Should I Do A Full Suspension Overhaul With My Eventual Coilover Upgrade?

[tigeo]

On the highway on a flat surface, I can feel the car bouncing up and down a bit. Our heads were bouncing up and down. More obvious on the passenger side vs driver side.

Not sure here - aftermarket suspension never rides like stock due to higher spring rates and firmer damping. At some point, depending on your perception of this, it's likely "normal".

So I should probably leave it as is? Or is the bounce and sound normal? The second mechanic are MK7 experts and have an alignment rack that they can use for coilover installs, which apparently makes a difference when installing coilovers and endlinks since they can load up the components?

I'd just drive it like it is personally.

 

[geokilla]

After a week of Toronto driving, most of the noises when steering are back. Parking lot speeds, clunks and knocks, all back. I don't know why it was fine when I first got the car back from the mechanic and now it's making all these noises. I'm going to keep the appointment for the second mechanic and have them check it out.

I also found out that the passenger side is set lower than the driver side. I counted the threads in the coils and there's a huge difference between the driver side and passenger side. May explain the bobble I'm getting.

 

[krs]

After a week of Toronto driving, most of the noises when steering are back. Parking lot speeds, clunks and knocks, all back. I don't know why it was fine when I first got the car back from the mechanic and now it's making all these noises. I'm going to keep the appointment for the second mechanic and have them check it out.

I also found out that the passenger side is set lower than the driver side. I counted the threads in the coils and there's a huge difference between the driver side and passenger side. May explain the bobble I'm getting.

Can’t speak to all your other drama, but thread count doesn’t necessarily mean things are uneven. My thread count isn’t the same on both sides either, but measurements are pretty much spot on.

 

[tigeo]

After a week of Toronto driving, most of the noises when steering are back. Parking lot speeds, clunks and knocks, all back. I don't know why it was fine when I first got the car back from the mechanic and now it's making all these noises. I'm going to keep the appointment for the second mechanic and have them check it out.

I also found out that the passenger side is set lower than the driver side. I counted the threads in the coils and there's a huge difference between the driver side and passenger side. May explain the bobble I'm getting.

What is the center axle to fender lip measurement side to side? That's what tells you you are even.

 

[AlwaysHungry]

Hey Geo, who did your install and who are you going to for that second opinion?

 

[geokilla]

So according to the the mechanic, he used to get a lot of problems with Whiteline products when he was big into modifying Subarus and they never worked properly for him or any of his customers. Another friend said that Whtieline products are cheaper products so it's possible that the part gets loose after a few days of driving.

Hey Geo, who did your install and who are you going to for that second opinion?

I'll be going to Almost Racing for that second opinion.

What is the center axle to fender lip measurement side to side? That's what tells you you are even.

I measured from the ground to the fender lip so I could be off a bit. However sliding my fingers into the wheel gap supports the measurements.

Driver front: 2' 1.5"
Passenger front: 2' 1.25"
Driver rear: 2' 1.74"
Passenger rear: 2' 1.7"

 

[AlwaysHungry]

I'll be going to Almost Racing for that second opinion.

Phil and Team AR are awesome. Have had lots of repairs done there. I'm asking about the initial install because AR is a little too far for me now and I'm thinking of doing suspension work and I'd prefer to know who to avoid!

 

[tigeo]

So according to the the mechanic, he used to get a lot of problems with Whiteline products when he was big into modifying Subarus and they never worked properly for him or any of his customers. Another friend said that Whtieline products are cheaper products so it's possible that the part gets loose after a few days of driving.


I'll be going to Almost Racing for that second opinion.


I measured from the ground to the fender lip so I could be off a bit. However sliding my fingers into the wheel gap supports the measurements.

Driver front: 2' 1.5"
Passenger front: 2' 1.25"
Driver rear: 2' 1.74"
Passenger rear: 2' 1.7"

Always measure center axle to fender lip (of course you just do your best...I take my finger and use it as a center point on my center caps and measure from it) - it's universal to deal with different tires/wheels/air pressure/etc. and list things in total inches so 25.5" etc. Just being nitpicky but it makes all of this easier to compare and determine your drop etc. So here you are basically postive rake by ~.25-0.5" and likely a little different side with the difference about a quarter of an inch which is pretty normal and can just be from fuel weight etc.

 

[geokilla]

Came back from Almost Racing. They checked over all the parts that were changed and they said the noise is coming from the Whiteline strut mounts. No safety concern but recommended me to use 034 or OEM instead. They never install Whiteline products because they always have issues. Other mechanic said the same thing.

