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2023-2024 MQB Suspension Rundown (street & track setup)

GoatAutomotive

Autocross Champion
Location
Georgetown, TX
Car(s)
2017 VW GTI SE, DSG
Did you ever take center axle to fender measurements for any of these springs? Hard to talk about fender gaps with different size wheel/tire combos based on those pictures.
I did indeed, I’ll need to look through my notes later to find them.
 

GoatAutomotive

Autocross Champion
Location
Georgetown, TX
Car(s)
2017 VW GTI SE, DSG
Oh man, that would be awesome as well.
We would be a thrupple, because I too want to sample the B14s! 🏎️ 🍻

And Samer (Monkey) is as high quality a fella as you’ll ever find.

Super Golf Day pending…
 

GoatAutomotive

Autocross Champion
Location
Georgetown, TX
Car(s)
2017 VW GTI SE, DSG
@tigeo - I read your full post.

1) You can never make fun of me for my long posts again. 😆

2) I will circle back and clarify/address your questions when I have some time.

You raise some good points (as usual!)

I’m not ignoring it, there’s just a lot to unpack in it.
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion

tigeo

Autocross Champion

1970something

Ready to race!
Location
WA, USA
Hey Tigeo, can you send a link to the spring rubbers you use? From your last post on that topic I thought they got destroyed after ~1 track day. Did you find more durable ones?
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
Hey Tigeo, can you send a link to the spring rubbers you use? From your last post on that topic I thought they got destroyed after ~1 track day. Did you find more durable ones?
I did have one set that I lost one after a day but I've been using for a few years, the ones I have in now I believe have been in all this year/8 track days and look fine. I'd say some of them the rubber may not be as pliable? It's just these, you can get them on Amazon etc. "coil spring booster" or similar searching. I drill a hole and run a zip tie through them around the coil to keep them from falling out at full droop.

https://www.autozone.com/parts/susp...dadb3e8352cd1d08592559b489276013&gclsrc=3p.ds
 

geokilla

Go Kart Champion
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI DSG
Coming from shot Dinan coilovers with only 230lbin front springs, the B14 were a huge upgrade where i was hitting bump stops all the time, never do now. Only thing i wish is if they had more rebound damping.

I did the same. Mine did pretty high but not all the way up as they won't perform well at extremes of range.

What specifically is the issue you are having with them? Giving them too much travel by maxing the preload out will make them ride like ass b/c you will be topped out all the time. Needs to be set to have a balance of bump/droop.
It just doesn't seem to ride well. It rides firmer than stock but at the same time, it feels like it isn't dialed in properly. There's a lot of secondary motions and vibrations on the highway or going uneven (not grooved) pavement at say 70Km/H. I distinctly remember sitting in the passenger seat and feeling like my head and body were bouncing up and down a bit even though we were on freshly paved asphalt on the highway. The suspension is also apparently binding on steering? I think that's the term? It makes tons of noises every single time I steer ever since I installed the B14 and all my other suspension parts.

I didn't install the coils myself as I don't know how. My mechanic installed it for me and when I complained about it, he basically raised the ride height for me so I was no longer scraping. Another mechanic that specializes in VAG and is arguably better looked at it but they weren't going to redo the install unless I paid for it.
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
It just doesn't seem to ride well. It rides firmer than stock but at the same time, it feels like it isn't dialed in properly. There's a lot of secondary motions and vibrations on the highway or going uneven (not grooved) pavement at say 70Km/H. I distinctly remember sitting in the passenger seat and feeling like my head and body were bouncing up and down a bit even though we were on freshly paved asphalt on the highway. The suspension is also apparently binding on steering? I think that's the term? It makes tons of noises every single time I steer ever since I installed the B14 and all my other suspension parts.

I didn't install the coils myself as I don't know how. My mechanic installed it for me and when I complained about it, he basically raised the ride height for me so I was no longer scraping. Another mechanic that specializes in VAG and is arguably better looked at it but they weren't going to redo the install unless I paid for it.
Part of this is an installation issue w/r to the bearings/mounts.

