Finally getting around to suspension upgrades

Hammersticks said:

A lot of features for the money no doubt...but to play devil's advocate:
* $800 vs $1000
* Less to fiddle with or worry about breaking
* flexibility to mix and match
* higher quality depending on parts chosen (Bilstein > BC)
* better ride quality (B8)
* adjustable (yellows)
* no scheduled downtime or spending more money every x miles to service/rebuild (not sure about the cost for BC rebuilds but was quoted $1k every 40k miles to service Ohlins)
* lifetime warranty vs 1 year

Just depends what's important to you.

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I get where you're going with this but I guess I've just been doing this long enough to just go straight to a full suspension setup.
*He stated above that it was over $900 for springs/shocks so now we're talking about sub $100 difference
*im not sure what could break that couldn't break on any suspension, I set my car up once and haven't touched it since
*flexibility, being able to pick your spring rates and select from 4 different types of adjustable dampeners is quite a bit of flexibility
*higher quality, just gonna call that a matter of opinion
*better ride quality, definitely opinion
*rebuilding shocks is rebuilding shocks, no matter what company makes them and whether it's a coilover or a factory style shock/spring. We're talking about VWs here not full on race cars, so comparing any of these setups to Ohlins suspension is kind of silly.
*warranty, I'll give you that one haha

Like I said, I get it. Set it and forget it (for the most part), and like you said, it comes down to what's important to the owner/driver. I'm running wide 19s right now but maybe my next set of wheels will be 17/18s and even more meaty tires, and I'll Just adjust the suspension accordingly, if that isn't something you do (not you specifically, but whoever) then springs/shocks might make more sense.

I appreciate everyone's feedback on this topic! I thought about coil-overs for sure, especially at the price point that I am sitting at. I am not looking at slamming the car (had a slammed Mini and that was enough of the low life for me, haha) but really looking to tighten up the handling and get rid of a little wheel gap. I have always heard great things about Koni Yellows in the past, and I have had great luck with all of my H&R kit. To me, it was a logical choice to put them together to create a lower, yet completely streetable setup focused on better handling. I haven't heard much on BC coils, but the price is intriguing. I really want suspension components that hold up in bad weather, and that is where my Megan Racing coils on my Mini didn't do so hot.

Great suggestions, guys! Keep em coming

Alright,

I was finishing​my grad school homework and decided to do a little more research into the world of coilovers. I came up with a few more questions:

Does anyone use their ST coilovers in bad weather climates year round? Have they held up?

H&R makes a fully adjustable coilover for the mk7, does anyone use them? I couldn't find much info on them.

Thanks again to those who chime in

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I can't be much help from a bad weather standpoint because I'm in Florida and the worst weather we get is rain for 2-3 months straight in the summer.

A friend if mine had H&Rs on his APR stage 2 GTI, he said they rode great, but for him even at the stiffest setting they were a bit too soft. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to ride in the car before he switched it out.

There are a few PSS kits for sale in the used section of the site. They can be had about the same or less as a spring + damper setup if you go that route. They'll be flatter in the corners than just springs and offer height adjustability.

If you're running in snow, the ST-X kit will not be the best choice.

If the roads you drive on tend to be awful, springs + dampers might be a better option as they tend to have a much softer spring rate. If they're not bad roads, coilovers would be good.

Yeah,there will be snow in this setup's future, which is one of the reason I ha e wanted to stay away from any coilover except Bilstein, H&R, or KW.

The roads here aren't terrible, but they aren't the best either. Another member who posted in here had photos of his car being thrashed by Colorado road conditions. I have pmed a couple of the PSS owners to see if they would ship, but those coils seem to be a great bargain as well. I am finding them for $1000 shipped brand new. Currently, I am in touch with a local shop to see if they have a local customer who would be willing to let me ride along to test the ride quality out.

Final choices (within budget):

Bilstein PSS
Koni Yellow+H&R Sport

Slightly out of budget:

Bilstein PSS 10 (to add adjustment to shocks)
KW V1
H&R Street Performance +

Quite a bit out of budget:

KW V3
H&R RSS+

I ordered a set of control arm bushings per your recommendations from ECS. I think that will compliment the upgrade nicely (whatever it may be!)

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Fitting proper springs + dampers can give some advantages over coilovers.
Especially when you're going for linear and not too short springs to retain
sufficient travel this will provide better ride comfort than similarly priced or
even much costlier coilovers. Many prefer coilovers just for a single reason,
going lower. The original purpose of coilovers has been something entirely
different - setting corresponding corner weights (in racing). Something you
will never need on your daily driver.

Thank you for everyone's inputs. I decided on a setup after riding in a few local cars this morning (great group of friends that wanted to help me with my decision) and I have just purchased a set of Bilstein PSS10 coilovers on a great deal.

They will be accompanied by a new rear sway bar and some adjustable endlinks. I will post pics upon completion!

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rjtrout said:

Thank you for everyone's inputs. I decided on a setup after riding in a few local cars this morning (great group of friends that wanted to help me with my decision) and I have just purchased a set of Bilstein PSS10 coilovers on a great deal.

They will be accompanied by a new rear sway bar and some adjustable endlinks. I will post pics upon completion!

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Sounds nice! Although I would personally suggest skipping endlinks, but if you do want to go aftermarket urge you to look at the Superpro version.

rjtrout said:

... I have just purchased a set of Bilstein PSS10 coilovers on a great deal.

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Sounds good. I just installed the Bilsteins and am happy with the result. So far I've just tried the softest setting, just to get a baseline before I start making adjustments.

I would suggest you also consider a front sway bar. Difficult to install, but it will help control body roll.

Front and rear sways same time as bills PSS's so there's one pro alignment


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Just the wheels mounted so far. Suspension goes on this coming Monday!

Here is a pic directly after install! I am loving the new ride and the look is a nice touch of sporty.

And another...

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