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New member with 2017 GTI and MSS spring kit

RebelGTI1

Passed Driver's Ed
Location
NY
If you buy the MSS kit, make sure you get it from MSS UK, with the current exchange rate it’s cheaper ( free shipping to the US ) and you can guarantee you’ll get the latest version of the kit (it's gone through a couple of revisions / short springs / long springs, etc etc).

https://www.msskits.com/vw-full-or-standard-kits.html

The street standard kit is currently £495.83 which is 643 US dollars.
The fully adjustable street is currently £599.95 which is 782 US dollars.

Make sure you understand the current issue with the front springs (205 length, or 220 length) and make sure you get the right one for your needs. Currently dealing with the front spring issue right now (front spring marked MQB205 is a tad short, so when the adjuster is set at no gap, the spring swims around in there loose under droop - eq. working on your car. There's extra play and space means you gotta be real careful putting you car down as the bearing may misalign with the locator slot on the top mount leaving it cockeyed), and a lot of people dealt with the rear sport spring issue (where the front had to be at max drop, and the rear at max height in order to try to get it level leading to now adjustment options at all).

We believe the latest kits for the MK7 were revised and have 60mm ID rear height adjusters (so orange spring on top, black spring on the bottom) - nevertheless, the ones the current US dealers are selling looks like it's the old 2016 stock (black spring on top, orange spring on the bottom - 65mm ID rear adjuster)

Read about the issues here - https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...own-the-kit-(street-sport-track)-MK7-GOLF-Kit

Another option you should explore are the new 034 Dynamic+ Lowering Springs (they got a GTI and a GOLF R specific one).

Good to know, thanks! I've done some research on the 034 Dynamic+ Lowering Springs but still waiting for more people to share their experience with them.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
If you buy the MSS kit, make sure you get it from MSS UK, with the current exchange rate it’s cheaper ( free shipping to the US ) (it's gone through a couple of revisions).

https://www.msskits.com/vw-full-or-standard-kits.html

The street standard kit is currently £495.83 which is 643 US dollars.
The fully adjustable street is currently £599.95 which is 782 US dollars.

Make sure you understand the current issue with the front springs (205 length, or 220 length - might get shipped the wrong one). Currently dealing with the front spring issue right now (front spring marked MQB205 is a tad short, so when the adjuster is set at no gap, the spring swims around in there loose under droop - eq. working on your car. There's extra play and space means you gotta be real careful putting you car down as the bearing may misalign with the locator slot on the top mount leaving it cockeyed), and a lot of people dealt with the rear sport spring issue (where the front had to be at max drop, and the rear at max height in order to try to get it level leading to NO adjustment options at all).

We believe the latest kits for the MK7 were revised and have 60mm ID rear height adjusters (so orange spring on top, black spring on the bottom) - nevertheless, the ones the current US dealers are selling looks like it's the old 2016 stock (black spring on top, orange spring on the bottom - 65mm ID rear adjuster)

Read about the issues here - https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...own-the-kit-(street-sport-track)-MK7-GOLF-Kit

Another option you should explore are the new 034 Dynamic+ Lowering Springs (they got a GTI and a GOLF R specific one).

I'm another victim of the clunk with MSS springs. I found my springs shaking with about a 3cm tolerance when the car is jacked. It's also not good for the bearing because the car can come back down at an angle where it's not seated properly. I rotate my wheels around for track and street about 15-20 times per year, so this is no bueno. I bought my springs in June I think, and I still received the old stock.

I'm contacting the distributor and MSS to resolve the issue, and I'll be asking them to cover installation, alignment, corner balance, and one time use hardware, considering I already paid for it all once.

If we can't come to a peaceful resolution, I'm going to try out the 034 springs.

Thank you very much for posting this. I was searching around for clunking issues for a while, trying to determine what was wrong, until I finally found the spring was the issue. Your information and link has helped me understand where the problem is coming from.
 

funks

Ready to race!
Location
Dublin, CA
I'm another victim of the clunk with MSS springs. I found my springs shaking with about a 3cm tolerance when the car is jacked. It's also not good for the bearing because the car can come back down at an angle where it's not seated properly. I rotate my wheels around for track and street about 15-20 times per year, so this is no bueno. I bought my springs in June I think, and I still received the old stock.

Further discussion is happening in the following thread

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...own-the-kit-(street-sport-track)-MK7-GOLF-Kit

Gordon238 ran into the springy noises issue (I gave him the MQB205 springs I had because he was unhappy with the 1/2 inch max drop with the MQB220) because the bearing misaligned after he worked on the car. My suggestion is that you do one of the following..

1) If you want the max drop as is, put some 3M double sided tape between the bearing, and the top mount (so there's no chance it'll accidentally drop down) go cockeyed or rotate a bit. Just be careful when putting the car down to make sure the springs are seated correctly with the perch.

