Lowering Springs...... not lowering!!!

tgarrett

tgarrett

I lowered my GTi about a month ago with Ventura 40mm lowering springs. The front fell almost straight away and doesnt look too bad, the rear however has not dropped at all if not raised it!! Im sick as F**K and seariously considering chopping a couple of coils off. I thought that i would ask you guys to see if you have had a set and whether the springs have to be turned over or what. The rears have around 7-8 large coils then 3 tight coils, there was no "this way up" arrows or writing on the spring so i put the tight coils at the bottom. Whats going on??!!
 
what ever you do dont cut them down! shouldn't matter which way up they are. never heard of ventura. best advice save up and get some coilys:D
 
From what I've heard, Almera lowering springs can be a bit hit and miss, some lower significantly, some don't. As above, never heard of Ventura.
 
On the forum Eibach, H&R and Apex are generally recommended.
 
I can tell you straight off what the problem is, you have a phase 1 car and you have phase 2 springs.
The phase 2 front springs are too short (hence it dropped straight away) and the phase 2 rears have those 3 tighter narrower coils which wont fit properly on the phase 1 dampners (which is why its sitting higher).
And lastly the best advice is not coilovers, the majority dont want to pay £650 for suspension on a car worth £1000
 
PI and SPAX are also commonly used ones, but are known for a bad ride.
Chop and drop yo!
Nah in all seriousness, don't. It is very dangerous especially on the rear.
Joe
 
my understanding was that the closely wound coils on the end were for if you want to cut the length of the spring to suit ? (and still retain the correct shape of the tail-end, that sits inside the spring platform) :)

frank
 
No I think what it is, is they're progressive, so the more the spring is compressed the stiffer it is, to resist them bottoming out
 
And looking at that PDF, I think the ones you need are the 95 Almera ones. I think Ventura have got it wrong in assuming the GTi from 96 onwards used the same set up.
The reason I say the 95 ones, is that Ive swapped PI 35mm ones from an Phase 1 SRi onto a Phase 1 GTI and they are the same size and shape.
 
On the pdf guide it has references, number 55 states that the progresive end should be at the top, but the reference is not next to my car. And are the loose coils the progressive end or the tight coils?
 
Darren198712 said:
I thought lowering springs take a while (2-3 weeks) to settle? I would never buy lowering springs Coilies FTW
Click to expand...

That's fine if you have £650 to blow & don't mind the firm ride. Some people just want a lowered look with better handling, but retaining some ride quality. Hence decent lowering springs like H&R or Eibach.
 
I find ride quality better with coilovers. Less harsh, much better damping. But as you say, it's a large price to pay.
 
Let me put it this way, if I had £650 to spend on a set of BC coilies I'd be in on the GB. I'd go for the softer spring set & probably be very pleased with them. But with an impending 30% pay cut coming my way (thanks to defence cuts), I just can't afford or justify them. Decent paying jobs are hard to come by just now, so it's not just a simple case of jumping ship either. :(
 
Totally understand :). I just wanted to quell the wide misconception that coilovers are harsh and not for daily use. They can be.
 
I have a set if not 2 of phase 2 rear shocks n springs. you can have them for bit of beer money. but you'll have to cover the postage mate. Least then you can utilise your springs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom