Post by: Rogue5 on February 10, 2017, 11:46:17 pm
Post by: pudding on February 11, 2017, 05:54:16 pm
Post by: AJP on February 11, 2017, 06:12:02 pm
You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.
As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.
If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.
If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.
Post by: Rogue5 on February 11, 2017, 06:25:13 pm
Your budget will bag you a nice VWR damper and spring set from Awesome. Doesn't lower very much though, about 20mm I think. Probably one of the better options for ride comfort too.
Cheers, appreciate that as I'd had a look at those and fancied them....my only concern being that the drop wasn't amazing. Was thinking more of 35-40mm drop ideally :happy2:
Post by: pudding on February 11, 2017, 06:31:19 pm
If you run into bumpsteer problems at -40mm or lower, a nice set of VWR or SuperPro roll centre correcting ball joints should sort you out :happy2:
Post by: Adam0604 on February 11, 2017, 06:42:29 pm
Retains a pretty comfortable ride quality still and you can get them for around 400 brand new, probably cheaper than that now
Post by: Rogue5 on February 11, 2017, 06:45:44 pm
Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.
You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.
As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.
If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.
If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.
Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. :happy2:
Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher. :surprised:
Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? :thinking:
Post by: AJP on February 11, 2017, 06:56:45 pm
I've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.
You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.
As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.
If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.
If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.
Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. :happy2:
Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher. :surprised:
Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? :thinking:
However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.
Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.
There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.
Post by: Rogue5 on February 11, 2017, 07:55:36 pm
I've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.
You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.
As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.
If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.
If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.
Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. :happy2:
Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher. :surprised:
Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? :thinking:
However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.
Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.
There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.
Again many thanks, appreciate the low down (excuse the pun :laugh:) I'll take a look at a few build threads on here for sure...I've ear marked the VWR dampers with H&R springs as a likely option so we'll see. If it doesn't work out, it can always be changed again :happy2:
Post by: AJP on February 11, 2017, 07:56:51 pm
No worries mate. I think you'll be happy with that setup. Keep us all updatedI've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.
You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.
As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.
If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.
If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.
Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. :happy2:
Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher. :surprised:
Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? :thinking:
However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.
Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.
There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.
Again many thanks, appreciate the low down (excuse the pun) I'll take a look at a few build threads on here for sure...I've ear marked the VWR dampers with H&R springs as a likely option so we'll see. If it doesn't work out, it can always be changed again :happy2:
Post by: Rogue5 on February 11, 2017, 08:12:28 pm
No worries mate. I think you'll be happy with that setup. Keep us all updatedI've been there and done it with springs on the mk4. And no matter what I tried I just couldn't get the back end down enough, let alone get the nearside and offside level! It was a nightmare.Yep, the VWR dampers are quite a recent thing, and by most accounts do the job rather well with different brands of lowering springs as well as the VWR lowering springs themselves.
You'd be wise to replace the shocks if you're going lower anyway - standard shocks in good nick start out ok with lowering springs but quickly get rough. Reduced strut travel will guarantee a shorter life for your dampers.
As an example, I put mine on H&R springs (30mm drop) on my standard dampers at about 74k IIRC. No real reduction in ride quality at that point. Fast forward to today on 80k and things are definitely getting a little fidgety. I'm personally 50/50 on whether to go for some decent coilovers or just renew the dampers. If I go for option 2 it'll be the VWR dampers.
If you want to go a bit lower than the 20mm drop of VWR springs, there are two other tried and tested spring kits. One is the H&R set I'm on, the other is Eibach. Both kits drop roughly the same amount, although to my eye there are subtle differences. The Eibachs seem to give a little more forward rake - arch gap at the back is a bit more than H&R, and the fronts seem maybe 5-10mm lower. H&R give a more level looking stance. Either way, as spring kits go they both provide a nice stance.
If you want to go lower than 30mm then coilies are your best bet. Like I said, I'm currently flirting with that can of worms. We'll see what happens.