- or -

2) Preload the spring a bit (increase adjuster gap) so that there's no chance of this happening when working on the car.

- or -

3) Install MQB220 front springs, note your max drop on the fronts will be limited to 1/2 inch and there's the cost of ripping apart the front suspension but it won't have this problem.

Excelerate and MSS really need to get this inventory musical chairs sorted out, I purchased my springs from XLR8 June and I got MQB205 front springs instead of the MQB220 springs. Why it's still in their inventory? I do not know. My guess is that they don't want to "write" down (from an inventory management perspective) these wrong springs but that ends up causing issues with the customer instead.

Some people want the drops, so receiving the MQB220 front spring will make them quite pissed as it won't reach the advertised lowering range. Maybe give the user a choice of selecting either the MQB220 or the MQB205 front spring, just make them aware of the issue at full droop (and add that info to their install instructions).

Given the max drop of the front MQB220 is about 1/2 inch, doesn't really make sense to purchase it over the standard kit (which doesn't come with front height adjusters). The fully adjustable kit just adds extra complexity, and potential for noises (lots more moving parts) which the standard kit does not have.
 
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victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Further discussion is happening in the following thread

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...own-the-kit-(street-sport-track)-MK7-GOLF-Kit

Gordon238 ran into the springy noises issue (I gave him the MQB205 springs I had because he was unhappy with the 1/2 inch max drop with the MQB220) because the bearing misaligned after he worked on the car. My suggestion is that you do one of the following..

1) If you want the max drop as is, put some 3M double sided tape between the bearing, and the top mount (so there's no chance it'll accidentally drop down) go cockeyed or rotate a bit. Just be careful when putting the car down to make sure the springs are seated correctly with the perch.

- or -

2) Preload the spring a bit (increase adjuster gap) so that there's no chance of this happening when working on the car.

- or -

3) Install MQB220 front springs, note your max drop on the fronts will be limited to 1/2 inch and there's the cost of ripping apart the front suspension but it won't have this problem.

Excelerate and MSS really need to get this inventory musical chairs sorted out, I purchased my springs from XLR8 June and I got MQB205 front springs instead of the MQB220 springs. Why it's still in their inventory? I do not know. My guess is that they don't want to "write" down (from an inventory management perspective) these wrong springs but that ends up causing issues with the customer instead.

Some people want the drops, so receiving the MQB220 front spring will make them quite pissed as it won't reach the advertised lowering range. Maybe give the user a choice of selecting either the MQB220 or the MQB205 front spring, just make them aware of the issue at full droop (and add that info to their install instructions).

Given the max drop of the front MQB220 is about 1/2 inch, doesn't really make sense to purchase it over the standard kit (which doesn't come with front height adjusters). The fully adjustable kit just adds extra complexity, and potential for noises (lots more moving parts) which the standard kit does not have.

My problem is that I'm not really super low, and my rear springs are at nearly max height. If I get the MQB220, I've gotta replace the rears with the later model springs too, otherwise I'll have reverse rake.
 

funks

Ready to race!
Location
Dublin, CA
My problem is that I'm not really super low, and my rear springs are at nearly max height. If I get the MQB220, I've gotta replace the rears with the later model springs too, otherwise I'll have reverse rake.

The struggle is real :)

Contact XLR8, pretty sure they'll work with you and ship you the MQB220 front springs, along with the V2 rear adjusters (which has 60mm ID adjuster and a taller stem).

You'll have to get your suspension taken apart though, and the rear spring stack will need to change from black spring up top, orange spring on bottom -> orange spring up top, black spring on bottom.

Option A may be the easiest, raise the car. Once the bearings separates from the mount, add some 3M double sided stick tape on the bearing (a couple placed strategically around the top of the bearing), make sure it's aligned (note the locator tab on the back needs to be aligned, and pointing inwards towards the engine bay). After you are sure they are aligned, stick the two of them together (aligned correctly) and put some weight on the car. In the future, it'll make sure the bearing won't drop down accidentally.

The 3M double sided tape will conform to the mating surface and won't cause any issues. They sell some good strong stuff at Home Depot , Autozone, Oreilly and etc.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
The struggle is real :)

Contact XLR8, pretty sure they'll work with you and ship you the MQB220 front springs, along with the V2 rear adjusters (which has 60mm ID adjuster and a taller stem).

You'll have to get your suspension taken apart though, and the rear spring stack will need to change from black spring up top, orange spring on bottom -> orange spring up top, black spring on bottom.

