Stock GTI ride height is poo pants - any recommendations....£500 budget approx

[Rogue5]

As above, I appreciate that ride height/lowering has been covered 1000's of times on here but looking for recommendations that aren't 'x' amounts years old.... anything current that anyone recommends? Car's on an '08 plate and only covered 58k, current shocks running well and handling feels solid so guess I'm looking to lower with new springs and run the oem shocks initially. Apologize in advance to the mods if this is in the wrong topic area   

[pudding]

Your budget will bag you a nice VWR damper and spring set from Awesome.  Doesn't lower very much though, about 20mm I think.   Probably one of the better options for ride comfort too.

[AJP]

Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.

You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.

As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.

If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.

If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.

[Rogue5]

Your budget will bag you a nice VWR damper and spring set from Awesome.  Doesn't lower very much though, about 20mm I think.   Probably one of the better options for ride comfort too.

Cheers, appreciate that as I'd had a look at those and fancied them....my only concern being that the drop wasn't amazing. Was thinking more of 35-40mm drop ideally 

[pudding]

As AJP says, coilovers are probably what you need then mate.

If you run into bumpsteer problems at -40mm or lower, a nice set of VWR or SuperPro roll centre correcting ball joints should sort you out 

[Adam0604]

If you wanted Coilovers instead of Springs, I could vouch for the FK Highsports.
Retains a pretty comfortable ride quality still and you can get them for around 400 brand new, probably cheaper than that now

[Rogue5]

Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.

You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.

As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.

If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.

If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.

Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. 

Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous  Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher.

Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's  wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? 

[AJP]

Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.

You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.

As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.

If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.

If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.

Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. 

Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous  Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher.

Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's  wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? 

I've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.

However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.

Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.

There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.

[Rogue5]

Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.

You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.

As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.

If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.

If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.

Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. 

Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous  Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher.

Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's  wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? 

I've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.

However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.

Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.

There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.

Again many thanks, appreciate the low down (excuse the pun  ) I'll take a look at a few build threads on here for sure...I've ear marked the VWR dampers with H&R springs as a likely option so we'll see. If it doesn't work out, it can always be changed again 

[AJP]

Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.

You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.

As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.

If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.

If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.

Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. 

Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous  Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher.

Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's  wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? 

I've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.

However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.

Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.

There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.

Again many thanks, appreciate the low down (excuse the pun  ) I'll take a look at a few build threads on here for sure...I've ear marked the VWR dampers with H&R springs as a likely option so we'll see. If it doesn't work out, it can always be changed again 

No worries mate. I think you'll be happy with that setup. Keep us all updated

[Rogue5]

Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.

You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.

As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.

If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.

If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.

Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. 

Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous  Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher.

Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's  wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? 

I've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.

However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.

Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.

There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.

Again many thanks, appreciate the low down (excuse the pun  ) I'll take a look at a few build threads on here for sure...I've ear marked the VWR dampers with H&R springs as a likely option so we'll see. If it doesn't work out, it can always be changed again 

No worries mate. I think you'll be happy with that setup. Keep us all updated

I'll update on here when it happens for sure. Just need some time to start a build/progress thread on here on the members rides section. Thanks again.

[FJ1000]

VWR springs and (new-ish) OEM dampers here.



I wouldn't want to be any lower in my area to be honest. I don't find the underside of the golf (mk4 or mk5) has very good ground clearance. Even at this ride height, the underside occasionally catches on narrow speed humps. I'm in South London and those barstewardss are everywhere. Something to keep in mind. I had a silly low mk4 gti and slowing down to a snails pace to get over speedhumps gets annoying really quickly....


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[dronners]

heres another for the VWR spring and shock setup




AP coilovers would be within your price range too theyre pretty good coilovers

[pudding]

Hmmm, not sure I'm liking that much lowering, so there might be some brand new VWR springs in the classifieds soon 

[shoaybmakda]

Hmmm, not sure I'm liking that much lowering, so there might be some brand new VWR springs in the classifieds soon 

That's what I'm keeping my eye out for