MK5 Golf GTI
All Things Mk5 => Mk5 General Area => Topic started by: Georrge on September 02, 2014, 01:38:43 pm
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Hello,
My 21st birthday is a week away which means new insurance, an extra years no claims, and mods will be allowed! I want to get a set of coilovers, but I don't want the ride to be rock hard. At the moment I'm thinking of the FK Highsport Coilivers which are £349. What other coilivers are worth looking at? Budget is a maximum of £500, adjustable damping isn't needed.
Also on a side note, what other insurance companies are worth looking at for 21 year olds? Sky will be the first call I make! :laugh:
Cheers!
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I ordered AP coilovers 10 days ago..
Dont buy from venom if you want them fitted before your 22nd birthday
:ashamed:
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I ordered AP coilovers 10 days ago..
Dont buy from venom if you want them fitted before your 22nd birthday
:ashamed:
Hahahaha oh dear, I feel for ya! I hope they arrive soon :signLOL:
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Don't forget that coil overs are a mod. The insurance company will want to know and they may charge you extra.
You couldn't hide them in the event of a claim!
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I got my ap coilover from dpm performance , they were the cheapest and I shopped around ,
Very nice ride firm but not harsh :happy2:
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Don't forget that coil overs are a mod. The insurance company will want to know and they may charge you extra.
You couldn't hide them in the event of a claim!
I know, that is the exact reason I started the post explaining that I'm turning 21 and I'll be getting insurance that allows mods. At the moment my insurance doesn't allow mods, hence no coilovers :happy2: :signLOL:
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Oops sorry pal! Misread the line and thought it said 'no mods allowed'. :ashamed:
Good luck!
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A used set of Bilstien B14 coilovers would be a good bet too if you can find them, as many people on here speak highly of them (including myself). Brand new they are around the £850 mark but really well built and Bilstien now offer a re-build service on kits when they reach that tiered age, so a used set now, year's time get them re-built and end up with an as-new kit for less than new.
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A used set of Bilstien B14 coilovers would be a good bet too if you can find them, as many people on here speak highly of them (including myself). Brand new they are around the £850 mark but really well built and Bilstien now offer a re-build service on kits when they reach that tiered age, so a used set now, year's time get them re-built and end up with an as-new kit for less than new.
Thanks for the tip! I rather start with a brand new set though, I don't cover many miles per year so I don't need to think too far ahead, as long as they last 4 years then that's ok. Have you got anything to say about the FK Highsports?
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For the price they are alright, the AP are rated as well. I chose to save up as I wanted some that would last and had really good feedback.
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With past experiences in mind I would recommend the AP's over the FK! With a quick search this is the cheapest I found them... http://www.madmotors.co.uk/ap-coilovers-vw-golf-mk5-gti-1k-2-0-tfsi-04.html
Never heard of the company but you can pay by PayPal :happy2:
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With past experiences in mind I would recommend the AP's over the FK! With a quick search this is the cheapest I found them... http://www.madmotors.co.uk/ap-coilovers-vw-golf-mk5-gti-1k-2-0-tfsi-04.html
Never heard of the company but you can pay by PayPal :happy2:
Why would you recommend the AP's over the FKs? They are in my price range so depending on what you say next, will determine whether I get these or the FKs! Just some info that may help, my Mk5 gti is my only car, so therefore is my daily. I won't ever go on a track day, purely just every day driving.
Cheers!
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Also TommyR, the postage for madmotors is over £20, but you can get them for £433.80 delivered direct from the AP website :happy2:
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From what i've seen amongst the forum if your after anything around the £4-500 mark and want new coilovers then go AP..
If you have slightly more of a budget then go Blistien B14..
Or spend more time looking (umming and arghring) and looking for a second hand pair of B14's then pay to have them rebuilt etc? and expect to pay inbetween £5-750.
My personal choice would be to stick with a set budget and go with whatever the best choice would be in your budget which in your case would be AP's In my opinion if your wanting new coilovers. Thats what i'm going to be buying when i get round to lowering mine :happy2: good price / comfort is still there / and reliable for the cost.
Apparently they down't go as low as some people may like but should easy go 40-45mm which for me would be spot on..
Also depends if you want to go silly low for the show queens (55mm+). Or... Be low and drivable still (30-50?mm).
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I did say with a quick search dude. Admittedly I didn't look at postage costs. I would recommend them due to having zero problems on a previous car. When I had FK's they where a harsh ride, sometimes bottomed out (the car was low) and the final straw was a failed MOT because two of the four shocks where leaking. Imo you get what you pay for...
