Sachs Coilovers vs Bilstein B14

[geokilla]

Looking for an OEM+ suspension upgrade and I’m debating between the two. I know the B14 are popular but I haven’t found much information on the Sachs. Anyone use them? I’m looking for a good ride while minimizing roll at the track. My friend installed Ohlins on his GTI and it accomplished exactly this, but I’m not going to spend $3k on Ohlins. Even though I want to.

 

[geokilla]

I asked FCP and this is what they said:

When it comes to suspension you do have quite a few options. If you wanted to keep it simple, you could always do a mild sport spring and front and rear sway bars to help minimize the body roll. In that situation, I would recommend the H&R Sport Springs with H&R sway bars. You do have the option of a 28mm or 26mm front bar, and both are adjustable. H&R Sport Spring - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-sport-lowering-spring-kit-h-r-54787 28mm Front Bar - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-stabilizer-bar-assembly-h-r-7078728 26mm Front Bar - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-stabilizer-bar-assembly-h-r-7078726 26mm Rear Bar - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-stabilizer-bar-assembly-h-r-7178726 Personally I always like to run coilovers on my cars. I like being able to adjust the ride height exactly where I want it, plus having the upgraded dampers helps as well. The Bilstein B14's are a great option for street use with a bit of track. While there are some higher end options out there, but I really don't think they're needed for a street vehicle. I would still recommend running sway bars with these as well. Bilstein B14 - https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/vw-pss-coilover-kit-bilstein-b14-47-251588 As far as the TCR suspension we don't really have any options for that. Let me know if you have any other questions about suspension options for your GTI, or anything else. I'm here to help with any further questions or concerns!

The Sachs are damping and rebound adjustable, so you can definitely tweak the settings quite a bit more than the Bilsteins. I don't know that something like that is needed for a few track events a year when it's your daily driver. If it was something that is strictly for track use then maybe I would lean more towards the Sachs, but I like the Bilsteins. They're simple, they're good quality, they work, and they're almost half the price of the Sachs. You obviously don't have that adjustability, but I don't think that it's needed unless you really want that.

 

[Chogokin]

They're not wrong. I have no experience with the Sachs...but I've been using the B14 for about 20k now. As a street driven car the Bilstein's feel about as good as a street coilover can get. Even with 19's...the ride is not harsh and its not a jarring feel when you hit a lump in the road. I also have a Neuspeed 25mm rear sway bar. The B14 + bigger rear sway bar + 200 TW tires...the car handles pretty darn good. There's this spoon shaped curve at my local pass...I've never taken the curve so fast...ever. The first time with the new setup...I thought I was going to lose it through that turn...but the car kept gripping and pulled through the curve.

 

[odessa.filez]

if you lower much more than a half inch,.your control.arms.will be level and you'll lose camber as the arms move upward at the wheel as the car rolls.

another reason why I went with koni and lowered the car slightly below gti height.

another consideration for coilovers comes in to play if you ever intend to use camber plates. clearance issues can arise with adjustment knobs and the strut tower, as well as the bracket for the end link. koni does not have the bracket issue. koni's adjuster for the strut is low profile and camber plates can be improvised without cutting the strut tower.

on the downside, koni rears have to be removed to adjustm

 

[McBrian]

I just ordered a set of B14's, that and a bunch of other crap after going around and around. Reasonable price for great quality, and adjustable height you don't get with shocks/springs. I plan on doing a few AutoX events this year so I'll see how that goes... once I find a place to install them that is. I really don't want to do it in my parking lot.

 

[Canecreekfreak]

Any updates McBrian?