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Beginner’s Guide / Tips for Buying a Street-Based Suspension

Royalion

Ready to race!
Location
SoCal
I wonder why one of the spring companies doesn’t offer GTI springs that give a R ride hight. Seems like they would be pretty popular...
 

Drincc

Go Kart Newbie
Location
Vancouver, Canada
Car(s)
2019 GTI
I wonder why one of the spring companies doesn’t offer GTI springs that give a R ride hight. Seems like they would be pretty popular...

The mildest I've seen is ISC, and their drop is 16mm/13mm. Contemplated it, but went H&R instead as I couldn't find a reliable source to ship to Canada without costing double that of H&R.
 

spessx

Ready to race!
Location
Texas
I’ve got a 16 Golf R without DCC. It’s on Eibach Sport springs with the stock dampers. It crashes and bottoms out over minor bumps such as manhole covers.

I hated the excessive dive/squat/roll of the stock suspension but I can’t take anyone in my car and my cheeks clinch every time I see a bump.

Which will give me the best balance of comfort on crappy roads and flat handling? I honestly don’t care about ride height. I’m in my 40’s and not trying to be stanced. Here are my options (Currently all Bilstein) - feel free to suggest something else:

1. Add B8 dampers to my Eibach Pro setup.
2. Put my stock springs back on with B6 Dampers.
3. Put on a B16 Coilover setup (adjustable for both height and dampening)
 

xXDavidCXx

Autocross Champion
Location
AZ
Car(s)
2017 GTI SE DSG
I’ve got a 16 Golf R without DCC. It’s on Eibach Sport springs with the stock dampers. It crashes and bottoms out over minor bumps such as manhole covers.

I hated the excessive dive/squat/roll of the stock suspension but I can’t take anyone in my car and my cheeks clinch every time I see a bump.

Which will give me the best balance of comfort on crappy roads and flat handling? I honestly don’t care about ride height. I’m in my 40’s and not trying to be stanced. Here are my options (Currently all Bilstein) - feel free to suggest something else:

1. Add B8 dampers to my Eibach Pro setup.
2. Put my stock springs back on with B6 Dampers.
3. Put on a B16 Coilover setup (adjustable for both height and dampening)
Before anyone else comments, what tires, size, and tire pressures?
 

flipflp

Autocross Newbie
Location
PNW
Car(s)
'16 Golf R DSG
I’ve got a 16 Golf R without DCC. It’s on Eibach Sport springs with the stock dampers. It crashes and bottoms out over minor bumps such as manhole covers.

I hated the excessive dive/squat/roll of the stock suspension but I can’t take anyone in my car and my cheeks clinch every time I see a bump.

Which will give me the best balance of comfort on crappy roads and flat handling? I honestly don’t care about ride height. I’m in my 40’s and not trying to be stanced. Here are my options (Currently all Bilstein) - feel free to suggest something else:

1. Add B8 dampers to my Eibach Pro setup.
2. Put my stock springs back on with B6 Dampers.
3. Put on a B16 Coilover setup (adjustable for both height and dampening)
Just get the B16s.

I had EMD springs on stock shocks (good enough), then B8s as an "upgrade" only to find out that B8s don't have enough compression damping to not blow through all the travel with fairly low rate lowering springs. Ride was not as good on big bumps/bad roads and handling didn't seem like an improvement either.

I've had B16s on for about 9 months, 2-3 track days, and 10k miles of commuting and I regret nothing EXCEPT not buying them 4 years earlier. I usually run with damping middle road on the street and just crank them all the way on the track. They aren't a race coilover but do much much better than any shock/spring combo out for handling, ride quality, and adjustability.

Also I run 18s on the street and 18s or 17s on the track. 19's are going to have some harshness and usually have a higher weight.
 

reverend_sean

Go Kart Champion
Location
Pittsburgh
Does anyone have a pic of Golf R springs on a GTI?
My set up is Koni yellows, Golf R springs, stock GTI rear spring pads (034 shock mounts front and rear, but that shouldn’t affect ride height). I think it looks good in person, these pictures look to me like it's ready for a WRC stage with that wheel gap.

FD92674F-3311-435F-94CF-9090DFA0DA54.jpeg
70286BCC-4918-4487-9552-10BDCEFBBA2B.jpeg
6B1DFE42-8785-43FE-A385-F0AC4E893D1B.jpeg
 

GTIfan99

Autocross Champion
Location
FL

tigeo

Autocross Champion
Wanted to check in w/r to my setup. '18 GSW w/4Motion and DSG. H&R Sport springs originally on stock dampers at ~25K. Recently dropped some Bilstein B8s on it at ~58K so just over 30K riding on stock dampers and sport springs. I always thought the ride was just fine with stock dampers and H&Rs, not bouncy or rough at all. The only time I felt like it lacked was high speed motion control but for hte normal highway speeds/around town, no issue. B8s certainly control the movement better and are a nice compliment for the H&Rs, more firm overall but a nice composed sport/touring suspension. Interestingly enough, the stockers with a total of 58K/30K of sport springs felt normal to me when I pulled them off, not deteriorated at all w/r to damping rate which to me make sense....folks go on about sport springs hosing your dampers in short order and to me, there is no real reason for that to happen b/c the damper doesn't care that is sitting an inch different in its travel stroke as the new "0" position and the spring rates just aren't that much higher than stock. I did gain ride height ever so slightly in the back, less than a 0.25" but still, a touch with the Bilsteins. Has to be related to the higher pressure gas. Fronts stayed the same. Overall, definately recommend. We have Koni Sports/Eibach Pro kit springs on my old Focus/now my son's and I feel like the spring rates/damping feel are v. similar (Konis set to full soft).
FB_IMG_1618701820289.jpg
 

averyislost

Go Kart Champion
Location
Charlotte, NC
Car(s)
2020 GTI S
Any suggestions between the Racingline dampers vs Koni yellows for VWR springs?

Bilstein shocks were kinda my "go-to" choice but I don't want a ride so soft/underdamped with the VWR springs that it's going to bottom out consistently. I don't really mind the non-adjustability of the VWR dampers, so that's not a huge factor. Having a well-matched set of springs/dampers is swaying me towards the VWR dampers, however, there's not a ton of reviews for them and some that I found weren't as positive as the rave reviews the Koni yellows get.
 
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