Hey guys, I installed a set of (US Spec "Progressive") Eibach Prokit springs last weekend and wanted to do a write-up and show some before/after shots since not many VW guys seem to be running them. Attached are some pics, including the springs themselves and my before/after alignment specs. I wanted to wait until I installed my new wheels to post, but the weather still sucks here. I'll update the post with better photos when I can (hopefully by next weekend).
Why not coilovers? Mostly because of price. I daily drive my GTI and get to the circuit track rarely (hopefully more this year now that I started modding). These springs were ~$225 and a nice set of Bilsteins or KWs would be ~$1500-2K. There are other ways I'd rather spend that money.
Why Prokits? Eibach has been in the game forever and makes quality products. I ran Prokits on my 300ZX twin turbo and liked them. I trust their R&D and in the end, they're simply coil springs. I considered VWR, EMD, and H&R too. Most dropped too low for my taste or had reverse rake. The VW DG and H&R OE were a bit too modest. The Prokits, with an advertised 1" drop, seemed like the winners.
How was the install? I like working on my own cars and take pride in doing 99% of the work myself in my little garage. I installed springs on my '06 STI and it wasn't bad at all. This job gave me a bit of a hard time, but eventually got it done with the help of a friend.
Shout out to the helpful threads and comments on this forum by GTI jake , Hammersticks, snobrdrdan, axl911 (and his awesome improvement of the "2x4 method" which worked like a freakin charm!), as well as others.
If doing it yourself, simply be sure to have the correct tools (including a strut spreader bit, spring compressors [rented for free from AutoZone], a solid ~24" piece of 2x4, air or battery impact gun [to make things easier], torque wrench [for proper specs when finishing up], and new hardware [strut bearings and various stretch bolts]... a buddy to help out will make things a lot easier and be more fun too! I started on the driver's side front because I read that it was the most difficult. Once I got that done, the rest was pretty simple!
So, how does it ride? I love it! The ride is ~20% harsher over bumps, but feels way more planted and controlled (note: I do NOT have DCC). These springs combined with the 25mm Eibach rear swaybar I installed last summer are a fantastic combination! She's super tight around turns and very livable for daily driving. My wife even approves and we both love the (surprisingly drastic) improved stance.
I'm fairly new to the VW world and all the talk of lowering springs "being trash" and causing "a terrible ride" or "ruining oem struts" right away seemed a little extreme. I've had springs and coilovers on various cars in the past. I guess I'm just used to driving a lowered vehicle properly and am very aware that I may need to replace/upgrade my struts sooner than later. I have no weird noises or clunks (though I did initially fail to properly torque one of the front swaybar bolts, which caused noise, but was an easy fix). I've been driving it for a couple weeks now and love it more every day.
*I wanted to also note that someone on the /r/GolfGTI Reddit called out my before/after pic, claiming I changed focal lengths. Well, I didn't change anything (other than the springs ).. I just tried to line the car up in the same spot in my drieway and I guess the auto mode on my phone's camera might have adjusted focal length based on the angle I was standing. That, combined with cropping both photos to fit evenly, made it look slightly off. The point of the post was to show others how the Prokit springs look on a MK7 GTI. Professional photographer, I am not. Just an enthusiast happy with the results and proud to have done the job himself. So, I hope this thread helps others and serves as a good reference to those considering the same mod.
I'll post up some better photos soon...
*Edit: 4/21/19 - New pic added. Center of wheel to fender is very close to ~13" exactly at all 4 corners.
Why not coilovers? Mostly because of price. I daily drive my GTI and get to the circuit track rarely (hopefully more this year now that I started modding). These springs were ~$225 and a nice set of Bilsteins or KWs would be ~$1500-2K. There are other ways I'd rather spend that money.
Why Prokits? Eibach has been in the game forever and makes quality products. I ran Prokits on my 300ZX twin turbo and liked them. I trust their R&D and in the end, they're simply coil springs. I considered VWR, EMD, and H&R too. Most dropped too low for my taste or had reverse rake. The VW DG and H&R OE were a bit too modest. The Prokits, with an advertised 1" drop, seemed like the winners.
How was the install? I like working on my own cars and take pride in doing 99% of the work myself in my little garage. I installed springs on my '06 STI and it wasn't bad at all. This job gave me a bit of a hard time, but eventually got it done with the help of a friend.
Shout out to the helpful threads and comments on this forum by GTI jake , Hammersticks, snobrdrdan, axl911 (and his awesome improvement of the "2x4 method" which worked like a freakin charm!), as well as others.
If doing it yourself, simply be sure to have the correct tools (including a strut spreader bit, spring compressors [rented for free from AutoZone], a solid ~24" piece of 2x4, air or battery impact gun [to make things easier], torque wrench [for proper specs when finishing up], and new hardware [strut bearings and various stretch bolts]... a buddy to help out will make things a lot easier and be more fun too! I started on the driver's side front because I read that it was the most difficult. Once I got that done, the rest was pretty simple!
So, how does it ride? I love it! The ride is ~20% harsher over bumps, but feels way more planted and controlled (note: I do NOT have DCC). These springs combined with the 25mm Eibach rear swaybar I installed last summer are a fantastic combination! She's super tight around turns and very livable for daily driving. My wife even approves and we both love the (surprisingly drastic) improved stance.
I'm fairly new to the VW world and all the talk of lowering springs "being trash" and causing "a terrible ride" or "ruining oem struts" right away seemed a little extreme. I've had springs and coilovers on various cars in the past. I guess I'm just used to driving a lowered vehicle properly and am very aware that I may need to replace/upgrade my struts sooner than later. I have no weird noises or clunks (though I did initially fail to properly torque one of the front swaybar bolts, which caused noise, but was an easy fix). I've been driving it for a couple weeks now and love it more every day.
*I wanted to also note that someone on the /r/GolfGTI Reddit called out my before/after pic, claiming I changed focal lengths. Well, I didn't change anything (other than the springs ).. I just tried to line the car up in the same spot in my drieway and I guess the auto mode on my phone's camera might have adjusted focal length based on the angle I was standing. That, combined with cropping both photos to fit evenly, made it look slightly off. The point of the post was to show others how the Prokit springs look on a MK7 GTI. Professional photographer, I am not. Just an enthusiast happy with the results and proud to have done the job himself. So, I hope this thread helps others and serves as a good reference to those considering the same mod.
I'll post up some better photos soon...
*Edit: 4/21/19 - New pic added. Center of wheel to fender is very close to ~13" exactly at all 4 corners.
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