Another coilover question hard, harsh, banging, crashing or silky smooth

[higher1]

Sorry if im covering old ground here but i really want to hear as many opinions as possible

Its time to buy some coilovers for 2 reasons 1st so i can get the right ride height but 2nd so i can have some nice handling, I don't want a hard bouncy harsh ride, those days are long gone im after as close to factory feel as possible mainly because most of the time i drive on B roads, i really want to be able to adjust dampening effect as well as height, im not going to run mega low so no extreme drops needed.

In the past ive owned the following none of which have been fitted to my mk5 but other vw's-

AVO - bumpy very hard very small travel didnt last very long before needing a refurb
GAZ - good set up very adjustable but still to harsh
SPAX (shocks and springs set) they did the job of lowering slightly and a firmer ride
KONI (shocks and springs set not coilovers) great set up very good handling and ride but no height adjustment
FK KONIGSPORT COILOVERS - fitted these but never managed to run them as sold the car so any info on these would be amazing as im considering them!

I have a budget of around £600 maybe more, should i just ignore the cheaper options of JOM , AP, VMAXX and the lower end of FK'S ??? and concentrate on eibach, koni, weitec, kw?

Does anyone run the FK KONIGSPORT COILOVERS how do they feel ???

So what are you guys running and how do they feel im after some that ride nice so all opinions really welcome both good or bad thanks in advance.

[gazbutS3]

myself and a few members on here run the AP's, yes they are at the budget end of the market, but they are not to harsh on the road and have handled 4 trackdays and I've never thought the suspension has let me down. Obviously I don't know how a Bilstein set up would feel, but I might find out early next year 

[sub39h]

I've got Weitec Hicon GTs. Compared with my standard S-Line suspension it's marginally more comfortable, but I'd imagine vs. the Golf it might be harsher

You're welcome to a ride in mine if you want

[DJM]

If you dont want to go stupidly low, maybe a good shock and spring set up maybe better? Get better quality for the money.

Failing that i had weitec set up on my old ibiza. Couldnt fault it, I had it set up for fast road/track so was quite stiff but that can be adjusted as well as the height obviously to what you would prefer. They would fall well within your £600 budget even with fitting costs thrown in.

Only heard bad things about FK personally. Told by many garages to stay away as the rust.

[higher1]

I've got Weitec Hicon GTs. Compared with my standard S-Line suspension it's marginally more comfortable, but I'd imagine vs. the Golf it might be harsher

You're welcome to a ride in mine if you want

My previous car was a 1999 audi s3 loved the ride in that, very precise and smooth i would even say the standard mk5 gti set up is harder!

[RobH]

I have the bilstien pss10 absolutley love them although not really in your price range ride is not harsh at all and very easily adjustable for track days, 1/4 mile days and everyday use. I dont think any other coillover is as easily adjustable as these and obviously adjustable ride height aswell. Come with a lifetime gaurantee too.

[higher1]

I have the bilstien pss10 absolutley love them although not really in your price range ride is not harsh at all and very easily adjustable for track days, 1/4 mile days and everyday use. I dont think any other coillover is as easily adjustable as these and obviously adjustable ride height aswell. Come with a lifetime gaurantee too.

If i did more than road use i might be tempted to spend the extra money and invest in some bilsteins as i know they are rated the best, i do think i might have to up my budget though as koni's weitec and most other coilovers with adjustable damping are around the 800 mark

[P4ulo]

I'm going with GAZ in the new year when I can get my "fiddle on".
Excellent previous experiences, made in UK, quality stuff.

[E30Dom]

I will be too when the time comes... 

[ni-coilovers.co.uk]

Basically with coilovers you get what you pay for.  We offer anything from £198-£1600....

FK konigsports - Awesome coilovers, any FK haters have been buying AK streets (made in china).....

AP are another good coilover for the money, made by KW and still keep a good level of comfort.

BC Racing coilovers close to Konigsports in price (30 point damping and pillow ball top mounts etc)

I run FK sport edition plus £399 6 point damping.  Very comfortable, i run mine at 5 out of 6 and it feels like a new M3 comfort level... Obviously the lower ou go the stiffer it also becomes.  Im screwed to the floor now, tyre in arch...

Its late so any mistakes just roll with it lol.... As for prices, we wont be beaten.... Check out lowerks.com (not yet finished but getting there)...

[higher1]

Thx for the info never heard of Bc racing but just checked them out and the specs seem pretty impressive ! Might have to do a little more research any guys here running them ?

[ktlstar]

I found bc coilovers on my starlet quite harsh however it was stripped out and weighed 800kg. It did have 32 dampning settings which forever playing with. If i was to buy again i would opt for Meister R. Bc are made for USA roads, Meisters for UK.

On the Golf i went for APs £440 delivered :) i cant fault them.

[higher1]

I found bc coilovers on my starlet quite harsh however it was stripped out and weighed 800kg. It did have 32 dampning settings which forever playing with. If i was to buy again i would opt for Meister R. Bc are made for USA roads, Meisters for UK.

On the Golf i went for APs £440 delivered :) i cant fault them.

Hmmm a bit harsh thats not a good thing hard/firm would be a bit better although i love the fact that bc racing coilovers adjust at the bottom mount for height and not just the spring platform i guess the ride stays almost the same no matter what height you have it at

[neil86]

I was also looking into all the different coilovers but to be honest its all opinions the best way would be to ask any local people to you, to let you go along for a ride in there golf to see how they handle.