uprated shocks....standard springs, would it work?

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 4:56 pm

ive been toying with the idea of uprating my suspension and now have the money to do so. ive thought about spax kits and koni kits but am now worrying about the ride height. ive got to carry all sorts of kit in the polo and its wheels are on the arches wen i do, which is fine until i have to go on the ferry. im now thinkin im best gettin just uprated shocks like the koni adjustables and keeping the standard springs until i finish my course then get lowering springs. the thing is will the standard springs make the handling crap and not worth the Â£300 odd pounds? i know lower centre of gravity is best but i dont think i can lose the practicality
any ideas?

david burton · Post by **david burton** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 6:52 pm

If you find the right set of springs, you won't lose any practicality. My old golf was lowered 50mm but because they were so much stiffer it actually took a lot of weight for them to compress much more.

Check out the load curves for various springs - you might be able to find some that give your car the same ride height as standard springs for, say, 300kg of stuff? Or nearly the same ride height...

dubpolo · Post by **dubpolo** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 9:58 pm

i've droped mine just on springs (40mm) and with 5 people in the car there is no rubbing and i can still get over speed bumps!!! and my mates weigh 18 stone each!!!!!

jakethesnake · Post by **jakethesnake** » Wed Feb 25, 2004 10:26 pm

I've not tried it but I reckon good uprated adjustable dampers like the Koni's would work quite well with the standard springs.
Much improved handling with the bonus of being able to adjust it without losing any practicality.

My Eibach's are firm and when I load the boot up the wheels are almost in the arches, but it doesn't rub cos I'm on the standard rims.

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 10:14 am

ive been lookin at the koni's Â£400 for the shocks and springs and about Â£325 for just the shocks. its lookin like there goin to my choice. still cant make my mind up about the springs. i just cant afford to mess up the car. itd be a nightmare if i got to the ferry to bring the kit back to liverpool and the car wouldnt mount the various ramps! id have to stay here

do u know where i could find info on the load curve thing?

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 7:32 pm

one last thing, is it the shocks or the springs that reduce body roll?

jakethesnake · Post by **jakethesnake** » Thu Feb 26, 2004 9:49 pm

The springs control the amount of body roll. The harder they are the less roll you will have but at the expense of a poorer ride

. The dampers control the rate at which the the compressed spring can return to it's original position. Harder springs need an uprated damper to work effectively. Uprated dampers with the standard springs should be an improvement in handling whilst keeping a compliant ride and the standard ride height which seems to be important for your use of the car.

I would pay the extra for the koni kit if you can afford it, that way you will have some shorter springs incase you change your mind at a later date.

I wanted the koni dampers when I got my eibach's but I couldn't afford them

. I wish I had saved a bit longer now, cos I'm not too keen on the non adjustable GMAX dampers.
Still I have to live with it now because I don't want to spend more money on suspension for this car now, I have other things I need

.

I want a 9N TDI

chubbster · Post by **chubbster** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 8:32 pm

great! that is exactly wot i needed to know. uve made my mind up 4 me. id kind of decided on the koni kit but put the springs on wen its more suitable (like u suggested) but now im goin to take the risk and chuck the entire kit on. i desperately want to cut down the body roll, some of the mountain roads here scare the crap out of me. the car pitchs and u think it could all be over, theres no way i want to spend 400 and then fitting without enjoying roads here. i think itll be a case of wen its done just see how much it can take (load wise) and if i dont think itll go on the boat put the standard springs back on. expensive but worth gettin off this island!

cheers for that much appreciated.

jakethesnake · Post by **jakethesnake** » Fri Feb 27, 2004 9:31 pm

The standard springs do give a lot of body roll

even with an anti-roll bar. Scary as you say.
I noticed a massive improvement after I fitted the eibach's but a poorer ride, but hey that's to be expected.