Hey all,
This post isn’t intended to be the be-all-end-all. It's merely my attempt to help those who are new to the suspension game in need of guidance....and if you're looking for DIY info, please review
this reference guide.
A little about me for context: I'm my 40's with a family. My GTI is my daily. I do a lot of city driving on marginal roads, push the car when I can, and working on getting more track time. Overall I've wanted a well-controlled daily without making significant compromises. I've gone through a number of setups based on being picky and changing needs over time. Documentation available in my build thread.
Overall:
1. “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” If you like the stock suspension, simply leave it alone. Some drawbacks of modifying your suspension early:
a.Added expense, especially if you’re paying for labor ($200-$600 based on location). If you're lowering, add another $100 for an alignment (yes you need one).
b.Those creaks and rattles? Well, they’re yours now. Dealers will blame anything they can on that suspension.
2. If you have space, KEEP YOUR STOCK PARTS! Selling a car with aftermarket parts cuts down the market considerably and you won't get much money for your used stock parts.
3. Pairing springs and dampers...this is the unfortunate difficulty, trying to find the "Goldilocks" / perfect pair for
YOU. Don't just blindly buy parts based on isolated input. A soft spring (VWR, DG) and a softer damper (Bilstein) can result in a ride that is too soft overall (either crashy due to being too low and soft (VWR) or too floaty/imprecise (DG)). Conversely, a moderately stiff spring combined with Koni Yellows could be too firm around town for some. In my experience, softer springs benefit from a more supportive damper (Koni yellows), and stiffer springs are made more comfortable with Bilsteins.
PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH, AND GET FEEDBACK FROM PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE COMBINATION YOU'RE INTERESTED IN.
4. Plan. Think about what is most important to you. Handling? Ride quality? Aesthetics? Cost? There's a compromise somewhere.
a. Don’t want to modify your driving style? Don't get a 1” drop.
b. Don’t have a lot of money right now? Save up for what you really want and do it right the first time. It will cost more time and money otherwise.
c. Review #1 again
5. Once you have it, give it a chance! I rushed through a couple of my setups, which I regretted, particularly the B8/Neuspeed combo. You’ll find that your attitude can change quite a bit, and you need to experience a wide range of driving scenarios to do that. It certainly doesn’t happen overnight.
Springs: (Control ride height and amount of travel)
DO YOUR RESEARCH, but DON’T believe the marketing hype (“Our springs drop your ride by an inch and engineered to work perfectly with the OEM dampers.”) In general, it's BS. The stock dampers aren't built for it. Just ask the guys who thought they were fine and are now looking for replacements.
Be wary of spring ride height claims. Several that are just flat out wrong. E.g., APR who claimed for years their drop was .5-.75” on a GTI but is over 1.1” in reality, or even my H&R OE Sports which claim a .75” drop all around but is 1.25” in the back. Do your research.
A 1" drop doesn't seem like much, but can result in a loud “BANG!” in the front of the car when hitting a steel plate or any type of uneven pavement at speed. Again, be honest with what you think you can handle. If you’re young and single, then okay. If you’re toting a family or clients around, then that’s another story.
Take your measurements based on center hub to fender as a baseline. Don’t use fender to ground as it’s impacted by the wheel and tire size and tire inflation.
Progressive vs. Linear. In my experience, I've found progressive springs to behave consistently in cornering without abrupt handling changes. That said, I also haven't experienced an ultra-smooth ride around town. They have all been pretty firm, so don't let marketing claims rule your decision. Linear springs are the same rate throughout, so you could have an experience that is fine around town but too soft when pushed hard (DGs).
6. When researching springs, realize that DSG cars are heavier than manuals, which can impact the drop in front (e.g., DG springs by .25" / 6mm).
Dampers/Shocks: (control spring oscillation)
Unless you have DCC, resist the urge to re-use the stock dampers. Those who say you don’t need aftermarket dampers haven’t had them before. Simply, they perform better and are more supportive. They will also last MUCH longer than the stock units. These apply to name brands such as Koni and Bilstein. Not sure about the others, but I really can't stress this point enough. Quality dampers/shocks will transform the ride.
