Mk 4 Coilover advice

[Blitzen]

I got a set of FK's delivered from the UK back in may for $430. There are plenty of places that import to Australia for a good price.

[type 17]

My coilovers, top mounts, swaybars, mounts, etc are not only completely legal, but are also insured seperately.

I thought WA had the strictest laws.

[Blitzen]

I have mine listed in my insurance, as I have with all my mods.

I know for a fact that coilovers are legal in Qld so long as they utilize the stock mounting points, and don't get wound down too low to break the height laws. I still have the letter from Qld transport to back up that statement.

[djorkboy]

I have read about the need to fit adjustable control arms when lowering a Bora 4motion or R32 to counteract the wicked levels of camber even a small drop will introduce, is this the same with coilovers or do they have some inbuilt way of counteracting this that regular spring/shock combos don't?

[type 17]

No adjustable rear arms control your camber/toe and may be necessary, if you drop it!
Even with coilovers. I have coilovers and use adjustable control arms.

[leighaus]

I got a set of FK's delivered from the UK back in may for $430. There are plenty of places that import to Australia for a good price.

which place was this blitzen?

[Blitzen]

Got them off UK eBay seller Performance 3000, they don't list overseas postage, but if you message them, they should have them. I rang them and spoke to them too.

[Rob Burns]

There are so many conflicting reports about what coilovers are better and what are worse, probably because people want different things from them. I want coilovers that can run at a decent height without too much sacrifice in ride quality, but for 'special occasions' can be wound right down temporarily for a better stance, but someone else might want a coilover for permanent low stance, or they want uncompromised track performance, and the coilover that works for me or you might be terrible for their needs.

From my readings on the subject there seem to be two golden rules that may or may not apply in 100% of cases but are a good guide; 'you get what you pay for' and 'name brands got to be name brands by providing quality products'

A 20 year old who needs low like others need oxygen may be willing to accept a ride quality that a fat 40 year old like myself just wouldn't tolerate.

I keep seeing these custom coilovers on eBay and they look like a reasonable price, between $910 and around $2000, delivered, depending on what options you choose. You can specify your own spring rate and there are loads of options including remote damping adjustment, camber plates etc. Has anyone had experience with these or are they just too good to be true? COILOVERS VW VOLKSWAGEN Golf Corrado Polo Jetta GTI R32 | eBay

If you're looking to maintain a good ride quality then I highly recommend H&R coil overs. I have them in my S3 (same kit as you Bora 4 motion). They were on the car when I got it so can't compare it to standard but my brother has a Mk5 GTi and the ride feels about the same. The rear feels less jumpy in the S3 but that's more likely to be due to having a bit more weight with the read diff etc. Height adjustment is quite good too although at max ride height I still scrape on my driveway.

I had a mk2 with cheap coil overs on it and it didn't ride anywhere near as nice. Not the same kind of car though. The mk2 was much more fun to drive.

[type 17]

Koni, H&R, Bilstein, KW, Öhlins. Brands that i would trust! Ranging generally in price lowest to highest.

This may be a far off suggestion, but I have had coilovers in lots of cars now, and for my next project I'll use
a cup kit (McPhearson Strut) setup. Coilovers have some issues that i see. Their is a lot of work getting them set up properly,
and anything height adjustable can be a pain in the ass.

There are "Cup kits" you can buy and pick a height of spring that will net you the height you want, set them and forget them.
They are Matched shocks and springs, but can be bought with various height combos, and a lot oare damper and rebound adjustable.
Coilovers get thrown out of alignment much easier, and are a lot more expensive, alot re-aligning all the time can be expensive.

I have seen some coilovers that use height perch grooves and perch clips to adjust between pre set heights,
Those would be a great alternative to threaded struts with wind up/down perches and grub screws.

These (coilovers) can (especially with cheaper brands) become rotted and rusted, or at the lesser extreme, cease up and become
very difficult to adjust, spraying silicone on them is a way to keep them from do this but should be done regularly.

My two cents.

Cheers, Pedro

[Njay]

i have fk coilovers which i bought second hand on a mk4 gti, handling is amazing with the coilovers however i do a lot of city driving and the suspension is a bit too firm for the city, when im out in the suburbs its much better

i had to order two new front coilovers as they are both leaking, there is a wait time of over 6 months for replacement coilovers