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Offline reflexsilverfox

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suspension overhaul @ 110k
« on: April 21, 2017, 10:00:01 am »
Hi all, after some opinions/advice on making my car feel new again and improving it to kind of OEM+ standard.

here's some background, so far i've fitted the following:

Ramair panel filter
DV+
cam follower
R revision PCV
Super pro dogbone insert
TT console bushes
new tie rods and track rod ends
4x new Avon ZV7's

Suspension is my main priority at the minute, i've ordered the ST fixed height kit (20mm drop) http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/suspension-kits/car/volkswagen/golf-mk5-gti/st-suspension-sport-suspension-kit-lowers-front-20mm-lowers-rear-20mm

i've also ordered new rear trailing arms with new oem bushes as my rear camber and toe needs adjusting but they won't adjust as they're seized.

My plan is to fit the new rear trailing arms and bushes along with the top mounts and the new shocks and springs and then get it all 4 wheel aligned, is there anything else people would recommend me changing suspension-wise while its getting the rest fitted? Or just general advice on upgrades to compliment what i've got/doing?

Thanks  :popcornsoda:   


Offline pudding

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2017, 10:34:11 am »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley: 


2007 ED30 | 2009 TDI 140 | 2016 BMW 330D

Offline reflexsilverfox

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2017, 12:39:26 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?

Offline AJP

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2017, 12:54:49 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

Offline reflexsilverfox

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2017, 01:03:38 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

That's great thank you for the info, i'd heard that KW made the dampers for the ST kit so thought they should be pretty reasonable.

With regards to alignment i've had the front done already at protyre as when i changed the tie rods and track rod ends it was way out after (had a bit of a nightmare changing them as i had to do it twice, eurocarparts sent me the wrong ones) i think it's a proper setup they have there - its a laser setup and they did me a proper print off with all the camber and toe info for all four wheels.   

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2017, 01:15:56 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

That's great thank you for the info, i'd heard that KW made the dampers for the ST kit so thought they should be pretty reasonable.

With regards to alignment i've had the front done already at protyre as when i changed the tie rods and track rod ends it was way out after (had a bit of a nightmare changing them as i had to do it twice, eurocarparts sent me the wrong ones) i think it's a proper setup they have there - its a laser setup and they did me a proper print off with all the camber and toe info for all four wheels.
You'll probably want to get it all checked again front and back as a matter of course, once you've got everything fitted. Things shift around when you're changing parts and dropping the ride height.

Yeah the dampers should serve you well. Running them at the intended height will give them the best chance of performing properly and not wearing prematurely. 20mm is mild.

I was on standard (probably original) dampers with 30mm H&R springs for a while, and I could tell recently the dampers just weren't doing what they should. Just gone onto a Vogtland coilover kit (again, KW dampers), and while it's firmer overall it's a smoother ride. It feels like everything's in control rather than being a bit fidgety and vague.

Offline reflexsilverfox

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2017, 01:34:32 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

That's great thank you for the info, i'd heard that KW made the dampers for the ST kit so thought they should be pretty reasonable.

With regards to alignment i've had the front done already at protyre as when i changed the tie rods and track rod ends it was way out after (had a bit of a nightmare changing them as i had to do it twice, eurocarparts sent me the wrong ones) i think it's a proper setup they have there - its a laser setup and they did me a proper print off with all the camber and toe info for all four wheels.
You'll probably want to get it all checked again front and back as a matter of course, once you've got everything fitted. Things shift around when you're changing parts and dropping the ride height.

Yeah the dampers should serve you well. Running them at the intended height will give them the best chance of performing properly and not wearing prematurely. 20mm is mild.

I was on standard (probably original) dampers with 30mm H&R springs for a while, and I could tell recently the dampers just weren't doing what they should. Just gone onto a Vogtland coilover kit (again, KW dampers), and while it's firmer overall it's a smoother ride. It feels like everything's in control rather than being a bit fidgety and vague.

I did wonder whether that would be the case with getting the front done again when i get the rear aligned - makes sense as you say i'll be changing a lot of parts over.

Good to hear re the dampers, i'm not really fussed on lowering it much at all that's why i went for the 20mm kit with fixed height and fixed damping shocks. a little lower would improve the stance but i'm mainly after a better riding better handling car without losing comfort.

I nearly went for the Vogtland but decided i didn't need coilovers, i saw the pics of yours on the posts though and it sits nice on them  :happy2:

Offline AJP

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2017, 01:38:23 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

That's great thank you for the info, i'd heard that KW made the dampers for the ST kit so thought they should be pretty reasonable.

