4x4 lowering springs

[xantiaman]

hi all

brand new to Skoda ownership and so far im enjoying it.

As you all will know the Octavia mk1 1.8t  4x4 which i have, sits a lot higher than a standard one and i would like to lower it a tad,using springs only, nothing mad maybe 40mm.i have scoured the internet but cant find any that seem to fit the bill. i can find 55mm 30mm etc but i feel that being so high as standard 30mm wouldnt make a lot of difference visually.

i have seen apex advertised at 40mm but have read that they are pretty bad springs, does anybody have any experiences with apex? i would ideally like eibach or similar but again i can only find 30mm. a lot of manufacturers dont even list the 4x4.

i dont want to spend hundreds on this but i do want mid quality. am i looking in the wrong places.

thanks

[pauldazzle]

H&R are the only lowering springs I would recommend for a mk1 Octy.

[xantiaman]

thanks pauldazzle, i have had H&R on other non skoda vehicles and never had a problem i have done a bit more searching and found H&R 29408-1 which is a 40mm drop and has a listing for kombi/sw 4x4 allrad (whatever that is) pricey but they seem suitable i have also found some AP ones listed as 45mm at the front and 35mm at the back which are a lot cheaper but as everyone knows ya gets  what ya pay for.

[SimonJ]

I fitted genuine VW Golf mk4 4motion estate 'sport' springs and dampers to my 4x4 estate.

 

 

Did have H&R springs fitted before but found them too firm.

[Damian@DPM]

As mentioned the H&R springs are a little firm but the only real option for the Octavia 1U 4x4 model.

 

Damian @ DPM Performance

[wjspencer]

Hi @SimonJ, I realise this thread is years old now… I’m struggling to find the golf mk4 4motion springs you mention. Do you know the part number?
 

I don’t want to make my ride too firm or too low, and those 4motion springs sound ideal. Did you find them too firm? And did you need other components (like different drop links) to make it work? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

[SimonJ]

The part number for the 4motion springs I had fitted were 1J0 411 105 CE for the front and 1J9 511 115 H for the rear.

 

I also changed the shock absorbers, part number 1J0 413 031 EA for the front, 1J0 512 011 BT for the rear.

 

The front anti-roll bar on the 4x4 is 19mm diameter, the 4motion one is 20mm, part number is 1J0 411 305 AE.  The rear bar is 13mm standard, the 4motion one is 14mm, part number 1J9 511 409 E.  You can fit R32 anti roll bars which are 23mm & 19mm respectively.  If you fit an R32 rear bar the spare wheel well in the boot needs modifying with a lump hammer to clear!

 

Had to change the rear track control arms to slotted ones from an R32, the 4x4 ones are fixed and do not allow the tracking to be adjusted correctly. These I bought second hand off eBay.

 

The springs and shock absorbers I bought new from local VW dealer (not cheap) who had to order them from Germany.

 

When fitting the front shocks I removed a metal spacer from the top mount and replaced the bump stops with shorter ones, part number 1J0 412 303.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Forgot the rear drop links, changed for shorter ones, part number 1J0 505 466 B.

Edited 30 August, 2023 by SimonJ
added drop link part number