear Lower Control Arms 5WA 505 311 A
Rear anti Roll Bar 5Q0 511 305 BA
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Had a chance to take the car on a range of roads from 30miles dual carriageway and Suffolk B Roads.
Broken tarmac being the worst thing for any car is marginally worse now, but we are only taking worse in the context of Clubsport worse or RS3 worse. Not really Poly bushes or slammed worse, So a small trade off which I can easily live with and anyone getting in the car wouldn't notice, but I can after driving the car for a few years and driving straight after the replacements. The car feels more immune to harsh kickback through the body when going over expansion gaps in the road on dual carriageways, don't know if this is a consequence of new bushings or stiffer bushing but its a welcome solidness to the car at speed in a straight line. (The car is more taught).
On to the important part, when you initially turn into a corner, the car would previously make a smooth movement and correct your initial inputs as the soft suspension took up the slack and then it performs what's asked of it. Almost two separate things in one turn of the steering, its subtle but was there before the changes. I guess some if this is bushings/engine mounts, and some of its the high centre of gravity over the front axle. Driving on B roads now the steering angle you apply feels more directly applied to the wheels and it feels like it moves in one single turn to the corner. Not sure how best to describe it but definitely better and offers a sharper more accurate feel to B road driving, you point it at the corner and it goes to that point straight away.
Physics still apply, its still lacking camber and this can only be over come with the CCS hubs or some form of NVH inducing top mounts etc. . But what has improved is the taught and responsive feel that was lacking before from the standard car.
Sorry to bore ppl but going down rabbit holes with OE + parts is fun lol :grin:
Replaced OE+
Front Arms
Rear Arms
Rear Anti Roll Bar
(https://i.postimg.cc/Bnw70tdh/050824.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/RWKL1CCf)
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Nice update Emmett and the car is looking great too.
Sounds very positive thus far :smiley:
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I read recently that VAG standard suspension is like riding down stairs sitting on memory foam, I kind of assume they mean, it feels comfortable, but just can’t react to big bumps or undulations fast enough to support… or something.
This is one of the reason I wanted to switched to Bilstein monotube dampers, as a few of the cars I have had felt a lot better than the GTi in standard form, and while I was doing the shocks I replaced the ARB links and top mounts with Meyle HD ARB stabiliser links, and Lemforder top mounts.
Knowledgeable people at Bilstein.
For me the conversation was pretty insightful, and I thought I would share.
B6 and B8 are more similar than I thought. One isn’t a sportier shock than the other, one isn’t stiffer or shorter than the other (at least not for the housing or piston length).
Until recently, I thought the B8 had a shorter piston rod so it could sit lower without bottoming out with lowered springs. But after speaking to Bilstein it appears they are not actually like that, at least for the spec of cars I was asking about, A3, Leon, Golf etc. The compression and rebound is the same, the housing is also the same, including the piston rod length. The only difference is the piston shaft doesn’t extend out of the shock as far as the B6, while the B6 will extend out like the factory damper at full extension, the B8 at full extension is reduced, with an internal spacer block, to prevent it reaching the same extended height as the B6 (shortened by a few cm). This helps to stop lowering springs from coming loose under full extension (I.e. jacking the car up or massive hump back bridge jump) and not passing TUV or MOT.
So a B6 and a B8 will both work with the same lowered springs under compression and you won’t bottom out a B6 any more than you would a B8, however under full extension or ‘droop’ the spring could rattle loose with the B6 if the springs are 35mm lowered or more, hence the B8 option. Bilstein informed me that in all honesty the Eibach springs are TUV with the factory dampers to work at full extension as well with B6, if I wanted to change in the future to lower Eibach springs.
We had a brief discussion about Bilstein B4 dampers which aren’t 10% uprated (even though it seems a very common myth on forums). They feel stiffer because they are replacing worn dampers with new most likely, but are simply OE matched..
Alignment done at my local Kwikfit with the Hunter alignment they all seem to have now, seems pretty good, I think?
(https://i.postimg.cc/Njq0YBmN/PXL-20250401-062917591-2.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/vchytRP9)
B6 Bilstein dampers with factory GTI springs.
