Coilover Kit Information

[victorofhavoc]

The PSS10 rates listed are incorrect. I just reached out to Bilstein and they stated the rears are actually 302lb linear. Front rates listed are correct (399 progressive)

Bumping an old thread...
I just got my pss10 and manually measured. The fronts are 302-398lb/in progressive and the rears are 346lb/in linear.

I've seen others' rear setups and they appeared progressive. I think bilstein revised the kit at some point and moved to linear rear.

 

[Crild]

Ohlin's Road & Track: 2425 Euro
Front Spring Rate: 400 lbs/in (70N/mm )
Rear Spring Rate: 285 lbs/in (50N/mm)
Front Lowering: 15mm
Rear Lowering: 20mm
Adjustability? Rebound and Compression (not specified if on separate toggles)

This should be corrected to

Front lowering: 0-5mm
Rear lowering: 0-5mm

The 15-20mm is based on ROW/europe versions of the cars not the NA/US based models.

 

[FooDogg]

Nic

Hey Everyone! I've been collecting information on some coilover kits for our cars so I thought I would share the findings. I'm going to keep updating it as a find more. Right now the list focuses on mid-high end kits, but if people are interested in lower end stuff let me know and I'll add that as well Also if you guys are interested in drop rate ranges, let me know and I can add that as well.

IF YOU HAVE ANY FEEDBACK ON HOW TO MAKE THIS BETTER, PLEASE COMMENT
Some info is harder to find than others, but I want to make this as comprehensive as possible.

General Notes:
The kits stated are for the GTI. They might work for Golf/R/A3/S3, but you'd have to look in more detail.
All coilover kits with camber adjustment offer about -1.5/+1.5* of camber adjustment at STOCK height. A rough (and I emphasize rough) estimate of camber increase will be about an additional -0.5* of camber for every inch lower than stock. (Gathered from my alignment with lowering springs, and some discussion with various vendors).

STOCK SPRING RATES: (from Neuspeed website)
A3 Spring Rate: Front - 130 lbs/in, Rear - 165 lbs/in
GTI Spring Rate: Front - 175 lbs/in, Rear - 230 lbs/in

---- FORMAT ----
Coilover: $PRICE
Front Spring Rate:
Rear Spring Rate
Front Lowering:
Rear Lowering:
Camber Plates? -
Adjustability


Prices are more or less from ECS Tuning, however, you can often find them cheaper. Only use the stated figures as a ball park. For the spring rates, I called manufactures if the items weren't listed.
I've tried to list these from Street Oriented to Track Oriented.


========== BUDGET COILOVERS ==========
For those that just want low.

ECS Tuning Economy Line: $499
Front Spring Rate: TBD
Rear Spring Rate: TBD
Front Lowering: 1.2-2.3"
Rear Lowering: 1.2-2.3"
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: None

Solo-Werks S1: $499
Front Spring Rate: TBD
Rear Spring Rate: TBD
Front Lowering: 1.4-2.5"
Rear Lowering: 1.4-2.75"
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: None


========== STREET/TRACK ORIENTED COILOVERS ==========
Coilovers comfortable for the street, but that can handle a weekend at the track
everyone once in a while!

ST X: $807
Front Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (~175lbs/in)
Rear Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (~150 lbs/in)
Front Lowering: 0.6-1.8"
Rear Lowering: 0.8-2.0"
Camber Plates? - No

Adjustability: None
Vogtland: $999
Front Spring Rate: TBD
Rear Spring Rate: TBD
Front Lowering: 1 - 2.2"
Rear Lowering: 1-2.2"
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: None

AST 2000: 660 Euro
Front Spring Rate: TBD
Rear Spring Rate: TBD
Front Lowering: 30-60mm
Rear Lowering: 30-60mm
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: None

STX - Adjustable: $1427
Front Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (should be in the 175lb/in range)
Rear Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (should be in the 150lb/in range)
Front Lowering: 0.6" to 1.8"
Rear Lowering: 0.8" to 2.0"
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable, rebound dampening
Notes: Not recommended for more than occasional track use.

