Ebay coil Overs - ?200 Hot Tuning

Hello!

After seeing a few people having said these kits were ok I decided to buy a set.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/COILOVER-VW-GOLF-MK1-MK2-MK3-MK4-SPECIAL-OFFER_W0QQitemZ170227656604QQihZ007QQcategoryZ40192QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

I fitted the rear at the weekend and although I understand the ride will change the ride can only be comparable to driving on wooden wheels or bricks. Its taken 3 days to rattle the rear exhaust box rubbers off.

whe I originally fitted them the car was so low I couldn't get the jack from out underneath the sills. Once it was wound up a bit the hight is better but the ride is still awful.

I'm thinking I may have had the wrong kit delivered or something? I've wound the smaller bottom spring so much that its no longer a spring. I'll upload some photos at the weekend but does anyone have any idea why the ride would be so bad?

i was thinking of giving in and getting some better shocks, I've seen the venom Venom Motorsport Performance Car Parts - EBC Brakes, Black Diamond Brakes, FK Suspension, Eibach Suspension, Weitec Suspension, Supersport Suspension anyone have any thing to say about these?

or these?

http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/category_results.mhtml?category=fkhighsportcoiloverkits&car=vwgolf1&manufacturer=fksuspension&sub_category=1

thanks for your help!

P

by lowering the car and putting stiffer springs on the ride will always become harsh. the helper spring (the little one) should compress completely it's only there for when the car lifts going over a hill crest to stop the springs from flapping about. changing parts such as top mounts can make a diffrence to the ride aswell.
have you fitted the fronts yet?

I have fitted these to my 1991 clipper and I too had to wind the springs up high. However, the ride is fine for me after the camber and tracking had been checked it steadied the front even more. But to be fair I did undertake a full front end rebuild-polybushes, wishbones, top mounts, bottom ball joints and outer cv's.
For the price I have paid I am pleased with the result-I lowered my MK1 back in 1989 and these feel tighter than the kit I had the first time round.
Suggest you return to stock parts if the ride is too harsh, this will be the only way to get factory ride quality.

i wouldn't pay that price for the venom own brand, you can decent coiovers for that kinda money.

Chris

thanks for the replys

Nova: I've not put the front on yet, after the poor performance on the rear I wasn't going to spend the time doing the front. I'll get some new top mounts (the rubber cones yeah?) and stick the fronts on, it might be a little better but I think I've been givin polo shocks or something

chris would you recomend the FK ones or any other ones??

i'm running weitec's on mine mate, i also tried the hotuning ones from ebay but sent them back as the ride wasn't to my liking.

the weitecs ride is just right for me and they are very well made. they're made by kw which make high end coilovers, under the weitec name.

i've never had fk's but have heard mixed things about them.

hth

Chris

tazzy01 said

thanks for the replys

Nova: I've not put the front on yet, after the poor performance on the rear I wasn't going to spend the time doing the front. I'll get some new top mounts (the rubber cones yeah?) and stick the fronts on, it might be a little better but I think I've been givin polo shocks or something

chris would you recomend the FK ones or any other ones??

Using worn 'normal' suspension one end and new coilovers on the other will not do anything for your handling and ride quality at all  8O

Fit the fronts as well and get everything set up e.g tracking and camber before you decide you don't like them.

I'm using these and don't find them a problem at all. Superb road holding if a little on the hard side  

Robmk1 said

Using worn 'normal' suspension one end and new coilovers on the other will not do anything for your handling and ride quality at all  8O

after fitting the rear I didn't want to waste my time fitting the front, then spend money on the camber and tracking only to be taking it all off a week later.

I'll stick the front on and see how it is. I really can impress how hard the ride is though, for instance if I push the boot down there is no play, nothing at all.

Just out of interest did you cut your bump stops?

tazzy01 said

 for instance if I push the boot down there is no play, nothing at all.

Fair enough, but to be fair, even if you go for the better ones the ride will be hard. Thats coilovers for ya!

I don't think coilovers are for you chap!!!!

Yeah fitting coilovers to one end only of the car is really dodgy! Apparently if you raise them, they are softer, due to there being softer damping in the upper area than the lower.

does anyone know , what the drop would be on this kit wound up as high as they go.

maybe -40mm over standard ride height but its very hard with them wound right up!!!

i fanally got mine set up perfectly today and i cannot tell you how much of an improvement its made to the handling

am a bit of a novice when its comes to coilovers, so basically the higher they are set the more firmer the ride is

tends to be the other way round.

maccagti said

maybe -40mm over standard ride height but its very hard with them wound right up!!!

Robmk1 said

tends to be the other way round.

So which one is it then, can anyone confirm, i thought it was if wound all way down they have a shorter distance for the spring to take road impacts etc. I could be wrong

Where ever the bottom spring seat/lock ring is, the spring will have pretty much the same travel unless your on the bump stops. But being close to the max travel at the bottom of shock tends to be firmer than if wound up a bit.

I think maccagti means down rather than up!

im really confused too, what coilovers could you get that have a remotely good dampening for around ?300, say if they were wound 80mm. I already have 195.45/15s and am wanting to go low but not sump/cats eyes low!!!, but not sacrfice too much ride quality, i already know i will lose some...not trying to hijack the thread!!!

At -80mm you have around 2-3" of suspension travel remaining, so you need very firm springing and damping to avoid continually bottoming out and hitting the bumpstops. If you want to retain comfort, don't fit coilovers. Apparently the lower they are the stiffer the damping, so you could use them and run at say -60mm or -45mm or whatever, if you found it too hard at -80mm.