What adjustable top mounts with Eibach Pro Street S coilovers?

[RobC]

Can anyone confirm what adjustable Top Mounts will work with Eibach Pro Street S coilovers please? Ive looked at KW and contacted them but been told 'Im afraid our top mounts will not fit this kit as the threaded section of the piston rod is too short to accept these as its designed to work with the OE top mount only.'. As far as I was aware the Eibach kit uses the same setup?

The reason I need them is for Negative Camber. Lowered on 19's with Michelin's & Cayenne calipers is proving not particularly user friendly! On a similar note, has anyone had any experience of PMC Motorsport Camber Plates?

Rob

[pudding]

The Ground Control mounts should work.  Maybe the H&Rs too if they still make them.  You might also need the SuperPro adjustable ball joints if top mounts alone don't give you enough camber.

With some top mounts you also need a helper spring, or a longer primary spring if your struts don't have enough threads to take up the slack.  You'll see what I mean when you assemble it all.  Springs aren't an issue though as dozens of rates and lengths are available from Eibach.

[RobC]

The Ground Control mounts should work.  Maybe the H&Rs too if they still make them.  You might also need the SuperPro adjustable ball joints if top mounts alone don't give you enough camber.

With some top mounts you also need a helper spring, or a longer primary spring if your struts don't have enough threads to take up the slack.  You'll see what I mean when you assemble it all.  Springs aren't an issue though as dozens of rates and lengths are available from Eibach.

Thanks Pudding. I dont think Ill get away with the adjustable ball joints as as much as they'll give me more negative camber they'll do so by pulling the bottom of the wheel away from the car which will inevitable pull it closer to the wheel arch, which is my current issue.

The Eibach coilovers dont us a traditional coilover spring from memory and thats what concerns me about what KW said, if the threaded section is too short it may not be possible to run ANY type of adjustable Top Mount as all Ive seen are designed for conventional coilover setups.

[pudding]

Just so we're on the same page with the geometry, your tyres are fouling the top of the arch, where they normally rust?  I think you said in a different thread you need less castor because the tyres are also hitting the front of the arch, next to the bumper?

More negative camber will tuck the top of the wheel inboard, and less castor will push the wheel more towards the driver.   You can't run less than OEM Castor (+7.4) though because the angle is set into the suspension tower.  You'd need a method to pull the wheel back from underneath.

Sounds like you need a bit of both!  What width are the 19s? Any spacers?  Even the OEM 18s are borderline when driving hard on bumpy corners so you must be on the struggle bus with those beasts!

Yeah I was told the same with my Ohlins coilovers but standard coilover springs from the Eibach shop fit just fine.  I think they're a German metric version of regular 2.5" ID springs, so 60mm or something daft.  The Ohlins only have +/- 15mm of adjustment either side of their standard 20mm drop, so I had nowhere near enough threads to use the Ground controls.  I don't like helper springs and I never got around to ordering longer springs, so I just gave up on the idea!

I would like to revisit them at some point as there's more to solid top mounts than angle adjustments.  Way better steering feel and damping for starters.

Anyway, as for you issue, maybe some pics would help?  Shame you're not round the corner otherwise I'd pop round and assess the situation!

[pudding]

Can you not get wider arch wings in GRP or carbon fibre?  That's probably what I would do if it were me.  They look cool as well 

[RobC]

Yeah, SRS-Tec do them. Thats my next option but at c.£300 per pair plus paint I was trying to find a cheaper solution first! The car needs a good going over so it wouldnt just be wings that got done.

Interestingly have found these that in broken English suggest ‘Suitable for any suspension, which are mounted on factory pads’, assuming that means factory top mounts?

https://silverproject.eu/product/camber-plates-domlager-vw-golf-mk-5-v-6-vi-r32-gti-audi-tt-leon/?currency=GBP

[RobC]

Just so we're on the same page with the geometry, your tyres are fouling the top of the arch, where they normally rust?  I think you said in a different thread you need less castor because the tyres are also hitting the front of the arch, next to the bumper?

