Damper to match to VWR springs?

[Dave J]

Hello all,
Just seeking a bit of advice if anyone

My ED30 was fitted with VWR springs in late 2013 - ride was great with just the OEM shocks. Sorted out the roll a bit - made the ride firmer but not crashy.
Middle part of last year I had a more comprehensive suspension upgrade with H&R ARB's, SALK, S3 front ali arms, Superpro balljoints - all of which helped tighten the roll, lift & feel of the car nicely.

Car drove very well after that lot, but I now suspect my dampers are giving up - knew it would happen. It seems a bit lower than when the VWR springs were fitted, and ride feels hard with very little damping effect - has recently felt even worse at the rear - feels like the car has a heavy load in the rear when it doesn't.

So, I am considering aftermarket upgrade options - question is - has anyone combined VWR springs with aftermarket dampers?

I liked the moderate drop of the VWR springs (20mm), and don't want a much firmer damper than standard really.

I see Bilstein B8's are rated - anyone have experience with these on a DSG ED30, and a source for them?

The mk5 vs mk6 Bilstein B8 damper debate also has my interest.

Arrrghh, so many options, but I definitely do not want coilovers! May just replace with standard shocks...

Help?!

[pudding]

Ohlins used to make some VERY nice dampers for the MK5, but I don't think they do them anymore, just coilovers.

I don't think anything else out there compares to the B8s for the money tbh, although I find their high speed compression calibration a touch harsh.  Awesome everywhere else though.

I've always wondered about retrofitting the active dampers from the Scirocco to a MK5, but don't know how much work is involved....and maybe binning the fixed settings for a variable adjustment.

[Dave J]

Thanks Pudding.

Ohlins would be the dogs bits for sure - can't find these anywhere though!

So, from your post - you're running B8's? How are they around town?

May just go for it and buy B8's - would have loved some mk5 vs. mk6 B8 comparisons, seeing as the mk6's are supposed to be less harsh...

[pudding]

Not on my MK5 no, I had them on a MK4 R32 and my feeling was they were a bit harsh over bumps (with standard springs), so I too was waiting on some feedback from the MK6 B8s before taking the plunge.  My originals are coming up for 90K old and the front pair are weeping slightly, so I need something fairly quick.

FSDs are another option but feedback on those seems to vary quite a lot.

Would have been Ohlins for me too but boo hoo, no longer available.

One thing I loved about the Billies is their damping consistency.  They always felt the same, winter and summer (save for tyre temps affecting sidewall stiffness) which is a lot more than can be said for some rival dampers!

[Shoduchi]

I don't think Koni FSD are compatible with VWR springs. They're not for more than light lowered springs and as far as I know, the most they can take safely are the Eibach Pro-Kit, which lower around 15 mm.

There are two options for the FSD, a generic for more comfort ride and a GTI version for better handling ride (but harsher). I have 17'' wheels also.

I have Pro-Kits and generic FSD (chosen because I wanted comfort) on my GT Sport and I love the ride quality, especially compared with my current GTI setup: OEM dampers and Eibach Sportlines, which is much harsher. The 18'' wheels don't help the comfort but do improve the handling. I'm going to change to Koni Sport, H&R springs and H&R ARB to improve the handling. A friend told me that the H&R springs were better with Koni Sport than Eibach Sportlines.

In your case I'd get the B8 for mk6. Won't be worse than the mk5 version, at least.

[DaveB@Vagbremtechnic]

I've got two front mag ride dampers and the OEM ride height sensors you can have for 115 English pounds posted. Just need loom and controller and a switch. EddieNL should be able to wire them in......

[Hevoshullu]

I have Bilstein B8 Sprints on my mk5 GTI (manual) and cannot fault them. I feel like they are quite stiff when you really lean on them (that's what you want with these though, right?) or go over bigger bumps but just the smallest manhole covers etc they handle beautifully - so they have some finesse to them at the initial travel. They are a touch quieter compared to my previous 50k used original dampers too when going over sharp bumps. You will really feel the difference at higher speeds with these - damping is tight and controlled.

[Dave J]

I have Bilstein B8 Sprints on my mk5 GTI (manual) and cannot fault them. I feel like they are quite stiff when you really lean on them (that's what you want with these though, right?) or go over bigger bumps but just the smallest manhole covers etc they handle beautifully - so they have some finesse to them at the initial travel. They are a touch quieter compared to my previous 50k used original dampers too when going over sharp bumps. You will really feel the difference at higher speeds with these - damping is tight and controlled.

They sound like what I want! What springs are you using on yours?
Are they the mk5 dampers or mk6?

[Hevoshullu]

^ Mine are the mk5 versions of B8's. I can't say how they compare to the, supposedly softer, mk6 ones though. I used to have Eibach Sportlines on with but I just swapped the springs for H&R's. The Bilsteins work fine with both in my opinion. B8 Sprints are the shortened damper so they are ideal to use with lowering springs.

[Dave J]

^ Mine are the mk5 versions of B8's. I can't say how they compare to the, supposedly softer, mk6 ones though. I used to have Eibach Sportlines on with but I just swapped the springs for H&R's. The Bilsteins work fine with both in my opinion. B8 Sprints are the shortened damper so they are ideal to use with lowering springs.

Thank-you - I know the mk6 parts keep being mentioned, but the number of people with them seems very low on here, so...my order has been placed for B8 MKV dampers...
They can only be better than my aged VW ones. Bilstein dampers were great on my mkiv, so I have great hopes for these on my ED30 

[pudding]

What did you end up going with Dave J?

[Dave J]

Well, I didn't specify to APS that I wanted B8's for a mk6, so I guess they were MK5 versions. Interesting to read the recent comments about Awesome saying there is now only one version for the two marques.
I have the boxes for mine in the garage - can check part no's tomorrow, & can post up the specific part no's on my car if you'd like to know.

I do like them, can be a bit harsh at times, but I think the roads near me are deteriorating, rather than the ride of the car being bad. On sweeping off ramps, or under hard braking, the dampers keep the car nicely controlled, which is different to OEM, whereby the car felt like it was rolling / diving a lot more.

[Dave J]

So for anyone interested, the part no's from the boxes of the dampers I had fitted are as follows;

Rear - 24-178006
Front - 35-108191

[Dave J]

Ok, so according to this post (http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,106418.0.html) then these are the 'hard' dampers.

Oh well. Would I notice a difference? I reckon not so much... They are better than standard, yes - firm, but so little roll / dive compared to OEM. The handling is on another level, just a shame the roads are getting so bad now.

[pudding]

Cool, thanks for the follow up!   So you've got the MK5 flavour B8s with VWR springs.   My local roads are pretty terrible too so I'm thinking of trying the new VWR dampers + springs combo.  I like the idea of a bit less roll and tightening things up, but really don't want it any crashier than it already is