The most common names are Bilstein and Koni. Both offer lifetime warranties to the original purchaser and are great options, but for different reasons.
The Golf uses a 50mm front strut while the GTI and R use a 55mm front strut. Golf owners cannot use the 55mm parts without replacing the strut knuckles. All three* use the same rear dampers (*with independent suspension).
a.Bilstein:
i. B6 (stock springs), B8 (lowering springs)
ii. I found the Bilsteins to be smooth and did an excellent job with the Neuspeed sports (handling and ride) as well as with the DGs (for ride quality and convenience). Excellent choice for street and generally respected for quality. There is nothing to set so they're just plug and play. If there's one critique, it would be that they may be too soft for those who want a more aggressive/controlled setup for track or otherwise. The rebound and compression rates are the same for both the B6 and B8 and I experienced some floatiness at high speed. There have also been reports of issues with lower, softer springs such as VWR/RacingLine and EMD,
and I also took some blows in the front with the Neuspeed Sports (even though they were excellent 99% of the time, there were times of blowing through the travel with unexpected road hazards).
I would recommend pairing these with a stiffer and/or milder lowering spring such as the H&R OE Sports. Overall, they are solid street dampers and likely best suited for those who are okay with sacrificing some handling characteristics in order to improve ride quality.
Lasly, the Bilsteins use an internal bump stop on the front (only) so you will NOT reuse the stock front bump stops, only on the rears.
b.Koni:
i.FSD (originals were gold but were recently replaced with Koni Special Active (red)). These are not designed for lowering springs but Koni technical sales says they can support them, provided they are not too low and riding on the bump stops. When this happens the FSDs (not sure about the special actives) go into a blow-off mode and essentially go un-damped. Not good. The Neuspeed sports worked fine with them, but the general consensus is that they likely work much better when paired with the stock springs and full travel.
ii.Sports/Yellows: These allow for a wide range of adjustability (rebound only), but the rears must be taken off the car to be adjusted. Each quarter-turn is noticeable. It’s not a marketing gimmick and they allow you to really fine-tune the feel based on the spring.
The Koni sports are firmer and react more quickly than the Bilsteins (at least at 1/2 turn from full soft). Not to say that they are harsh, but they are edgier, and also firmer on rougher roads.
If you are looking to have the most precise feel, and don't mind having to adjust the rears to get them dialed in, go with the Koni sports.
Regardless, all of these options are great and are MUCH improved over stock. You just need to decide what is most important to you.
Coilovers:
There are numerous brands which have been discussed at great length in various threads so I won't go into them all here. Coils offer height adjustability and some have damping adjustability as well. If you choose to go this route, DON'T CHEAP OUT! Plan on spending at least $1K or more for a good set.
Tires:
The right tires can make a MONUMENTAL difference in handling and ride quality, so read up! They can be expensive and don't have the same visual impact, but the general order of operations is to do tires FIRST. You will then be able to determine if there's anything else you need.
Sway Bars
These cars have a general tendency to understeer, so you will hear most (myself included) starting with a REAR sway bar ("RSB") as stiffening the rear bar will increase oversteer. The RSBs are also much easier to install than the front sway bars "FSB". There are various threads on hollow vs. solid and what's best (I prefer solid). Most companies offer a 24-25mm rear bar and most seem happy with whatever they choose. You will also see bigger, more aggressive bars, but for street purposes, something in the 24-25mm range is probably all you will want/need.
As for upgraded FSBs, again, those who say you don't need them probably haven't had them, or at least the right one. They do balance out the car if you already have a rear bar, but, definitely do your research as you are now adding more understeer back into the equation. Many people choose not to add a front bar because the install is much more difficult and involves lowering the subframe. As such, if you are going to put a new FSB on, do your research and DEFINITELY get something adjustable. Installation costs (or DIY labor) can also be high so you want to get it right the first time.
Lastly, I’d highly encourage you to ask forum members specific questions, or even check out in person if possible. Don’t just hear what you want to hear and ignore the rest. Suspension is challenging because it’s subjective, but it’s also very rewarding when done right. You can completely transform the feel of your car so it's capable of supporting your power mods, track days, or simply making the drive to the grocery store that much more enjoyable.
.