With regards to alignment i've had the front done already at protyre as when i changed the tie rods and track rod ends it was way out after (had a bit of a nightmare changing them as i had to do it twice, eurocarparts sent me the wrong ones) i think it's a proper setup they have there - its a laser setup and they did me a proper print off with all the camber and toe info for all four wheels.
You'll probably want to get it all checked again front and back as a matter of course, once you've got everything fitted. Things shift around when you're changing parts and dropping the ride height.

Yeah the dampers should serve you well. Running them at the intended height will give them the best chance of performing properly and not wearing prematurely. 20mm is mild.

I was on standard (probably original) dampers with 30mm H&R springs for a while, and I could tell recently the dampers just weren't doing what they should. Just gone onto a Vogtland coilover kit (again, KW dampers), and while it's firmer overall it's a smoother ride. It feels like everything's in control rather than being a bit fidgety and vague.

I did wonder whether that would be the case with getting the front done again when i get the rear aligned - makes sense as you say i'll be changing a lot of parts over.

Good to hear re the dampers, i'm not really fussed on lowering it much at all that's why i went for the 20mm kit with fixed height and fixed damping shocks. a little lower would improve the stance but i'm mainly after a better riding better handling car without losing comfort.

I nearly went for the Vogtland but decided i didn't need coilovers, i saw the pics of yours on the posts though and it sits nice on them  :happy2:
Cheers dude. I've actually just been for alignment myself. In an ideal world I'd have put a few more miles on it to let it settle a bit more, but I've got a big journey next week so it was kinda now or not. I might nip it in for a quick check in a few weeks, just make sure it's all as intended!

Offline pudding

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2017, 02:23:40 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

+1 on a proper 4 wheel laser alignment rig, such as Hunter, or your local dealer.  VW charge £90 fixed price for an alignment, which is good value for customers like me who royally fcked it up, meaning more work for them, same price for me  :grin:



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Offline AJP

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2017, 02:30:54 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?
ST are one of the few brands that use KW dampers, which for me are a decent mid-range damper (before you get up to the money of the Clubsport options). You should get a good setup with the ST kit, especially as you say it's only dropping the car 20mm. It's nice to maintain a bit of travel in the suspension.

If you could aim for something like Pudding's setup overall, you'll be happy. I like the sound of what he's done.

When you get it aligned - if you didn't know already - try and find a place with a Hunter setup. What one garage calls alignment might not be the full setup you want ideally.

+1 on a proper 4 wheel laser alignment rig, such as Hunter, or your local dealer.  VW charge £90 fixed price for an alignment, which is good value for customers like me who royally fcked it up, meaning more work for them, same price for me  :grin:
40 quid folding at Auto Dynamics in Sheff this morning. Full Hunter setup. It's the second time I've used them and I'll stick with them.

Part of the problem isn't just finding a Hunter rig, but people who know what they're doing with one.

The main guy there is really good - calls you in once it's set up, talks you through what's out on the screen, what they're going to do etc.

VW themselves are obviously a safe bet, but a few more quid, as always!

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2017, 02:58:43 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?

The arms only save 1kg mate.  It's the hubs (aka bearing housings) that shave off the most weight, but I chose to keep everything Passat and therefore consistent as all those bits were designed to work with each other  :happy2:

The advantage of the B6 ball joints you ask?  It all hinges around roll center and bump steer.  Google those and see if they make any sense to you! It's pretty heavy reading  :grin:

This is one of the better diagrams I've seen.  The "Roll center adjusters" being the Passat ball joints on our Golfs.  The idea is to keep points A & B as close to each other as possible, which reduces the car's tendency to lean into corners.   



What I don't think many people realise is lowering a car and doing nothing else actually makes it roll more, not less.  Sounds counter intuitive right?  Stiffer arbs or springs are often used to counter act it, but a better way is to move the wishbone angles back to factory, which is what roll center correction is all about....and is what the Passat BJs do  :happy2:   This is why the sensible suspension kits only lower a very small amount as to not fck up the roll center.  You then don't need as stiff a spring, or big fat heavy ARBs either  :smiley:

Bump steer is when the steering wheel snatches left / right uncontrollably when accelerating hard over bumps, or during turns over bumps (not to be confused with torque steer).   The wishbones and tie rods follow an arc, and on lowered cars, the arc can run out of travel and the wishbone to tie rod angles then get skewed.  As the hub rises into the wheel arch over a bump, the tie rod has no arc left and gets forced back into the steering rack, which the driver feels as a twitch in the wheel.  Nasty stuff.  Again, Mr Passat Ball Joint and sensible lowering heights fix that for you  :smiley:

At the end of the day, that's all the lovely theory, but if the car doesn't do anything horrible on the road after you've lowered it, you don't need to worry too much.  I'm just ultra OCD about that stuff!

