GTI suspension in a mk5 TDI

[polski_ogurek]

hey all, just a quick question, would the GTI suspension(stock) go straight into a TDI?? if not would just the springs work with the stock TDI shocks??
p.s. MY08 2.0TDI comfortline, if that makes a difference
cheers
Jonasz

[vdubmotorworx]

straight swop over either way mate. they are the same but different height and strenght...VDUB...

[poyta]

Have heard its been done before but but I would be concerned - there's quite a weight difference between the diesel engine in the TDI and the petrol engine in the GTI - there's a reason why they make specific TDI springs/suspension.

[brad]

It will work but you'll have a bit more drop in the nose. You would want the dampers to be reasonably fresh - 40,000km tops or buy some new ones (sachs are pretty cheap).

Don't forget the swaybars - do at least the rear. The front is a pain.

I also wouldn't bother if you are paying labour to do the job.

Mk6 gear fits as well.

What are you trying to gain by doing the swap? Lower ride height or better handling?

Personally, I went the other way. I have a 118tsi petrol Skoda Octavia hatch & fitted Octavia vRS diesel wagon Eibach springs & Koni Sport adjustable dampers. Turned out fantastic! (Octavia has the same suspension as a Golf)

[polski_ogurek]

Well its my daily, so i was hoping to gain a slight bit of performance, and tiny bit of a height drop. But from what your saying, it would be better to get some new springs and shocks to do that. was considering getting some coilovers, but the car gets driven ALOT and adelaide roads are like swiss cheese.
Might look into some stiffer springs in the future, cheers lads.

[brad]

Quality coilovers won't necessarily ruin your ride quality.

Research, research, research!

I would rate the Koni Sport dampers as the 2nd best mod I've done to improve the vehicle. #1 was a remap.

BTW: there are some KW V1 in the for sale area. They are supposed to be decent quality.

[polski_ogurek]

Quality coilovers won't necessarily ruin your ride quality.

Research, research, research!

I would rate the Koni Sport dampers as the 2nd best mod I've done to improve the vehicle. #1 was a remap.

BTW: there are some KW V1 in the for sale area. They are supposed to be decent quality.

Thats the thing, i cant afford good quality coilovers, which is why I would prefer to go for something a bit tamer, unfortunately 6 years of uni and being a masters student has stripped me of all my money, and time to make moneys, so anything i do has to be on the cheap.

thanks anyways

[kaanage]

brad is using the correct terminology which may be confusing you as almost everyone else here speaks Americano when discussing suspension (hey, check out my sways, dude).

Dampers are exactly that - the units that dampen (ie control) the response of the vehicle and wheels against the springs (which are shock absorbers when you think about it).

So brad is proposing that you replace just the damping units to get better vehicle control without sacrificing any ground clearance or much comfort. It isn't popular here as there is no visual aspect but it is a much bigger performance enhancement than just lowering springs (which I would argue are actually detrimental to real performance). Unfortunately, decent dampers are not much cheaper than a decent cup kit (lowering springs + matched dampers) so once you factor in labour, there isn't much cost savings over a cup kit, although you could just fit the dampers and sell the springs as a lowering kit