MKIII Golf - Lower just a little ?

[black_bull]

Hi fellow dubbers ,

Just bought myself some 16" wheels and tyres for my MKIII golf GL

Wheels look great, but the ride height doesnt .. it needs to be just a little lower .. can i get away with just changing the springs ?

I've read the whole topic started by the user "Elwood" on lowering and the pros and cons of using just springs as opposed to springs and shocks and then of course moving up to coilovers. .

I got the impression everyone who commented was talking about "dumping" the car , lowering it a whole lot ..

Im not going for the showcar look and am simply wondering how bad the ride might be if i lowered the car just a little with some king springs (or similar) and kept the stock shocks ..

Any help is always much appreciated ..

[rayray086]

You can most certainly replace the springs only. However, most aftermarket springs are harder than stock and can reduce the life of the shocks. You'll soon find it's not dampening well anymore, leading to a bouncy and sensitive ride.

For a little more, I'd go for an aftermarket shock and spring combo. Lowering amount would be exactly the same as using stock shocks but ride would be so much more compliant and comfortable.

Of course, if you don't mind a bouncy ride, by all means just swap out the springs. When you're ready, you can always upgrade to better shocks.

[black_bull]

rayray ,

Cheers !

Thats exactly the response i was looking for, I think i'll head down to the place where i got the wheels and make some inquiries ..

Bouncy is OK , just as long as its not dangerous .. I mean its not a race car / and never will be but i certainly like to "keep up" with traffic ..

[maca]

Wouldn't suggest changing the springs and not the shocks. My brother did this on his new SS ute and well about 4 years later there's about $2,000 worth of damages. Engine mounts, shocks, bumper coming from it's mounts, hell even his headlights were on their last leg and a lot more! Not to mention his back problems (possibly not from the car..)

[black_bull]

Maca,

You make an interesting point ..

Thats exactly what im trying to avoid, just plain ruining what started as a clean, stock as a rock Golf with extremely low km's.

I called up my local Pedders and had a chat with the guy there and he assured me they stock a set of springs that will suit my MKIII and would lower the ride height by 35mm ..

So my next question was obviously about how good for the car it would be and he reckons that the ride quality wouldnt change for the worse and that i''d get a little better performance in terms of handling ..

Im aware that a certain degree of "sales pitch" is in there ..

$700 installed .... Thoughts ?

[peedman]

It really depends on what brand u buy. My eibachs + standard sach shocks are bumpy compared to stock, stiff in the rear means an overall harshness. $700 installed from pedders is expensive considering a decent cup kit (springs + shocks) like weitecs is only a few hundred more inc shipping from the uk. The quality of pedders vs big brands is also considerable. Installation isnt terribly difficult, i remember tackling it myself on my first install and it took about half a day. If u wait u could prob pick up a kit second hand off here for alot cheaper!

[black_bull]

Now were talking !

Yeah the pedders option does seem to be a bit of a cop out ..

Might be time to get my hands dirty me thinks ..

Regarding self installs .. Is there any literature out there on replacing suspension ?? like a tear down manual ?

[Water Boy]

Hi there,

Iv got a Mk3 and its lowered 30mm all round. Get some form of cup kit and im more than happy to help install the suspension as lonmg as you organise a front end allignment.

Here is my car:



Lowered 30mm all round on 15" wheels

[peedman]

Now were talking !

Yeah the pedders option does seem to be a bit of a cop out ..

Might be time to get my hands dirty me thinks ..

Regarding self installs .. Is there any literature out there on replacing suspension ?? like a tear down manual ?

Bentley manual or haynes covers it. Bentley is thicker and more detailed in most sections however u will still get by with a haynes guide (and u can get it locally).

[hokenmk3]

Hey,

My golf isn't lowered or anything but my supra was lowered on koni. That point aside, the springs and shocks that pedders have are bought from repco and painted. You could knock about $200 off the price by ordering the generic part from repco.

That said, I reckon it would be a better idea to do the upgrade properly and get upgraded strut bearings, top mounts and bushes at the same time. Upgraded suspension chews standard top mounts and bushes. Then for better performance, front strut stabiliser and rear sway bar.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.