In defense of the stock suspension

[Bender1]

This is going to sound like blasphemy but I think it is important to say:

On a GTI, suspension modification is largely counter productive. Period.

Stiffer shocks and struts may be useful for a heavily tracked car, but height wise it is perfect. The center of gravity is spot on to where it sits stock (or damn close to it) lowering weight below that will make it handle WORSE. Body roll is not a substantive issue so the negative handling impact is not worth it.

Have at it, but I really think the stock geometry is tuned exceptionally well.

Any issues you may be having are more likely to be tire related.

 

[MK05-HJ09]

I happen to agree with you. I think slammed gti's look sick with the right wheels, but I'm happy, impressed even with the factory set-up. Not saying the apr swaybars won't hurt... but the handling is damn good right out of the box.

 

[Epic800]

Agreed

 

[Bender1]

sways would definitely help IF you have the right about of skill.

i say that because if you stiffen it up too much it will be much less forgiving if you are not proper on your accelerator and brakes when in turns. Could easily cause you to spin.

 

[Mr.Alex]

To be honest, Ive actually been getting comments that my GTI already looks dropped and its stock height.

 

[Shimino]

Me too. But still the front wheel gap bothers me!

 

[absoluteczech]

i agree, but cant stand the stock ride height, its an eye sore. thats why i had to get suspension and i knew id compromise my handling, but i dont plan on taking it to the track anyways

 

[mordicai]

i agree, but cant stand the stock ride height, its an eye sore. thats why i had to get suspension and i knew id compromise my handling, but i dont plan on taking it to the track anyways

I can't imagine ever making a cosmetic change to anything mechanical, if it would compromise it's function. Different strokes...........

 

[MasterKevin]

Driving the mk6 Stock = satisfied.

Driving the mk6 with H&R front and rear SB + Bilstein PSS10 = Never go back

lol

 

[jmblur1]

It can get better for the track, but for day-to-day drivability it's pretty much perfect.

That said, I wish it was an inch lower

 

[drobbins]

sways would definitely help IF you have the right about of skill.

i say that because if you stiffen it up too much it will be much less forgiving if you are not proper on your accelerator and brakes when in turns. Could easily cause you to spin.

I don't think that aftermarket sway bars, even "good" ones, are always an upgrade -- I think it's best to use sway bars to tune the front/rear balance of the car only if absolutely necessary, not to improve handling or even as a first step to reduce roll. The sway bars are normally set up correctly ("balanced") from the factory.

First step I would suggest is a coilover upgrade.

If you change wheel width then maybe you'd need to "rebalance" the car's handling in turns by fiddling with sway bars.

If you do go with sway bars, I recommend going with a matched set from a single vendor.

This is based on my experience with my S2000 and MX-5. With the MX-5, I used an upgraded set and got good results; with my S2000, I used some fancy japanese sway bars and found them to be overkill by the time I got my PSS9's on the vehicle, which did a much better job reducing roll without throwing off the OEM turning feel of the car and degrading ride quality.

 

[drobbins]

This is going to sound like blasphemy but I think it is important to say:

On a GTI, suspension modification is largely counter productive. Period.

I imagine that a set of PSS10's or KW coilovers would be a big upgrade in performance and ride quality.

The suspension on our cars is very good in stock form but I don't think that the OEM springs/shocks can do *everything* well like a well-engineered aftermarket coilover can.

Maybe my shocks will soften a bit with age Still have less than 1000 miles.

 

[danielj1]

I had KW V2's on my last car. When I went to the local shop that sold me those and asked about getting them for the GTI, he said no way, not needed on this car.

I was a bit surprised by his response. He could have sold me 2k coilovers so I trust that the stock suspension is quite good.

That being said, I am not used to riding so high and the wheel gap is killing me. We agreed upon H&R Sport springs (do the rear sway at the same time).

 

[drobbins]

Well, nothing on the GTI is broken so no aftermarket parts are "needed", and you aren't going to exceed the capabilities of the stock suspension on regular roads -- but at the same time, I would be surprised if a set of non-adjustable KW's or Bilsteins would not be a noticeable upgrade over the stock suspension.

My PSS9's on my S2000 had a more of a "planted on top of the road" rather than a "bobbing around on top of the road" feel that many OEM suspensions (including ours to a certain extent) tend to have. I think the improved feel has to do with the damping curve being more refined with a quality aftermarket shock, so it can be more compliant over irregularities while still offering better than OEM roll resistance when needed. It justified the coilovers for me.

I'm interested to hear what the original poster might know about switching to different tires.

 

[zee]

About 1 inch lower would be the ideal height for me. I doubt I will miss the stock ride quality when I go lower.