General > Product Reviews
VWRacing-KW-V3 Suspension....
QD MBE:
Robin,
Great write-up, and just the sort of detail that forums thrive on.
The only down side, in my opinion, is that the stance is now too low, for me that is. I like the before pic, and the uniform gap all the way around the front wheels, it just looks right!
As i say just my opinion, and once agian, thank you for taking the time and effort to write such an informative article.
As an aside, i replaced a lower wishbone on my old MK4, and whilst none too busy at work, tracked it the way VWR did, some string across the shoulfers of the front tyres, and get the gap the same at the rear. really high tech, and I was surprised that when I finally got around to getting the tracking sorted by laser, it required a 1/4 turn on one track rod to sort.
The old ways are still useful!
Cheers RR :happy2: :happy2:
RedRobin:
--- Quote from: stokeballoon on January 24, 2009, 09:55:18 am ---Robin,
Great write-up, and just the sort of detail that forums thrive on.
--- End quote ---
....Thanks, stoke - I shall continue my efforts. :smiley:
--- Quote from: stokeballoon on January 24, 2009, 09:55:18 am ---The only down side, in my opinion, is that the stance is now too low, for me that is. I like the before pic, and the uniform gap all the way around the front wheels, it just looks right!
--- End quote ---
....Yes, the stance is certainly low and Mark will very willingly change it for me if I ask. However, knowing his expertise, I didn't want his setup to be led primarily by 'the look'. My brief was : -
1 - To deliver good handling for 'fast road' use. [100% achieved!]
2 - Not to be so low it was impractical for normal road use. [So far so good, over 1,000 miles]
3 - Not to result in uneven or excessive tyre wear. [Too soon to tell]
4 - Not to result in needing wheel arch modifications. [So far so good]
VWR further fine-tuned my suspension using corner-weighting. There is slightly visible camber on the rears to help keep the back end from overtaking me! And no visible camber on the fronts.
There's a degree of irony in that I've always criticised others for slamming their cars down low, but it's not the lowness itself but being led primarily by the low look that I'm critical of. I'd rather have a car which handles extremely well regardless of its look rather than an aesthetically perfect car which doesn't handle as well as it could do with its aftermarket suspension.
But, as you say, it's ETTO and we all have our individual preferences :happy2: 8) :happy2:
--- Quote from: stokeballoon on January 24, 2009, 09:55:18 am ---As an aside, i replaced a lower wishbone on my old MK4, and whilst none too busy at work, tracked it the way VWR did, some string across the shoulfers of the front tyres, and get the gap the same at the rear. really high tech, and I was surprised that when I finally got around to getting the tracking sorted by laser, it required a 1/4 turn on one track rod to sort.
The old ways are still useful!
--- End quote ---
....I think Mark said he was only half a millimetre out and it could easily make it worse by trying to lose that.
He uses hi-vis elastic string.
I look forward to meeting you at The Pod :happy2:
stiggy:
--- Quote from: illyun on January 22, 2009, 10:38:44 am ---
--- Quote from: stiggy on January 22, 2009, 01:28:54 am --- Bilstein give a very harsh ride supposedly (anyone correct me if i'm wrong though).
--- End quote ---
I have Bilstein PS9s and on the softest setting, they are quite firm. I have them on a medium setting and on that, they are very firm :evilgrin: :evilgrin: Probably not the way to go if your parents like a comfortable ride.
--- Quote from: stiggy on January 22, 2009, 01:28:54 am ---I think this forum will get me bankrupt very soon
--- End quote ---
I'm almost there myself :scared:
--- End quote ---
I think you have set the bankrupcy benchmark illyun, with all the mods you have recently done! I think i saw one of your alloy wheels at A1 wheels in Wolverhampton - black bbs with red stripe and red bbs centre cap. The guy showed it me as an example of the kind of job they do. Looked mint! (another possible future cause for me to get bankrupt - thanks alot! :fighting:)
stiggy:
--- Quote from: RedRobin on January 23, 2009, 10:13:38 am ---
--- Quote from: stiggy on January 22, 2009, 01:28:54 am ---
What you say there is exactly how i would want the car to behave and i'm pleased to read how your car performs. While the original chassis setup of the car is very good, i do feel that the car "rolls" in corners especially when pushed hard - so it's reassuring to hear that the car is flatter in the bends. I would love to feel the grip more and the extra feedback in the steering wheel would be great.