KW Variant V1: $1519
Front Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (should be in the 175lb/in range)
Rear Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (should be in the 150lb/in range)
Front Lowering: 0.6" to 1.8"
Rear Lowering: 0.8" to 2.0"
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: None

KW Variant V2: $1939
Front Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (should be in the 175lb/in range)
Rear Spring Rate: 15-20% over stock, progressive (should be in the 150lb/in range)
Front Lowering: 0.6" to 1.8"
Rear Lowering: 0.8" to 2.0"
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable, rebound dampening
Quote from actual ST/KW Rep: "STX and V2 use the same shock and spring. The difference is in the housing, camber plate and warranty." Rep could not quote exact spring rate. Still a "street-focused" kit.

H&R Street Performance Coilover: $1428
Front Spring Rate: TBD
Rear Spring Rate: TBD
Front Lowering: 1.1-2.3"
Rear Lowering: 1.0-2.0"
Camber Adjustment? - No
Adjustability: None

Forge Motorsport Coilover: $1200
Front Spring Rate: TBD
Rear Spring Rate: TBD
Front Lowering: TBD (Fully threaded body)
Rear Lowering:TBD (Fully Threaded Body)
Camber Adjustment? - Yes
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable dampening.

KSport Kontrol Pro: $900
Front Spring Rate: 504 lbs/in (9K)
Rear Spring Rate: 252 lbs/in (4.5K)
Front Lowering: TBD
Rear Lowering: TBD
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 1 way - dampening adjustment (36 levels)

BC Racing BR: $995
Front Spring Rate: 448 lbs/in
Rear Spring Rate: 336 lbs/in
Front Lowering:
Rear Lowering:
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable, rebound dampening (30 clicks)
Swift Springs available for ~$320 extra (custom rates)

--> My personal review available here: http://www.golfmk7.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30523&highlight=Coilover+review

Bilstein PSS (B14): $995
Front Spring Rate: progressive, TBD
Rear Spring Rate: progressive, TBD
Front Lowering: 30-50mm
Rear Lowering: 30-50mm
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: None.

Bilstein PSS10 (B16): $1923
Front Spring Rate: 399 lbs/in, progressive
Rear Spring Rate: 423 lbs/in, progressive
Front Lowering: 30-50mm
Rear Lowering: 30-50mm
Camber Plates? - No
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable, rebound and compression (10 clicks)

Bilstein B16 Damptronic
Front spring 65N/mm 371lb
Rear spring 55N/mm 314lb
Front Lowering: ?
Rear Lowering: ?
Adjustability: ?

AST 1-way 5100: $1625 Euro
Front Spring Rate: Custom Available
Rear Spring Rate: Custom Available
Front Lowering: - fixed, or coilover option
Rear Lowering: - fixed or coilover option
Camber Plates? - Available for $395 Euro
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable rebound

VWR StreetSport: $1299
Front Spring Rate:
Rear Spring Rate
Front Lowering:
Rear Lowering:
Camber Adjustment? - No
Adjustability: None

VWR StreetSport Plus
Front Spring Rate: Progressive*, TBD
Rear Spring Rate: Progressive*, TBD
Front Lowering:
Rear Lowering:
Camber Adjustment? - No
Adjustability? 1 way, dampening (12 position).
* = Linear Race Springs Available.

Ohlin's Road & Track: 2425 Euro
Front Spring Rate: 400 lbs/in (70N/mm )
Rear Spring Rate: 285 lbs/in (50N/mm)
Front Lowering: 15mm
Rear Lowering: 20mm
Adjustability? Rebound and Compression (not specified if on separate toggles)

========== TRACK ORIENTED COILOVERS ==========
Coilovers oriented for the track. Usually have very high spring rates and stiff dampening.

