Hottuning coilover installation help please.

[VR6child]

Very grateful for that, cheers.

I'm not afraid to do some ghetto engineering if I have to. I don't have access to air tools so instead I use a 2 metre metal fence pole as a wrench handle extension! Definitely puts the smackdown on those bolts that are otherwise impossible to undo.

[Lorenz]

You shouldnt have to use spring compressers to get the fronts in, I fitted a set of hottuning coils to my MK3 without any dramas.

I put all the new bushes onto the top of the struts and fitted them the same way they came out.

Unless you have the wrong set of coils for a MK3, they will just bolt up without any modifications. I wish I had taken pics when I installed mine, was so simple!

[VR6child]

You shouldnt have to use spring compressers to get the fronts in, I fitted a set of hottuning coils to my MK3 without any dramas.

I put all the new bushes onto the top of the struts and fitted them the same way they came out.

Unless you have the wrong set of coils for a MK3, they will just bolt up without any modifications. I wish I had taken pics when I installed mine, was so simple!

This has definitely crossed my mind. On the paperwork it says golf2/3/corrado, but they are just so damn difficult to fit I think that is a possibility. The back I can see going in with some backyard engineering, but the fronts seriously have me stumped. Just seems like there is too little thread. I measured the length of the hottuning thread, which came to 4cm. The old threads on the oem struts seems somewhat longer...

[Lorenz]

Can you get me the model number off one of the struts please? I will double check you have the right ones. Did you get these off us (Robin)?

[VR6child]

Yeah I did, except he had run out of stock in Aus so he ordered these direct from Belgium for me. I will go down and look at the model number, where is it located on the strut?

edit: the springs on mine are blue, I assumed hottunings generally had red springs, for what it's worth...

[Tim]

i havent read through the thread yet but do you have the coilovers wound all the way down? might be easier when they are. You can always wind back up when on the car.

[VR6child]

Yes, the fronts I worked on today were wound to within an inch of their life to the bottom.

I looked for the model number on the strut. Both front and rear had '52 09'. The fronts also had 'VW02H', the rears had 'VW02V' - could have been vice versa.

[h100vw]

Yes, the fronts I worked on today were wound to within an inch of their life to the bottom.

I looked for the model number on the strut. Both front and rear had '52 09'. The fronts also had 'VW02H', the rears had 'VW02V' - could have been vice versa.

The V and H in the part numbers will be for Vorna and Hinten. Fornt and back.

Gavin

[rayray086]

edit: it just seems like the cylinder-shaped washer on top of the springs is too long, and not letting the mount settle down low enough. We compared that same washer on the old suspension and it was a good 5mm shorter than on the new coilovers. Hence why we thought swapping the old and new cynlinders would allow the mount to sit properly.

Oh **** that reminds me, the Hottunings I got were like that too, though only for one of them. Like you have mentioned, swap the cylindrical spacer over, or chop it down to the same length.

[VR6child]

Oh **** that reminds me, the Hottunings I got were like that too, though only for one of them. Like you have mentioned, swap the cylindrical spacer over, or chop it down to the same length.

Could probably get the rears to fit by doing either cutting or swapping the tube, but the fronts are a whole other deal. Don't think there's any way around the fact the thread won't hold all the bolts/bearing/top hat thing that need to fit on it.

[rayray086]

I thought it was only the rears you had the problem... so the fronts, the top hat shows a gap when you lower it back down?

[VR6child]

Nah haven't even got to the point of putting the front ones on the car. There is just not enough thread on the strut to fit on the bolt, the bearing, and then put it through the mount and the cup shaped stopper on the other side of the strut tower, and then finally put the top bolt on.

I have the top hat thing tightly on it's stopper and there is just hardly any thread left to work with...The oem suspension had about 1cm of thread left poking out into the engine bay, as did another pic I just saw of some aftermarket coilovers. This is what I am working with:

[jayjay]

remember that your helper spring needs to compresed before you bolt the strut mount to the top... ( that should give you about another 2 inches. spring compressers wont fit in the tight coils.

two ways to do this. a - strut with unbolted mount sitting up inside the tower. lower car on to strut (making sure it goes in the hole!!) zip up through the top and then cap then captive nut. then set to desired height by winding the thread up or down.

b - wind the coilovers all the way to the bottom, torque down strut mount install on car!! (hehe) then with the wheel off, get up in there with the c-spanner and wind up (this takes ages). alternatively, you could leave it wound all the way down... this = lots of tuck.

for the rears you definitely need to use the old spacer.

[VR6child]

remember that your helper spring needs to compresed before you bolt the strut mount to the top... ( that should give you about another 2 inches. spring compressers wont fit in the tight coils.

two ways to do this. a - strut with unbolted mount sitting up inside the tower. lower car on to strut (making sure it goes in the hole!!) zip up through the top and then cap then captive nut. then set to desired height by winding the thread up or down.

b - wind the coilovers all the way to the bottom, torque down strut mount install on car!! (hehe) then with the wheel off, get up in there with the c-spanner and wind up (this takes ages). alternatively, you could leave it wound all the way down... this = lots of tuck.

for the rears you definitely need to use the old spacer.

Not 100% sure what you mean by 'a'. But I'm pretty sure I have tried 'b'. That pic above is with the coils adjusted all the way down to the bottom. The top hat thing is resting as low as it possibly can get - it is hitting it's stopper. And that hardly leaves me any thread to work with...

[rayray086]

That nut on the fronts might not be tight? To hold it down I use a spanner on a spark plug socket to tighten the nut, while using a hex bit (allen key works) on the top to prevent the whole thing from rotating as I tighten that nut.