« Last Edit: April 21, 2017, 03:12:12 pm by Pudding »


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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #11 on: April 21, 2017, 03:49:00 pm »
My home scale measured 4 kg for each cast iron front control arm and 2 kg for each aluminium front control arm. For what they cost me (40 € each) I think I made a good upgrade for my unsprung weight at the front. :smiley:

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #12 on: April 21, 2017, 04:02:58 pm »
My home scale measured 4 kg for each cast iron front control arm and 2 kg for each aluminium front control arm. For what they cost me (40 € each) I think I made a good upgrade for my unsprung weight at the front. :smiley:

Technically only half that is unsprung because the inboard end is attached to the subframe, hence 1kg saving at the outboard end  :smiley:   But 2Kg vs 4Kg is a good saving  :happy2: 


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Offline reflexsilverfox

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #13 on: April 21, 2017, 08:52:47 pm »
This is all awesome info guys thanks very much  :happy2:

I must say I'm not completely happy with the cars handling even now the front end is supposedly sorted. I'm hoping it's gunna feel damn pretty good after the new rear lower arms, bushes and the suspension kit with the mounts etc. I'll get some pics when I'm fitting it all and post some  before and after pics.

I'm gunna phone around for alignment - protyre seem very good but £30 per adjustment seems steep... £90 for front and rear toe and rear camber.


Offline reflexsilverfox

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Re: suspension overhaul @ 110k
« Reply #14 on: April 21, 2017, 09:14:10 pm »
Mine is also on 110K and over the weekend I fitted:

VW Racingline spring & damper kit.
Passat B6 alloy hubs
Passat B6 alloy wishbones with my existing WALK
Passat B6 ball joints
New front top mounts & bearings
New upper and lower rear spring rubber pads
New rear top mounts and bump stops
New front wheel bearings
All stretch bolts replaced
4 wheel alignment

That lot has completely transformed the car.  Everything about the way the car drives is markedly better, including the ride quality.  The lowering is very mild compared to most kits, but the taller Passat Ball joints and the Passat hubs correct the roll center back to where it should be.

I am normally very cynical about aftermarket stuff but I am completely blown away by the improvements  :smiley:

sounds like you have a really good setup, similar to what i'm aiming for!

I was going to go for the VWR kit but chose the ST in the end as it was the same drop and sounded very similar but was cheaper and available on 0%  :evilgrin:, hopefully it will be as good although there isnt a huge amount of info around on the ST kit.

I've only recently read about using the B6 arms to save unsprung weight otherwise i would have gone for those too, whats the advantages of the B6 ball joints?

The arms only save 1kg mate.  It's the hubs (aka bearing housings) that shave off the most weight, but I chose to keep everything Passat and therefore consistent as all those bits were designed to work with each other  :happy2:

The advantage of the B6 ball joints you ask?  It all hinges around roll center and bump steer.  Google those and see if they make any sense to you! It's pretty heavy reading  :grin:

This is one of the better diagrams I've seen.  The "Roll center adjusters" being the Passat ball joints on our Golfs.  The idea is to keep points A & B as close to each other as possible, which reduces the car's tendency to lean into corners.   



What I don't think many people realise is lowering a car and doing nothing else actually makes it roll more, not less.  Sounds counter intuitive right?  Stiffer arbs or springs are often used to counter act it, but a better way is to move the wishbone angles back to factory, which is what roll center correction is all about....and is what the Passat BJs do  :happy2:   This is why the sensible suspension kits only lower a very small amount as to not fck up the roll center.  You then don't need as stiff a spring, or big fat heavy ARBs either  :smiley:

Bump steer is when the steering wheel snatches left / right uncontrollably when accelerating hard over bumps, or during turns over bumps (not to be confused with torque steer).   The wishbones and tie rods follow an arc, and on lowered cars, the arc can run out of travel and the wishbone to tie rod angles then get skewed.  As the hub rises into the wheel arch over a bump, the tie rod has no arc left and gets forced back into the steering rack, which the driver feels as a twitch in the wheel.  Nasty stuff.  Again, Mr Passat Ball Joint and sensible lowering heights fix that for you  :smiley:

At the end of the day, that's all the lovely theory, but if the car doesn't do anything horrible on the road after you've lowered it, you don't need to worry too much.  I'm just ultra OCD about that stuff!

Do you think all of this would come into play with a 20mm drop or did you just change the parts to be on the safe side? I'm pretty OCD too so my list could be growing...  :thinking: