Suspension changes

[FlyingGecko]

I'm satisfied with the balance of performance, economy, and low road tax of my 1.4TSi DSG compared with my previous Saab 9-5 2.3t, since I'm now paying less than a third what that was costing in insurance and tax, and getting over 50% better fuel consumption, so the reduction from 220 BHP to 140 is a fair price to pay in my eyes. My wallet is really happy these days.

 

However - I do feel the need to lower the car a couple of inches, if only to reduce body roll a bit and stop it feeling a bit WA-HEY! when hitting the loud pedal on twisty roads. Also to make the wheel arches look less empty.

 

I don't want to change the standard 16" wheels, since that'd have a knock-on effect on tyre costs,

 

OK, maybe I should've gone for a VRS, but I didn't...

 

So, can anyone offer (sensible) suggestions on springs/shocks/price/etc ?

 

Thanks in advance.

[cheezemonkhai]

Bilstein B12 kit or B4 dampers and the eibach pro kit springs.

[Esseesse200]

Loads of folks including me have gone with the h&r 40mm springs 28833-1 I think is part number for yours. 28833-2 is part number for the heavier diesel. Shocks... Mainly the big names. Personally I'd go with the koni fsd. Had them on an Abarth punto and they are a very clever trade off between comfort and handling. Vogtland also seem to have amazing reviews. They are much cheaper

[Yeti_Man]

Eibach lowering springs with B8 or B6 dampers would be my choice. I've had Koni FSD's and Bilsteins - Bilsteins are a far better damper imo. (Swapped the Konis off the Yeti after less than 1000 miles and love the B6 + Eibach spring combo that's been in there for around 4,000 miles now).

[fabdavrav]

Eibach springs & Koni FSD dampers..................

 

 

I had Koni FSD & standard ride height Skoda springs on my old Fabia.................those dampers make a difference...............

 

Also consider getting the thicker anti-roll bars front & rear from a VRS diesel

[cheezemonkhai]

Eibach lowering springs with B8 or B6 dampers would be my choice. I've had Koni FSD's and Bilsteins - Bilsteins are a far better damper imo. (Swapped the Konis off the Yeti after less than 1000 miles and love the B6 + Eibach spring combo that's been in there for around 4,000 miles now).

The reason I suggested the B12 kit (Which on an Octy 2 is Eibach and B8 dampers), is because I have it on my Octy II and it's absolubtly fantastic.

The car sticks to the road like glue, minimal roll, excellent grip and best of all compliant over bad surfaces. I'd say it's actually a much better ride than OEM for comfort.

[DravenSteel]

If you folks don't mind me jumping in here, I found the post and have been reading about all of the parts you mentioned for the last 90 mins or so.

 

I find the ride on my Octy III quite bumpy. I'm on 18's, and while it's nice on a good road, a few lumps out of the road here and there and it's like the car has bricks for springs. I wince sometimes :(

 

I'm wondering what your opinion of the ride would be like if it swapped out the springs for the Eibach Pro-Kit performance springs? Ideally i'd start there and the make some more changes later, but I'm not sure if I'm going down the wrong route. Never done it before and don't want to end up with a harder ride then I've got now - that would be very upsetting!

 

I actually thought there was something up with the car last week, so I got the dealer to test the suspension but alas nothing found and all as it should be. You seem to know a bit on the topic - opinions very welcome here please ... thanks!

[Yeti_Man]

The reason I suggested the B12 kit (Which on an Octy 2 is Eibach and B8 dampers), is because I have it on my Octy II and it's absolubtly fantastic.The car sticks to the road like glue, minimal roll, excellent grip and best of all compliant over bad surfaces. I'd say it's actually a much better ride than OEM for comfort.

agreed, I've installed it on my other car this year and it's brilliant. It's also interesting to compare these two setups on that car and the yeti. Imo both B6 and B8 dampers work really well with the Eibach springs - the B6's just affording that little more comfort when the going gets tough - either way, after many many aftermarket setups on my cars (from basic lowering springs and shocks to Bilstein PSS9's) I think the Eibach/Bilstein combos we are discussing here offer the best bang per buck. Id certainly not run Konis again when the Bilsteins are so able at their price point.

[cheezemonkhai]

As for the comment of do springs, then do dampers. It's all down to labour costs.

[JungleJames]

If you folks don't mind me jumping in here, I found the post and have been reading about all of the parts you mentioned for the last 90 mins or so.

 

I find the ride on my Octy III quite bumpy. I'm on 18's, and while it's nice on a good road, a few lumps out of the road here and there and it's like the car has bricks for springs. I wince sometimes :(

 

I'm wondering what your opinion of the ride would be like if it swapped out the springs for the Eibach Pro-Kit performance springs? Ideally i'd start there and the make some more changes later, but I'm not sure if I'm going down the wrong route. Never done it before and don't want to end up with a harder ride then I've got now - that would be very upsetting!

