Having had the H&R springs (and rear arb) on for more than a year now, I'm thinking towards a dampers upgrade due to the ride being just that little more crashy than I would like it to be. I don't know which of the two is to blame more as anyway, even in stock form the car was not very pothole-friendly.

 

Ideally, what I would like is to maintain (or even improve further obviously) the current level of handling but at the same time, increase slightly the everyday comfort. I know I'm asking two opposite things but given the mediocre vRS stock dampers I think there might be some room for improvement in both areas simultaneously so I'd like to hear people's experiences on uprated dampers/springs/combos on the vRS.

 

Also, the springs were not that expensive in the first place. What I mean is if what I ask is only possible via a coilovers upgrade I may be willing to take them off and go down that road...

Easy choice.  Bilstein B8 dampers.  

 

B8 dampers and H&R springs will be better than pretty much all the mediocre coilover setups.  IMO its a much better option to go with a top end spring/camper combo then a low to mid range coilover setup.  If your going for coilovers you need to look at Bilstein B14 or B16 setups, or AST if they finally release them, otherwise you'll end up with a crashy ride that you'll end up accepting is OK to justify the purchase to yourself.

Thanks vRSy. So you reckon it will be less crashy with the B8's on? I am not questioning the further handling improvement they will provide, that I'm pretty sure of from what I've read, it's just that I am mainly looking for a comfort improvement in order to justify this purchase.

 

BTW, I've just come back from a fast hill-climb, me and a friend of mine in his 155 Turbo Mito. After I'd lost him a couple of times I stopped and waited for him, when he pulled next to me I asked: "What's going on, you don't feel like pushing some more?" and he said: "I'm pushing as much as it can take!" Couldn't believe how far behind he was being left so asked to switch cars. Ok, the engine felt clearly weaker (more than the 25hp deficit implies) but what a spongy feel did the car have! It was like the chassis was responding at a mere 70-80% of my steering input and something like 0.5-1 sec later than I asked. Ok, I knew the rarb and springs had changed a lot the vRS's behaviour but that was I think worse even than standard vRS setup. Guess poor stock handling isn't a vRS-only "advantage"...

Every other car i have tried with the B8 dampers or B12 suspension kit (and ive tried a fair few over the years) has had a superior ride quality than stock, whilst still having a much better damping setup.

newbie69, did you try the different settings with the DNA on the Alfa, does it have it?

 

The 135 bhp Mito with TCT is good fun. IMO

 

george

Yes it had it, but the car was already at the most "dynamic" one!

I can back up what vRSy says, I have the B8/H&R set up on my Fabia and the handling is very good, vast improvement over standard and still comfy on British roads!