GOLFMK8
GOLFMK7
GOLFMK6
GOLFMKV

Coilover kit decision

Turbo t1

Passed Driver's Ed
Hi,

I had KW V1 coilovers on my last car, and they were great but a little too hard on some of our roads here in the uk.

So as I can't afford the DCC kit, I need to decide which of the other kits to buy. So my question is, how easy is it to adjust the setting other than ride height on the V2/3 kits.

My tech skills won't stretch to much, so I need to be able to make the adjustments with no more than just the wheels off. If I need to drop the dampers out etc to make adjustments then it would need to be taken to my local mechanic every time I wanted to adjust.

Also if I'm not tracking the car are v3's a bit OTT?

Thanks
 

TEFF

godfather
Get a Bilstein B16 kit. I had it on my car, easy to set the stiffness, don't need to take thr wheels off.
And on the lowest settings of stiffness the ride is very smooth, not harsh at all.
 

Turbo t1

Passed Driver's Ed
Get a Bilstein B16 kit. I had it on my car, easy to set the stiffness, don't need to take thr wheels off.
And on the lowest settings of stiffness the ride is very smooth, not harsh at all.

Hi teff,

Thanks again for this. I did get in touch with your friend about the dcc kit, and although he offered me a great deal, I still couldn't quite stretch to it if I wanted to do my other mod plans as well.

I will looks at the bilsteins.

Thanks
 

ThatJohnGuy

pppffftttt
I have a pair of Koni adjustable coils. They adjust with a little knob dial inside the engine compartment and the trunk. I like the ride so far
 

Turbo t1

Passed Driver's Ed
Hi,

Ok final question. Is it possible to access the rebound adjuster on the rear of the car via the boot/trunk? If so how easy is it, and can the boot lining be modified to allow quick access when needed?

Thanks.
 

pjung23551

Ready to race!
Usually, no. I have kw v3's and can not access the rear top rebound unless i drop the shocks
 

hurdy

Go Kart Champion
I've had various kits on my cars, but the best by far was the Bilstein B16 PSS10's.

Easy to adjust and on the softest setting the ride was BETTER than stock.:cool:
 

Turbo t1

Passed Driver's Ed
I've had various kits on my cars, but the best by far was the Bilstein B16 PSS10's.

Easy to adjust and on the softest setting the ride was BETTER than stock.:cool:

Have you ever tried KW? If so how did they compare to the bilstein.

You say the bilsteins are easy to adjust. How do you get to the dials for them? Do the dampers have to be dropped down to adjust rebound?
 

MKV Aaron1

Ready to race!
I had PSS10's on my car last summer, and KW V3s on now.

As a whole, I prefer the V3s, without a doubt. You can get to both rebound and compression on the fronts, on the car, and only one adjustment on the rear. As stated, to get to the adjustment on the top, the shock has to come out. I have heard of people cutting a hole in their tower, and using a grommet, but IMO, that is asking for trouble.

The PSS10s are much easier to adjust, and the adjustment knob is of higher quality. Overall, if you compare the kits side by side, I'd give the edge to Bilstein for quality of construction and durability. They have 2 collars for adjusting height, and you cinch them together. The V3s have a single, with an allen screw for locking.

Other than the ease of adjusting, and the collar situation, they are pretty comparable.

As far as ride goes, the V3s destroy the Pss10s. Much smoother, more composed, and not as harsh. The Pss10s never felt composed for me, until I had them up to 8/10 on stiffness, and then the ride was pretty rough for a daily. My V3s are right in the middle front and back on both rebound and compression and they are at an amazing blend of performance and daily comfort. When going balls out, I feel then need tightened up a click or 2, but then when I drive to work on Monday, Its bliss, and I haven't messed with it.

The V3s go lower too.

If I were to buy suspension again for a MKV/MKVI, I'd go V3s.

VAD@HPA will give you killer prices btw.
 

MKV Aaron1

Ready to race!
Have you ever tried KW? If so how did they compare to the bilstein.

You say the bilsteins are easy to adjust. How do you get to the dials for them? Do the dampers have to be dropped down to adjust rebound?

The bilsteins have the dial at the bottom of the strut/shocks.







Notice the front struts on the top (fronts), you can barely see the knob on the bottom of the strut, and its not as nice as the bilsteins. The top looks just like a tiny hole in the strut/shock and you put the small adjustment dial in and turn.

Hope this helps.

If all you are concerned about is ease of adjustment, its no contest, pss10s.

But you stated in your first post, that ride compliance was also important, then its v3s all day.
 

hurdy

Go Kart Champion
Have you ever tried KW? If so how did they compare to the bilstein.

You say the bilsteins are easy to adjust. How do you get to the dials for them? Do the dampers have to be dropped down to adjust rebound?

I've not had KW on mine, but I've driven plenty with them on. They are slightly firmer and the only thing the owners complain about is the ease of adjustment.

The Bilstein B16's are a monotube construction and so the lower adjustment does both bump and rebound together and can be reached and altered by reaching around the wheel. The downside is you cannot use different combinations of bump and rebound like the KW's, but generally the bump and rebound should be the same anyway.

:thumbsup:
 

Turbo t1

Passed Driver's Ed
Thanks for all the replies!

I think it would be great to be able to adjust as easy as the bilsteins, but not at the expense of a better final result. I think I'll go for v3's and accept the awkward adjustment issue.

Thanks again everyone, that was a big help.
 

pjung23551

Ready to race!
I've had both pss10s and now have v3@ as well. Exact same thoughts as mkvaaron. Only gripe is the v3s rear when spun all the way to the top collar still rides low.
 
Top