KSport Kontrol Plus: $1755
Front Spring Rate: 806 lbs/in (16k)
Rear SPring Rate: 784 lbs/in (14k)
Front Lowering: TBD
Rear Lowering: TBD
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 2 way, rebound and compression

AST 5200 - 2way : 3200 Euro
Front Spring Rate: Custom Available
Rear Spring Rate: Custom Available
Front Lowering: TBD
Rear Lowering: TBD
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 2 way, rebound and compression w/ separate reservoir

AST 5300 - 3 way: 3500 Euro
Front Spring Rate: Custom Available
Rear Spring Rate: Custom Available
Front Lowering: TBD
Rear Lowering: TBD
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 3 way, rebound, hi and low-speed compression w/ separate reservoir

VWR TrackSport: $3299
Front Spring Rate: Linear, TBD*
Rear Spring Rate: Linear, TBD*
Front Lowering: TBD
Rear Lowering: TBD
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 2 way, rebound and bump
Notes: Rear combines shock and spring (changes stock spring location). NASA TT-racers, this will cost you points! Front struts are inverted monotube.
* = Linear Race Springs suggest custom rates available.

KSport Circuit Pro: $2475
Front Spring Rate: 896 lb/in (16K)
Rear SPring Rate: 1008 lbs/in (18K)
Front Lowering: TBD
Rear Lowering: TBD
Camber Plates? - Yes (with caster adjustment too)
Adjustability: 2 way, rebound and compression

KW Clubsport (2-way): $3480
Front Spring Rate: 570 lbs/in
Rear Spring Rate: 460 lbs/in
Camber Plates? - Yes
Adjustability: 2 way adjustable, rebound and compression independently.

Bilstein Clubsport: $4146
Front Spring Rate: 571 lbs/in + 57lb helper spring.
Rear Spring Rate: 417 lbs/in
Front Lowering: 30-50mm
Rear Lowering: 30-50mm
Camber Plates? Yes
Adjustability: 2 way adjustable, rebound and compression (10 clicks ea, 100 total combos)

H&R RSS+ Clubsport: $2519
Front Spring Rate: 628 lbs/in
Rear Spring Rate: 457 lbs/in
Camber Plates? Yes
Adjustability: 1 way adjustable, rebound and compression.
Notes: Also includes front swaybar links.


If you're still here - spring rates for our cars.
The GTI sits at about 61% F, 39% R weight distribution, which is close enough for our calculations. Your initial insight would suggest oh okay, so 61/39 ~ 1.5, so my front spring rate should be 1.5x stiffer than my rear. Incorrect! The front spring is a MacPhaeson Strut, meaning there is about 1:1 movement in the spring in wheel. However, the rear spring sits inboard. Because of this, we get about a 0.76:1 movement in the spring vs. wheel. To compensate for this difference, we need a stiffer rear spring. Specifically, about 1.31x stiffer (1/0.76). So for ideal weight distrubtion and equal suspension behavior front and rear, a good estimate is:

Where to get equal movement (X), we should set out spring rates (K) to approximately:

Front = 1.0 KX
Rear = 0.87 KX

Please note this is some very rough math, but should help you get an idea for why spring rates are set in a certain fashion! Also note, adjustments front and rear can help the car to behave to your liking, much like sway bars. Some like stiffer front, stiffer rear or anything in between.

Nice work. Now do Alltrack- correct me if I am wrong but still no afteemarket shocks if you want to stay same, or ideally go a little higher to accomodate a 1" lift...
Except the compromise of Atlas shocks in rear for the extra extension to avoid topping out, and stiffer feel of heavier car but a mismatch with front Sachs OEM damening rate...

Lots more anecdotal evidence at bwvortex but not in one thread, so thanks again OP!

 

[victorofhavoc]

Nic


Nice work. Now do Alltrack- correct me if I am wrong but still no afteemarket shocks if you want to stay same, or ideally go a little higher to accomodate a 1" lift...
Except the compromise of Atlas shocks in rear for the extra extension to avoid topping out, and stiffer feel of heavier car but a mismatch with front Sachs OEM damening rate...

Lots more anecdotal evidence at bwvortex but not in one thread, so thanks again OP!

Lifting a car is actually far more complex than lowering it. While 1" doesn't sound like a lot, it's a pretty drastic change for the vehicle as a whole. I really wouldn't go higher unless you have very specific reasons for doing so. I used to live in Redneckville, Alabama and have seen more than a few pickups overturned on the side of the highway because of mom and pop shop lift kits.