 

[geokilla]

I'm thinking of getting rid of the Whiteline roll centre/camber correction kit, front control arms, and strut mount kits. I just don't feel comfortable with all the noise and the quick failure of their products. As I'm looking for an OE/OEM+ upgrade, what should I buy to replace them? I'll be keeping the Bilstein B14, and Whiteline front sway bars and sway bar links. I considered installing my original parts suspension but they're probably worn out given they've seen ~75k km and about 20 full track days.

 

[geokilla]

3 months later and I'm not happy with the changes I made to the suspension. The car feels and sounds like it's going to fall apart when I go across potholes and speed bumps. This in turn makes me less confident at the track compared to stock because mentally, I feel like I don't know what the limits are. The creaking and clunking is getting worse where now even if the car is parked and I'm getting in and out, it'll make noise. There seems to be positive rake as I had to adjust my headlights lower since it was aiming too high compared to stock. All in all, I'm considering buying new parts during Black Friday so I can set up the suspension properly. Any recommendations?

 

[scrllock]

ditch the whiteline balljoints, control arms, and strut mounts. unless you want to try rebuilding all of it and hope it doesn't fail in another 3 months.

my suggestion is go with as many OE parts as possible if noises bother you. if you can't get enough camber with an offset bushing, css knuckles are the only silent option. even eurosport pucks tend to loosen over time.

 

[tigeo]

I agree with scrllock above...the more OEM the quieter/more reliable it will be but of course that limits you on the performance side. My car has been dead quiet going on 1.5 years with the Eurosport mounts and the rest of my bits...I bought the complete ones BTW. Most of the noises etc. folks experience are associated with the install, torque values/not torquing, and re-using single-use hardware. Most of the more mild aftermarket suspension/chassis bits will be quiet if installed correctly. Clearly, spherical bits are going to be louder/more NVH/more rebuilding or any camber mounts/plates that create a metal-on-metal situation vs. the OE rubber mounts (why the Eurosport mounts are nice). The more aftermarket crap and hard use/tracking you do, the shorter the lifespan of these components will be and the more frequent you'll need to replace things to keep them quiet. I've already replaced my first set of 034 adjustable f. sway bar end links (~1.5 years) and my Superpro LCAs (~1.5 years) have had a bushing start to come out (warranty covered it). I track my car about 8-10 days a year. It's just the whole "pay to play" thing.

 

[geokilla]

The noise doesn't bother me as much as the feeling like the car is falling apart, even though it probably isn't going to.

What about the Whiteline Roll Centre/Camber Correction kit? Is there a replacement to that? So far, I'm thinking of the following:

Audi RS3 LCA control arms. But with so many RS3 control arms, which ones are the ones to use?
034 Street Density Strut Mounts. They're supposed to be OEM+? Or should I just get Lemforder, Sachs, or Febi Bilstein from FCP? With the big price difference between them all, I would think some are better than others despite all being OE/OEM quality. Do I need bearings too? Should I get the OE FCP strut mount kit instead?
Completely redo the B14 install and make sure it's done properly with new single-use hardware in case it wasn't before. Reduce the positive rake, make sure it is level, and to fix the bouncing on the highway. I don't want my passengers getting car sickness again...

 

[tigeo]

The noise doesn't bother me as much as the feeling like the car is falling apart, even though it probably isn't going to.

What about the Whiteline Roll Centre/Camber Correction kit? Is there a replacement to that? So far, I'm thinking of the following:

Audi RS3 LCA control arms. But with so many RS3 control arms, which ones are the ones to use?
034 Street Density Strut Mounts. They're supposed to be OEM+? Or should I just get Lemforder, Sachs, or Febi Bilstein from FCP? With the big price difference between them all, I would think some are better than others despite all being OE/OEM quality. Do I need bearings too? Should I get the OE FCP strut mount kit instead?
Completely redo the B14 install and make sure it's done properly with new single-use hardware in case it wasn't before. Reduce the positive rake, make sure it is level, and to fix the bouncing on the highway. I don't want my passengers getting car sickness again...

The 034 mounts are a bit stiffer/higher durometer than stock, I like them on mine and have had them now for almost 2 years I believe. If you have a high-power GTI and are launching it with wheel hop, these aren't for you. Yes, get strut bearings if you are re-doing everything.