Lowering for aesthetics

[flashpixx]

Thanks VWindahouse, excellent info in one concise post. Wasn't aware the GTI was 15mm lower than a Std 9n, important to know. I might go and annoy a suspension specialist and get some recommendations.

[AUC-05L]

I lowered mine using just H&R springs. the novelty of how good it looked lowered wore off after about a week. Its back to standard height now, It was just too uncomfortable to live with everyday on rough roads. (mind you inner west Sydney rds are particularly bad)

I imported my H&R springs for $210 from orangetuning. but like I said unless you want and uncomfortable ride I wouldn't do just the springs, buy some coil-overs or leave it standard height and spend money making it go faster.

cheers

[kaanage]

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...

The underlying problem is the change in spring rate - when the springs are shorter, they need to be stiffer to prevent the car bottoming out so the spring rate is higher. The dampers (their proper name, springs absorb shock) have their rate matched to the springs so that the wheel movement is controlled properly and when the springs alone have their rate increased, the damping will not be enough to prevent some degree of overshoot in response to bumps. This leads to the car having a bouncy ride which unsettles it in corners.

Also, the OE dampers will get worn much more quickly with the extra force they are subjected to with lowering springs. Good aftermarket dampers are better made as well as having heavier damping.

[Bflat]

New look with smaller tyres, wider wheels, and more lows all round.

The rear is maxed out and won't go any lower, whereas the front still has about an inch of drop still available.

Excuse the filthy state it was in on Saturday.

[noone]

Lowering for aesthetics

I like it. Cleaner than mine.

[Smead]

Slighty off subject, Nice wheels Ryan, What are they and wht are the specs?

[Bflat]

Slighty off subject, Nice wheels Ryan, What are they and wht are the specs?

Hey Sime, they're Autostrada Modena's, 16x8 all round, ET34 rear ET29 front. Running 195/45/16 Hankook Ventus'

[VWindahouse]

Great wheels, love em!

[kaanage]

New look with smaller tyres, wider wheels, and more lows all round.

The rear is maxed out and won't go any lower, whereas the front still has about an inch of drop still available.

Very pretty, I suppose but how is this relevant to the thread? (kinda like posting about Nissan Micras in the "What I did Today" thread )

[Bflat]

Very pretty, I suppose but how is this relevant to the thread? (kinda like posting about Nissan Micras in the "What I did Today" thread )

It's entirely relevant as it provides an example of how low the AP's can go, whilst still being perfectly drive-able (there's mainly a focus on aesthetics going on)

And it was the 'what did you do to your Polo' title of the thread that made the Micra comment irrelevant

If we had a 'what I did today' thread people might as well close their facebook accounts.

[Smead]

Hey Sime, they're Autostrada Modena's, 16x8 all round, ET34 rear ET29 front. Running 195/45/16 Hankook Ventus'

Sweet. That pic needs a like button

[clicht]

Sweet. That pic needs a like button

^ +1 .

[kaanage]

It's entirely relevant as it provides an example of how low the AP's can go, whilst still being perfectly drive-able (there's mainly a focus on aesthetics going on)

And it was the 'what did you do to your Polo' title of the thread that made the Micra comment irrelevant

If we had a 'what I did today' thread people might as well close their facebook accounts.

And so the thread gets derailed into another wheel porn discussion.
I'm betting you do have bump steer issues in hard cornering going that low

[jasonc23]

To those going super low, do you guys not have issues with the rear axle hitting the exhaust, either going over large bumps or with people in the back?

My car isn't the lowest and I have issues with the axle hitting/rubbing the exhaust when I have a decent sized person in the rear seat and I put load on the engine/go over large bumps...

[Bflat]

To those going super low, do you guys not have issues with the rear axle hitting the exhaust, either going over large bumps or with people in the back?

My car isn't the lowest and I have issues with the axle hitting/rubbing the exhaust when I have a decent sized person in the rear seat and I put load on the engine/go over large bumps...

Never had that issue tbh (not that I can hear it). Is your rear half still 2"?

I'm betting you do have bump steer issues in hard cornering going that low

Greg, if I wanted to indulge in hard cornering, do you think I would have set it up this way? 99% of my driving is on inner suburban roads where hard cornering is hardly possible, let alone responsible. The thread title is 'lowering for aesthetics' for a reason. Once again, I think you'll find your passionate pleas to have the control arms above horizontal will go ignored by many as we don't all have the same desires for our car as you do yours. I didn't jump into this thread to yell about my new wheels. I provided further evidence of how one may want to setup their polo through picture based evidence.
It's not all about the best lap time.