As far as the longer body is concerned, you can make the calculations yourself to account for the extra torque that a longer vehicle has around the chosen axle as the fulcrum. You have to account for the weight over the rear, weight over the front, front spring rate as a function of rear rate and rear axle as fulcrum, rear rate as a function of front rate and front axle as fulcrum, and additional forces acting down on the front end (engine weight) as a function of the suspension geometry changes (caster and more inboard wheel location) that impact the rear.

Without going too deep into it and misdirecting the thread, if you raise your vehicle, you'll generally want a slightly softer front spring, stiffer rear spring, additional static camber in front, a caster change or adjustment kit for the front, and of course dampening to match. The dampening is basically a ratio of front to rear spring rate with a chosen frequency (suspension harmonics can go quite deep here so best to have someone build a dampener to match the springs). You'll also want more suspension travel (why else raise the vehicle?) and to have a dampener appropriately spec'd for the gain in stroke. This is all assuming you don't want to entirely change your driving dynamics and turn your car into a monster truck or rally car.

 

[victorofhavoc]

This should be corrected to

Front lowering: 0-5mm
Rear lowering: 0-5mm

The 15-20mm is based on ROW/europe versions of the cars not the NA/US based models.

Man you really hate Ohlins, lol.

There are three Ohlins kits floating around:
MP20: runs the 399/285 spring rates
MP21: runs the 399/285 spring rates but has added bushings and bits to reduce bind and slip noise
MT21: runs the 399/399 spring rates and was intentioned for the Golf R, but spec'd for GTI as well since the difference in balance is negligible, especially with proper rake and corner balance.

There's a rumor that a new kit is being produced very specifically to the R, but every time I've spoken with Ohlins reps they point me at the MT21 being the kit and already released. There's probably an MT22 or something in the works, so we'll see what shakes out over time.

I can't make any claims to the ride lowering, but I also don't believe suspension choice should be dictated by how low you can go...

 

[Crild]

I

Man you really hate Ohlins, lol.

There are three Ohlins kits floating around:
MP20: runs the 399/285 spring rates
MP21: runs the 399/285 spring rates but has added bushings and bits to reduce bind and slip noise
MT21: runs the 399/399 spring rates and was intentioned for the Golf R, but spec'd for GTI as well since the difference in balance is negligible, especially with proper rake and corner balance.

There's a rumor that a new kit is being produced very specifically to the R, but every time I've spoken with Ohlins reps they point me at the MT21 being the kit and already released. There's probably an MT22 or something in the works, so we'll see what shakes out over time.

I can't make any claims to the ride lowering, but I also don't believe suspension choice should be dictated by how low you can go...

I actually love ohlins. I always thought they were the Pinnacle of road Worthy suspension products. They don't state the lowering range on any product on the US site and only display it on the EU site. This is because there are differences with the platforms and they don't know why they are different.

I've spoken to 3 separate people at ohlins and all have said the same thing, we don't really care why it doesn't go low but unless you keep it at the preloaded height you'll bottom out the dampers. They made their adjustment at the extreme end vs the middle like most brands.

Why would I spend 3k on ohlins when all you get is leaving your car at stock height? That defeats the entire purpose of buying coilovers....You should spend half that money on Bilstein since they are very similar in terms of specs & actually lower your car.

 

[victorofhavoc]

I
I actually love ohlins. I always thought they were the Pinnacle of road Worthy suspension products. They don't state the lowering range on any product on the US site and only display it on the EU site. This is because there are differences with the platforms and they don't know why they are different.

I've spoken to 3 separate people at ohlins and all have said the same thing, we don't really care why it doesn't go low but unless you keep it at the preloaded height you'll bottom out the dampers. They made their adjustment at the extreme end vs the middle like most brands.

Why would I spend 3k on ohlins when all you get is leaving your car at stock height? That defeats the entire purpose of buying coilovers....You should spend half that money on Bilstein since they are very similar in terms of specs & actually lower your car.

What if you're trying to build your car for a specific race class that doesn't allow certain suspension geometry changes or has to maintain stock control arms? In that case, stock height or just a touch lower is ideally what you want for best performance. The purpose of a "performance" coilover is not to stancenation out your car, but to match the spring and valving very specifically, allow for adjustment in balance front to rear and side to side, and corner balance your car so that it turns left and right exactly the same. Some people might also be looking to keep stock ride height because for most of the country/world it's already very low...I know in stock form I'd scrape going into the parking lot at my veterinarian, and on 034 springs I can't make it up multiple lots/driveways around town. At this point I'll run the pss10 as high as they'll go, then corner balance and see how it turns out. 15mm minimum with them...that's a lot when height is already precious.

