Coilovers... Post Your Pics!

[AJP]

Right, I've decided the time has come to go a bit lower. I'm currently on H&R springs with standard dampers, and it rides quite nicely. Two things are making me consider coilovers though. Firstly, my shocks are getting a bit tired. It's safe to assume they're as old as the car. And secondly, well... going lower! Admittedly it's primarily for looks, although ride and handling is important to me.

So, I've been reading loads of threads on here, on the US forums and so on, and I'm still not 100% on my best option.

I'm not interested in the low end coils like Jom. Budget will be about a grand. I'm looking for about a 60mm drop but with room to go up or down from there - I don't really want to be removing helpers or perches to get where I want.

Bearing in mind the manufacturers' stated lowering ranges often don't tell the whole story, what I'd like to see is some photos of your GTIs on coilovers. Tell me what you're running, floor to arch measurement if possible, wheel and tyre spec, blah blah, you get the picture.

The Americans love Koni coilovers, but they don't seem as popular over here.

KW V1 might be a safe bet (especially with the usual KW sale in a few months) but I'm not sure if they'll go quite low enough.

H&R Ultra Lows sound promising, but they might be overkill.

So, show me what you're on. Fill the thread with pics. Thanks in advance!

[bonelorry]

Sadly I cannot offer any advice on this matter, I purchased a car many Years ago which had KW V2's fitted and had a full Fast Road set-up with uprated ARB's and Fully Floating AP 4-pots with 340MM discs etc. Albeit it was a different brand of car but they where very good, Not overly firm and easy enough to live with everyday with plenty of adjustability.

Nowadays I do not to go down that route and fitting Uprated Dampers with as little drop as possible on the Springs is my preferred choice rather than going for the lowest spring possible etc

Only thing I would say which you have already mentioned is do not go for cheap sh*t, All the cheap £400-500 Coilover kits are garbage despite what people say that run them!

Don't Bilstein tempt you with their offerings?

[Cr33D]

I know it's not GTI but still...
H&R Ultralow AH Exclusive by Stillstatic with 19" ET42 and 225/35 Tires.

This is with max height setting in my case.

[AJP]

Thanks for the replies.

@bonelorry I'm certainly not ruling Bilsteins out, although I'd need to find out more. I've read quite a few times they don't go very low in the rear, at least 'not as low as KW'. And at the same time I'm hearing some people say KWs themselves don't go very low. I'd probably want a kit with adjustable damping if I went for Bilsteins as the fixed damping kits sound quite firm. Maybe they're more of a track coilover. I'd never doubt their overall quality though.

I suppose the idea of the thread was to see for myself just how low certain setups will go. So I'd welcome anyone with Bilsteins and a good drop to post up!

@Cr33D Thanks for the photos, that's helpful. I did read a post (on Vortex maybe) where someone said the Ultra Low H&Rs were too low even on the heighest adjustment. H&R state that as 50mm iirc. However, this proves that wrong. Seems you've got plenty of room to play with. Are yours the normal Ultra Low or the Deep kit? And how does it ride?

[Adam0604]

On my phone so can't poat pictures in this thread, however I have multiple photos on my build thread (link against my username). Not top end coilovers, they're FK Highsports, but the ride is not really harsh in my opinion, and even my Mum who hates the fact I modify the car in any way has said it's quite a nice ride. My helpers are out as well.

Currently about a 90mm drop. Have about a Samsung/iPhone length of clearance from ground to splitter.
I run 225/40/18, 8.5j fronts, 9.5j rears. Fronts have about -1.5 degrees of camber; backs around 3-3.5mm.
You'd be fine at a 60mm drop.

Hope this helps?

[AJP]

On my phone so can't poat pictures in this thread, however I have multiple photos on my build thread (link against my username). Not top end coilovers, they're FK Highsports, but the ride is not really harsh in my opinion, and even my Mum who hates the fact I modify the car in any way has said it's quite a nice ride. My helpers are out as well.

Currently about a 90mm drop. Have about a Samsung/iPhone length of clearance from ground to splitter.
I run 225/40/18, 8.5j fronts, 9.5j rears. Fronts have about -1.5 degrees of camber; backs around 3-3.5mm.
You'd be fine at a 60mm drop.

Hope this helps?

Good info, thanks. The Highsports, are they the ones with Koni dampers? I know there's also Silverline and Konigsport. And from what I gather the higher end FKs are a world apart from the likes of FK Street. Highsports are kind of mid range as I understand it?

I take it you've managed that camber with stock adjustment, no need for camber plates unless you need more? And what's the offset of your wheels?

I'm on 8" et44 with 225 40 18s. I'd like to think I could get away with keeping that kind of wheel/tyre spec unless I'm going silly low. 60mm, maybe a bit more, or at least enough to very slightly tuck the top corner of the tyre.

I'll have a look on your build thread.

