How low is 40mm then? How low is xx mm...

13twelve · Post by **13twelve** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 4:14 pm

yeah yeah I know 40 mm is 4 cm 4/100 metre or nearly 2 inches or whatver

but how low does it look?

trying to work out lowering per Â£ innit
(ok not yet bought, or found a black gti with 3 doors but there is one for me out there)

40 mm is done on springs or matched spring and dampeners
sounds daft, but does one look lower than the other?

there no 60mm matched spring and dampener kits?

then you jump to coilovers where 6 miles of lowering is possible

that red car who belongs to that guy whose name i really cant remember is sat 80mm (?) on coilovers
that the most popular choice? how much? not sure how much i wanna put into the car when i have pepsi and porn to buy....

metz · Post by **metz** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 6:46 pm

http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/v ... highlight=

Thats the before and after pics of my car with -40mm springs.

Pm me if you want to see any more pics as those arnt too good.

Si_GTi · Post by **Si_GTi** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 10:18 pm

Hi mate,

IIRC you can go up to -40mm with the standard springs quite happily, as the GTI has uprated sports dampers in comparison to "lesser" 6n2 models. You could go down to -60mm on standard shocks, but it might be a bit risky and probably won't be such a good ride...

So beyond the -40/50mm mark, probably best to go for matched springs and dampers, or coilovers if you're after adjustable ride-height, ie. low for shows, mediumish for everyday cruising about.

Of course the ultimate suspension mod is hydraulics and airbags, which, if money were no object, I'm sure most of us would go for in a shot, but its about Â£2k or so.

I myself am in the process of getting some -35mm Eibachs sorted out, which should give a slightly lowered look (hopefully about an inch or so lower to cut down on the arch gaps) and slightly better handling.

As for reccomending (sp?) any kits, most peeps have their own preferences, but H&R, FK & Spax seem to come out on top quite a lot!

HTH

cyhliu · Post by **cyhliu** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:06 pm

I think Si_GTi has covered it all in his posting (well done Si!).

I think it comes to personal taste (and financial circumstances!). Do you wish the car to remain practical yet gain a sportier feel whilst not creating a hole in your wallet? Then springs are probably the way to go.

If you want serious ground scraping/snow ploughing height and you have some money to splash out then coilies are probably the best way to go...plus with these you have the option to increase the height when ground hugging looks aren't required (or you are going off-roading) but just remember you'll have to get out earlier to jack up the car to make the adjustments!

If you have the cash then I would suggest getting the coilies as you have the best of both worlds...

I've got some Eibachs on mine and they have made a difference, both the ride quality and the appearance of the car. It's not so low that I have problems getting it on the drive yet low enough to minimise the gap between the tyre and the arch so I'm happy.

13twelve · Post by **13twelve** » Sat Dec 11, 2004 11:23 pm

so for 40 mm just springs is alright - wouldnt need to get dampeners as well

hmm

cheaper than i though

coilovers might just be more than i can justify spending on it - depends how much freelance work i can pull next year i suppose

dubpolo · Post by **dubpolo** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 3:26 pm

was it me? the guy with the red car?

Si_GTi · Post by **Si_GTi** » Sun Dec 12, 2004 9:34 pm

Yeah Andy it was you - you're famous!

13twelve · Post by **13twelve** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 4:54 pm

yup Andy it was you lol

i guess what i need to assure myself is that 40 mm lowering on a gti will appear lower than a standard gti

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Mon Dec 13, 2004 6:01 pm

Before on std springs and GTi Rims

Fitted a set of second hand progressive lowering springs all round (had them shot blasted and powder coated in sating black first) so now it's 40-50mm lower

NOTE - the springs were supposed to be 30mm lowering - turned out closer to 50mm but I'm happy with that

jon_poloV · Post by **jon_poloV** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 9:29 am

mines lowerd 40mm on springs and dampers uprated, i have 15's with 195-45-15s, same tyre size as the gti,
jon
have a look in members rides for my car.

Speedlaw · Post by **Speedlaw** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 10:59 am

I don't really know how low my car is at, but it's at the point where the driveshaft hits the chassis fairly often. You can compare heights by looking at the wheel bolts, and compare them to the height of the side sill and the lowest point on the front bumper. If you draw an imaginary line between those two points, you can make out how far the bolts of the wheel are above it. The higher the bolts are, the lower the car.

Here's mine on coilovers and skinny tyres:

13twelve · Post by **13twelve** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 1:14 pm

bstardchild's polo has sold it too me

get lowering springs

then find fat people to sit on my car and lower it

(the only reason i bring it up, is my polo is on 40mm lowering springs and 15s and it dont look lower than other polos to me)

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 2:12 pm

13twelve wrote:bstardchild's polo has sold it too me

get lowering springs

then find fat people to sit on my car and lower it

(the only reason i bring it up, is my polo is on 40mm lowering springs and 15s and it dont look lower than other polos to me)

There are some measurements that are easy to check yours against in this thread.......

http://www.tigerstyle.co.uk/poloforum/v ... php?t=8450

Failing that ask the GTi guys what there ride heights are - I'm sure some of them would measure their cars (std ones and lowered ones) in order for you to see exactly where you currently are

Si_GTi · Post by **Si_GTi** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 3:20 pm

What am I measuring tho? Arch gap or distance to the deck from my sideskirts? I'll get both, then you can choose which one you want to compare

bstardchild · Post by **bstardchild** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:10 pm

Si_GTi wrote:What am I measuring tho? Arch gap or distance to the deck from my sideskirts? I'll get both, then you can choose which one you want to compare

I'd have said deck to highest point of the arch would be the best thing to measure - nice clean edge

Sideskirts or sill covers are a bit to rounded to get a good datum from

Thanks for the offer of help BTW