Author Topic: Looking for suspension upgrade but not to low mk4 golf 1.8t  (Read 2011 times)

Offline Roystar

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Hey,
 I am looking for a suspension kit for mk4 gti 1.8t. My existing top mounts are gone plus the drivers side shock don't look great. Thought rather than going OEM I would upgrade to something better as I'm running 240bhp. I am looking for improved handling but don't want to lower the car to much I want to keep the OEM look as much as possible. I have seen plenty of kits and coilover sets but a lot lower the car at least 30mm I was hoping for something a little more discreet.

I haven't got a endless pot of money unfortunately :sad: so looking for something in reason. I have had a quote from the VW stealers for all the shocks, mounts and springs for £455 plenty of kits out there for that sort of price but not any that meets requirements, of course I could be asking to much.

Any thoughts/ideas would be greatly appreciated, I have been browsing suspension sections of websites a little long now and the brain is starting to fry :laugh:


Offline north

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Re: Looking for suspension upgrade but not to low mk4 golf 1.8t
« Reply #1 on: 10 August 2013, 20:30 »
hello m8
 if your suspension is standard running 240 horses i would strongly suggest poly bushes to replace the rubber on the lower front wishbones, the rubber bushes tend to flex alittle too much under hard accelaration creating toe in, (tyre wear to the outer edges), then toe out under hard braking,(tyre wear on the inside egdes),
top mounts, be sure that they are worn out, they is an amount of drop on the front struts, this is supposed to be there, it keeps the tyre incontact with the tarmac when the shocks can`t keep up with dips or bumps on the road. ie, jack the front of the car so the wheels are 2 inches off the ground, use a long bar under the tyre to feel for lift at the wheel, you will see the top mount raise and lower about 3/4 of an inch,
but you can also get these in poly form to replace rubber,
poly bushes come in different grades, harder bushes give more positive feel but harder the bush the rougher the ride,
shocks, standard shocks are ok as long as they are in good condition, a pair of bilstiens or spax are better you dont have to go as far as coilovers to get a quick car to handle really well

north

Offline Wayne

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Re: Looking for suspension upgrade but not to low mk4 golf 1.8t
« Reply #2 on: 10 August 2013, 21:45 »
Go for a set of Koni shocks plus lowering springs or a good quality matched shock and spring kit.

Offline gazareth

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Re: Looking for suspension upgrade but not to low mk4 golf 1.8t
« Reply #3 on: 10 August 2013, 21:56 »
tracking isn't allways affected by wishbone bush flex. its all down to steering arm length and angle when compared to wishbone length and angle.

Offline Roystar

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Re: Looking for suspension upgrade but not to low mk4 golf 1.8t
« Reply #4 on: 12 August 2013, 23:43 »
Well ending up going with  a set of Eibach Pro Street S brand new for £525+VAT such a steal couldn't let them go although I probably would have gone for a set of koni shocks if I had the money. Although I believe they are made in the same place as KW's.
Not a great lover of poly bushes hardens the ride and usually starts a chain reaction and ending up replacing in different areas them weekly.
Gonna get them on tomorrow me thinks. As usual I probably won't actually get them on till days afterwards normal run into a million problems, need a tool or something blows up.  :evil: