RS Eibach lowering springs (family wagon)

[Tigger]

Yes Eibach Aust were really great to deal with!
Ordered one day...delivered the next.

Items are of a very high quality and fitment was straightforward for someone who knows what they are doing....

[MountainBikeMike]

Ah fek. So I'm using a brand new Kinchrome 7mm allen wrench with a long lever attached to it to get the 21mm bolt off. Nek minnit:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/kip85q1xoz...2016.07.20.jpg

Cant see it, but the 7mm hole pulled through, so now I cant turn it. Where do I go from here?

I believe that by holding the inner shaft with a proper sized clamp you can still get it off and back on again. I will probably take it to my mechanic to sort out and hope it doesn't happen to the other side.. Wasted a good 4 hours today, albeit without a strut speader it took an hour to remove just the bottom of the damper.

I guess worst case: time to upgrade dampers..

One more thing, 2 of the 3 13mm bolts holding the top of the strut are twisting inside the rubber casing, preventing me from tightening them hard. I will loctite them, but is this still unsafe?

[brad]

I usually undo / tighten the strut nut with a rattle gun & then double check the tightness by hand. Rinse & repeat once it's installed in the car if you can access it. It's probably not kosher for most people but that's how I've always done it for the ~500 strut changes I've done.

I've never come across the issue of the studs turning in any car. The studs should be a press fit into the top bearing mount housing thingy. The base of the stud will be knurled to deform into the hole. I have no idea what rubber bit you are referring to.

If you've made the clearance between the stud & the housing thingy a bit loose & can't glue it or tack weld it then why not put your 13mm ring on the nut & then grab the thread of the stud with some vice grips.

Alternatively, would a washer under the nut help?

Looking at your photo again... Why are the outer mount holes threaded like that & why have you pulled the studs out?

If you can't get them tight then you'll get a rattle - keep in mind that the torque isn't huge. It's like put your finger in the end of a 6" ring and curl your fingers hard tight. (it's 15Nm + a quarter of a turn)

The big nut is 60Nm

[MountainBikeMike]

I usually undo / tighten the strut nut with a rattle gun & then double check the tightness by hand. Rinse & repeat once it's installed in the car if you can access it. It's probably not kosher for most people but that's how I've always done it for the ~500 strut changes I've done.

I've never come across the issue of the studs turning in any car. The studs should be a press fit into the top bearing mount housing thingy. The base of the stud will be knurled to deform into the hole. I have no idea what rubber bit you are referring to.

If you've made the clearance between the stud & the housing thingy a bit loose & can't glue it or tack weld it then why not put your 13mm ring on the nut & then grab the thread of the stud with some vice grips.

Alternatively, would a washer under the nut help?

Looking at your photo again... Why are the outer mount holes threaded like that & why have you pulled the studs out?

If you can't get them tight then you'll get a rattle - keep in mind that the torque isn't huge. It's like put your finger in the end of a 6" ring and curl your fingers hard tight. (it's 15Nm + a quarter of a turn)

The big nut is 60Nm

So you dont touch the 7mm socket (very center in my pic) at all to hold the shaft in place? Damn, I do have an M18 impact wrench..

The rubber bit Im referring to is what you see in my picture with the three threaded holes around it. This is where the strut top mounts in to the strut tower and where the 13mm bolts go. BUT the threads are spinning and are nearly impossible to access. I will try to vice grip them from the bottom and loctite.

[brad]

So you dont touch the 7mm socket (very center in my pic) at all to hold the shaft in place? Damn, I do have an M18 impact wrench..

Nah, I just go in like Abdullah The Butcher & rattle it off. Usually with the spring pressure on it at the start to stop the shaft spinning. If you are undoing, you might want to squirt it with penetrene/wd40 as the corrode on the thread a bit. 60Nm tighten isn't huge - half what you do a wheel nut & that isn't as tight as most people think.

The rubber bit Im referring to is what you see in my picture with the three threaded holes around it. This is where the strut top mounts in to the strut tower and where the 13mm bolts go. BUT the threads are spinning and are nearly impossible to access. I will try to vice grip them from the bottom and loctite.