Many thanks.....Exactly why I appreciate forums like this, great, true and honest advice. :happy2:
Definitely agree with you about lowering on Eibach springs though as my previous Mk4 V5 was the same, the rear end sat higher. Side on, the car appeared to have a more a wedge shaped profile as the front end settled to the right ride height but the rears sat marginally higher. :surprised:
Still fancy the VWR dampers and thought about mating them to Eibachs but dont't fancy the 'wedge look' again.... any reason why VWR's wouldn't match up to a H&R set of springs possibly? :thinking:
However, that kind of over the top rake isn't what you'll get with Eibachs on the mk5. The differences between them and H&Rs in terms of rake are really minimal, most people wouldn't notice, but I've got a bit of an OCD eye for these things so I spot a few mm difference here and there.
Bottom line is the spring kits on the mk5 give a MUCH better stance (and ride) than any spring kits on the mk4. Have a look through some builds, spend a bit of time on it and you'll see what I mean.
There's no reason the VWR damper and H&R spring combo won't be spot on. There's a thread from a few months back where someone on here did just that - and was very happy with the results. One concern when swapping dampers but staying with the same springs is that the spring perches on the new dampers might be marginally higher/lower than the old dampers, but in this case (VWR dampers and H&R springs) there was no discrepancy.
Again many thanks, appreciate the low down (excuse the pun
I'll update on here when it happens for sure. Just need some time to start a build/progress thread on here on the members rides section. Thanks again. :happy2:
Post by: FJ1000 on February 12, 2017, 11:36:09 am
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170212/99194c4bc4a2c463677d1a4e2737b1b0.jpg)
I wouldn't want to be any lower in my area to be honest. I don't find the underside of the golf (mk4 or mk5) has very good ground clearance. Even at this ride height, the underside occasionally catches on narrow speed humps. I'm in South London and those barstewardss are everywhere. Something to keep in mind. I had a silly low mk4 gti and slowing down to a snails pace to get over speedhumps gets annoying really quickly....
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: dronners on February 12, 2017, 11:45:37 am
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fdronners%2Fgolf_gti%2F0A2B792D-1901-450C-95D7-164368DE151B_zpsgc77qj2a.jpg&hash=62711a01057f066f3901aa26def2d2678631a9bd)
AP coilovers would be within your price range too theyre pretty good coilovers
Post by: pudding on February 14, 2017, 12:09:58 pm
Post by: shoaybmakda on February 14, 2017, 12:37:03 pm
Hmmm, not sure I'm liking that much lowering, so there might be some brand new VWR springs in the classifieds soon :grin:
That's what I'm keeping my eye out for :grin:
Post by: Paradox1 on February 14, 2017, 12:57:21 pm
Hmmm, not sure I'm liking that much lowering, so there might be some brand new VWR springs in the classifieds soon :grin:
I think its perfect. What you going for coilovers, or do you want some H&Rs?
Post by: pudding on February 14, 2017, 01:03:17 pm
Hmmm, not sure I'm liking that much lowering, so there might be some brand new VWR springs in the classifieds soon :grin:
I think its perfect. What you going for coilovers, or do you want some H&Rs?
Already have the VWR spring/damper kit waiting to go on but not so sure about the springs now after seeing those 2 pics. FJ1000s looks fine at the back but the front looks like an Elephant is sat on the bonnet. I prefer a uniform gap all round the arch like standard.
Post by: Paradox1 on February 14, 2017, 01:04:51 pm
Post by: pudding on February 14, 2017, 01:06:41 pm
You want some H&R springs?
Nah, they're even lower, and firmer.
