I'm quite new to the forum, been a member for about a year now but it's starting now and like the last car the women will start to get sick of me spending money on it. But balls to that! This is partly her fault anyway. The car is used as a daily drive for our lass, she moaned about the car wobbling about. I agree with her and it feels very unstable at reasonable speeds on the motorway........(but then again after the S2 it will) So the question is has anybody run Eibach lowering springs and what is the ride like? Are there better options? Is so please give your suggestion. I don't really want to go coil overs.

Cheers

Lee

Eibachs aren't suited to the octavia

Better off with h&r springs

Numerous threads on suspension upgrades ... search ..

I went for H&R sport springs with Bilstein B8 dampers and the result is brilliant.

decent set of coilovers. still retain comfort and have all the adjustment you want. simples!

I was thinking of H&R's as I run them on my Audi. Thanks

H&R are the best springs for the VRS.

Damian @ DPM Performance

Damian how much can you do them for?

So then people what is it that's so wrong about the Eibch's? Are they too firm and crashy?

Wrong spring rate for the saloon/hatch octy apparently, more suited to golf mk4 hatchbacks etc

Morning,

£178.00 inc. VAT and delivery - http://www.dpmperformance.co.uk/hr-20mm-lowering-suspension-springsbr-octavia-1u-rs-18t-0102-p-664.html

Damian @ DPM Performance

Eh up.

With the advice of a well-known performance shop on here, and despite my insistance that I didn't want a hard, crashy car - someone recommended H&R springs with stock dampers.

I bought a new set of stock dampers, and a new set of H&R springs.

It. Was. Horrible.

Way too oversprung for the stock damping. Felt like there was 'no' damping - bounced around like a clown's car. I would go so far as to say 'undriveable' and even 'dangerous.'

So I ended up getting stock springs and fitting those.

Car's perfect. Rides beautifully but is firm enough for spirited driving on the road.

There's a lot to be said for the setup that Skoda originally designed specifically for the car!

Thanks for the input, really appreciate it. The problem I'm having is even when changing lanes on the motorway it wafts about too much and if you have to. Think I'm going to check all the shocks are ok this weekend to make sure they are all alright( it feels like the TT when the rear shocks were knackered, I replaced them with Billstien sports awesome shocks) I'm think it might be better to put new shocks on it first to firm it up slightly???

How many miles has it done?

Yes, as per your suggestion - as long as we're not talking about a 'Starship' mileage car, the springs (providing they haven't snapped - another known fault on these cars and worth checking for first) will be fine up to around 100k I would say.

The dampers are the things that stop the 'floaty wafting' thing. Most shock absorber manufacturers reckon they're past their best at 40k.

So if the budget is tight, I would recommend leaving the springs, and changing the dampers for either Bilstein OE equivalent replacements, or a new set of stock Sachs dampers from Skoda. My set was about 200 quid.

If the springs are fubar'ed as well, then in my experience, the stock ones are just perfect for road use.

As I've said before on this forum, I've tried a few combinations of stuff, and actually for road use, you can't really beat the stock setup.

Someone who drives their VRS at ten tenths or does trackdays might not agree (and rightly so) but for the road and real world conditions, I am happy.

But then I also drive my 78 year old Mum around in mine, who would hate being 'pogo-sticked' around in my car!!

The choice, as they say, is yours.

To be honest the car is quite low milage for a 52 plate, it only has 62k on it had 52 when I bought it last year. So it may need new shocks. Plus I'm also going to have a look at all the bushes but there was no advisories after the last MOT? But I know there needs to be a time when something needs doing. I'll take a shock off and check the rebound on it, if it's slow I know they need replacing.

quick question... Will h&R springs and shocks from a golf GTi be ok for a vRS?

Personally I wouldn't have thought so as the spring rate would be different, the skoda has a lot more hanging over the back end =more weight but that's just my thoughts. I'm sure someone will help out who knows what they are on about....

Edited 1 May, 201214 yr by Big Lee

quick question... Will h&R springs and shocks from a golf GTi be ok for a vRS?

No they won't.

Spring rates are different and the front dampers are different.

