Your thoughts please

[H DUBS]

Hi all,

I have the modding itch again and want to improve the ride, so these are my thoughts:

1stly, I'm not a track person so the set up i'm thinking of is only for spirited road drives, and to take away the unwanted body roll when cornering.

1) H&R Springs
2) Whiteline anti-lift kit
3) 19"x 8.5" alloys (not yet decided on which ones)
4) H&R rear ARB

Will this do the trick or do I need anything else???? ie. front ARB as well??

For those in the know, would 19" be OK with this set up???

Your thoughts and advice are greatly appreciated. 

[MAT ED30]

i would not bother with any of the above and just get some kw v3 coilover and have them set up pure and simple   but if not all the above would be good but not sure on 19s

[Top Cat]

All sounds spot on to me. The 19s will give a few more bumps and humps through your arse but if you get good quality tyres then you wont notice much difference.  

[H DUBS]

Matt: Your suggestion is spot on mate, but alot more cost involved.

TC: Thanks mate, so I won't need the front ARB in your opinion?

 

[Top Cat]

Matt: Your suggestion is spot on mate, but alot more cost involved.

TC: Thanks mate, so I won't need the front ARB in your opinion?

 

It wouldn't hurt  but from what i have read the rear is the main one on front wheel drive cars. And the front one is a bit more complicated to fit.

The H&R stuff is usually top quality.

+ it all depends on how bad you have been bitten by the bug, lots of people buy the springs first then later end up buying the coils like Mat suggests. Egged on by us lot. 
My opinion is if you just like occasional spirited drives and are willing to avoid this place then your list should give you a noticeable improvement over stock ride + a great stance. 

[H DUBS]

I hear ya TC.
This site is killing me but I luv it. 

[Hurdy]

Go for lightweight 18" alloys. You'll love them much more than heavy bling 19"s as the handling will be far superior

[H DUBS]

Certainly something to think about, thanks Hurdy.

Really liking the black CH's in 19" though 

[RedRobin]

....

Try and think ahead to what you want to do with your car:

- How long you plan to keep her.

- Are you sure you won't want to ever do a trackday.

- Perhaps you get the opportunity for spirited road drives quite often (I do!).

- Consider how much of what you spend now won't get wasted when you want to upgrade further.

If you don't want to slide down the slippery slope of modding, you best log out of this forum and don't revisit it!!

[RedRobin]

^^^^
Of your list, 19's aren't going to improve your handling - They're just eye-candy. Hurdy is right (and recently helped me spend £1.5k on lightweight wheels!)

ARB's will make a big difference, WALK's a subtle difference, springs contribute.

[BMX]

i have the done similar mods and would recomend using both bars, i have the eibach arbs and vwr springs i can fully recomend for road use, i cant fault them.

i fitted the rear bar 1st on low setting and drove for a week, and it was a good improvement, but there is still body roll from the front, then i put the rear bar in hard position and it madr the car feel like a spring board at the back. and i didnt feel any improvement over the low setting. the next week i fitted the front bar and put them both on low setting. with the standard springs and shocks it felt oem and there is no body roll front or rear. the vwr springs are spot on if you want to lower slightly (17mm) and still want an oem ride quallity

[QD MBE]

I have std ride height, std springs, std arb's, but I have a LSD, it has made the car far more fun.
 

Do one part of the mod at a time, and this will allow you to evaluate the results.

[SteveP]

Out of your list I have the H&R Springs, H&R ARB's (both front and rear) and the WALK.

I find this a really good package on the OEM shocks and has given a noticeable difference in handling without massively compromising the ride quality.

The springs also gives a really good stance on the Mk5 IMO 

[Hurdy]

Certainly something to think about, thanks Hurdy.

Really liking the black CH's in 19" though 

They were my last set of wheels. I bought them at a good price and they are lovely looking, but not really for me, so I sold them on.


There are some lovely looking lightweight alloys out there (OZ ultraleggera's, Neuspeed, Volk Racing etc)

Remember that every 1kg per wheel you save is like taking 20kg out of the body of the car in terms of accelleration/decelleration.

Also the heavier the wheels, the longer the suspension takes to react to undulations and potholes etc.

For example the 19" CH's are approx 28.5lbs and the 18" OZ Ultraleggera's are approx 18.5lbs, that is a saving of 10lb per wheel which equates to a 200lb saving in the body of the car!!!!

[RedRobin]

^^^^
Da man Hurdy speaks da truth!

Choice of wheels is rather like choice of suspension - You have to decide whether you primarily want a 'look'/stance or whether you are primarily performance led - Both are entirely valid and it's completely down to the individual's preference.

That's also why I suggest thinking ahead - It can save an awful lot of money in the longer term.