Suspension refresh and upgrade advice

[scoobyc]

My 2014 3dr R is currently on VWR springs and I'm finally giving in that its just too crashy for me over potholes. Its fine on give and take B roads but the state of my local roads are depressing and pi55ing me off in equal measures so I'm going to make a change. It has a great looking stance but I'm quite happy to sacrifice this for less pothole bangs! So I'm looking for suggestions of what I should try next (return to OE or...?) but also what other parts of the suspension I should refresh (minimum being struts and springs in my head) at the same time and then get everything done at once? Also looking for any supplier suggestions if you've had a good experience/deal. Thanks in advance, SC.

[PeteT]

Returning it all to standard sounds like a good plan. If your current shocks have done a lot of miles they’ll be pretty tired anyway. You could maybe pick up a low mileage set off here from someone fitting coil overs. Maybe do the drop links and a cheeky updated rear anti-roll bar too?

[Msportman]

How many miles has the car covered?

 

DCC or passive shocks?

 

Do you want to upgrade handling and have adjustability ?

 

Do you want to go to stock ride height ?

 

The answers will determine my advice and do you have a budget?

 

Nothing is cheap if you want quality known parts but there are a few things that you should consider refreshing.

[scoobyc]

Thanks for the reply;

50k miles on passive shocks.

Handling is fine as is, I have a 718 spyder for a sharper drive😊

I like the ride height but if I have to sacrifice it to remove the crashiness then that's what I'll do.

Budget depends on how much of an improvement or compromise there is, if quality coilovers will remove the crashiness but leave the ride height I'll do man maths and justify it!

 

My initial thought was back to oe but I'm worried I lose the ride height and it's still crashy- my standard R estate had DCC so I've no reference point for a standard passive shock car yet but may be able to do something about that hopefully...

[Msportman]

3 hours ago, scoobyc said:

Thanks for the reply;

50k miles on passive shocks.

Handling is fine as is, I have a 718 spyder for a sharper drive😊

I like the ride height but if I have to sacrifice it to remove the crashiness then that's what I'll do.

Budget depends on how much of an improvement or compromise there is, if quality coilovers will remove the crashiness but leave the ride height I'll do man maths and justify it!

 

My initial thought was back to oe but I'm worried I lose the ride height and it's still crashy- my standard R estate had DCC so I've no reference point for a standard passive shock car yet but may be able to do something about that hopefully...

So I swapped out my Racingline springs and DCC for a Ohlins passive adjustable R&T Coilovers.

 

The old set up had covered approximately 45k and good though it was when I fitted the springs to the factory DCC I knew it wasn’t the best as far as damping and control over the bumps of a typical UK B road.

 

Id also fitted a 034 Motorsport rear ARB and the Superpro Caster / Camber bush set as a cheaper alternative to swapping out the LCA’s.

 

The ride height was fixed but quite a bit lower than say Eibach springs although they all settle over time.

 

Ive had KW and others but knew that I didn’t want a slammed ride height for Road and in any case it’s detrimental to handling when it’s set too low. 
 

I too wanted a very comfortable compliant ride for Road but was extremely capable on track hence I went for one of the very best in the game being Ohlins.

 

Theyre not cheap but anything high quality isn’t and these are really “black magic”  They really take the sharp edges out of bumps and have a special release valve for compression.

They adjust easily under the car with a rotary dial which not only controls compression but more importantly matches rebound rate.

 

The’ve been on a year and I went to The Ring last summer and the car performed with aplomb. It has taken the handling to a whole new level and are much better than any factory set up. The factory Monroe units are fine but are mass produced to a budget.

 

Heres a quick couple of pics so you get an idea of ride height which is adjustable and these are set to their lowest setting:

 

 

[scoobyc]

Sounds fantastic but I'm guessing that's 2k plus...😬

[Swerve]

If I was going to refresh my suspension I would go Eibach springs supposed to be near oem but lower but not to low and not a harsh ride,I would change the shocks all round for new standard ones also if budget allowed top mounts and bump stops. 

[Msportman]

4 hours ago, scoobyc said:

Sounds fantastic but I'm guessing that's 2k plus...😬

If u want to upgrade or refresh u could go stock or Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers plus top mounts. I’d price the different options. Or just price VW parts and labour to fit.

 

For a decent upgrade the better  stuff ain’t cheap .

[scoobyc]

Thanks both, I think if I was going for lowered springs I'd try the Emmanuele Design ones from what I've read up on recently but oe seems like the best way forward and I'll do top mounts and bump stops. Appreciate the higher quality stuff would be a big improvement but can't justify it on my work car currently 👍

[Msportman]

13 hours ago, scoobyc said:

Thanks both, I think if I was going for lowered springs I'd try the Emmanuele Design ones from what I've read up on recently but oe seems like the best way forward and I'll do top mounts and bump stops. Appreciate the higher quality stuff would be a big improvement but can't justify it on my work car currently 👍

They’re quite a short spring and would put considerably more strain on the standard dampers and shorten their life. You can see they are quite a bit lower than Eibach or Racingline springs.

