Fitting coilovers was the biggest reducer in wheel hop for me. Bilstein B14s almost eradicated it at stage 1, Dogbone mount (powerflex), Superpro ALK and some H+R anti-rollbars removed it entirely. That being said I'm now at 2+ so can spin the wheels in this cold greasy weather without much effort. You get diminishing returns from each extra mod but price wise ALK and dogbone mount are prolly cheapest, then ARBs, then a good set of coilovers
Yeah same. It's so smooth to drive now. Where it hopped and juddered about like crazy before, now the TC light flickers briefly and I'm barely aware the wheel is spinning. A bit like a powerful BMW with an open rear diff. A momentary loss of acceleration but no drama.
One thing I do get now is torque steer. Not excessive amounts, but noticeable at Stage 2+ levels of tune. I'm running standard geometry, so -0.6 camber and +0.05 toe out and I don't want to change it because it gives the best handling/tyre life compromise. So.....I have acquired all the parts to retrofit equal length driveshafts from the A3 TDI/Touran/Passat. This will kill the torque steer and even out the tyre wear as well because the tyre with the shortest shaft always spins first, so wears down more than it's opposite. There is also a software option on some models to use the power steering to counter torque steer, but it's not available on my 07 ED30. Older GTIs might have it though. Apparently it works, but at the expense of steering feel.
Anyway, I digress...... with the dampers, I noticed softening the rebound just 3 clicks was enough to cause hopping. As you say, suspension was also the biggest factor in killing the hop for me
