Wonky handling after lowering springs

[swcrow]

I second alignment print out......you should have no play in the steering wheel after the alignment.

 

[jimlloyd40]

Ahh gotcha,
The springs came with smaller bump stops which I installed. Do you think installing the factory ones back on might help?

No @jay745 said aftermarket lowering springs don't work well with to the OEM dampers. You just don't have much travel before hitting the bump stops.

 

[EricsVdub]

Pretty much 24/7.
When I first got the car the steering was super tight, now I feel the car floating. Having to make minor adjustments to keep the car straight. The best explanation I can give is the car feels like it’s in eco mode when it’s in sport mode.
Very possible something wasn’t torqued properly, after 4+ hours on the ground I was ready to be done with the install.

You mention different modes, which is part of DCC. My 2019 GTI SE got DCC as part of the experience package if I recall correctly. The DCC reset is worth trying. More likely, the aggressive lowering from the Sportline springs is too much for the surfaces you drive on, particularly the front macpherson struts which don't have a lot of travel to begin with.

 

[draftgli]

loose steering feel

With that description, for me the first thing called into question is the competency of the person doing the install:

Were air tools used? Were bolts torqued down properly with a torque wrench, under load where applicable, etc? Were TTY bolts replaced or reused? Were the factory strut mounts reused?

Indeed the factory struts are not engineered to be paired with lowering springs. But even in doing so…I don’t know that “loose steering” should be a normal outcome.

Bottom line, make sure nothing is loose first. Loose suspension components is nothing to mess around with both from a safety perspective and in terms of premature wear.

 

[Daks]

Sportline springs are shit. Had them on a civic way back; dumps the car and compromises everything else. You’ll be lucky to find aftermarket struts that can handle those.

 

[KevinC]

Stock dampers are a lousy match for a shorter, stiffer lowering spring. Get some Bilstein B8's or something else appropriate (Koni Yellows would be another good option).

 

[Ljavi]

With that description, for me the first thing called into question is the competency of the person doing the install:

Were air tools used? Were bolts torqued down properly with a torque wrench, under load where applicable, etc? Were TTY bolts replaced or reused? Were the factory strut mounts reused?

Indeed the factory struts are not engineered to be paired with lowering springs. But even in doing so…I don’t know that “loose steering” should be a normal outcome.

Bottom line, make sure nothing is loose first. Loose suspension components is nothing to mess around with both from a safety perspective and in terms of premature wear.

Sportline springs are shit. Had them on a civic way back; dumps the car and compromises everything else. You’ll be lucky to find aftermarket struts that can handle those.

Yeah that’s what im noticing, back to stockies again

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Lowering springs don't work well with oem dampers.

^^^ Stigk dampers were designed with stock springs. Kill the travel, and you’re basically just riding on springs. No damping to speak of. I say go B8’s, or revert to a more mild drop like H&R OE Sport and go B6.

 

[EricsVdub]

It might be worth asking the shop that installed the springs if they trimmed the bump stops. Not sure if that would be enough improvement with that much lowering, but it might be worth a shot.

 

[JJ_MK7]

Sorry to Hijack this thread but I too feel the same type of performance described in this thread, recently from the suspension on my 2020 GTI. My GTI has a little bit over 14K miles. Different than the OP, I use the VWR Sport Springs on my GTI and have being installed for 12K of the 14K miles, all of them running on the OEM struts.

I had taken the GTI to the VW dealership about three months ago to have them aligned all four wheels and I have being meaning to post the measurements in here to get feedback on the job the dealer did but I kept forgetting. When do you guys think it would be a good opportunity to upgrade the OEM struts with the better Bilstein?

 

[Dog Dad Wagon]

Sorry to Hijack this thread but I too feel the same type of performance described in this thread, recently from the suspension on my 2020 GTI. My GTI has a little bit over 14K miles and the HR OE lowering springs have being installed for 12K of the 14K running on the OEM struts.

I had taken the GTI to the VW dealership about three months ago to have them aligned all four wheels and I have being meaning to post the measurements to get feedback on the job the dealer did but I kept forgetting every time. When d you guys time would be a good opportunity to upgrade the OEM struts with the better Bilstein.

whwn you upgraded @ 2K would’ve been a great opportunity. If you’re saying the ride sucks, you should upgrade to B6 as soon as your pocket allows (with Christmas coming up, maybe push it till Tax return next year?)

 

[TheJokker]

By lowering your car you have altered your cars suspension geometry and in particular your roll center which is going to negatively effect your handling.