I've been reading an old build thread on Edition, guy calling himself Obese. He might have been on here. Anyway, he was on H&R Ultra Lows. Lovely stance, and certainly went low enough.

Question is, do I really need Ultra Lows? Or would something like KW V1 be enough. Thing is, I like the idea of running a damper 'long', around mid-max height, ie Ultra Lows. I don't like the idea of running a damper short, at minimum height, which could well be the case with KW. And the KW warranty only applies if the coilovers are set within the TUV range, which is well short of how low they'll actually go. Sneaky.

I had Weitecs on and old car. Couldn't fault them. Looked at today's equivalent (non stainless made by KW) the ST range, and they're only marginally cheaper than V1s.

I'll definitely have a look into FKs as well though.

Hmmm. Decisions!

[rich83]

Showing pics of cars on coilovers doesn't really give you any idea of what they are like in terms of ride or quality of manufacture quality

Whats wrong with your setup at the moment? Is the ride height ok? If so they why not look at aftermarket dampers such as Bilstein? H&R springs + Bilstein shock will almost certainly give you better ride/handling than a set of 400quid coilovers.

[Cr33D]

My ones are 110mm which would mean that they are Deep ones (AH Exclusive). [I think - bought it second hand]

As I mentioned this are max setting and I occasionally rub when body rolls.
I need to roll arches...

In regards of comfort I had MK3 in the past with some cheap coilovers and there was no comfort at all.
Here - I was positively surprised, for such a low set-up comfort is pretty good and my wife which hates lowered cars didn't complain about comfort.

[AJP]

Showing pics of cars on coilovers doesn't really give you any idea of what they are like in terms of ride or quality of manufacture quality

Whats wrong with your setup at the moment? Is the ride height ok? If so they why not look at aftermarket dampers such as Bilstein? H&R springs + Bilstein shock will almost certainly give you better ride/handling than a set of 400quid coilovers.

Nope, but it does give me an idea of which coilovers actually go as low as I'd want. Like I mentioned in the first post, going off the stated lowering range in the sales blurb can be a bit misleading. It's not always right. The idea was to actually get out and have a ride in some cars that had whatever coilovers I'd deemed a possibility, based on this thread and other research. But I'm not at that stage yet.

The current setup rides fine. Handles fine. It's just not low enough. If I was happy with it aesthetically on the H&R springs I'd do pretty much what you've suggested. The new(ish) VWR dampers sound decent.

What coilovers are you on, Rich?

[AJP]

My ones are 110mm which would mean that they are Deep ones (AH Exclusive). [I think - bought it second hand]

As I mentioned this are max setting and I occasionally rub when body rolls.
I need to roll arches...

In regards of comfort I had MK3 in the past with some cheap coilovers and there was no comfort at all.
Here - I was positively surprised, for such a low set-up comfort is pretty good and my wife which hates lowered cars didn't complain about comfort.

I take it the rubbing is just on the front? What width are your 19s?

[rich83]

PSS10

Contrary to what folk my say... even expensive coil-overs are a compromise on ride quality over OEM. The good thing about them is the made the car handle like a dream. Not so great on the motorway as it can be a bit of a bumpy ride, but when giving it some stick they are amazing.

[Adam0604]

On my phone so can't poat pictures in this thread, however I have multiple photos on my build thread (link against my username). Not top end coilovers, they're FK Highsports, but the ride is not really harsh in my opinion, and even my Mum who hates the fact I modify the car in any way has said it's quite a nice ride. My helpers are out as well.

Currently about a 90mm drop. Have about a Samsung/iPhone length of clearance from ground to splitter.
I run 225/40/18, 8.5j fronts, 9.5j rears. Fronts have about -1.5 degrees of camber; backs around 3-3.5mm.
You'd be fine at a 60mm drop.

Hope this helps?

Good info, thanks. The Highsports, are they the ones with Koni dampers? I know there's also Silverline and Konigsport. And from what I gather the higher end FKs are a world apart from the likes of FK Street. Highsports are kind of mid range as I understand it?

I take it you've managed that camber with stock adjustment, no need for camber plates unless you need more? And what's the offset of your wheels?

I'm on 8" et44 with 225 40 18s. I'd like to think I could get away with keeping that kind of wheel/tyre spec unless I'm going silly low. 60mm, maybe a bit more, or at least enough to very slightly tuck the top corner of the tyre.

I'll have a look on your build thread.

I've been reading an old build thread on Edition, guy calling himself Obese. He might have been on here. Anyway, he was on H&R Ultra Lows. Lovely stance, and certainly went low enough.

Question is, do I really need Ultra Lows? Or would something like KW V1 be enough. Thing is, I like the idea of running a damper 'long', around mid-max height, ie Ultra Lows. I don't like the idea of running a damper short, at minimum height, which could well be the case with KW. And the KW warranty only applies if the coilovers are set within the TUV range, which is well short of how low they'll actually go. Sneaky.

I had Weitecs on and old car. Couldn't fault them. Looked at today's equivalent (non stainless made by KW) the ST range, and they're only marginally cheaper than V1s.