If these are adjusted too high or too low, you will have degraded/bouncy ride quality. They have a specified range on the collar to set them at, if you are outside of that all bets are off.
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion
It just doesn't seem to ride well. It rides firmer than stock but at the same time, it feels like it isn't dialed in properly. There's a lot of secondary motions and vibrations on the highway or going uneven (not grooved) pavement at say 70Km/H. I distinctly remember sitting in the passenger seat and feeling like my head and body were bouncing up and down a bit even though we were on freshly paved asphalt on the highway. The suspension is also apparently binding on steering? I think that's the term? It makes tons of noises every single time I steer ever since I installed the B14 and all my other suspension parts.

I didn't install the coils myself as I don't know how. My mechanic installed it for me and when I complained about it, he basically raised the ride height for me so I was no longer scraping. Another mechanic that specializes in VAG and is arguably better looked at it but they weren't going to redo the install unless I paid for it.

You know, maybe I've just never had really high end suspension, but i see what you're saying about the ride.

It can be bouncy as you put it on rough roads, but to me that's not enough damping.

I guess a good suspension would handle rough roads like a trophy truck where there's little movement of the body, just the suspension. But maybe that's the downside of higher spring rates & limited suspension travel.

It would nice to ride in a car with Ohlins or JRZ to see the difference
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
But maybe that's the downside of higher spring rates & limited suspension travel.
I'd say this is accurate. My B8/H&R setup is great for daily use but on a secondary/country road that undulates yeah, it's bouncy. I don't see how it could'nt be with 1.5" of bump travel/basically using the jounces all the time.
 

geokilla

Go Kart Champion
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Car(s)
2018 VW GTI DSG
Part of this is an installation issue w/r to the bearings/mounts.

If these are adjusted too high or too low, you will have degraded/bouncy ride quality. They have a specified range on the collar to set them at, if you are outside of that all bets are off.
I'm not sure how much it could be attributed to bearings and mounts though. I got new aluminum Whiteline LCAs (crappy, I know) and new Febi strut mount bearings from FCP installed at the same time. The noise developed almost immediately after installation, along with everything else, and the mechanic basically said there's nothing he can do.

I don't think the suspension is set to high either. It's still lower than stock and unfortunately, I can't go lower due to the state of our roads. I frequently scrape already on city streets because of dips caused by buses driving and parking on the road while loading and unloading passengers. I try my best to dodge them, but sometimes I just can't.
You know, maybe I've just never had really high end suspension, but i see what you're saying about the ride.

It can be bouncy as you put it on rough roads, but to me that's not enough damping.

I guess a good suspension would handle rough roads like a trophy truck where there's little movement of the body, just the suspension. But maybe that's the downside of higher spring rates & limited suspension travel.

It would nice to ride in a car with Ohlins or JRZ to see the difference
So you're feeling a lot of bouncing as well? What about crashing? I think there's more minor vibrations on the highways too even when it's not bouncing.
 

MonkeyMD

Autocross Champion
So you're feeling a lot of bouncing as well? What about crashing? I think there's more minor vibrations on the highways too even when it's not bouncing.
Only on rough roads. No vibrations otherwise on highway & City streets.
 

tigeo

Autocross Champion
I'm not sure how much it could be attributed to bearings and mounts though. I got new aluminum Whiteline LCAs (crappy, I know) and new Febi strut mount bearings from FCP installed at the same time. The noise developed almost immediately after installation, along with everything else, and the mechanic basically said there's nothing he can do.

I don't think the suspension is set to high either. It's still lower than stock and unfortunately, I can't go lower due to the state of our roads. I frequently scrape already on city streets because of dips caused by buses driving and parking on the road while loading and unloading passengers. I try my best to dodge them, but sometimes I just can't.

So you're feeling a lot of bouncing as well? What about crashing? I think there's more minor vibrations on the highways too even when it's not bouncing.
It has to be an install issue. Typical issues are strut mounts/bearing installed and torqued down incorrectly, how the spring is clocked in the strut, isolators, etc. Sway bar end links not installed/torqued correctly. Has to be one of those things. Many run B14s without drama. The ride being crashy is typically from being too low but you say you aren't maxed out, no clue here man.
 
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