More negative camber will tuck the top of the wheel inboard, and less castor will push the wheel more towards the driver.   You can't run less than OEM Castor (+7.4) though because the angle is set into the suspension tower.  You'd need a method to pull the wheel back from underneath.

Sounds like you need a bit of both!  What width are the 19s? Any spacers?  Even the OEM 18s are borderline when driving hard on bumpy corners so you must be on the struggle bus with those beasts!

Yeah I was told the same with my Ohlins coilovers but standard coilover springs from the Eibach shop fit just fine.  I think they're a German metric version of regular 2.5" ID springs, so 60mm or something daft.  The Ohlins only have +/- 15mm of adjustment either side of their standard 20mm drop, so I had nowhere near enough threads to use the Ground controls.  I don't like helper springs and I never got around to ordering longer springs, so I just gave up on the idea!

I would like to revisit them at some point as there's more to solid top mounts than angle adjustments.  Way better steering feel and damping for starters.

Anyway, as for you issue, maybe some pics would help?  Shame you're not round the corner otherwise I'd pop round and assess the situation!

Sorry Pudding, was looking on my phone and completely missed this reply! Ive rectified the caster issue, I removed the Powerflex ALK and fitted a set of SuperPro standard replacements. Feels good and moved the wheel back in to place so happy days. The issue I now have is Ive lowered the car as low as it will go on the Eibachs (it started as a 'lets see' and has now become a 'must have') and so I still get rubbing, although now it is at the top of the arch and arch liner. Its OK during regular driving but any adverse camber when turning or speed bumps  and its rubbing or scraping away.

The wheels are BBS CH026 so 19x8 ET50 but spaced 11mm to clear the Cayenne calipers which is what has caused this whole debacle in the first place! However, they look cool as flip and work which is a bonus so they arent going anywhere. Im running Michelin PS4S' in 225/35 and as anyone who has had these tyres knows these are the best of the best, so although I could opt for a 215/35 tyre Im reluctant to do so as Michelin dont offer one.

Camber top mounts seem the next logical step as long as I can find a reasonably priced setup. Without taking everything off and measuring angles etc Im not going to know how much room a degree or 2 will give me but my current hope is 'enough'. Otherwise its SRS Tec wings as you said and then 80% of the car will get paint and 100% of my wallet will get hurt!!

RE your comment about the springs, if you search Google for the Pro Street S Golf Mk5 coilovers you'll see the springs arent a conventional shape. They start narrow at the bottom, get wider in the middle and then narrow again at the top, although this may just be a red herring if the actual issue is lack of thread length on the piston itself...

[MIJ_JAGGER]

Could get the arches rolled?
Worked for me when I had ultralows on mine

[RobC]

Could get the arches rolled?
Worked for me when I had ultralows on mine

Ive rolled mine to an extent. How far were they done? I was advised against going flat on these as they lose their strength, and that was by Arch Enemy.

[pudding]

Yeah, SRS-Tec do them. Thats my next option but at c.£300 per pair plus paint I was trying to find a cheaper solution first! The car needs a good going over so it wouldnt just be wings that got done.

Interestingly have found these that in broken English suggest ‘Suitable for any suspension, which are mounted on factory pads’, assuming that means factory top mounts?

https://silverproject.eu/product/camber-plates-domlager-vw-golf-mk-5-v-6-vi-r32-gti-audi-tt-leon/?currency=GBP

Ah OK. Well the Ground Control mounts are £450ish which is way more than the wings     I've always fancied a wide arch Golf, in the same style as the old VW motorsport MK4 and Polo Rally kit car look.  They were proper steel though.  I don't think they ever made such a thing for the MK5.

With those mounts, the English translation isn't great but it looks like they mean they can take an OEM bearing.  You won't be able to use the rubber part of the OEM mount.  With any of these style of mounts, you have to make sure they've angled the bearing face correctly.  They're not flat, hence why the OEM ones have arrows on them.  I'd wager the cheap ones are just flat and will kill the bearings off pretty quickly.

The Ground Controls are expensive but they've taken all of that into account, and they drop right onto the majority of coilover kits.