Just because you want a supplier to commit a value for the "lowering" you're expecting doesn't mean you'll get a legitimate response. PSS10 are supposedly 15-35 mm, but I've also heard from several people that they are seeing 30-50, and even the box they came in says 30-50 on it. If the minimum is 30, i'll get rid of them, because I just can't handle scraping everywhere i go and ripping off the bumper on potholes...

 

[Crild]

What if you're trying to build your car for a specific race class that doesn't allow certain suspension geometry changes or has to maintain stock control arms? In that case, stock height or just a touch lower is ideally what you want for best performance. The purpose of a "performance" coilover is not to stancenation out your car, but to match the spring and valving very specifically, allow for adjustment in balance front to rear and side to side, and corner balance your car so that it turns left and right exactly the same. Some people might also be looking to keep stock ride height because for most of the country/world it's already very low...I know in stock form I'd scrape going into the parking lot at my veterinarian, and on 034 springs I can't make it up multiple lots/driveways around town. At this point I'll run the pss10 as high as they'll go, then corner balance and see how it turns out. 15mm minimum with them...that's a lot when height is already precious.

Just because you want a supplier to commit a value for the "lowering" you're expecting doesn't mean you'll get a legitimate response. PSS10 are supposedly 15-35 mm, but I've also heard from several people that they are seeing 30-50, and even the box they came in says 30-50 on it. If the minimum is 30, i'll get rid of them, because I just can't handle scraping everywhere i go and ripping off the bumper on potholes...

The point of coilovers is to lower the car to get better performance out of it.

I would like to be able to go lower than I am now and be able to go up by a bit for winter. I rub on my 19" winter wheels due to spacers needed for brake clearance now.

Bilstein calls 15-35, other independent sales sites say 30-50. I find it hard to believe the manufacturer would be off by that much.

For reference Griffen (shop that works on cliffs car) even said they don't know how his car is lower than advertised and they said the pss10 or h&r street performance + will be extremely close in performance to the ohlins since their spring rates are almost identical and Bilstein has more adjustability iirc.

I'm just wanting to let people know ohlins doesn't have any lowering range for the US cars so if they buy them they won't be disappointed.

At that price bracket you're better off paying a bit more for MCS

 

[victorofhavoc]

The point of coilovers is to lower the car to get better performance out of it.

I would like to be able to go lower than I am now and be able to go up by a bit for winter. I rub on my 19" winter wheels due to spacers needed for brake clearance now.

Bilstein calls 15-35, other independent sales sites say 30-50. I find it hard to believe the manufacturer would be off by that much.

For reference Griffen (shop that works on cliffs car) even said they don't know how his car is lower than advertised and they said the pss10 or h&r street performance + will be extremely close in performance to the ohlins since their spring rates are almost identical and Bilstein has more adjustability iirc.

Lower and better performance don't exactly go hand in hand. The benefits of going lower, like better aero around the wheel well and lower center of gravity, are often equaled or offset by the raised roll center, worse evacuation of air, and upper travel geometry changes. We're not talking about a dual double wishbone setup where the pros outweigh the cons. We have to be fairly careful about what's changed. There's a reason the clubsport s has an entirely different front end along with being a touch lower.

Aftermarket stuff is almost always off. 034 calls their p34 intake plastic a factory match, and it's not even close (don't even get me started on their supplied filter that would literally let pebbles through). Their dynamic+ springs don't fit the dcc strut and every time I've attempted to talk to them about it they stop responding. I've tried to leave a review on their site multiple times and they never let it publish. Mss said their springs were designed around the dcc suspension, but unless I went higher than stock, I couldn't get them to sit properly. The squeaks, creaks, and rattling from the mss was a joke, too. I would not be at all surprised if reality and what's advertised for bilstein don't line up. I've read multiple times the front and rear are progressive and that the rates are 400/420 and that's a total farce. The rates I calculated based off of their data and counting coils is totally different compared to everything I've read so far.