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My personal choice would be to stick with a set budget and go with whatever the best choice would be in your budget which in your case would be AP's In my opinion if your wanting new coilovers. Thats what i'm going to be buying when i get round to lowering mine :happy2: good price / comfort is still there / and reliable for the cost.
Apparently they down't go as low as some people may like but should easy go 40-45mm which for me would be spot on..
Also depends if you want to go silly low for the show queens (55mm+). Or... Be low and drivable still (30-50?mm).
Thanks a lot! I really just want to close the arch gap! I still want to be able to get over speed bumps without scraping, and ideally I want to leave the arches unrolled.
I did say with a quick search dude. Admittedly I didn't look at postage costs. I would recommend them due to having zero problems on a previous car. When I had FK's they where a harsh ride, sometimes bottomed out (the car was low) and the final straw was a failed MOT because two of the four shocks where leaking. Imo you get what you pay for...
I know i know :happy2:
Thanks for your input, AP's it is then! I'm completely new to lowering a car, so how much do garages normally charge for fitting coilovers? And how easy are they to adjust once they're fitted?
Cheers!
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I know i know :happy2:
Thanks for your input, AP's it is then! I'm completely new to lowering a car, so how much do garages normally charge for fitting coilovers? And how easy are they to adjust once they're fitted?
Cheers!
Not sure where you live but for example purposes Awesome GTI charge £150 if you buy the coils from them, it's not a hard task though really so perhaps you and a mechanically minded friend could tackle it and save some £££. There are lots of guides out there on how to fit them and yes it's really easy to adjust the height once they are on the car.
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Not sure where you live but for example purposes Awesome GTI charge £150 if you buy the coils from them, it's not a hard task though really so perhaps you and a mechanically minded friend could tackle it and save some £££. There are lots of guides out there on how to fit them and yes it's really easy to adjust the height once they are on the car.
I live in Hertfordshire. Is it literally fit them, wait for them to settle, then wind them down, and just count the threads to make sure that both sides are lowered equal amounts? Nothing has to be balanced or anything like that?
Ok excellent!
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I live in Hertfordshire. Is it literally fit them, wait for them to settle, then wind them down, and just count the threads to make sure that both sides are lowered equal amounts? Nothing has to be balanced or anything like that?
Ok excellent!
Sounds about right dude although you may want to get your tracking/alignment seen to after they have settled…
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I live in Hertfordshire. Is it literally fit them, wait for them to settle, then wind them down, and just count the threads to make sure that both sides are lowered equal amounts? Nothing has to be balanced or anything like that?
Ok excellent!
Sounds about right dude although you may want to get your tracking/alignment seen to after they have settled…
Ok excellent, thanks a lot for your help! How long do they normally need to settle? Bare in mind they will be brand new, two or three days?
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I'd allow a week or so depending how long you drive it for and how smooth the roads are by you…
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I'd allow a week or so depending how long you drive it for and how smooth the roads are by you…
I cover maybe 200 miles in a week, so I'll leave them for about two weeks. The roads are actually good round my area now. Going slightly off topic here, but last winter I reported 4 or 5 areas of roads that needed to be patched on the gov.uk site, and within the same week I had a reply back saying they had been patched; I was pleasantly surprised :signLOL:
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Just made an order with madmotors. Went for the AP coilovers as suggested by multiple people, £438 with next day delivery :laugh:
Thanks everyone for your help, will post a picture once they're fitted (hopefully next week) :P
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Good choice sir!!!
:laugh:
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Does anyone know if the AP coilovers come with shorter drop links?
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You made the right choice mate AP coilovers FTW! :happy2:
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Does anyone know if the AP coilovers come with shorter drop links?
No they don't , you don't need shorter drop links with th aps ,so I believe :happy2:
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Okk that's alright then. This is the first time lowering a car, the level of excitement right about now is sky high :jumpmove: :rolleye: :pomppomp:
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Fitted them today and the ride quality is superb!
The fronts still have 20mm left on them and I will take it down another 10-15mm in a few days, the backs I removed the adjusters so they are as low as can be. Looks great!
I have one concern though, and that is that I believe my drive side drop link is the wrong one! It faces in the opposite direction to the passenger side one. Is this normal? (These are the standard drop links that came with the car!)
Pics coming tomorrow :laugh: