All Things Mk5 > Mk5 General Area
Suspension refresh (upgrade?)
Nertballs:
Hey guys, apologies I know there are plenty of suspension threads so hopefully this is okay.
I'm driving an '09 mk5 2.0 GT TDI (140) with 136k miles on it, still on standard suspension and to say it's getting tired is an understatement, so I'm looking to refresh, and maybe upgrade. This is my daily so I don't want to sacrifice a huge pile of comfort. I'm on a relatively tight budget so can't go too wild, but maybe can set up a plan to upgrade in stages. I am also in Ireland so it's a bit more awkward to get parts.
Springs and shocks / coilovers
It has the factory sports suspension (so 10mm lower?), but I would be happy to go another 10-20mm lower than that.
OEM shocks + springs are around €400, what are the best options instead of this? A combination of OEM shocks with 20-30mm lowering springs (VWR, ST etc), or are there any reputable shocks/spring kits that can be had for ~500?
I've seen the cheap coilover kits here, JOMs are around €250, Racelands €300-450, and would love to try them but they seem too cheap to be true and that I would be sacrificing too much in comfort to go lower (which I don't really care about).
If the Racelands were decent I would go for the Primo's for the adjustable damping, anyone have experience with these?
Bushings
What are the key bushings to hit when doing a suspension refresh? I'm assuming top/bottom mounts would be best, but what other easy targets are there? From anything I've read it seems to be best to go the OEM+ route for bushings, so I would probably do this for front and rear top/bottom mounts.
I would like to get an ALK down the line, but I don't think it's within budget yet.
Thanks in advance for the help, and sorry to drag this discussion up again.
Clarkj93:
Coilovers wise I would steer clear of B14 if you want to retain comfort. Racingline shocks and springs would probably be high up on my list - I think they're quite well rated as an oem+ kind of option.
Rather than ALK I'd opt for TT arms with a the solid TT bush fitted, you'll retain all the comfort but get much better front grip from the wider track and much more optimal geo setup than simply sticking an ALK bush in.
Top mounts wise I think some people have issues with them squeaking when going lower or stiffer - I've only used uprated mounts since upgrading so not sure if it's a must have or not. TTRS top mounts are a popular option though.
Nertballs:
--- Quote from: Clarkj93 on October 25, 2022, 03:59:03 pm ---Coilovers wise I would steer clear of B14 if you want to retain comfort. Racingline shocks and springs would probably be high up on my list - I think they're quite well rated as an oem+ kind of option.
Rather than ALK I'd opt for TT arms with a the solid TT bush fitted, you'll retain all the comfort but get much better front grip from the wider track and much more optimal geo setup than simply sticking an ALK bush in.
Top mounts wise I think some people have issues with them squeaking when going lower or stiffer - I've only used uprated mounts since upgrading so not sure if it's a must have or not. TTRS top mounts are a popular option though.
--- End quote ---
Yeah the coilovers idea is more so my 16 year old self shouting "stanceee" at me :grin:
Oh nice, had a look there and TT arms aren't crazy money. That definitely seems more in line with what I have in mind, I'll look into that a bit more.
There's already quite a bit of squelch in the front top mounts so they definitely need a change, so I think I'll add the TTRS mounts to the list.
Shoduchi:
--- Quote from: Clarkj93 on October 25, 2022, 03:59:03 pm ---Coilovers wise I would steer clear of B14 if you want to retain comfort. Racingline shocks and springs would probably be high up on my list - I think they're quite well rated as an oem+ kind of option.
Rather than ALK I'd opt for TT arms with a the solid TT bush fitted, you'll retain all the comfort but get much better front grip from the wider track and much more optimal geo setup than simply sticking an ALK bush in.
Top mounts wise I think some people have issues with them squeaking when going lower or stiffer - I've only used uprated mounts since upgrading so not sure if it's a must have or not. TTRS top mounts are a popular option though.
--- End quote ---
Fitting the TT arms will make the track rod ends have a lot less threads to torque. It's advised to replace the steering rack as well with the TT rack.
Fitting an ALK has the same effects on comfort as fitting solid bushes. It's just minor but the car will turn better.
I have the TTRS top mounts and they're very good.
Clarkj93:
--- Quote from: Shoduchi on October 26, 2022, 01:22:46 pm ---
--- Quote from: Clarkj93 on October 25, 2022, 03:59:03 pm ---Coilovers wise I would steer clear of B14 if you want to retain comfort. Racingline shocks and springs would probably be high up on my list - I think they're quite well rated as an oem+ kind of option.
Rather than ALK I'd opt for TT arms with a the solid TT bush fitted, you'll retain all the comfort but get much better front grip from the wider track and much more optimal geo setup than simply sticking an ALK bush in.
Top mounts wise I think some people have issues with them squeaking when going lower or stiffer - I've only used uprated mounts since upgrading so not sure if it's a must have or not. TTRS top mounts are a popular option though.
--- End quote ---
Fitting the TT arms will make the track rod ends have a lot less threads to torque. It's advised to replace the steering rack as well with the TT rack.
Fitting an ALK has the same effects on comfort as fitting solid bushes. It's just minor but the car will turn better.
I have the TTRS top mounts and they're very good.
--- End quote ---
it's only if you have the hubs in addition with the arms is it a bit less than you'd like, there is still plenty of engagement with just the arms. I've been running them for years now.
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