At the end of the day you can't trust what you read, what's advertised, or what's said without actually getting your hands on it.

I've burned a lot of money on this platform trusting marketing and shops that claim they know the parts and platform.

 

[FooDogg]

Lifting a car is actually far more complex than lowering it. While 1" doesn't sound like a lot, it's a pretty drastic change for the vehicle as a whole. I really wouldn't go higher unless you have very specific reasons for doing so. I used to live in Redneckville, Alabama and have seen more than a few pickups overturned on the side of the highway because of mom and pop shop lift kits.

As far as the longer body is concerned, you can make the calculations yourself to account for the extra torque that a longer vehicle has around the chosen axle as the fulcrum. You have to account for the weight over the rear, weight over the front, front spring rate as a function of rear rate and rear axle as fulcrum, rear rate as a function of front rate and front axle as fulcrum, and additional forces acting down on the front end (engine weight) as a function of the suspension geometry changes (caster and more inboard wheel location) that impact the rear.

Without going too deep into it and misdirecting the thread, if you raise your vehicle, you'll generally want a slightly softer front spring, stiffer rear spring, additional static camber in front, a caster change or adjustment kit for the front, and of course dampening to match. The dampening is basically a ratio of front to rear spring rate with a chosen frequency (suspension harmonics can go quite deep here so best to have someone build a dampener to match the springs). You'll also want more suspension travel (why else raise the vehicle?) and to have a dampener appropriately spec'd for the gain in stroke. This is all assuming you don't want to entirely change your driving dynamics and turn your car into a monster truck or rally car.

Thanks Havoc-
Simplifying all that, and agreed - def DONT want MonsterAlltrack- only a 1" lift- 1.5" is max in front due limit on geometry of left axle, (see ShopDap popping of left inner cv joint) and 1" is rear limit due extension on AT OEM shock topping out at 2"- need some room or the shock would destroy itself, sooner than later.
So, interpreting your explanation, the recommended "fit what works plug and chug" solution is mount Atlas rear shocks, set zero camber in back as SmithVW recommends to help with saggy butt on their AT "leveling kits" (1.5 front 0.5 rear spacers developed with and now produced by Forge)

Or use Christof A's BES lift kit 1" front 7/8 rear, or Eric Ellermans RallyWag 1" front 1" rear kit.

I'm also told by a vw tuning shop in San Diego who has put 3-4 Forge Lift Kits on ATs and 3-4 on Atlas that "they work fine on OEM shocks as long as you do an alignment" -presumeably adjust camber and toe-in to keep turn in/understeer and so on close to stock and predictable.

Couple guys have said "more bodyroll" as expected of course but manageable, another "didnt like the change in c.g." and swapped back out so its a individual thing, as to the ride, of course.

I'd just like to see an aftermarket shock/spring/coilover by same manufacturer for same original ride height on AT.

So far its all lowering which of course is understandable for tracking or the slamming scene...

I just hoped there would be something by now, and even asked VW about the suspension "how to?" when this came out at NY Auto Show Jan 2015:

 

[victorofhavoc]

Thanks Havoc-
Simplifying all that, and agreed - def DONT want MonsterAlltrack- only a 1" lift- 1.5" is max in front due limit on geometry of left axle, (see ShopDap popping of left inner cv joint) and 1" is rear limit due extension on AT OEM shock topping out at 2"- need some room or the shock would destroy itself, sooner than later.
So, interpreting your explanation, the recommended "fit what works plug and chug" solution is mount Atlas rear shocks, set zero camber in back as SmithVW recommends to help with saggy butt on their AT "leveling kits" (1.5 front 0.5 rear spacers developed with and now produced by Forge)

Or use Christof A's BES lift kit 1" front 7/8 rear, or Eric Ellermans RallyWag 1" front 1" rear kit.

I'm also told by a vw tuning shop in San Diego who has put 3-4 Forge Lift Kits on ATs and 3-4 on Atlas that "they work fine on OEM shocks as long as you do an alignment" -presumeably adjust camber and toe-in to keep turn in/understeer and so on close to stock and predictable.

