Lowering my mk1

[JoshFair]

What do i need??

I know abot coilovers - but they are slightly out of my price range.. what are decent and shorter stiffened shocks that i can put on my golf?? the more specific the better cheers lads and lasses

[Stephy]

Save up and buy coilovers - specific enough

[Oneofthegreats]

Whats your budget for starters?

That's the best starting place.

Cause you could either go for a good quality spring/shock combo eg. adjustable Koni yellow shocks & Eibach springs & have a excellent handling & ride quality characteristics & still lower you car upto 2"

or

You could just be chasing "dumpage" & go for cheap arse coilovers & have zero ride quality but look supposedly "cool/scene"





I know what I'd rather have

[Jarred]

Save up and buy coilovers - specific enough

yea pretty much. buying some 'decent' springs and shortened stroke shocks will set you back more than cheap coilovers. and they probably wont go low enough to satisfy. mind you, if you that spring and shocks would probably handle better than the cheap coils (and have dampning adjustability maybe too)

[Oneofthegreats]

mind you, if you that spring and shocks would probably handle better than the cheap coils (and have dampning adjustability maybe too)

What do you mean by "would probably handle better"

I can garantee a shock & spring setup will ride & handle a ton better than any cheap coilovers

Hell!

Even my decade+ old koni's with Jamex springs & the fronts chopped will still ride & handle better


I honestly don't know what it is about these days where people just want to dump cars on the ground & bounce around everywhere! Oh & use the cheapest parts possible to achieve it.




& if you turn around & say "oh but you chopped your springs", that was before coilovers were main stream & even then they were around the $3K mark & thats over 12 years ago!


Long story short as to why I chopped the springs.
I had short bodied front struts with level ride height & they blew out from crazy road works & couldn't get replacement struts(the brand no longer made that version). So I had to go back to stock struts & fit koni inserts & fit the springs which raised the car up approx 1" cause of the longer strut body. So I had to chop the front spring to get the cars ride height level again!

[GeorgeMK1]

Hey guys, so bottom line whats the best recomendation?

Say it was Hot tuning coilovers which i believe are around $700 (i think)

How much would shock/spring combo cost and how would that compare to a decent set of coilovers?
Also what is a "decent" set of coilovers? (brand and price)

[Oneofthegreats]

Hey guys, so bottom line whats the best recomendation?

Say it was Hot tuning coilovers which i believe are around $700 (i think)

How much would shock/spring combo cost and how would that compare to a decent set of coilovers?
Also what is a "decent" set of coilovers? (brand and price)

What would you like to do with the car first & foremost?

Street & track work etc

or

street & just look cool?

[Jarred]

If you're on the bumpstops obviously the ride is crap! but if you have even cheapy coils set at a reasonable ride height
, ah hell, they're still crap and not match very well. (IMO)


All depends on what you're after.


I wanted to belly ache my deisel, and I figured cheapy coils would be alot safer than chopped springs. Both would have hit bump stops at the height I had mine.

If I wanted something that would handle better I'd would have spent twice as much and gone for wietec/bilstein/H&R coilovers. This way I'd have more precise control over the ride height, but still have a quality unit and adjustability (other than just height)

If I was going pure "race car" I'd just go a set of koni adjustables and quality springs. i'd have no control over the ride height (other than specified manufactor drop spring height) but being a race car, I wouldn't be going for a look, rather ride quality & improved handling.

Like I said, and has been mentioned countless times, depends what you're after, what you're going to use it for, and what your budget is.

I'm pretty sure this whole topic of lowering a mk 1 has been covered many times before.

[GeorgeMK1]

Im going for a street/low look and i doubt Josh will be doing racing in his mk1 aswell.

I dont want to go extremely low as i dont want my tyres scraping ont he arches etc (like they already do!)

I was hoping to get the golf pretty damn low with some new lower profile tyres, but also have reasonable ride and handling.
I guess i could substitute a little "lowness" for ride and handling as i tend to drive like a F1 driver from time to time.

Hope that helps??

[VW VR6]

I am running my VW Mk3 VR6 on Hottuning coilovers over 1 yr and everything is ok 100%. Recommended (evorobin).

[JoshFair]

George and I seem to be on the same page...

I really intend my car to be for looks... My friend's dad owns a bodyworks shop... (a trade in which i'm trying to get into myself) so by the end of the year it will be re-sprayed and very glossy looking.. i want deep dish agressive offset wheels (will flare guards) and hammered REALLY low..

I have no previous experience in this area.. so i'm wondering "do you need specific size/blah/blah/smack shock - that is going to be a bitch to find" or "they are pretty universal and wont cost much to get a set of stiff shocks and choppable springs....

YES chopped springs... I'm under the impression that cutting coils is alright IF you have stiffend shocks, and that when the wheel is jacked up, the spring is firm on both contact points.. the real danger is cutting factory coils when you have shocks suited to that particular shock.. as dangers of hitting a bump, shocks fully extending, and causing coils to become limp and move (or even fall out)...

This Golf is going to be for shows... looks.. i will one day get one with a massive beast of a lump.. but from seeing my friend spend 30k+ on engine/mods.. theres no way i can afford that style of car right now...

i would be stoked if i can get what i want for less than 500... call me poor, but i'm getting married in october and thats my priority at this point in time...

Now you konw where i'm at and what i'm after..... any suggestions???

Thanks guys