Opinions on pro-sport coilovers on a vrs

[thebrasso]

Hi there, I've tried doing a search and there are not a massive amount of threads on pro sport coilovers.

 

My 2004 VRS is getting very tired. I still love the engine however the suspension is very tired with numerous knocks and squeaks. I plan to spend some money on improving it. I don't track the car or push it massively.

 

There seem to be mixed opinions on the pro sport coilovers, could people using them say if they have been an improvement? I am aware they need the Vito droplinks and spacers. I intend to get new farb bushes, control arms, top mounts, rear beam bushes, subframe bushes and rear bump stops. I think that would be the vast majority of the suspension refreshed?

 

Any advice appreciated.

[michael1]

Hmmm, unless you specifically want coilovers, I wouldn't bother.

Do the other work that you were talking about first and see what the car feels like then. Polyurethane bushes in wishbones etc will tighten everything up nicely. Subframe bushes shouldn't really be too worn  If you haven't already got one, I highly recommend a rear anti roll bar.

I have a H&R one that I find really nice.

 

Anyway, if you still want coilovers there are a lot of happy prosport customers on here. They seem to have got the budget right without being complete crap  ( http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/289307-prosport-coilovers-fitted-happy-bunny/?hl=%2Bprosport#entry3435504 )

I have FK highsports myself and find them pretty good, I got them on sale a year ago direct from FK but I think they cost a little more than the prosports normally.

[Bowlesy on boost]

I'm on prosport's and for the money their ok ! But there's no soft ride with them so if your after comfort it's not the best choice ! I'm running them with a white line rarb and it has made a massive difference and I'll be upgrading the suspension bushes next

[Decender]

I have em on mine too. To be honest though I do fine the ride quite comfortable, especially compared to some lowered cars I have owned over the years. Everyone I have taken out in the car so far who has been out in on standard suspension prior to fitting the prosports has said how suprised they are of the level of comfort for a car on coilovers. That said I have not gone mega low like some of the others on here. Dont get me wrong its no silky smooth ride, and I find at very slow town speeds it can occasionally be a wee bit bouncy. That said it has improved the handling no end.

 

I too will be adding a Rear Sway Bar in the next couple of weeks and will be poly bushing the Front ARB and wishbones so should tighten things up even further.

 

If your not after the low stance and adjustability that coilies give u then u may be better off replacing standard for standard in terms of shocks etc and going for the Rear Sway and poly bushed bushes etc.

 

All depends what ur after.

[Bowders1]

Hi there, I've tried doing a search and there are not a massive amount of threads on pro sport coilovers.

 

My 2004 VRS is getting very tired. I still love the engine however the suspension is very tired with numerous knocks and squeaks. I plan to spend some money on improving it. I don't track the car or push it massively.

 

There seem to be mixed opinions on the pro sport coilovers, could people using them say if they have been an improvement? I am aware they need the Vito droplinks and spacers. I intend to get new farb bushes, control arms, top mounts, rear beam bushes, subframe bushes and rear bump stops. I think that would be the vast majority of the suspension refreshed?

 

Any advice appreciated.

 

These cars are getting on a bit now and the oldest ones are 12 years old  so suspension is bound to get saggy and sloppy.

 

Replacing bushes for poly ones is a great way to get the car chassis generally tightened. As the car wallowed a bit even when new the fitting of a Rear Anti role bar (RARB) is a top mod to do even before suspension change to really help tighten up the rear end and create better turn in to corners and balance straight line driving.  If the suspension is sagging then probably needs to be changed as well as doing the other mods,  as the tightening up of the chassis is only going to make the tired suspension work harder.   

 

Coil overs generally are harder than shock and spring combination, but that does not mean they are not comfortable. Cheaper coilovers are not going to have a good rebound in them as top range  coilovers to handle lower settings,  but as long as you set them in not too crazy low setting then you should have reasonable comfort and a much improved handling car. Pro Sport seem to be top's of the budget coilover bunch and briskoda reviews are very good.

 

You will need to buy shorter drop links to fit the VRS though, as in Mercedes vito ones as the drop link  hook up points are lower on the prosports to std hook up points.

[thebrasso]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I am not after lowering the car at all, I just want an improvement in handling and to lose the wallowiness of my 2004 suspension.

 

Do coilover kits come with spacers?

 

I was looking at non coilover setups and any sort of spring and shock setup seems very expensive, can anybody recommend anything that isn't extortionate? Otherwise it will be pro-sports.

[Phil-W]

You won't need spacers if you're sticking with standard ride height... Mine was around 15mm lower to start with and the tyre cleared the spring platform.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

Here's my opinion on this question, for what it's worth.

 

I have a 51 plate VRs, with 130k on the clock.

 

My suspension was feeling tired like yours (back at around 110k) so I went off and tried a few combinations of different lowering springs, dampers, coilovers and the like - but I had to be honest with myself and I realised that all I wanted was tighness, sharpness, quiet-and-rattle-freeness, and comfort when I wasn't going bananas.

 

After trying these different ideas, all of which gave me a basically unpleasant ride when using the car normally (which, let's face it, is 90% of the time) with the only advantage being 'race-car' like handling at mentalist speeds, I just realised that the best course of action was to go to my Skoda MAin Dealer, order up a brand-new set of OEM springs and dampers all round, ask for (and get) a discount on such a bulk order, then fit them to my car and enjoy a 'magic-carpet' like ride, devoid of squeaks and rattles, with enough 'firmness' to keep the car sporty when I needed it to be.

 

I therefore ended up subscribing to the club of 'highly-developed and perfect OEM suspension' shocker!

 

Hope this helps..

[MR G]

Yep people always say the vrs handles rubbish but that because most people have only ever known the car with old knackered suspension,when new it handled well and was comfortable,I've now got kw coilovers on mine and while it does handle a lot better I do miss the comfort of the standard setup