Couple guys have said "more bodyroll" as expected of course but manageable, another "didnt like the change in c.g." and swapped back out so its a individual thing, as to the ride, of course.

I'd just like to see an aftermarket shock/spring/coilover by same manufacturer for same original ride height on AT.

So far its all lowering which of course is understandable for tracking or the slamming scene...

I just hoped there would be something by now, and even asked VW about the suspension "how to?" when this came out at NY Auto Show Jan 2015:
View attachment 161633

You're looking for a very boutique change, so your best option is a boutique builder. Most people that want that kind of ground clearance just get something with it already. Even the crosstrek crowd has fairly limited options for lift kits, and you'd expect them to have more.

The big issue with lifting without changing dampening is that there's a certain amount of droop and compression built into the stock ride height, and when you reduce your total droop, if your wheel drops, the whole car will go when the shock tops out. It's a limited situation, but equivalent to bottoming out the shock.

I would be super weary of any kit that lifts the front end more than the rear. Your fuel consumption will suffer, high speed stability will suffer, and if you live anywhere windy, the front end might lift off during gusts (I have literally watched this happen on the highway multiple times in Alabama and Georgia during tornado season).

In your position, I'd consider having someone, like swift, build me a spring to my specs, and then get the Koni yellow shocks. You can go to stiffer dampening and control some of the droop and driving characteristics with the yellows, while balancing out your weight with the springs. If you're willing to drop a bit of coin, you might have a conversation with DirtFish and ask them if they have suggestions for a rally based suspension builder (sorry I'm not personally familiar with them as I'm more of a tarmac guy).

 

[Chogokin]

Here is what can happen if you crank your coilover all the way up. I think at 3:00 is where they show what the spring looks like.

 

[Crild]

What if you're trying to build your car for a specific race class that doesn't allow certain suspension geometry changes or has to maintain stock control arms? In that case, stock height or just a touch lower is ideally what you want for best performance. The purpose of a "performance" coilover is not to stancenation out your car, but to match the spring and valving very specifically, allow for adjustment in balance front to rear and side to side, and corner balance your car so that it turns left and right exactly the same. Some people might also be looking to keep stock ride height because for most of the country/world it's already very low...I know in stock form I'd scrape going into the parking lot at my veterinarian, and on 034 springs I can't make it up multiple lots/driveways around town. At this point I'll run the pss10 as high as they'll go, then corner balance and see how it turns out. 15mm minimum with them...that's a lot when height is already precious.

Just because you want a supplier to commit a value for the "lowering" you're expecting doesn't mean you'll get a legitimate response. PSS10 are supposedly 15-35 mm, but I've also heard from several people that they are seeing 30-50, and even the box they came in says 30-50 on it. If the minimum is 30, i'll get rid of them, because I just can't handle scraping everywhere i go and ripping off the bumper on potholes...

So I got some info from my friend who has a R on 18's dropped on the bilstein b16 pss10's. His current measurements are FL 24.5", FR 24.625", RL 25", RR 25" FTG. Here is a photo of what the front's look like at that height. It appears there is about 1/4" left to turn them down further so that would make it seem like the drop would max out at around 45mm. There appears to be 2"-2.5" of threads on the strut going up and they do have some spring slop if the car is jacked up at his current height.

I would guess 20-45mm is a pretty accurate range of lowering for this system (as stock on those same wheels appears to be 26"F & 26.5R. After winter I will test it out and spin the threads up to see if we can achieve a mild drop on them.

Here is picture for reference.

 

[victorofhavoc]

Due to some unforseen circumstances involving how I pressed out my dogbone bushings, my car went to my mechanic, and I figured I'd just go ahead and thrown on the coils with it. I'll find out in a couple days if up higher there's more ground clearance.

 

[Crild]

Due to some unforseen circumstances involving how I pressed out my dogbone bushings, my car went to my mechanic, and I figured I'd just go ahead and thrown on the coils with it. I'll find out in a couple days if up higher there's more ground clearance.

My friends were put on roughly out of the box. I"m not sure if theres a recommended preload height or not. I look forward to getting some feedback from you on them.

His have been on since about the start of winter and they look pretty crusty already, hope they hold up in the long term.