--- End quote ---
....Indeed, the Mk5 chassis is very highly rated and the standard GTI's setup is excellent but it is nonetheless designed and produced for a mass market for numerous countries and 'enthusiasts' such as ourselves don't represent a huge percentage - Just consider the number of other GTI drivers you see on the road who never acknowledge another GTI and who drive like grannies - To them it's merely the top of the range Golf (excluding the R32 which is more obviously performance).
--- End quote ---
To be honest, when I got the car I thought there was nothing out there that can improve on what is already a fantastic car - and I knew nothing about mods. It’s only when I started reading forums like this that i started to know more and more about my car and this has allowed me to appreciate the machine I drive more, while giving me a better understanding of my car’s potential. I think many people drive cars such as ours and don’t realise/appreciate what is actually under the skin and don’t know that forums like this exist.
--- Quote from: RedRobin on January 23, 2009, 10:13:38 am ---
--- Quote from: stiggy on January 22, 2009, 01:28:54 am ---The only dilemma i now have is this - as it stands i am mostly a chauffeur when driving the car, mostly to my parents and they both don't like a hard ride - the oem setup is quite comfortable for them, so i don't know how this new setup is going to change things.
--- End quote ---
....It doesn't sound as if your parents will like the ride from what you say. It is very hard but not harsh. You don't achieve improved handling without those 'compromises'. But to some extent it's subjective and depends what you want.
There is also the factor of 'expectations' - How many others would notice without being told? Once told, they would naturally focus on it. It's like dashboard squeaks - Once you get going you don't hear them beacuse your brain is more focussed on driving, but they're still there!
--- End quote ---
It’s actually my dad that’s not too keen on a hard ride (mostly), although he has been quite an enthusiast in the past - just some of the cars he’s owned in the past include a vw model 412 (which he claims has been one of his best cars), 2 old beetles, 2 mkII golfs (one of which was a golf driver that saw 210,000 miles without going wrong....much), a merc 200, a merc w123 (which is 25 yrs old, we still have and has only done 45,000 miles in mint condition....apart from some rust). But, i like your thinking - maybe if i change the suspension without letting anyone know, no-one will realise! I think the only way I can tell for sure is a demo in a car with the setup already on.
--- Quote from: RedRobin on January 23, 2009, 10:13:38 am ---So much is down to how expertly setup a suspension is and not just the label on the damper. You can save money by shopping around for the cheapest deal and fit coilovers yourself - But how many of us here have the experience and knowledge to find that sweet spot?
:happy2:
--- End quote ---
That’s the reason why I’d like to go to VWR for the suspension and other mods. They may be slightly higher priced than the rest, but at least I know for sure i’ll get the car exactly how I want it. I think a demo in their car is the next step, which I'm going to try and organise in the next 3 weeks (after a CAT driver training course) :driver:
RedRobin:
....
1,000-mile REPORT:
The road where I live is very badly surfaced [I'll post a pic tomorrow] - It's used by large artic lorries and local chavs who drive too fast on it, and the council authority only ever do piecemeal repairs that don't last 12 months! It's full of ridges and shallow 'potholes' where the top surface has gone.
Everytime I drive out onto this public road my suspension feeds back this broken surface information. It's softly through the seat of my pants and via the sound - Very like a suburban railway carriage on track sections. And so I am always reminded at the beginning of a journey how hard my new suspension is and I often think that although it's neither harsh nor uncomfortable, my car is no longer a luxury hatchback. It's still got all the luxuries but it's a much harder ride.
By the time I'm onto the better surfaced roads, this is quickly forgotten. And by the time a safe opportunity comes up to drive a bit more enthusiastically and bends and roundabouts are involved, I'm reminded of my suspension again - But in the most positive way possible.
This first 1,000 miles is made up of all sorts of roads and journey times - Every kind of road except unsurfaced.
I don't know what a long journey as a passenger would feel like but I think it would only upset someone who was very fussy and probably had a pain in their arse anyway! It's limits are clearly beyond those I feel comfortable driving at on public roads and so it feels safe and very enjoyable.
It dovetails perfectly with the Quaife diff and also the Whiteline AntiLift kit. The diff greatly helped my failing Koni's but works far better with my VWR-KW-V3's. It's hard but never harsh and I really can't find fault or reason for any regrets. I'll have to wait and see how my tyre wear fares with the slight camber on my rears. Inevitably in road use circumstances, I do have to lift off in a bend sometimes and so it's reassuring to know that the camber may reduce the liklihood of me being overtaken by my rear end.
:happy2:
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