Daily driver spring & shock combo advice, tips, experiences

**greens_tuf** · 30-06-2008, 10:09 PM

Hi Guys,

I have a 96 Mk3 VR6 that is all stock except for a 2" pipe straight through from cat back to rear muffler + twin tips. The car has only done 110 000Kms, was on 98 000 when I bought it just over 1 year ago.

I've spent the past year fixing common faults and replacing dry rubbers and broken plastics.

I don't plan on modifying the engine, I'm keeping the stock BBS wheels, as I want a stock look.

With all this in mind, what advice/tips/help do you guys have when doing a suspension upgrade. I won't be racing this car or adjusting the height, I just want a decent handling ride, with a decent level of comfort. The best of both worlds I guess.

I wasn't even thinking of coil overs, just a good matched set of springs and shocks, and new bushes i suppose?

I don't want to lower the car too much maybe just an inch, mostly to try and fill the void in the front guards. Man it looks like the car wants to launch down the 1/4 mile lol.

Remember I'll be riding on the 15's, with 205/50's. I'll go for a good quality tyre (any tips) there?

What do you guys think about rear sway bars to reduce the amount of understeer when cornering?

Sorry about the long post, I just thought I'd cover all bases. Also, I did a search through the previous posts and thought that I'd rather be more specific to my situation and needs.

Cheers
Mark

**rayray086** · 30-06-2008, 10:31 PM

Hi Mark, I have had a new set of Koni Special (red) shocks coupled with Koni lowering springs (40mm all around) and they rode fantastic. Very comfortable and improved handling by a lot (I had 120,000km-old standard items in there prior). I went through a distributor for them and they ended up being $1060 shipped to my door. Not cheap considering you can buy coilovers for as low as $500 now.

Cup kits are what you're really looking for if you're under a budget. The springs are matched to the shocks so handling is usually predictable and the ride is comfortable (not harsh). Prices from local distributors would usually be like the set I had, but importing it in yourself can actually save you quite a bit (as well as offer you a larger range of brands/setups to choose from). Same applies to coilovers. I reckon you'll be happy with a cupkit if you don't have an urge to go silly low. I did though, and I've regretted not saving up a bit more for true coilovers!

New bushes and mounts are a must when you change your suspension. I did mine a few thousand km's after installing the new suspension and it felt like I installed new shocks and springs again haha. Everything felt slightly stiffer but the car felt more responsive as a result. IMO, it still didn't affect comfort much.

A rear sway bar will further stiffen things up, and you're right, it will help in reducing understeer by inducing oversteer (from what I've read anyway). The Mk3 never came with a rear sway bar so installing one will make a very noticeable difference (especially over bumps!).

As for tyres, I'd check around tyre review sites like 1010tyres.com and tirerack.com. I've only started driving a few years ago so I haven't had much experience with different tyres, but from what I've used, you really get what you pay for. My Goodyear Eagle F1 (GSD3) tyres were fantastic through a few of our cruise runs and are very quiet. On the other hand, I have used cheap Nankang NS2 tyres and while they performed OK, tyre noise was unbearable.

**Golf Houso** · 30-06-2008, 10:47 PM

Are you sure the MK3 didn't come with a rear swaybar? I'm pretty sure it does...

**peedman** · 30-06-2008, 11:14 PM

No rear sway bar stock mate. Rays advice is good, that koni kit he had in his car was superb and rode really well which is why im a bit skeptical about cheap coilovers. A decent coilover set will set back a fair bit since the local distributors arent exactly cheap and anything overseas need taxes to be paid. My koni kit cost 1800 all up but the ride should be superb.

Rear sway bar definately a good buy, and also think of new front swaybar links and control arm bushes. A pain in the ass to replace but worth the investment

**Golf Houso** · 30-06-2008, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by peedman

No rear sway bar stock mate. Rays advice is good, that koni kit he had in his car was superb and rode really well which is why im a bit skeptical about cheap coilovers. A decent coilover set will set back a fair bit since the local distributors arent exactly cheap and anything overseas need taxes to be paid. My koni kit cost 1800 all up but the ride should be superb.

Rear sway bar definately a good buy, and also think of new front swaybar links and control arm bushes. A pain in the ass to replace but worth the investment

wow, you learn something every day

Thanks for that, now I must begin the hunt!

**Mrk_Mickey** · 30-06-2008, 11:59 PM

To be honest, I wouldn't rule out those Hot-Tuning coilovers that you can buy from "evorobin". A few of the members here have them and are absolutely loving it, especially because of the price (<700 to your door INCLUDING replacement rubbers from GAP)!

I'm sure if you're not looking to drop the guts on the VR then a comfortable ride height will give you a good amount of spring movement, which gives you a comfier ride; and the good thing about these is that they cost less than a HEAP of alternatives, AND, can also be adjusted in height if you want a stronger set-up one time, or if you go for a different stance in the long run!

Hope this helps mate

Oh yeah - and swaybars make a massive difference, I'd definitely get one if I were you!

**greens_tuf** · 01-07-2008, 09:45 AM

Hey guys,

Thanks for all the good advice. I'm not really on a budget, I'd rather spend a little extra to get a good quality setup. I'll be going for a rear swaybar and new bushes and mounts. I don't want to raise the same question again, but what bushes do you guys recommend? I know there are raging debates out there, but I suppose I would just need OEM bushes?

I wasn't planning on doing the install myself, I don't need any headaches or slaps in the face

Has anyone had experience with any local joints and their products? pedders? (remember its just a daily driver)

I might call Bilstein when I know what I want, but a quick look on their site showed they had Bilstein Tuning Kits, matched springs and shocks. Anyone have comments on these, prices or ranges would be nice too.

Thanks guys.

**Mrk_Mickey** · 01-07-2008, 11:18 AM

get the bushes off GAP

It's about 60 bucks for the bushes so you just need 40 bucks worth of other things to get an international order (min. int'l order $100), so order other cheap little bits too

**rayray086** · 01-07-2008, 01:12 PM

Yep, GAP is the best place to order them. You can either go for standard bushes and mounts, or go for the heavy duty and/or polyurethane items. The HD or poly items may fair better with harder suspensions.