Shock Absorber Recommendations for 2001 Bora V5

[mattb]

As the title suggests I am after new shocks for my Bora. What have you had success with?

Cheers Matt

[99gti]

What is your budget?

[mattb]

Hi Neil
$1000 would be the limit.
Thanks Matt

[glidn]

if you can stretch it not that you really have to check some of the companies in the States, you should be able to get a Bilstein HD suspension kit for about that money landed in Aussie.

But from experience doing a Bilstein Suspension and H&R Springs is really fantastic. Drive even better than standard and handles far better.

[cus]

The bilsteins worked for you? Don't know if the guys that put mine in got them wrong, but h&r's with Bilsteins on my 03 Bora 4Motion was damn stiff. Sharpened it up a fair bit, but I couldn't take the ride. Maybe I'm getting old!

Word to the wise tho, I switched out the Bilsteins for some Konis and they don't work with the H&Rs at all. Bumpstops a go go. Guess that's cause the Bilsteins are gas and the Konis aren't?

[mattb]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.

Anymore advice?

Matt

[glidn]

Both Bilstein and Koni are Gass pressurized shocks,

It sounds to me that you ended up with a 50mm H&R spring kit not a 40mm,

The girlfriends car is currently running the Bilstein and H&R 40mm combo, it drive super smooth softer on the road than the standard stuff.

One other thing to note if you do have the 40mm kit did you get the Bilstein HD shocks or the sports tuning shocks?

The HD in the rear makes the car more boucy and firm on the road.

[cus]

Thanks Glidn,

Dunno whether the H&Rs are 40 or 50mm (is there any way to tell?), but with the Bilsteins the suspension was rock hard, and with the Konis it was as soft as standard. And because they're lower than standard springs (about an inch or so) they bottomed out badly all the time with the Konis in.

I think the Bilsteins were the sports version from memory. A bit of a shame cause I've now gone back to the standard springs with the Konis, and my main aim in changing the shocks & springs was to sharpen up the steering and now I'm (almost) back to square one!

cheers
Marcus

[glidn]

Thanks Glidn,

Dunno whether the H&Rs are 40 or 50mm (is there any way to tell?), but with the Bilsteins the suspension was rock hard, and with the Konis it was as soft as standard. And because they're lower than standard springs (about an inch or so) they bottomed out badly all the time with the Konis in.

I think the Bilsteins were the sports version from memory. A bit of a shame cause I've now gone back to the standard springs with the Konis, and my main aim in changing the shocks & springs was to sharpen up the steering and now I'm (almost) back to square one!

cheers
Marcus

Not 100% suer on how to tell the diffence between 40mm and 50mm H&R springs, other than maybe the height.

Does sound abit bizzare that your suspension bottoms out, i'm running Bilstein PSS adjustable in my golf, the front is currently on it's lowest setting, and they have been rebuilt last year. And they have never bottomed out at all.

Weird,

What colour are you H&R springs?

[cus]

Yeah I thought it was weird too. The H&Rs are red. I might take a photo of them and post it.

[glidn]

yeah thats the same version H&R's the missus's car has, H&R use to have different colour springs, indicating different spring rates.

[cus]

Maybe they've sold me the wrong shocks then...