 

I actually thought there was something up with the car last week, so I got the dealer to test the suspension but alas nothing found and all as it should be. You seem to know a bit on the topic - opinions very welcome here please ... thanks!

You arent the only one who suffers from a bad ride. Mine has improved a lot over time, but it isnt good. I have winced on more than one occasion.

However, dont just do the springs. The main thing causing the harshness seems to be the dampers. Skoda seem to have changed the type of damper they have used as they update the cars. The early cars really being affected by bad ride.

 

Wheres the dangerous Sheffieldian when you need him? Matt has changed his dampers and springs to a Bilstein/ Eibach setup,with the aim of improving ride and reducing roll. Apparently it has been a success. Think his profile mentions what he changed to. Will check it.

 

Edit- Matt went with the Bilstein B4s and Eibach Pro Kit lowering springs. If you are more worried about comfort then the B4s are probably the dampers to go for. The B6s and B8s mentioned elsewhere on this thread are more aimed at the sporty side I believe, and less for comfort. If you can afford it, then this combo would probably suit you well. If you arent bothered about reducing roll and dont want to splash too much case, then perhaps just change the dampers to the B4s.

 

Think Matt purchased everything through Demon Tweaks. Ive checked and cant find the items at a better price elsewhere. Even Amazon was more expensive.

Edited 3 October, 2015 by JungleJames

[FlyingGecko]

Before this thread goes off on a tangent about ride, I'll just say thanks for the suggestions, chaps.

 

I'm just thinking of springs only, to keep the cost down. Demon Tweeks are only a few miles down the road, I might call in for a chat when I visit my sister next week.

[M12MKD]

A few on the vRS's have gone for H&R springs, they report little change in ride quality.

If you are not in a rush keep an eye on amazon, I got mine under £100. Failing that check the thread out as there is a website to order from.

[Matt Pez]

As Jungle Jim says , I switched to Eibach Pro kit and B4 dampers front and rear in April so done about 15k on them now, the B4s are effectively OEM equivalents but 10-15% better quality supposedly and I can vouch that they did improve ride, although not sure if that was more down to springs as did the swap together. Price wise I paid £340 parts plus £170 fitting. Not sure if I should have paid the extra for B6 dampers in hindsight, one of the rears is already knocking/rattling over low speed rough roads, and if I was keeping the car long term would probably be looking to upgrade the rears again already.

[Yeti_Man]

As Jungle Jim says , I switched to Eibach Pro kit and B4 dampers front and rear in April so done about 15k on them now, the B4s are effectively OEM equivalents but 10-15% better quality supposedly and I can vouch that they did improve ride, although not sure if that was more down to springs as did the swap together. Price wise I paid £340 parts plus £170 fitting. Not sure if I should have paid the extra for B6 dampers in hindsight, one of the rears is already knocking/rattling over low speed rough roads, and if I was keeping the car long term would probably be looking to upgrade the rears again already.

Be interested to know the source of the 10-15% better statement and how do they quantify 'better'? I did loads of research before I bought the B6 and B8 dampers, including many conversations with Bilstein UK technical. Dept (very knowledgeable indeed) If you ever see the B4 front unit and a B6/8 unit stripped down you'll see a night and day difference in constriction and engineering so I'd consider the additional cost, money well spent, especially if being used with lowering springs.

[Matt Pez]

Be interested to know the source of the 10-15% better statement and how do they quantify 'better'? I did loads of research before I bought the B6 and B8 dampers, including many conversations with Bilstein UK technical. Dept (very knowledgeable indeed) If you ever see the B4 front unit and a B6/8 unit stripped down you'll see a night and day difference in constriction and engineering so I'd consider the additional cost, money well spent, especially if being used with lowering springs.

I meant 10-15% better than the OEM fitted by Skoda according to the advice I got from DT. B6 are a much better damper, agreed, but then they would have added about £150 to my project which is double the cost of B4s, however in hindsight might have been money well spent.

[Yeti_Man]

I meant 10-15% better than the OEM fitted by Skoda according to the advice I got from DT. B6 are a much better damper, agreed, but then they would have added about £150 to my project which is double the cost of B4s, however in hindsight might have been money well spent.

yes, I understood what you were saying so just intrigued how they came about the remark of being 10-15% 'better' Even Bilstein told me the B4's were OE spec and no better and they did not recomend them for being combined with lowering springs in any application. Main reason being the additional stress placed on them and they had to work outside of their specification. I learnt years ago, buy once and buy it right. I always pick up my Bilstein and Eibach kit from Germany, think both my B12 kit and B6 dampers were 35-40% cheaper than the cheapest prices over here earlier this year.

