Coilovers or Aftermarket Struts + Springs for Daily Driver?

[jeffdemara]

I know there’s tons of info on various forums on this topic, and I continuously read mixed reviews on everything of course.

So I wanted to spark some conversation around your personal experiences running coilovers vs. struts and lowering spring combos. I’m currently on stock struts with VWR springs, and looking for a little bit more low (not crazy aggressive) but don’t want to give up too much daily driving ride quality. Not a race car, not about the crazy stance game, but want something with good ride quality that gets rid of the small wheel gap I still have with VWR springs.

Seems like some people love the BC Racing coilovers, and some have issues and say they are junk. KW seems to be a great brand, but not sure how much adjustability I’d really need for a set it and forget it type of setup.

Would love to see what your choice is in the poll above. If ”Other”, please specify what, and why!
Thanks!

 

[carbajal00]

So, i have
koni yellows with Racingline springs, i have the konis on level 8 or 9, and they're still pretty comfortable on the street and i track the car as well. i haven't used the Konis on a lower adjustment but i bet they'll be pretty comfortable. i ride on 18 inch wheels btw.

 

[odessa.filez]

I'm on Koni yellows with GTI springs. The front is about 1/2" below stock ride height due to extra suspension leverage in my setup. Previously I had stock Golf struts and shocks.

I noticed increased firmness when I installed the back shocks, even at 1/4 turn from full soft. Not uncomfortable, just firmer. Same for the front struts.

If I were using the oem top strut mount, I would guess that lowering another half to an inch would be possible without compromising ride quality further...bumpstops would definitely need trimming though.

 

[Malttv5]

Hi
Using MCA Suspension Pro Comfort coil overs https://mcasuspension.com/products/pro-comfort-series . Plenty of useful adjustment straight out of the box . I'm sitting at 10mm gap between top of tyre and wheel arch . After having to back op's these coils give a nice compfy ride with great performance . If you want to tuck the tyre up into the guard their pro street is the better option or their reds for full custom tuning .
3 year warranty , try and get 3 years out of KW , BILSTEIN
Fully rebuild able

Since the US dollar is strong against the AU dollar could be a great option .

Cheers
Mal

 

[jeffdemara]

Bump. Anyone else?

 

[jimlloyd40]

Ordered these yesterday.

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-parts/mk7-8v-adjustable-damping-coilover-system/003929lb01~arw/

I know a lot of guys don't like ECS but I haven't had any problems with them.

 

[Visceral]

I've been running Koni Yellows set to almost full soft with H&R OE springs. Its a daily that I track maybe 6 times a season. Absolutely love this set up. I would have gone with the Bilsteins if I could have found them when I was doing the upgrade. Now that I am on Koni's I have no regrets. Good luck,

 

[fiscalpuddle]

The eqt coilovers have the best performance to comfort ratio in my opinion

 

[Ezekiel81923]

Bilstein B8's and H&R Sports.

I don't have extensive experience with coilovers and I didn't want to pay for all of the adjustability that comes along with them. So I went with a strut/shock and spring combo that was tried on and tested on the platform. It provides a moderate drop and I think it looks and feels great.

I'm about 1.25" lower and the ride has stiffened up a bit but on most roads / highways it doesn't feel much different. I can also still get over speed bumps and in and out of driveways without much thought.

I think for a car you daily it's the way to go. For about $900 all in (including new hardware and everything) you can't beat it.

 

[MonkeyMD]

I'm glad I went coilovers for the adjustability. Had to raise it up when I put in 18x9 with 265's. If I had just gone springs, would've had to change them out.

Also, you can control rake better with coilovers.

Don't think there's a performance benefit until you get to custom springs, shock valving

 

[JerseyDrew77]

For a daily driver, IMO coilovers are overkill.

 

[jeffdemara]

Bilstein B8's and H&R Sports.

I don't have extensive experience with coilovers and I didn't want to pay for all of the adjustability that comes along with them. So I went with a strut/shock and spring combo that was tried on and tested on the platform. It provides a moderate drop and I think it looks and feels great.

I'm about 1.25" lower and the ride has stiffened up a bit but on most roads / highways it doesn't feel much different. I can also still get over speed bumps and in and out of driveways without much thought.

I think for a car you daily it's the way to go. For about $900 all in (including new hardware and everything) you can't beat it.

Could you PM me a pic of the car so I can see what kind of ride height I’d be expecting?

 

[Ezekiel81923]

Could you PM me a pic of the car so I can see what kind of ride height I’d be expecting?

There's a couple of good ones in my build thread. A few posts prior I outline everything else wheel and suspension related that went into it.

https://www.golfmk7.com/forums/index.php?threads/building-otto.377152/post-7625118

 

[scrapin240]

Bilstein Coilovers. I have the B16, but the B14 for the price is not far off from a shock/spring setup and allows you to change your ride height, which is worth its weight in gold.

 

[odessa.filez]

lol give me the gold