Damian @ DPM Performance

To be honest the car is quite low milage for a 52 plate, it only has 62k on it had 52 when I bought it last year. So it may need new shocks. Plus I'm also going to have a look at all the bushes but there was no advisories after the last MOT? But I know there needs to be a time when something needs doing. I'll take a shock off and check the rebound on it, if it's slow I know they need replacing.

Well then as per my post, I would imagine the springs will still be fine at this mileage.

Mine at around 100k wasn't what I'd call bad, but I'm quite fussy about how my cars drive, so for me it wasn't tight enough.

As I said, most damper manufacturers reckon dampers are getting ready for the bin over 40k. So I would suggest a new set of dampers is in order for your car. I wouldn't bother removing them to check - the bottom line is, the ones on your car won't be anywhere near comparable to a new set, I can tell you that without you removing one, lol!

For road use, the Bilstein Blacks are very good - like stock units. As per my post, I just bought stock Sachs units from Skoda for about 200 quid - made the car feel like new, tight, but also still comfortable for road use.

If you want something firmer and are prepared to sacrifice a 'little' comfort - then Bilstein Yellows are a favourite selection.

As I also said - unless you're a 'road warrior' or 'track day hero' don't bother with anything more radical than this - and forget coilovers. I've tried them all, and if you want to use your car in comfort day-to-day, then stock springs with decent quality replacement gas dampers are the way to go. Others on here may disagree though

With regard to suspension bushes - well, the front ARB is weak and the bushes fail quite early on, giving a vague feeling and maybe a knocking sound.

On mine at 120k miles - all the suspension arm bushes are still fine and well within MOT tolerances.

Again, if you swap out bushes for harder performance items - ok, you'll get better feedback and precision, but also prepare to say hello to a harsh and tiring ride with normal road use.

HTH

Thanks for that buddy,

I know all about bushes and all that guff. I replaced every nut, bolt, washer, bush, ball joint, drop links, arb's and spring on my Audi S2. I think that's why it also feels so soft, but the Audi was harsh and crashy just right for road use. Well looks like I better start a list and thinking this through( don't think our lass is going to like me spending money on the car) ha ha sod it.

No worries.

I reckon you'll be fine with just a set of replacement dampers at around 200 quid, leaving the springs as they are - at your mileage should be fine.

Check out the front ARB - the bushes can wear, and on the older ones this means the bar can move side to side. An updated bar with new bushes is about 85 quid if needed from Skoda - and they're modified now with metal 'lips' to prevent the sideways movement.

Then it's just a case of giving the other bits a little check - bottom arms, ball joints, top rubber doughnuts. All common sense checks, but if your car is anything like mine - all those were fine with my 100k+ mileage car. Also check the front ARB connecting rods - the ball joints in these can go west, but if they already have on your car you'd probably know about it because they 'clunk' over bumps.

If you want the turn-in and handling a little tighter without sacrificing comfort, then a lot of people swear by a top mounted bracing bar in the engine bay, and if you want to go mad, apparently a lower bracing bar from an Audi S3 fits these cars.

But I don't have those - mine's fine on the road, and it does get driven as intended, lol! Track days are a different matter, but to be honest, on the road, it's more about how brave you are / your ball size / your risk assessment of your licence!

So you should be ok with telling your lass that the spend might be 200, maybe 300 quid tops

A couple of other real world 'road' mods I've done to mine that you might want to consider:

Decent tyres. Tried a few brands, can't go wrong with Michelin Pilot Sports. Transform the car, last ages - and the 'sell' to your missus is 'safety' - they're unmatched in the wet. A bit pricey maybe at around 300 quid a set - but by far the best choice IMHO.

Brakes. I have uprated grooved / drilled EBC '3GD' discs up front, not too expensive at 145 a pair. I have a set of Mintex '1444 fast road' pads to go with them - 50 quid. Finally I've fitted braided steel 'Hel' flexi-hoses all round - another 50 quid. At the same time, I dismantled, cleaned and re-furbished all the calipers, and put in some new, good quality Lockheed brake fluid. Ridiculous, last-minute braking with a firm pedal and no fade is now possible - enough to get the back end light on the way into a turn too - helping you point the nose round the corner, lol

Hope this all helps matey