With the OE GTI setup I would hit a dip and belatedly the car bumps up beyond normal rebound and then drops back down, slow to react and takes time to settle. If you often drive on country roads you might now what I'm describing, the car is mostly composed but it can get bucked about sometimes on the UK’s very country, country roads. The Monotube B6 dampers give you a more controlled initial cornering roll, while handling the bumps of B roads supportively. I was surprised they aren't more harsh tbh, and I was gearing up to switch out for something else, but i'm very impressed with the ride comfort and control. With the B6 You do feel broken tarmac the same as OE, and sometimes the B6 can give you a slightly louder thud on harder hits. This is a little inconsistent and hard to define and repeat sometimes, but it must be part of the valving inside or my stiffer bushings, however I have a few suspension upgrades beyond the rear shocks so its likely an incremental noise increase from OE, this is the only negative I can get from the dampers. Motorway speed is the same as OE but the slower compression and rebound making it feel 10-20% more taut, but not stiff. Its a really nice feel (like my old M2 or B16 on the GT86) without being harsh at all, and with no increase in NVH and a flatter initial turn, I have far more positives than negatives.
Melye 4 year warranty ARB Links with much bigger ball joints.
(https://i.postimg.cc/T1ZGz3rC/PXL-20250329-080819165.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/0KdLmxXw)
(https://i.postimg.cc/WpK2FXQg/PXL-20250329-082538339.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/DmrVRdfw)++
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZKdJr6Sg/PXL-20250329-094035965.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/TpT8xLhq)
Lemforder Top Mounts
(https://i.postimg.cc/y87YsWMb/PXL-20250329-080827394.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/1fYZKR5G)
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Interesting read as always EB2019.
I am sure someone will ask, so I may as well ask. Has the ride height increased?
Curious as to why you decided aftermarket for the other parts and not OEM - are they stiffer so less deflection, or was it price driven?
I am sure your car handles very well now with all the mods - just need another degree of front camber to liven things up a bit. On the subject of alignment, it looks good to me - front camber is the most aligned I’ve seen on a standard car!
Any further mods planned?
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Interesting read as always EB2019.
I am sure someone will ask, so I may as well ask. Has the ride height increased?
Curious as to why you decided aftermarket for the other parts and not OEM - are they stiffer so less deflection, or was it price driven?
I am sure your car handles very well now with all the mods - just need another degree of front camber to liven things up a bit. On the subject of alignment, it looks good to me - front camber is the most aligned I’ve seen on a standard car!
Any further mods planned?
lol ride height, the elephant in the room!
Its 3-5mm higher I believe, right now 100 miles of fuel range. 365mm front 374mm rear. I can live with that, as it doesn't look like it sometimes, and then I look at it again and I think it shows, its very subtle and probably only with a static side by side would I be able to see it. I think I originally measure it with 50 -70% fuel load at 360mm and 368mm prior to fitting. The picture at the top of the page was before fitting, but the car was on a slope from camera position to passenger side so it wasn't flat and likely to have made it look higher than normal, I might go back to that location and take another shot if I think about it.
Regarding parts, OEM is an interesting one, its partly price but I don’t think I compromise moving away from VAG for some parts. VAG are mostly just assembly plants, VW ‘make’ very little. Our Injectors are Bosch or Seimens, my pollen filter was Valeo with a VW logo next or it, airfilter was Wix genuine from the Factory, clutch is either Sachs or LUK, brake pads are TRW but the CSS pads I have are genuine VW with a Ferodo logo, CSS discs are Zimmerman, wheel bearings are likely to be FAG or SKF. So for me, as long as I can source from a leading Germany brand I’m happy and I can cherry pick. In the case of my top mounts I went for ZF (lemforder). I had a Febi top mount and ARB link in my hands prior to purchase, and they appeared inferior to Lemforder and Meyle HD links. I remember the Lemforder logo (it looks like an Owl in a triangle) on lots of German OEM cars parts over the years and when you handle the parts you can see why ZF and Lemforder are used. I'm in a fortunate position of being able to get access to parts from Sachs ZF and Lemforder Febi LUK Mahle etc.
Meyle HD stuff is great https://www.meyle.com/en/product-lines/meyle-hd/ (https://www.meyle.com/en/product-lines/meyle-hd/)
Geo is pretty good like you say, my subframe must be right in the sweet spot.
Future plans, are to leave it alone now and enjoy! Although I do need, sorry, want a little more camber, I can't justify the cost for 1-2 degrees for the CSS hubs, think they are £500 a hub now!!
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Another excellent update Emmett.
The results pretty much as hoped for - improved body control and tautness.
I agree with your sourcing of components as an upgrade over the OEM fitted parts that are worn. The OEM parts are of decent enough quality but are built to a cost despite their retail costs being quite high as replacements, where as you can purchase better quality items for less money that haven’t had to go through the VW official system which inevitably hikes the retail prices up.