[pudding]

Could get the arches rolled?
Worked for me when I had ultralows on mine

Ive rolled mine to an extent. How far were they done? I was advised against going flat on these as they lose their strength, and that was by Arch Enemy.

Yeah the lip stops them wobbling about and folding in if you lean on them.

[pudding]

Just so we're on the same page with the geometry, your tyres are fouling the top of the arch, where they normally rust?  I think you said in a different thread you need less castor because the tyres are also hitting the front of the arch, next to the bumper?

More negative camber will tuck the top of the wheel inboard, and less castor will push the wheel more towards the driver.   You can't run less than OEM Castor (+7.4) though because the angle is set into the suspension tower.  You'd need a method to pull the wheel back from underneath.

Sounds like you need a bit of both!  What width are the 19s? Any spacers?  Even the OEM 18s are borderline when driving hard on bumpy corners so you must be on the struggle bus with those beasts!

Yeah I was told the same with my Ohlins coilovers but standard coilover springs from the Eibach shop fit just fine.  I think they're a German metric version of regular 2.5" ID springs, so 60mm or something daft.  The Ohlins only have +/- 15mm of adjustment either side of their standard 20mm drop, so I had nowhere near enough threads to use the Ground controls.  I don't like helper springs and I never got around to ordering longer springs, so I just gave up on the idea!

I would like to revisit them at some point as there's more to solid top mounts than angle adjustments.  Way better steering feel and damping for starters.

Anyway, as for you issue, maybe some pics would help?  Shame you're not round the corner otherwise I'd pop round and assess the situation!

Sorry Pudding, was looking on my phone and completely missed this reply! Ive rectified the caster issue, I removed the Powerflex ALK and fitted a set of SuperPro standard replacements. Feels good and moved the wheel back in to place so happy days. The issue I now have is Ive lowered the car as low as it will go on the Eibachs (it started as a 'lets see' and has now become a 'must have') and so I still get rubbing, although now it is at the top of the arch and arch liner. Its OK during regular driving but any adverse camber when turning or speed bumps  and its rubbing or scraping away.

The wheels are BBS CH026 so 19x8 ET50 but spaced 11mm to clear the Cayenne calipers which is what has caused this whole debacle in the first place! However, they look cool as flip and work which is a bonus so they arent going anywhere. Im running Michelin PS4S' in 225/35 and as anyone who has had these tyres knows these are the best of the best, so although I could opt for a 215/35 tyre Im reluctant to do so as Michelin dont offer one.

Camber top mounts seem the next logical step as long as I can find a reasonably priced setup. Without taking everything off and measuring angles etc Im not going to know how much room a degree or 2 will give me but my current hope is 'enough'. Otherwise its SRS Tec wings as you said and then 80% of the car will get paint and 100% of my wallet will get hurt!!

RE your comment about the springs, if you search Google for the Pro Street S Golf Mk5 coilovers you'll see the springs arent a conventional shape. They start narrow at the bottom, get wider in the middle and then narrow again at the top, although this may just be a red herring if the actual issue is lack of thread length on the piston itself...

Springs - Ah OK, my bad.  I should have looked them up first!  I hate those bloody things.  Swap em' out for some normal coilover springs     I actually have a set of front and rear regular Eibach coilover springs in my stock cupboard.  You're welcome to try them and see if they fit.  Up to you mate.

Caster - excellent news 

Arch rubbing - you definitely need more negative camber mate.  As discussed previously, I think a combination of the SuperPro ball joints and top mounts should work.  That will give you about 3 degrees negative.  You'll have to live with more frequent tyre changes though 

You can do some trigonometry to figure out how much 1, 2 or 3 degrees at the hub would give you in distance moved inboard.  Don't ask me though as I'm crap at maths 

[MIJ_JAGGER]

Could get the arches rolled?
Worked for me when I had ultralows on mine

Ive rolled mine to an extent. How far were they done? I was advised against going flat on these as they lose their strength, and that was by Arch Enemy.

