What springs for a mk4?

[keagz_mk4]

I bought those fk coilovers full set cost me $330 shipped ,havent been installed yet so no idea about the ride but i have 50mm lowerd springs in atm and it sits flush all round on 19"

[Mr Scruff]

Who shipped them for you? The price is listed at $296, so shipping cost $34?

**Genuinely interested, not saying not true, i need to ship some of parts from Europe**

[Swainey32]

So, those coilovers, I've never heard of any that cheap, but my fault for dreaming about PSS10's haha

Questions in regards to the coilovers (I know you went into this a bit already mr scruff):
- Do they provide practical improvements to the cars dynamics or is it as good as stock suspension with the ability to adjust height
- Would you recommend I buy one of those restoration kits off ecstuning before installing coilovers?
- I'm a man that likes things done right the first time, you think buying an entry FK coilover will make me regret not saving up for another 6months or so and going for something like the PSS9's or PSS10's???

I don't want a rough as guts car as my area has some un even roads and would make for shit daily comfort for atheistic improvement.
Should I just wait and get something more expensive? Or since I don't want a hugfe drop go with that cup option?
I only want this sort of drop and maybe the option of lowering for photo purposes and track days haha

[MrGolf]

what are cups ? sorry not very good with cars im learning :P

[Mr Scruff]

So, those coilovers, I've never heard of any that cheap, but my fault for dreaming about PSS10's haha

Questions in regards to the coilovers (I know you went into this a bit already mr scruff):
- Do they provide practical improvements to the cars dynamics or is it as good as stock suspension with the ability to adjust height
- Would you recommend I buy one of those restoration kits off ecstuning before installing coilovers?
- I'm a man that likes things done right the first time, you think buying an entry FK coilover will make me regret not saving up for another 6months or so and going for something like the PSS9's or PSS10's???

I don't want a rough as guts car as my area has some un even roads and would make for shit daily comfort for atheistic improvement.
Should I just wait and get something more expensive? Or since I don't want a hugfe drop go with that cup option?
I only want this sort of drop and maybe the option of lowering for photo purposes and track days haha

Good quality coilovers do transform a cars driving dynamics, improving the control of the un-sprung mass (wheels, brakes) and body control with better spring & damping rates. They also give you the option to lower the ride height and thus the centre of gravity of the car. A decent setup also gives you the option of adjusting the damping, so you can have them softer for road use and stiffen them up for track use.

The difference between a good quality coilover & a budget setup is night & day. The budget versions are good for lowering your car but will not give you a good ride. The reason they are cheaper is because they use cheaper materials and don't have the same amount of development in them. A cheap coilover will have a set spring rate which ill be firm, this allows you to run the car at the lowest setting and not cause too much bottoming out. This will give you improved handling but a very harsh and crashy ride in normal driving.

If you're using the car mainly for road use and occasional track use you are better spending the money on good coilovers. Look at it as an investment, spending that extra money on good suspension pays dividends for the handling of your car and is not an area you want to scrimp on.

A restoration kit is a good idea because the suspension needs the best platform to work from to perform at their best, so polybushes etc will sharpen things up no end.

I think if you rush into it and get the cheapest coilovers you can you will regret it in the long term. A good cup kit is also a good option, it doesn't offer the same adjustability in terms of ride height, aesthetically it'll look the same and they do perform very well. But from my point of view they're too compromised.

Seeing as you're not in it for the 'stance' i'd recommend getting some decent coilovers, a KW V2 or the PSS9's or PSS10's you mentioned, for the adjustability and performance they'd give you.

what are cups ? sorry not very good with cars im learning :P

No worries, we've all got to learn from somewhere

A cup kit is a upgraded spring & damper setup;

They comprise of an upgraded damper and shortened springs. They work in a similar way to a coilover in that they sharpen up your suspension but they don't have the height adjustable feature. They are great for road use as they generally don't have as harsh a ride as a budget coilover.

Coilovers are an all in one unit at the front and adjustable shock & spring at the rear;

A quality coilover offers you height & damping adjustability. So you can run you're car low without ruining the ride.

[Mr Scruff]

Examples of ride height;

This is on coilovers at a low setting;


This is on a cup kit. The ride height is fixed at this level;

[Swainey32]

maybe I'll go down the road of a cup kit and new wheels this year, then next year put in some good quality coilovers when I've got the money then, some awesome info mate, much appreciated

[Mr Scruff]

No worries, hope it all made sense

You've got options with cup kits. Either it as a kit in one go;
http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pag...suspensionkits

Or buy the struts & springs separately so you can choose how much lowering;
Struts/Dampers - http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pag...shockabsorbers
Springs - http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pag...oweringsprings

[Swainey32]

in my previous post I had a picture of the sort of low I want, any chance you know what one of those strut/spring packages would offer me that height?
cheers

[Mr Scruff]

Cup kits mainly offer a drop of around the 40-50mm mark, 60mm at most.

That picture is of JIG's R32, couldn't tell you how low it is because i don't know what suspension he's running and whether the wheels are 18" or 19".