Mk 4 Golf Suspension- advice needed from a newbie!

[AllanBrownie]

hi guys i am new to this Golf lark, having previously been a Pug nut (230bhp 205 Mi16) and then owned an M3 Evo for 3 years before getting banned. I'm back with a Mk4 Golf GTI 1.8 Turbo. Its a great solid car but needs more poke, hence i'm going for the APR chip to get up near 200bhp hopefully.

Anyway, my problem is with the Eibach springs i have just fitted. I have 19" wheels fitted with 215/35 Toyo's. Gap was too big between arch and tyre so went for Eibach Pro Kit springs, "up to 40mm lower" they said plus i had to be careful with having bigger wheels? Anyway, fitted them last night and there's still a gap! yes they still need to bed in and may drop further slightly but still, expected a slam look! Can i go lower i.e. Sportline kit or can u recommend any other springs?? I was surprised, went to pick car up and i was like eh have you actually fitted the springs?! It DOES handle better but just expected a noticable visual difference, i want it lower!! Will i get driveshaft problems though? I've seen plenty Golfs looking lower than mine!!

Thanks for any advice - very much appreciated!

Other planned mods are : APR chip/induction kit/Milltek exhaust for hopefully the guts of 200bhp. 312mm Tarox front discs/pads. Medium tinted windows ... and then try and leave it alone <font color="black"> </font>

[Mook]

Welcome to Tyresmoke Allan

Are you after a "slammed" look to the car, or do you want to improve the handling? Generally, you can't have both.

I run the fully height, damp and rebound adjustable KW Variant 3 kit, which lets you drop the car by up to 30mm, but this compromises the handling too much - it sits 15mm lower than stock at the front and 20mm lower than stock at the rear.

£1000 for the kit from www.bigboyztoys.co.uk in Thurrock in Essex.

HTH

[helfinger]

with the mk4 1.8 T you have more option the lower the car than the R32 due to its suspension set up. One of my mates has just bought a Set of Koni full adjustable coliover kits which we fitted a month or so ago. with that you can really slam the car if you want to. Call John at: awesome-gti they will give you the best price and there customer service is 2nd to none also they will be able to set you up with the Tarox kit...which i use but the 12 pot set up which is amazing. Tarox brakes are amazing quality.....

koni setup

[shao_khan]

As said above - lots of choice on the MK4 - I used FK coilovers but next time aroudn would go for the KW set up as mentioned above - basically performance wise there is little in it, but the KW stuff all appears to be stainless so corrosion on the suspension components is less than with the FK for example.

My MK4 19's had 225x35x19 tyres.

As for performance I wouldnt rule out APR - but try to get a drive in as many remaped cars as possible, the way they deliver power / torque varies considerably and you may find a different tuner gives you a result you like better.

Welcome to Tyresmoke

[AllanBrownie]

Guys thanks for input. Coilovers ain't cheap - i was trying to get away with a slammed look by replacing the springs only. I only really potter to work and back and dont plan on hairing out the back roads in my Golf - not much anyway! Especially not on 19's!

I just wonder if i can go down 50mm (Eibach Sportline springs, 100 quid from Awesome) on 19 inch wheels?

Thanks again

[stevie_d]

Hey AB.

I had a MKIV and lowered it by 30mm (Eibach Pro) and matched them to Eibach Pro shocks too. I would always recommend this tbh. On 19's and lowered by 50mm the ride quality could be very uncomfortable, I know mine was less comfortable than my GTI when I was running -30mm and 18's! I know some people have had problems with rubbing and loss of full lock when they've slammed their MKIV's, so you'll need to watch out for that.

You say coilovers aren't cheap, but you're looking at spending over £2k with the mods you have listed, I'd spend a bit more and get some decent coilovers tbh. That way you can slam it for the shows and then make it more comfortable/driveable for the open road.

I can't remember the front disc size on the 1.8T, but if you're upgrading the size then I'd upgrade all round, just to keep the car stable under breaking. Obviously the fronts do most of the work, but most tuners will recommend changing the rears too.

p.s. damn you for your Pug, I'm looking for one of those atm

[AllanBrownie]

Stevie thanks for your comments, they have been taken on board! Awesome said that if i do for the 50mm Eibachs then i can fit an uprated front anti roll bar that will help the handling on corners.

The guy i sold the Pug to is selling it soon as he is buying a house, i have first refusal to buy it back! its now on Omex engine management and has been rebuilt again, it did 242bhp recently on the rollers. It was a beast when i had it (13.8 @ 103mph QM) but it now has more power and sh!t loads more torque so it must be a weapon now!

[stevie_d]

There are some very quick Pugs around, but I'd be looking for a cheap one. Basically a £1500-£2000, so that if I do write it off on a track then I won't be "too" angry

Quite a few lads have fitted stiffer ARB's and they say "it handles like it's on rails".