Post by: shoaybmakda on February 14, 2017, 03:51:44 pm
Post by: spwd on February 14, 2017, 04:10:09 pm
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fqq329%2Fspwd%2FIMG_0877.jpg&hash=46057f7942a53e6509538edef92f160ea040d18f)
Post by: spwd on February 14, 2017, 04:11:42 pm
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fqq329%2Fspwd%2FIMG_0873_1.jpg&hash=c2de6c29d1ab4b9bd61d8778ea1113da3891c762)
(https://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fdaz.co%2Fmedia%2Fqq329%2Fspwd%2FIMG_0878_1.jpg&hash=694717e3b3490de4cd8776c579957ee02d5c5cdc)
Post by: Christiank on February 14, 2017, 04:33:19 pm
It's abit rough on bumpy roads - but it's worth it on the highway which most of my mileage is driven :driver:
Post by: FJ1000 on February 14, 2017, 05:44:35 pm
Hmmm, not sure I'm liking that much lowering, so there might be some brand new VWR springs in the classifieds soon :grin:
I think its perfect. What you going for coilovers, or do you want some H&Rs?
Already have the VWR spring/damper kit waiting to go on but not so sure about the springs now after seeing those 2 pics. FJ1000s looks fine at the back but the front looks like an Elephant is sat on the bonnet. I prefer a uniform gap all round the arch like standard.
Ha
It's pretty even all round, I think it's just that pic. Here are some in daylight:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170214/5e8804e4bbba06ad79a344f891fe5cf4.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170214/cdeb74d0297c194fe864cf8f6317fa91.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170214/d57c4e5ef3ce419d799855e60aba29dc.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170214/8fc8e608caa1ada2eaf2d8e489ce4d70.jpg)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: spwd on February 14, 2017, 06:13:08 pm
Post by: pudding on February 14, 2017, 06:24:16 pm
I think I've spotted what's going on there. Mr FJ has aftermarket wheels with a little stretchy stretchy, so that kind of gives a slightly different look. MR SPWD, yours looks spot on, so yeah, VWR springs no longer going up for sale :grin: God I'm fickle :grin:
Post by: Stig_gti on February 14, 2017, 07:44:24 pm
Post by: spwd on February 15, 2017, 12:06:06 am
Post by: shoaybmakda on February 15, 2017, 08:04:18 am
Post by: Panthera on February 15, 2017, 10:11:29 am
Stock with 45K miles
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3666/32098171443_d735727f56_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/QUpw62)IMG_0013-00005000101 (https://flic.kr/p/QUpw62) by Darren Hughes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/djmhughesuk/), on Flickr
Now
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2512/32759138822_b850763e0c_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RUP9Ej)untitled-31610242 (https://flic.kr/p/RUP9Ej) by Darren Hughes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/djmhughesuk/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/761/32789141381_3fc35e27a3_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/RXsVnP)MY GTi (https://flic.kr/p/RXsVnP) by Darren Hughes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/djmhughesuk/), on Flickr
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3678/32912757975_489b0359e7_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/S9ouhp)MY GTi (https://flic.kr/p/S9ouhp) by Darren Hughes (https://www.flickr.com/photos/djmhughesuk/), on Flickr
Post by: spwd on February 15, 2017, 03:03:28 pm
@spwd (http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=4339) how much did they set you back if you don't mind me asking? Ride quality is like oem I assume?
I emailed Awesome on eBay at Christmas and asked if they could do them for £180 and they replied best they could do was £190 lol
Post by: Kalpsn2000 on February 15, 2017, 04:22:03 pm
Can see mine here:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,104766.0.html
Post by: Rogue5 on February 28, 2017, 11:39:31 pm
I'm on stock dampers and H&R springs. Like the look but have been thinking about maybe changing the dampers. Might go for the VWR's!
Can see mine here:
http://www.mk5golfgti.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,104766.0.html
Cheers, thats the kind of drop/look I'm looking for..... :smiley: Hopefully with the H&R springs on the VWR dampers as opposed to my oem dampers will give me something similar :happy2: The only downside is that Awesome are out of stock and have the dampers on back order...... :doh: bummer but in no hurry as the weather is totally pants at the mo.