Suspension Options

[gobbleplease]

Hi pete, it doesn't matter which springs you fit, the ride will get firmer. From previous experiance the eibachs felt nice when first fitted although a few weeks after settling in the firmed right up and wernt really the most comfortable. I hear the h&rs are pretty good and probably your best option if you want cheap comfort !
If you are going down, you will be going down on ride quality too, it is worth it IMO though as it's been done too my last few cars wheather its been springs, springs and dampers or coilovers.

Some people are saying go with the koni fsd set up, I'm not 100% sure what konis lowering range is on those shocks but going down 30-40 mm on them will probably be harsher than 20 on eibach springs.

If you are really worried about ride quality try and get a local member to take you for a spin in a lowered car and make a judgement of what you deem acceblable then reasses your situation. I would take you a run in mine but I'm sure there is a few miles between us .

[Teutonic_Tamer]

^^^^
That's right, I had some of the first Koni FSD's for the Golf in the UK and they leaked after about 55k miles. Koni, via Awesome, gave me my money back and I spent a whole lot more on KW-V3's which I'm very happy with. Bilstein would be my other choice.

I'm told that my version of the FSD's were later revised.

IIRC, your Konis were rated for the extra weight of the diesel donkey.  The lighter GTI petrol engine caused your Konis to 'top-out', which blew the top valves.

Didn't you advise that Koni have subsequently released some FSDs for the specific weight range for the petrol GTI?

....Just to confuse matters further, it was the Eibach springs which bore the mark of the diseased donkey on the box.

Now you've confused me!   I thought the FSDs were a complete suspension leg - ie spring and damper.  Or are the FSDs just a damper, and you need to use a 'separate' spring (either OEM or aftermarket)?

I questioned it with both supplier Awesome and Eibach at the time but was reassured all was okay.

Hmmmm . . . IIRC, we discussed this in detail a while back.  The crucial point, in general about suspension 'upgrades', and very specifically in your own case - is that springs are designed to work over a quite a tight and restrictive weight range.  So a poverty spec Mk5 Golf, with say a lightweight all-alloy 1.2TSI engine, no aircon, 5speed manual box, lightish 52Ah battery, etc - will have a spring from say weight range 'A' (maybe 400kg).  Whereas the same car but with a heavy all-iron diesel engine, heavy(er) 6speed DSG, power take off (on the gearbox) for the rear haldex, air con, heavy 75Ah battery, etc - would need a spring 'Z' (maybe 650kg) to achieve the same ride height.

And when you first raised the issue (I think you said you had some work at VWR, and they said they didn't feel right) - we discovered your FSDs were for the TDI (I don't think they'd released a GTI spec FSD) - I advised you to discuss with all your various suppliers (Awesome, VWR, etc).  VWR basically agreed with me on the importance of the correct weight range - but now, and forgive me if I've got the wrong impression - but I feel that Awesome are basically 'burying their heads in the sand'.  Yes, they gave you a refund - but it seems the refund was based on a 'faulty' product (thereby passing the buck onto Koni), rather than the refund being based on a product 'not fit for purpose' (which is 100% Awesomes responsibility).

I may be a little piccky <sp?> and pedantic on this issue - but I think it's quite an important point.  I certainly don't wish to blame Koni for a failing product - even when products are correctly specified, from whoever the manufacturer - they will all wear out eventually.  But if a trader has tried to pass the buck for their own c0ck ups - then we really need to know.  And I'm not trying to beat up on Awesome either.

[Great to see you again yesterday] 

Likewise.   I bet you thought I must have sh@t the bed - me being there so early!

[RedRobin]

^^^^
No, you use a separate spring with the KoniFSD damper and it has to be an approved one. This may have changed in recent years - I don't know - But certainly was the case in 2005/2006.

Sorry but I have absolutely no recollection of being supplied anything other than a Mk5 GTI, not TDI, KoniFSD set of dampers. I may still have the box. The Eibach springs were deff TDI labelled on the box - I have a photo somewhere.

I have to say that I too have questioned Awesome's advice re my FSD setup - It worries me that their sales staff have targets AFAIK (hopefully they'll post to correct me if I'm wrong). However, I did accept their advice and have no doubt it was given in good faith at the time. For whatever reason, Awesome did go beyond the call of duty in helping me with my subsequent FSD problem.

[Teutonic_Tamer]

^^^^
No, you use a separate spring with the KoniFSD damper and it has to be an approved one. This may have changed in recent years - I don't know - But certainly was the case in 2005/2006.

OK, thanks for clarifying. 

Sorry but I have absolutely no recollection of being supplied anything other than a Mk5 GTI, not TDI, KoniFSD set of dampers. I may still have the box. The Eibach springs were deff TDI labelled on the box - I have a photo somewhere.

Ahhhhhh - I knew TDI was mentioned somewhere - sorry for confusing it with the FSDs! 

I have to say that I too have questioned Awesome's advice re my FSD setup - It worries me that their sales staff have targets AFAIK (hopefully they'll post to correct me if I'm wrong). However, I did accept their advice and have no doubt it was given in good faith at the time. For whatever reason, Awesome did go beyond the call of duty in helping me with my subsequent FSD problem.

But the issue is:- did Awesome supply both the FSDs and the Eibach springs at the same time - knowing they were going on a GTI?  If so - then that is just plain wrong.  Whilst I appreciate your 'open' attitude towards accepting Awesomes response as 'good faith' - others may not be inclined to be as tollerant.  UK consumer law is very clear in this respect - with a very specific section on 'goods must be fit for purpose'.  No competent motor vehicle engineer/teccy/mech would agree that it was acceptable to sell a heavyweight TDI spring for a lighter GTI.  And just like ignorance of the law is no defence for complying with said law - the same ethos is applicable to traders, in that unless they are 100% a product is fully suitable (fit for purpose), they shouldn't be selling it.

[RedRobin]

I have to say that I too have questioned Awesome's advice re my FSD setup - It worries me that their sales staff have targets AFAIK (hopefully they'll post to correct me if I'm wrong). However, I did accept their advice and have no doubt it was given in good faith at the time. For whatever reason, Awesome did go beyond the call of duty in helping me with my subsequent FSD problem.

But the issue is:- did Awesome supply both the FSDs and the Eibach springs at the same time - knowing they were going on a GTI?  If so - then that is just plain wrong.  Whilst I appreciate your 'open' attitude towards accepting Awesomes response as 'good faith' - others may not be inclined to be as tollerant.  UK consumer law is very clear in this respect - with a very specific section on 'goods must be fit for purpose'.  No competent motor vehicle engineer/teccy/mech would agree that it was acceptable to sell a heavyweight TDI spring for a lighter GTI.  And just like ignorance of the law is no defence for complying with said law - the same ethos is applicable to traders, in that unless they are 100% a product is fully suitable (fit for purpose), they shouldn't be selling it.

....Yes they did supply both at the same time and they also knew it was going on my Mk5 GTI. Whether they were right or wrong or acted in good faith is now ancient history. Ultimately they gave me a full refund of what I originally paid for them several years earlier and I didn't have to twist their arm either. I have no complaint but obviously know more about such things than I did 5 years ago and am more careful and wouldn't accept them nowadays. For what it's worth, a friend had exactly the same package a month before I did and experienced no FSD failures though he now runs coilovers on his Mk5 GTI.

For those who want an improved ride but aren't bothered about the low slung look, I would still recommend KoniFSD's plus recommended springs plus, importantly, anti-roll bars.