went with 034's offering.
I like them so far. strangely enough they ride a bit better then stock yet at the same time the car doesn't lean into turns as much as before. best part? under steer is reduced. The R feels more pointed then it did before, yet at the same time still very planted.
Since I live and work around the Baltimore area that's a good question!Thanks for the review! I've been contemplating this same question lately too. How are the springs on the city streets? Particularly with unexpected pot holes or raised bumps.
thanks for the answers folks! I felt that the R is wayy underdamped in comfort mode too and normal still feels a little floaty still. Did my first AutoX in the R recently after a 12 years in a modified Legacy GT and felt slightly disappointed in Race mode, I actually switched back to Normal mode the second half of the day to get a little more grip. I'm glad to hear that the 034 springs may fix much of that without much loss in driveability! I'll keep an eye out for spring sales...
I looked at MSS springs too b/c they are also progressive, but they're like $700+ though?! I'd expect them to be leaps and bounds over the $350 034 for that price! Regardless, the 034 springs are different between the GTI and the R -along with a much milder drop- so I hope that slight difference makes up for the feel between the GTI and my R.
FWIW I've got the 034 springs on my DCC GTI and I had MSS before. MSS is a milder drop and more comfortable. 034 is tough on some streets. Unexpected potholes have felt as if something on the car broke from the impact. Usually I don't find any physical evidence, but it doesn't feel great. However, on track in sport mode, it feels way better, and the stability under hard braking is greatly improved. I personally find comfort the only mode to be livable on the street. I use normal like sport. In sport, I find it to be super bouncy and it can affect traction. If I were commuting or just driving on the street, I'd choose the MSS. If you want stiffer, the 034.
If I upgrade to something else I would do the B16 Damptronic Coilover Kit (DCC compatible coil-overs) or the Ohlins road and track coil-overs (deleting the DCC in the process). But I simply couldn't justify the price of either kit right now because my car is mostly street driven.The MSS are expensive, yes. You get to corner balance though. They're not progressive, they're linear. The rear is a stack linear arrangement, and the shorter spring is mostly compressed with the weight of the car. The track pack is what I have. It's typically 1400$. I'm selling my kit with extras for 750$ right now. It's a lot more than the 034. At 1400$ and getting classed like you're on coilovers (if you race), it's a pointless option. The saving grace is the corner balancing and ride adjustment to get more rake. Looking back, I wouldn't do it again, but I also wouldn't get the 034 springs again. I'm ripping out the DCC, because it limits me too much. If you plan to keep DCC, the coilover options are slim, and the spring options promise a lot, but IME don't deliver as much as the stock suspension does.
You must have some really bad roads in your area for you to feel that way. I feel like the 034s are a good compromise spring for going a little lower then stock and also adding some much needed spring rate to the car. As I said above I feel like all the driving modes are much more usable then before where normal was my go to mode 90% of the time. Now I feel like all modes are much better then before. Even race mode feels better. Dare I say even a bit more comfortable?
If I upgrade to something else I would do the B16 Damptronic Coilover Kit (DCC compatible coil-overs) or the Ohlins road and track coil-overs (deleting the DCC in the process). But I simply couldn't justify the price of either kit right now because my car is mostly street driven.
We've got a lot of potholes in my area. The gti springs are also different from the r springs apparently. Even on smoother highway roads that have some undulations, the car feels oversprung in all modes, except comfort. I have the same issue with my 034 front springs that I had with my mqb205 mss; the spring is too short for the front strut, so at free hang the spring just rattles around. This makes noise against my metal top mounts going over potholes or curbs on track. Long term that wrecks the bearing and short term it contributes to a noisy and harsh ride. You won't hear it if you have rubber topmounts, but your bearing will feel it.