I'll definitely have a look into FKs as well though.

Hmmm. Decisions!

I'll be honest I can't remember what dampers they came with, I do know they are 30% uprated though. I had FK Streets on my old Astra and they were a harsh ride, but these Highsports still keep a some what OEM ride quality. A little harsh going over mid-deep holes in the road that you can't always avoid, but what coilovers aren't. Not sure if you intend to do track days, but I reckon these will be a little soft for it. Would say I'd let you know but I'm going air ride in Feb.

Front has adjustable ball joints to give me the -1.5 degrees of camber there, as it's not adjustable otherwise unless you have adjustable top mounts already.
Rear end is standard as it is adjustable, plus the small amount from having a Whiteline RARB which just naturally gives you a bit due to being longer than standard.

Offset is 40, as I have the 3SDM 0.06s on my car.

A good option IMO if you decided you didn't want to spend a grand, but if it doesn't really bother you spending the full grand, probably the KW's or PSS10's will be a better option.

[AJP]

On my phone so can't poat pictures in this thread, however I have multiple photos on my build thread (link against my username). Not top end coilovers, they're FK Highsports, but the ride is not really harsh in my opinion, and even my Mum who hates the fact I modify the car in any way has said it's quite a nice ride. My helpers are out as well.

Currently about a 90mm drop. Have about a Samsung/iPhone length of clearance from ground to splitter.
I run 225/40/18, 8.5j fronts, 9.5j rears. Fronts have about -1.5 degrees of camber; backs around 3-3.5mm.
You'd be fine at a 60mm drop.

Hope this helps?

Good info, thanks. The Highsports, are they the ones with Koni dampers? I know there's also Silverline and Konigsport. And from what I gather the higher end FKs are a world apart from the likes of FK Street. Highsports are kind of mid range as I understand it?

I take it you've managed that camber with stock adjustment, no need for camber plates unless you need more? And what's the offset of your wheels?

I'm on 8" et44 with 225 40 18s. I'd like to think I could get away with keeping that kind of wheel/tyre spec unless I'm going silly low. 60mm, maybe a bit more, or at least enough to very slightly tuck the top corner of the tyre.

I'll have a look on your build thread.

I've been reading an old build thread on Edition, guy calling himself Obese. He might have been on here. Anyway, he was on H&R Ultra Lows. Lovely stance, and certainly went low enough.

Question is, do I really need Ultra Lows? Or would something like KW V1 be enough. Thing is, I like the idea of running a damper 'long', around mid-max height, ie Ultra Lows. I don't like the idea of running a damper short, at minimum height, which could well be the case with KW. And the KW warranty only applies if the coilovers are set within the TUV range, which is well short of how low they'll actually go. Sneaky.

I had Weitecs on and old car. Couldn't fault them. Looked at today's equivalent (non stainless made by KW) the ST range, and they're only marginally cheaper than V1s.

I'll definitely have a look into FKs as well though.

Hmmm. Decisions!

I'll be honest I can't remember what dampers they came with, I do know they are 30% uprated though. I had FK Streets on my old Astra and they were a harsh ride, but these Highsports still keep a some what OEM ride quality. A little harsh going over mid-deep holes in the road that you can't always avoid, but what coilovers aren't. Not sure if you intend to do track days, but I reckon these will be a little soft for it. Would say I'd let you know but I'm going air ride in Feb.

Front has adjustable ball joints to give me the -1.5 degrees of camber there, as it's not adjustable otherwise unless you have adjustable top mounts already.
Rear end is standard as it is adjustable, plus the small amount from having a Whiteline RARB which just naturally gives you a bit due to being longer than standard.

Offset is 40, as I have the 3SDM 0.06s on my car.

A good option IMO if you decided you didn't want to spend a grand, but if it doesn't really bother you spending the full grand, probably the KW's or PSS10's will be a better option.

I've just caught up on your build thread. Made sense when I read about the Superpro ball joints! I doubt I'll ever track the car, it's more something I want looking nice with a bit of power when the mood takes me.

KWs are still firmly on the list. Bilsteins too. I'm yet to definitively rule anything out.

[Cr33D]

My ones are 110mm which would mean that they are Deep ones (AH Exclusive). [I think - bought it second hand]

As I mentioned this are max setting and I occasionally rub when body rolls.
I need to roll arches...

In regards of comfort I had MK3 in the past with some cheap coilovers and there was no comfort at all.
Here - I was positively surprised, for such a low set-up comfort is pretty good and my wife which hates lowered cars didn't complain about comfort.

I take it the rubbing is just on the front? What width are your 19s?

8,5J 225x35 tires

[ROH ECHT]

I'm currently on H&R SuperSport springs and Bilstein B8's. I rode in my VW tech's MK5 GTI with U/Low's and was surprised how comfy they were...his being lower than mine, but mine with both F and R H&R arb's.