Option A may be the easiest, raise the car. Once the bearings separates from the mount, add some 3M double sided stick tape on the bearing (a couple placed strategically around the top of the bearing), make sure it's aligned (note the locator tab on the back needs to be aligned, and pointing inwards towards the engine bay). After you are sure they are aligned, stick the two of them together (aligned correctly) and put some weight on the car. In the future, it'll make sure the bearing won't drop down accidentally.

The 3M double sided tape will conform to the mating surface and won't cause any issues. They sell some good strong stuff at Home Depot , Autozone, Oreilly and etc.

I read through the entire other thread and am now more aware of the options, I just don't like any of them. While I'm sure some double sided tape is fine, I wouldn't trust it enough that my bearing wouldn't come loose when I drop over a rumble strip at 70mph or I go over a hill at 120mph.

I chose to try out the MSS springs over the Bilstein damptronic coilover because Bilstein refused to say "these are okay on track" and told me directly that they shouldn't be used in any motorsport application. MSS, contrarily, stated "These are great on track," but it seems that was part of the marketing black magic. On track I hit the rumble strips pretty hard, and it's pretty normal for me to have one rear wheel cocked at every corner. Occasionally I've got a front inside wheel off right before the rear inside hits the strip, and it's at those times that I've heard clunking before. If the bearing gets misaligned at that point, I might just end up in a wall.

I bought my springs through NGP, and they've been pretty good about contacting me back today. I've got a race next weekend and a track day two weeks after that. There's no way I'm going to be able to get the springs, get them mounted, drive 2000 miles, and get them corner balanced and aligned by either one of those dates :(.
 

funks

Ready to race!
Location
Dublin, CA
Not really sure what to tell you, but maybe just a good idea to run what you currently have until XLR8 and MSS sends you a new MQB220 front spring and the V2 adjusters for the rear. Make sure you start the request now though.

MDLBC noted that the new 60mm ID rear adjusters are now available - he received the V2 version ( as warranty replacement )




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

funks

Ready to race!
Location
Dublin, CA
ExcelerateSales said:
Hey guys,

Thank you all for being patient as we work through the concerns that have been brought to our attention.

UPDATE TIME:

You can contact support@msskits.com and CC sales@excelerateperformance.com for warranty support with your MSS kits, questions, or resolutions to any problem you may have!

All kits being sold in NA market moving forward will have longer adjuster for rear springs

Teaser/Spoiler:

Currently a MK7 Track Front spring is in development for release Q1 2019. Any current MK7 customer who would like a set can email support@msskits.com for further inquiries.

Rear adjusters are now available - posted by XLR8.
 

victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
Rear adjusters are now available - posted by XLR8.

you've got the mqb220 on the front now, right? Are you still getting coil bind noises? I just started getting those yesterday, and a few days ago I raised the front ride height to minimize the clunking (and bearing getting thrown around). I still get some clunk when just the front left wheel dips, or both fronts dip.

I basically have two options right now. I can get the 034 springs and lose the corner balance ability, or I can try out the mqb220 and rear adjuster and basically lose most of my corner balance ability because the front height changes won't be huge. Basically, my car with my weight, and rear seats folded required my driver's side front to be 9mm lower than my passenger's side front. I had a good amount of rake as well (25-30mm). The car was fast in this setup; very fast, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to corner balance even close to that with the mqb220 spring, and it seems if I do I'll have my rears riding higher than stock. If I get the 034 springs, I can resell my MSS and maybe break even on cost and install. If I get the replacements from MSS, it seems it'll be on me to pay for install, corner balance, and alignment.

All that giant word jumble being said, my question to you, sir, is do you think the MQB220 spring (not considering corner balance) is worth an additional 700$ to you or would you just go direct swap over to 034 and break even on what you've already paid for the MQB205?

My total costs (installs, alignment, and one time use hardware) for MSS will come to 2700$ and for 034 (after selling MSS) would come to 2000$.
 

funks

Ready to race!
Location
Dublin, CA
you've got the mqb220 on the front now, right? Are you still getting coil bind noises? I just started getting those yesterday, and a few days ago I raised the front ride height to minimize the clunking (and bearing getting thrown around). I still get some clunk when just the front left wheel dips, or both fronts dip.

I have the MQB220 front springs now, the MQB205 springs they sent me originally (I bought mine as well June this year, same time as you - why we got the 205's, do not really know) had the swimming issue, and it made "springy" binding noises when I turned the steering wheel left or right. It was coupled with the 034 Motorsports Dynamic+ camber mounts.

I'm on the MQB220 front springs now (but still have the V1 adjusters on the rear) - I made a set of Delrin Thrust Sheets for the front and installed it the same time with the new springs, along with the Ground Control camber plates. No "spring" binding noises.

