Lowering a GTI

[Bradley]

After much thought im about to lose it with suspension haha.

Im after lowering my car only slightly about 40-50mm from standard GTI height.Ive looked at alot of kits both coilovers and spring/damper setups.

I didn't really want to buy coilovers for the car and had uprated shocks/springs more on the cards.With the GTI being 15mm lowered from factory ive been finding it hard to find a decent set of shocks/springs that will lower the car enough.

Ive been looking mainly at these two different setups.

These Shocks/Springs
http://www.venommotorsport.com/product_ ... Suspension

These Coilovers
http://www.venommotorsport.com/manufact ... o%20Mk%205

Really im after your thoughts,my worry with the shocks/springs is it won't lower the car enough.Thats 40mm lowering on a standard 6n2 or is that really only 25mm on a GTI?.If im honest im now learning more towards the Weitec coilovers as they seem to be of a high quality and lower the car between 40-70mm so i will most likely have them setup mid range and can tweak the height to the exact position im after (im a fussy bugger).

Please help with your thought and advice.

Brad

[mboyle4]

Theres so many options out there for lowering mate that you could keep thinking and thinking forever, I would just go with something thats reccomended and you have seen on another gti. You could end up spending anything from £165 to £600 + on coilovers, you could get a set of spring from around £50 i've just spend £120 on eibach ones and don't regret it, really pleased with the results. Gmax do a reasonably priced lowering spring and shocks kit for the gti for around £250 I beleive which could be a good option. Pros and cons to springs and shocks vs coiolvers but if you know what a spring and shock set up will look like prior to purchase then you could get a decent set up cheaper than a decent set of coilovers!

[Minstral]

if you are willing to pay around that much bradley i would suggest getting some damper adjsutbale ones then u can choose the ride hardness.
i like a firm ride so im just going to get some hard coilovers anyway
had damper adjustable on my fiesta they are by far the best

[Bradley]

Thats the problem been looking at so many different kits for the past three months im getting bored of it now.

I havent yet found anyone running the setup of Spring/dampers im after otherwise i would quite happily settle for the KW's.To have dampening adjustment i'd have to pay at least another £100 for the Spax RSX setup,although the price doseen't put me off im not sure i can justify spending another £100 on something i cant see myself using.I wouldn't be lowering the car enough to need to slow down the dampening and make it feel stiffer and the Weitecs are 30% stiffer than regular setup so have the same dampening as the KW shocks more or less which will be ideal.It's only going to be the spring rating that will really differ and i can't determine how hard that will be yet because im not sure how much tension it will be under when lowered.

Realisticly i want the KW set but don't want to it to be not the right hight height so im still swaying towards the Weitec setup.

[6N2 GTI 00]

There are so many to choose from but these are what I recommend

http://www.venommotorsport.com/product_ ... Suspension

Spax RSX coilovers produced for Venom Motorsport, they are a little bit more extra than the Weitec Coilovers but you have the added benefit of adjustable damping settings which really does make a big difference to the ride comfort.

I have the Spax RSX coilovers and their fantastic, you certainly wont be disapointed. It's worth spending the extra £80-100 in the long run

Ben,

[kingsleysaywell]

okay mate what i know is that you have 15mm lowering springs atm which are the factory, so if you buy 40mm lowering springs you will only be going 25mm further down

[6N2 GTI 00]

okay mate what i know is that you have 15mm lowering springs atm which are the factory, so if you buy 40mm lowering springs you will only be going 25mm further down

Bradley mentions he is after uprated shocks & springs so he wouldnt be just putting 40mm lowring springs on the standard shocks.

[Bradley]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Ben i had looked at the Spax setup,seems really good value for money.What height have you roughly lowered your car and what sort of dampening have you got them set at?.Ive seem Spax shocks look so beaten up after a few years of use.How are yours looking dude after however long you've had them?.Sorry for all the questions i just want to make the right decision first time.

The Weitecs had Zinc coated bodies which will be better for corrosion etc over the Spax's powder coated legs but im in a pickle about whether i want adjustable dampening or not.

[Minstral]

are there any spax shocks& spings setup for the gti, and get damper adjautble shocks

[bond007]

first dibs on your standard set up lol, just bought the car and its not practical as it is doing 50 mile a day!

[6N2 GTI 00]

Thanks for the input everyone.

Ben i had looked at the Spax setup,seems really good value for money.What height have you roughly lowered your car and what sort of dampening have you got them set at?.Ive seem Spax shocks look so beaten up after a few years of use.How are yours looking dude after however long you've had them?.Sorry for all the questions i just want to make the right decision first time.

The Weitecs had Zinc coated bodies which will be better for corrosion etc over the Spax's powder coated legs but im in a pickle about whether i want adjustable dampening or not.

Yeah they really are great value for money Bradley.
I have adjusted the ride height several times on my car just to play around with it and find the best combination of comfort & looks.
I initially lowered it 85mm at the back and around 70mm at the front but at the moment its lowered around 55mm at the back & 50mm at the front.
The damping settings are unbelievably easy to adjust so at the moment I have it set in the middle between soft & Hard.

Mine is not very low at the moment due to a new speed bump by my work which is like mount Kilimanjaro, otherwise it would be 75mm back & 70mm front.

I was in the exact same position as you mate, took me months & months to decide what to go for. My mates said to go for shocks & springs but I knew it wouldn’t lower it enough and I wanted the option to adjust the ride height & damping settings. Shocks and Springs are always going to be more comfortable than Coilovers but I decided to sacrifice some of the comfort for improved handling & looks.

I have had mine fitted for nearly 8 months now mate and have had no issues whatsoever.
They have never ceased on me and the perform brilliantly. I put tape on the threads to stop the dirt covering them and like to adjust them fairly regularly just to ensure they stay tip top.

Ben,