So you are saying that coming from the engine bay (top) side they are bolts going downwards into those threaded bits?

On my Octy, the top hat has studs coming up from the bottom that go through the holes in the body & then you put the nuts onto the studs.

I have to admit that I assumed they are pressed in like any other top hat. Trust VW to do it different... and on the same model too! /rolls eyes

The threaded inserts are definitely turning in the rubber surround? Doesn't sound right at all. Personally, I'd wack it all together so that it seems safe & order some new top hats from OS as it sounds like they are buggered (maybe).

[brad]

NB: my way of doing these things isn't necessarily the "proper" way. I did suspension for about 8 years & learn't where I could be a thug & where I had to finesse the job.

I broke plenty of stuff learning.

[dportaz]

So I got my Eibach springs, Whiteline rear swaybar and torque arm insert installed today... looking forward to when it settles so it looks a touch lower than what it is... sway bar is amazing for cornering.... got a really large round about near home and the thing just stuck going the full way around, doing around 60kmh and it was a bit wet... cant wait to test this thing out in the dry....

Question for the guys with the whiteline adjustable... what setting do you guys have your on...?? I just got my mechanic to install on the medium setting, but im thinkin when I get my next service i'll get him to chuck it on the stiff setting for even better cornering.. that way its like im upgrading my car again without really upgrading it...

[donweather]

Got my lower control arms installed yesterday. Damn impressive for almost eliminating axle tramp. One question I have for those who have them installed. Mine seem to be making a clunk sound when I go over bumps like speed bumps or up driveways etc. Is this the arms just settling in? Did yours also do this? Should I be taking it back to the installer to get it looked at? I got the adjustable ball joints and they said they've got it on the maximum camber.

[dArK5HaD0w]

Question for the guys with the whiteline adjustable... what setting do you guys have your on...?? I just got my mechanic to install on the medium setting, but im thinkin when I get my next service i'll get him to chuck it on the stiff setting for even better cornering.. that way its like im upgrading my car again without really upgrading it...

I've got mine set to medium.

B careful with the hard setting. Oversteer becomes more pronounced.

[dportaz]

I've got mine set to medium.

B careful with the hard setting. Oversteer becomes more pronounced.

All good, went for a drive last nite again, and it felt even better... Cannot believe the amount of grip now... no matter how fast im going, keep a steady pedal and just keep turning the wheel... My mate was shocked at the amount of grip I was getting...

[donweather]

Got my lower control arms installed yesterday. Damn impressive for almost eliminating axle tramp.

Let's just say with some more testing over the weekend, I'm a little less impressed with the lower control arms. Still good, but not as good as I experienced on Friday. Got some axle tramp still when you absolutely floor it in 1st gear.

Definite improvement in cornering and flooring it in 2nd though. Was impressed this.

Still undecided if I'l chip it yet though given the axle tramping in 1st still.

Will also be getting this clunking checked out as it's getting worse.

I'm wondering if the guys with the lower control arms and springs are actually getting benefits from both with respect to axle tramping reduction. Does the lowering of the car/stiffer springs reduce lift on the front axle during hard acceleration, thus reducing axle tramping by keeping more weight over the front axle?

[macrex]

Just got my Eibach springs for my VRS TSI My12 wagon after ordering the incorrect hatchback version first up. Got the second set from Eibach Aust ordered one day delivered the next. Hope they give me the right drop as mine seems to sit very high.

So I have a set of Eibach springs for an Octavia II Hatchback sitting in the garage, cant post them up for sale as I haven't been on the forum long enough- darn.

[dArK5HaD0w]

correct part num for zee wagon breed......

[donweather]

Just a question. What's the difference (performance wise) between a linear spring and a progressive spring on a stock OEM shock absorber?

[brad]

Progressive is generally softer at first and gets much harder as it compresses. It might start at 50lb/inch & increase to 150lb/inch

Linear is the same all the way through - say 80lb/inch.

Both will eventually kill the OEM damper but it will depend on the road surface / load.

I've had both & prefer linear if the car has been lowered. Progressive always feels like you've run out of spring travel (for me).