I basically have two options right now. I can get the 034 springs and lose the corner balance ability, or I can try out the mqb220 and rear adjuster and basically lose most of my corner balance ability because the front height changes won't be huge. Basically, my car with my weight, and rear seats folded required my driver's side front to be 9mm lower than my passenger's side front. I had a good amount of rake as well (25-30mm). The car was fast in this setup; very fast, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to corner balance even close to that with the mqb220 spring, and it seems if I do I'll have my rears riding higher than stock. If I get the 034 springs, I can resell my MSS and maybe break even on cost and install. If I get the replacements from MSS, it seems it'll be on me to pay for install, corner balance, and alignment.

Either way you go, I suggest you get the MQB220 springs along with the V2 adjuster. If you end up selling the kit, the buyer will appreciate that they have the correct/fixed version.

I normally do my own suspension work on the car, so all this "re-installation" had a cost of time (and I have lifetime alignment with Wheel works). I basically set the camber at home with my SmartCamber+, then make them zero out the toe. If you end up installing the 034 Springs, you'll end up paying for the install anyways so I'd say keep it.

As it relates to your car being corner balanced. Not really a big deal IMHO if you measure your existing drops right now and just add a raising offset to it.

The front right corner of the car limits how much you can lower it. On that corner, you basically set the height adjuster to max drop. Measure it, then subtract it from your original measurement which becomes the raising offset.

As an example, let's say your current corner balanced measurements on the old spring (MQB205 springs).

RF = 25.50"
LF = 25.60"
RR = 25.70"
LR = 25.40"

After installing the MQB220 spring (height adjuster on that side set to max drop) - new measurement (from the ground)

RF = 25.75"

so RAISING OFFSET is .25"

you need to set

LF = 25.60" + .25"
RR = 25.70 + .25"
LR = 25.40 + .25"

You'll end up with with the same cross weights as you raised them equally from your baseline.
 
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victorofhavoc

Autocross Champion
Location
Kansas City
I have the MQB220 front springs now, the MQB205 springs they sent me originally (I bought mine as well June this year, same time as you - why we got the 205's, do not really know) had the swimming issue, and it made "springy" binding noises when I turned the steering wheel left or right. It was coupled with the 034 Motorsports Dynamic+ camber mounts.

I'm on the MQB220 front springs now (but still have the V1 adjusters on the rear) - I made a set of Delrin Thrust Sheets for the front and installed it the same time with the new springs, along with the Ground Control camber plates. No "spring" binding noises.



Either way you go, I suggest you get the MQB220 springs along with the V2 adjuster. If you end up selling the kit, the buyer will appreciate that they have the correct/fixed version.

I normally do my own suspension work on the car, so all this "re-installation" had a cost of time (and I have lifetime alignment with Wheel works). I basically set the camber at home with my SmartCamber+, then make them zero out the toe. If you end up installing the 034 Springs, you'll end up paying for the install anyways so I'd say keep it.

As it relates to your car being corner balanced. Not really a big deal IMHO if you measure your existing drops right now and just add a raising offset to it.

The front right corner of the car limits how much you can lower it. On that corner, you basically set the height adjuster to max drop. Measure it, then subtract it from your original measurement which becomes the raising offset.

As an example, let's say your current corner balanced measurements on the old spring (MQB205 springs).

RF = 25.50"
LF = 25.60"
RR = 25.70"
LR = 25.40"

After installing the MQB220 spring (height adjuster on that side set to max drop) - new measurement (from the ground)

RF = 25.75"

so RAISING OFFSET is .25"

you need to set

LF = 25.60" + .25"
RR = 25.70 + .25"
LR = 25.40 + .25"

You'll end up with with the same cross weights as you raised them equally from your baseline.

My LF was the lowest with it being about 9mm lower than RF. I was at 25.3" with the LF I believe. With the lowest position being 25.75, that means I have to go up by 0.45" per other corner. This kinda sucks, since my rear right is the highest and it's currently 26.5", which is slightly lower than it was stock. If I make it 26.95" that will be about 0.3" higher than it was stock.

Yeah I plan on getting the mqb220 no matter what, so we'll see what shakes out. They may never even touch the car, and I may just delete the DCC and go for a clubsport coilover.

Once upon a time I used to do all the installs, tuning, and even fabbing parts on my own, but now I work 60 hr weeks and my time is worth more, so I just let a shop handle anything that would take me over 2 hrs to do. Oh well, lol.
 

funks

Ready to race!
Location
Dublin, CA
Yeah I plan on getting the mqb220 no matter what, so we'll see what shakes out. They may never even touch the car, and I may just delete the DCC and go for a clubsport coilover.

Hopefully whatever DCC canceller you get works correctly and doesn't throw codes (which turns the nannies on).

For example, people are running into issues with the iSWEEP DCC Canceler Kit @ track (something in the electronics gets upset) on the S3, may not be applicable on the R though.
 
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