[Booth11]

On 22/02/2023 at 01:16, Msportman said:

So I swapped out my Racingline springs and DCC for a Ohlins passive adjustable R&T Coilovers.

 

The old set up had covered approximately 45k and good though it was when I fitted the springs to the factory DCC I knew it wasn’t the best as far as damping and control over the bumps of a typical UK B road.

 

Id also fitted a 034 Motorsport rear ARB and the Superpro Caster / Camber bush set as a cheaper alternative to swapping out the LCA’s.

 

The ride height was fixed but quite a bit lower than say Eibach springs although they all settle over time.

 

Ive had KW and others but knew that I didn’t want a slammed ride height for Road and in any case it’s detrimental to handling when it’s set too low. 
 

I too wanted a very comfortable compliant ride for Road but was extremely capable on track hence I went for one of the very best in the game being Ohlins.

 

Theyre not cheap but anything high quality isn’t and these are really “black magic”  They really take the sharp edges out of bumps and have a special release valve for compression.

They adjust easily under the car with a rotary dial which not only controls compression but more importantly matches rebound rate.

 

The’ve been on a year and I went to The Ring last summer and the car performed with aplomb. It has taken the handling to a whole new level and are much better than any factory set up. The factory Monroe units are fine but are mass produced to a budget.

 

Heres a quick couple of pics so you get an idea of ride height which is adjustable and these are set to their lowest setting:

 

 

That looks perfect.  Your R is ageing beautifully Ian.  Mk7 absolute classic design.  😎

[K3VWR]

22 hours ago, scoobyc said:

Thanks both, I think if I was going for lowered springs I'd try the Emmanuele Design ones from what I've read up on recently but oe seems like the best way forward and I'll do top mounts and bump stops. Appreciate the higher quality stuff would be a big improvement but can't justify it on my work car currently 👍

 

22 hours ago, scoobyc said:

Thanks both, I think if I was going for lowered springs I'd try the Emmanuele Design ones from what I've read up on recently but oe seems like the best way forward and I'll do top mounts and bump stops. Appreciate the higher quality stuff would be a big improvement but can't justify it on my work car currently 👍

Hi scoobyc 

 

I’ve been running EMD springs for the past three years. The ride is pretty much the same as standard on passive shocks maybe a tiny bit more harsh. Here’s some pics for reference. 👍

[Clarkie48]

On 18/02/2023 at 21:02, scoobyc said:

My 2014 3dr R is currently on VWR springs and I'm finally giving in that its just too crashy for me over potholes. Its fine on give and take B roads but the state of my local roads are depressing and pi55ing me off in equal measures so I'm going to make a change. It has a great looking stance but I'm quite happy to sacrifice this for less pothole bangs! So I'm looking for suggestions of what I should try next (return to OE or...?) but also what other parts of the suspension I should refresh (minimum being struts and springs in my head) at the same time and then get everything done at once? Also looking for any supplier suggestions if you've had a good experience/deal. Thanks in advance, SC.

Im also running H&R springs and love the stance of the car and handling on perfect roads.I’ve found that anything that isn’t perfect they are quite bouncy and also crashy due to being on standard shocks.

 

Im looking at KW Street Comfort coilovers to solve this problem.These should give me the ride height I want but with added comfort and better bump absorption.I will also be fitting the Bilstein top mount and bearing kit.

 

https://www.awesomegti.com/shop-by-car/volkswagen/golf-mk7/kw-street-comfort-coilovers-vw-golf-mk7-without-electronic-dampers/

[Kneel]

I`m also looking in to a little suspension refresh.

 

Fast road use and some comfort is desirable. More comfort than the OE suspension if possible.

 

I really need to keep the stock ride height due to the nature of some of the roads I use. 

 

I quite fancy the Ohlins kit, can anyone tell me if it`s able to run standard ride height?

 

What else would be recommended? New top mounts?

[Msportman]

3 hours ago, Kneel said:

I`m also looking in to a little suspension refresh.

 

Fast road use and some comfort is desirable. More comfort than the OE suspension if possible.

 

I really need to keep the stock ride height due to the nature of some of the roads I use. 

 

I quite fancy the Ohlins kit, can anyone tell me if it`s able to run standard ride height?

 

What else would be recommended? New top mounts?

Yes you can set at standard ride height or lower to suit your needs. Ohlins quite rightly won’t lower the car to extreme’s as it’s detrimental to the ride inducing all sorts of nasty side effects.

 

Both sets of KW Clubsport kits on Edition  30’s sagged on the rear over time. They can go much lower for the “look” but tbh I had them set up by a race pro team for VAG Cup so we’re set correctly just below standard height. 
 

The Ohlins are set in a similar way as you can see from the pics. Perfect for The Ring and a few other on regular UK tracks I use.

 

Spring rates are perfectly matched to damper rates unlike lowering springs.

 

DCC were good at first but wear hence damping control deteriorates.