Bender1
Banned
As you all know, I have have loads of issues with selecting my suspension. I have a long commute, on less than perfect roads, have to transport a toddler on a routine basis, and a dog daily. It needed to be sporty and entertaining but compliant with my life. I have been researching for sometime and figured that the only solution was nothing or the Drivers Gear Springs. I was/am a firm believer in many of TechEd's posts about ideal suspension geometry and that it is relatively easy to screw up. At the same time I wanted to front and rear sways. I decided on the H&R 28mm front set to soft and 24mm rear set to firm. All was installed on Friday at AWE.
Yesterday I took a drive up to my folks which is mainly main roads, but some in less than perfect condition, and highway. Today I took a back road drive over some of my favorite roads; River Road, a high speed river side drive with swooping curves and undulating hills, and Giegel Hill, a tight technical road. Take the picture below (taken last year) and imagine a road with nothing but this for 10 miles.
That's Giegel hill. In my opinion, there is no better test than these roads taken as a whole. They represent both aggressive driving situations and a typical commuting scenario.
From a daily driving stand point this setup just eats up the road. Bumps, road imperfections, and expansion joints are barely felt. My wife commented that from the passenger seat the ride was totally unaffected or perhaps even a bit more comfortable. Traditionally, by going with a lowering spring, one must compromise ride quality, this isn't even close to the case with the DriverGear springs. Simply put, daily driving comfort is improved with this setup.
While that is all well and good, its really just an aside in this discussion. Maintaining or improving daily comfort is important to all of us, but it is not why we spend time or money on our cars. So the performance question is it, and the answer is definitive. From a performance driving perspective, this setup is perfection. The linear nature of the springs results in fully predictable response mid corner. There are no surprises that you might get from a lower quality (or less specifically paired) progressive setup.
The sways have been an awesome addition as well. Flatness to the road surface throughout turns is amazing. Fore and aft balance is stunning as is lateral agility. My long concern about sways was making the vehicle unpredictable mid turn. This was an unfounded concern. I attempted to unsettle the car from time to time and had no issues, it was as surefooted as it was day one, but with all the advantages. I am sure the rear could be FORCED to step out intentionally, but I think the circumstances that would cause it to do so unexpectedly are tiny.
I am more convinced than ever that the VW suspension engineers may have happened to be onto something when they designed our suspension. Furthermore, I am convinced that the 15mm drop that the DG Springs provide is exactly what is needed to bring ourselves into the VW design spec rather than the DOT spec. Overall, for those of us that are interested in a compliant daily driver that can shine on the track or ripping up the back roads, this is the setup you want.
:thumbup::thumbup:
Yesterday I took a drive up to my folks which is mainly main roads, but some in less than perfect condition, and highway. Today I took a back road drive over some of my favorite roads; River Road, a high speed river side drive with swooping curves and undulating hills, and Giegel Hill, a tight technical road. Take the picture below (taken last year) and imagine a road with nothing but this for 10 miles.
That's Giegel hill. In my opinion, there is no better test than these roads taken as a whole. They represent both aggressive driving situations and a typical commuting scenario.
From a daily driving stand point this setup just eats up the road. Bumps, road imperfections, and expansion joints are barely felt. My wife commented that from the passenger seat the ride was totally unaffected or perhaps even a bit more comfortable. Traditionally, by going with a lowering spring, one must compromise ride quality, this isn't even close to the case with the DriverGear springs. Simply put, daily driving comfort is improved with this setup.
While that is all well and good, its really just an aside in this discussion. Maintaining or improving daily comfort is important to all of us, but it is not why we spend time or money on our cars. So the performance question is it, and the answer is definitive. From a performance driving perspective, this setup is perfection. The linear nature of the springs results in fully predictable response mid corner. There are no surprises that you might get from a lower quality (or less specifically paired) progressive setup.
The sways have been an awesome addition as well. Flatness to the road surface throughout turns is amazing. Fore and aft balance is stunning as is lateral agility. My long concern about sways was making the vehicle unpredictable mid turn. This was an unfounded concern. I attempted to unsettle the car from time to time and had no issues, it was as surefooted as it was day one, but with all the advantages. I am sure the rear could be FORCED to step out intentionally, but I think the circumstances that would cause it to do so unexpectedly are tiny.
I am more convinced than ever that the VW suspension engineers may have happened to be onto something when they designed our suspension. Furthermore, I am convinced that the 15mm drop that the DG Springs provide is exactly what is needed to bring ourselves into the VW design spec rather than the DOT spec. Overall, for those of us that are interested in a compliant daily driver that can shine on the track or ripping up the back roads, this is the setup you want.
:thumbup::thumbup:
