Lowering for aesthetics

[flashpixx]

Have read quite a lot on here about suspension mods for the GTI. Most appear to be doing the mods for improved handling, some for the track. One of the things that irks me a little about the polo is that it sits a little high - the gap between wheel arch & tyre.

If seeking mainly an aesthetic improvement, but with no loss of suspension performance (harder is OK, but not compromises) what might be the recommended mods. Happy to do some reading/research if I can be pointed in the right direction.

thanks

[Stan]

Really there are three main options for lowering -

Air bags - infinitely adjustable, awesome ride, can be very expensive.

Coil over suspension: Cheap ones have ok ride and are height adjustable only. Go a bit more upmarket and you can adjust rebound and damper as well.

lowered springs: Inexpensive, but you are limited to a set height and spring rates and characteristics - Having said that, i have lowered Pedders on my car and they are fine. They ride a tad harder than standard, and are low enough to look good, but I dont scrape on every driveway.

Personally - if you have the money get fully adjustable coils - best of all worlds, you can adjust your height and ride. No real sense in adjusting for height only to find you can live with the ride.

head across to the wheel and suspension section, it's all thrashed out there

[gavs]

Lowering for aesthetics

What Stan said.

But, bear in mind going lower with the front end geometry in these cars will ruin handling but as you said, your goal is aesthetics so, go nuts

[s4mmie]

Chuck some JOM coilovers in there, drop it on its arse and be done. They're ridiculously cheap for coilovers.. and they go lowww.

[noone]

Pick a good brand (for cheaper options, FK's or Weitec), work out your front swaybar links (need shorter ones if going properly low), cut down the rear bump stops and you're pretty much done.

I'd contact Damien at DPM Performance in the UK for the best pricing, good service and opinions.

Don't cheap out, you'll end up hating it, FK's seem to get good reviews, Weitec are well priced for their basic coilovers. Once they're here, make sure you see if there are adjusters that should be removed, etc.

[Smead]

Lowering for aesthetics

I'm running FK AK Streetlines and have had no problems what so ever. They're not in the league of more expensive coilies but for $430 landed they're good

[flashpixx]

Thanks for the replies. I think 20mm will be plenty. Not looking for the slammed look (yuk) just a little sportier. Main thing is not to lose suspension performance or cause any other components to fail.

[s4mmie]

+1 for DPM performance and their service. Also for the FK's, nice and comfortable considering how low they go. Depends what you want, going low always brings compromises with it.

[Bflat]

My AP Coilovers aren't really a 'performance focused' setup but provide plenty of lows whilst still retaining the stock comfort levels.

Here's an example of the height I run raily.

[s4mmie]

Yep, personally I don't think you'll be happy with 20mm drop. A good set of lowering springs will go more than that.
For reference, this is how mine sits at the moment. Rear adjusters pulled out and the front set to match the rear height --







KW's don't go as low as some, admittedly I'd like it if I could get a little lower on the rear. Not having a spare, etc doesn't help.


I am really glad I went with coil-overs though as I wouldn't have been happy with the 30-35mm drop from the springs I was considering. It sounds like a lot but you don't realise just how high these things sit stock!

[kaanage]

bear in mind going lower with the front end geometry in these cars will ruin handling

Yes. If the front control arms end up with the hub end higher than the body end, then you get terrible bump steer. The lower roll centre also increases body roll.
This can be corrected with long ball joints or ball joint extenders.

[seangti]

I initially went H&R springs (35mm drop) on stock struts. It's "ok" at around town speeds, but high way speeds it was bouncing as it's unmatched spring/strut. To cut a long story short, I strongly advise against springs only. The cheap coilovers seem to be doing the trick for many guys here, and to my surprise seem to be lasting.

For a good spring strut combo (H&R springs with either a koni or Bilstein strut), you'd be looking somewhere north of $1200 for parts, plus fitting.

[flashpixx]

Been researching some more. I'm thinking of these. I know they aren't a huge drop (20mm +/- any sag in the suspension already), but I'm not looking for that, just a little lower, a little firmer and not having the shell out $,000's to get the suspension to perform and not prematurely wear out other bits.

Pro Kit Buy suspension from Eibach including adjustable suspension and automotive coil springs.

[flashpixx]

seems that coils alone are not a favoured option. Is this because the struts are partially compressed so do not perform optimally - ie part of the travel has been removed due to lowering = partial compression??

Help me understand...

[VWindahouse]

Hey mate unfortunately the Eibachs won't give you any noticeable lowering. They say 20mm but that's on a normal Polo 9n. The GTI has factory lowering of 15mm so you only get 5mm more than GTI stock. The HR springs are actually 35mm from GTI stock height. But as Sean said not a good match with stock shocks.

So my suggestion is look for a 2nd hand set of performance shocks like Koni, Bilstein or even H&R make great shocks themselves. H&R springs pop up regularly now.

But new ones aren't that expensive now. I have bought heaps off this guys in Germany before. Good prices, service and shipping costs.

H&R VW Polo GTi + Edition 9N/9N3 Cup-Kit Komfortfahrwerk 30-35mm (ABE) Audi Tuning, BMW Tuning, VW Tuning, Opel Tuning, Mercedes Tuning, Mini Tuning

But my FK coilovers are even cheaper and drop as low as you could ever want. Very comfortable ride and have performed well for me on the street and track.

I think they were around $500 landed from Ebay. If it's aesthetics you really want these are the way to go and no comfort
compromise