Pretty much lip tucked in flat, arch still feels solid...this was by arch enemy too

[RobC]

Could get the arches rolled?
Worked for me when I had ultralows on mine

Ive rolled mine to an extent. How far were they done? I was advised against going flat on these as they lose their strength, and that was by Arch Enemy.

Pretty much lip tucked in flat, arch still feels solid...this was by arch enemy too

Strange! They are a franchise though so maybe one guy has different opinions to the other? They need painting now anyway so maybe I can get a bodyshop to sort them properly.

[RobC]

Just so we're on the same page with the geometry, your tyres are fouling the top of the arch, where they normally rust?  I think you said in a different thread you need less castor because the tyres are also hitting the front of the arch, next to the bumper?

More negative camber will tuck the top of the wheel inboard, and less castor will push the wheel more towards the driver.   You can't run less than OEM Castor (+7.4) though because the angle is set into the suspension tower.  You'd need a method to pull the wheel back from underneath.

Sounds like you need a bit of both!  What width are the 19s? Any spacers?  Even the OEM 18s are borderline when driving hard on bumpy corners so you must be on the struggle bus with those beasts!

Yeah I was told the same with my Ohlins coilovers but standard coilover springs from the Eibach shop fit just fine.  I think they're a German metric version of regular 2.5" ID springs, so 60mm or something daft.  The Ohlins only have +/- 15mm of adjustment either side of their standard 20mm drop, so I had nowhere near enough threads to use the Ground controls.  I don't like helper springs and I never got around to ordering longer springs, so I just gave up on the idea!

I would like to revisit them at some point as there's more to solid top mounts than angle adjustments.  Way better steering feel and damping for starters.

Anyway, as for you issue, maybe some pics would help?  Shame you're not round the corner otherwise I'd pop round and assess the situation!

Sorry Pudding, was looking on my phone and completely missed this reply! Ive rectified the caster issue, I removed the Powerflex ALK and fitted a set of SuperPro standard replacements. Feels good and moved the wheel back in to place so happy days. The issue I now have is Ive lowered the car as low as it will go on the Eibachs (it started as a 'lets see' and has now become a 'must have') and so I still get rubbing, although now it is at the top of the arch and arch liner. Its OK during regular driving but any adverse camber when turning or speed bumps  and its rubbing or scraping away.

The wheels are BBS CH026 so 19x8 ET50 but spaced 11mm to clear the Cayenne calipers which is what has caused this whole debacle in the first place! However, they look cool as flip and work which is a bonus so they arent going anywhere. Im running Michelin PS4S' in 225/35 and as anyone who has had these tyres knows these are the best of the best, so although I could opt for a 215/35 tyre Im reluctant to do so as Michelin dont offer one.

Camber top mounts seem the next logical step as long as I can find a reasonably priced setup. Without taking everything off and measuring angles etc Im not going to know how much room a degree or 2 will give me but my current hope is 'enough'. Otherwise its SRS Tec wings as you said and then 80% of the car will get paint and 100% of my wallet will get hurt!!

RE your comment about the springs, if you search Google for the Pro Street S Golf Mk5 coilovers you'll see the springs arent a conventional shape. They start narrow at the bottom, get wider in the middle and then narrow again at the top, although this may just be a red herring if the actual issue is lack of thread length on the piston itself...

Springs - Ah OK, my bad.  I should have looked them up first!  I hate those bloody things.  Swap em' out for some normal coilover springs     I actually have a set of front and rear regular Eibach coilover springs in my stock cupboard.  You're welcome to try them and see if they fit.  Up to you mate.

Caster - excellent news 

Arch rubbing - you definitely need more negative camber mate.  As discussed previously, I think a combination of the SuperPro ball joints and top mounts should work.  That will give you about 3 degrees negative.  You'll have to live with more frequent tyre changes though 

You can do some trigonometry to figure out how much 1, 2 or 3 degrees at the hub would give you in distance moved inboard.  Don't ask me though as I'm crap at maths 

I ordered a set of the Silver Projects Top Mounts in the end after reading some half decent reviews of them online. They are waiting for me at home along with slightly narrower spacers for the rear so fingers crossed this ends my rubbing woes! Will report back once I can get my mate to fit them for me.