Lower But With Same Rates

[eob 7]

Have dumped the 45mm dropped Eibachs in the GTi as they were just way too harsh for Irish roads (expecially now that the country is bankrupt and they're filling the potholes with copies of old Black & Tan manuals) but with standard, new, springs fitted, the thing looks like it's about to take off.

 

Has anyone ever bought shorter springs with the same lb/ft rates as the original GTi springs but which were just a bit lower? Anyone got some for sale?

[Baz 421]

Koni springs are a happy medium and don't seem too crashy, they drop about 20-30mm in my experience.

[Rippthrough 98]

It'd be more crashy if anything, you'd be bouncing off the bumpstops more.

[eob 7]

There's just so much suspension travel there, just can't see it hitting the bumpstops. Really don't want to go down the root of stiffer springs though, the standard springs are perfect, verging on too stiff, anything stiffer just wouldn't work out here.

[Anthony 1,002]

Are you sure that it's the springs causing the crashiness, and not the dampers?

[Rippthrough 98]

As Anthony says, what dampers are you running? You can get away with quite hard springs on soft dampers and it still be fairly comfortable (albeit feel a bit wooly and short on traction)

[eob 7]

You misunderstand the question (no offence like) The crashiness isn't a problem at all (to be expected with Powerflex'd lower arms and a strut brace) it's the ride height? It looks that a plane that's just auto rotated. I also don't think I'm getting great weight transfer in corners because of it but that's just my opinion.

 

I'm running standard Bilsteins btw. All components are brand new.

[jimistdt 1]

As far as I know the standard spring is around 90 lb/in, so maybe your looking for something around that rate?

Edited December 1, 2009 by jimistdt

[eob 7]

As far as I know the standard spring is around 90 lb/ft, so maybe your looking for something around that rate?

 

In a nutshell, that's it. I'm wondering if anyone has installed springs with the same rate, but slightly shorter in the good 'ol GTi

[Rippthrough 98]

Loosing nearly 2 inches of compression travel and hoping standard springs will keep it off the bumpstops is hoping a bit too much imo.

 

Christ, we run nearly 480lb/inch on the back of the buggy and that's still comfy over rough roads, I'd say it's not the spring rate making it feel harsh....

[jimistdt 1]

I think the OP's happy to have less drop than the 45mm he had? What would you say maximum drop in travel you would say would be fit for a 205 damper?

[Rippthrough 98]

Just do one thing, put a tie wrap around the damper shaft, go down a bumpy road at the speeds you normally do, see where the tiewrap ends up on the shaft.

[pug_ham 243 3 Cars]

IMO most "lowered & uprated" springs aren't that much stiffer than the standard springs so its just a matter of finding a set that give you what you are looking for.

 

I've run some PI springs (which some people hate & find very crashy) on Boge Sports oil shocks when I lowered my first GTI & they were fine on the roads around Heathrow. Middlesex & Surrey where I lived at the time.

 

I since swapped them to Bilstein black shocks with group N top rubbers & they are still fine on the roads around Yorkshire.

 

When I first put my black GTI on the road it was on some (Jamex iirc) springs which lowered it about 20-25mm with new Bilstein black front shocks & thats wasn't crashy at all. I've still got them & they aren't going to be used if you're interested.

 

Same goes for my car now with Koni top adjustable shocks & lowering springs that came with the Koni kit using group N top rubbers.

 

Suspension is something that imo is hard to recommend because no two people will want the same thing from it, one person might be over joyed with the results & another hate them from the same stuff.

 

Graham.