[Zillio]

Quite interested in better dampeners and springs but I am not sure I want the car any lower, the lowering is optional right?

[cheezemonkhai]

Not really, but the drop on a vrs is less than the stated drop as it's already lower than standard.

You could barely notice the drop on a mk2 elegance and for the vrs i think it was 15mm drop rather than 30mm standard

[JungleJames]

yes, I understood what you were saying so just intrigued how they came about the remark of being 10-15% 'better' Even Bilstein told me the B4's were OE spec and no better and they did not recomend them for being combined with lowering springs in any application. Main reason being the additional stress placed on them and they had to work outside of their specification. I learnt years ago, buy once and buy it right. I always pick up my Bilstein and Eibach kit from Germany, think both my B12 kit and B6 dampers were 35-40% cheaper than the cheapest prices over here earlier this year.

Well i did call him the dangerous Sheffieldian. Dangerous in picking the wrong dampers

 

Would B6s improve the ride over B4s? I always assumed they were aimed more at handling, and reducing body roll.

[Matt Pez]

yes, I understood what you were saying so just intrigued how they came about the remark of being 10-15% 'better' Even Bilstein told me the B4's were OE spec and no better and they did not recomend them for being combined with lowering springs in any application. Main reason being the additional stress placed on them and they had to work outside of their specification. I learnt years ago, buy once and buy it right. I always pick up my Bilstein and Eibach kit from Germany, think both my B12 kit and B6 dampers were 35-40% cheaper than the cheapest prices over here earlier this year.

The following is the description of B4s on the DT website and I'm sure it was their chap that said 10-15% improvement over original...

Bilstein B4 Performance Rear Gas Dampers are designed to be direct replacements, with a slight performance advantage over the original dampers. They are ideal for use with the standard ride height springs or can be used with lowered and uprated springs (max suggested lowering approx 40mm) if lowering on a budget...

http://www.demon-tweeks.co.uk/performance/shock-absorbers/bilstein-b4-rear-gas-shock-absorber

My springs only lowered by 35mm front, 30mm rear so also well within the tolerance of the B4.

Edited 4 October, 2015 by Matt Pez

[Matt Pez]

Well i did call him the dangerous Sheffieldian. Dangerous in picking the wrong dampers

 

Would B6s improve the ride over B4s? I always assumed they were aimed more at handling, and reducing body roll.

Despite the extra cost of B6s, the main reason I stuck with B4s was to maintain a softer rate of damping but with hopefully a better quality product than OEM. I would be interested in comparing with B6s but not worth shedding more cash on a car I'm now planning to sell next year!

[JungleJames]

Yeah I've decided against any changes. Ride has improved dramatically over time and is now adequate. Can live with it.

[DravenSteel]

You arent the only one who suffers from a bad ride. Mine has improved a lot over time, but it isnt good. I have winced on more than one occasion.

However, dont just do the springs. The main thing causing the harshness seems to be the dampers. Skoda seem to have changed the type of damper they have used as they update the cars. The early cars really being affected by bad ride.

Wheres the dangerous Sheffieldian when you need him? Matt has changed his dampers and springs to a Bilstein/ Eibach setup,with the aim of improving ride and reducing roll. Apparently it has been a success. Think his profile mentions what he changed to. Will check it.

Edit- Matt went with the Bilstein B4s and Eibach Pro Kit lowering springs. If you are more worried about comfort then the B4s are probably the dampers to go for. The B6s and B8s mentioned elsewhere on this thread are more aimed at the sporty side I believe, and less for comfort. If you can afford it, then this combo would probably suit you well. If you arent bothered about reducing roll and dont want to splash too much case, then perhaps just change the dampers to the B4s.

Think Matt purchased everything through Demon Tweaks. Ive checked and cant find the items at a better price elsewhere. Even Amazon was more expensive.

Thanks very much, detailed reply! I would agree that the dampers and springs seems to be the way to go. It's bit out of price range at the minute so wondered about just the springs which I think labour wise is a bit of a false economy in the long run.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[0voyager0]

yes, I understood what you were saying so just intrigued how they came about the remark of being 10-15% 'better' Even Bilstein told me the B4's were OE spec and no better and they did not recomend them for being combined with lowering springs in any application. Main reason being the additional stress placed on them and they had to work outside of their specification. I learnt years ago, buy once and buy it right. I always pick up my Bilstein and Eibach kit from Germany, think both my B12 kit and B6 dampers were 35-40% cheaper than the cheapest prices over here earlier this year.

Where did you make the purchase? Which german site?

[Yeti_Man]

Where did you make the purchase? Which german site?

Cant recall the name (in German) but it was mentioned on here - think the person posting bought then via their german ebay shop. A search should find it.