Hellow ye all,

 

 

So since i have to put my car in the shop to get my fuel pump checked out,

 

Id like to address another issue and also hear what you guys have to say about it:

 

 

Suspension:

 

Needs: Id love to have a phenominal comfy ride, im not interested in better high speed performance our roads are ridicously bumpy and i would like to turn the octavia into a magic carpet. I do not want to change ride height either.

 

 

What i have read: I did a forum search - many people however are looking for a sportier feel, and the main names mentioned are : b4/b6/b8 then the FSD's

 

 

Questions:

 

 

1) Should I change both shock and springs?

2) If so what would you guys recommend to achieve magic carpet ride?

3) What about other parts like bushes etc? Any in particular to look out for?

 

 

Thanks as always

 

 

Chassis

best bet is to go for standard replacement items I would say... as you say most aftermarket stuff is going to make the car harder...

 

standard replacement stuff should be pretty cheap... mine is on standard suspension, and the ride is really nice

well it really isnt cheap, that's the thing...i've been qouted std shock front each €164 and rear €120each....its not cheap as such.

 

 

on the net I've seen kits going from £500 to £700 with spring and all.

 

Thanks

 

Chassis

bilstien B4 kit here for £129 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bilstein-B4-Full-Kit-4x-Shock-Damper-SKODA-OCTAVIA-Estate-1U-97-07-1-8T-VRS-/231861975500?hash=item35fc0cf9cc:g:K4UAAOSwa-dWq0go

 

basic front shocks £85 ..http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Skoda-Octavia-1-8-03-05-Pair-Of-Front-Shock-Absorbers-/331777826662?hash=item4d3f7fdf66:g:dk4AAOSwzgRWxe7j

 

basic rear shocks £30 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2x-Skoda-Fabia-Octavia-1-2-1-4-1-6-1-8-1-9-TDi-Rear-Axle-Shock-Absorber-Gas-New-/311489215512?hash=item4886343c18:g:7WoAAOSwcdBWTySk

 

so £115 cheapy set of shocks...... for the difference I would go for the bilsteins  at £129 .... don't know what that is in Euro..... or how much to post to Malta...

Edited 7 March, 201610 yr by sharkrider

Hi there I put my octy vrs bk on standard suspension, all new stuff,best thing I ever done!! Standard springs with slightly uprated Monroe shocks. If u want I could dig out the part numbers for you,bcoz for sum reason I had some hassle getting correct front shocks. Think everything came to about 300quid but WELL worth it

As above - I tried a few combinations of uprated springs and dampers, Bilstein, Eibach and H&R - fiddled around for ages and spent a load of money.

 

I don't do trackdays, car is my daily drive - and although I do use it as it was intended when the mood takes me, I can't be doing with crashy, uncomfortable rides. I knew it was bad when my G/F got in after the latest suspension mod, and within a mile said 'is it me or is the car feeling really hard and uncomfortable?' I knew it was, but for her, a complete non-petrolhead to notice, that gave me all the proof I needed that my fiddling was a waste of time and money.

 

So I went to TPS and bought a complete stock setup - standard springs, standard Sachs dampers.

 

You know those epiphany moments when you realise 'I should have done this in the first bleeding place?!' Well, I had that

 

In my opinion, for a normal variety of driving - i.e. gentle cruise to the shops with your Mum, and bat**** crazy drives down a favourite A road - you simply can't beat the standard setup for all-round versatility.

 

Just my opinion, of course.....hope this helps!

I'm the same, love the comfort of the standard setup on my vRS ... our other car is an Abarth (thats lowered!) so its ROCK hard ... drives like a go-Kart... but **** me you wouldn't want to drive it a long way every day! lol.... thats why my octy is staying "soft"

mines very boat like , i like it soft nobody wants a hard ride on a daily, but i feel it need just firming up a wee bit, 

Didn't realise B4s were so cheap. From the pic they don't seem to have the attachment for the VRS ARB drop links though.

 

Another thing that should improve the ride is switching to 16" wheels if you currently have 17s. The tyres can also make a difference - sport tyres often have stiffer sidewalls to give better steering response at the expense of ride quality.

mines very boat like , i like it soft nobody wants a hard ride on a daily, but i feel it need just firming up a wee bit, 

I'm going to do upgraded front ARB, and add a RARB ..... I have also got some lower wishbones coming that have polybushes fitted, my front end is "woolly" but there is a lot of movement in the bushes on the lower wishbones, hoping the polybushed ones will cure this shocks and springs are staying the same

 

Didn't realise B4s were so cheap. From the pic they don't seem to have the attachment for the VRS ARB drop links though.

 

Another thing that should improve the ride is switching to 16" wheels if you currently have 17s. The tyres can also make a difference - sport tyres often have stiffer sidewalls to give better steering response at the expense of ride quality.

the pic is "generic" says so in the ad. but yes, very cheap for bilstiens, these are what i would get if mine needed replacing, looking at history I think all my shocks were replaced in 2013...

the pic is "generic" says so in the ad. but yes, very cheap for bilstiens, these are what i would get if mine needed replacing, looking at history I think all my shocks were replaced in 2013...

 

The Bilstein online catalogue doesn't list B4 dampers for the 1.8 T RS, but does for other Octavia 1U models.

http://web1.carparts-cat.com/default.aspx?30=106&330=1149&31=1904&10=D6B4FC5D9EBA4497A539F2CB21DB8331018004&14=4&12=102

I think it's probably an error in that listing.

you may be right... the bilstein UK site only shows B6 or B8 http://bilstein.suspensiondirect.co.uk/Skoda-Octavia_1U2-RS_1.8_T.jsp

and only B6 or B8 on the link you gave too ... http://web1.carparts-cat.com/default.aspx?230=1&36=0&35=171&32=15293&34=0,100011,100121&14=4&10=2BBAF9BFFAE94D3297FF340D3A007F9D018004&12=130

well spotted!

I'm going to do upgraded front ARB, and add a RARB ..... I have also got some lower wishbones coming that have polybushes fitted, my front end is "woolly" but there is a lot of movement in the bushes on the lower wishbones, hoping the polybushed ones will cure this shocks and springs are staying the same

 

the pic is "generic" says so in the ad. but yes, very cheap for bilstiens, these are what i would get if mine needed replacing, looking at history I think all my shocks were replaced in 2013...

 

done my bushes and rear arb and strut lower and top strut,. maybe i want it to feel like it cant feel! 

done my bushes and rear arb and strut lower and top strut,. maybe i want it to feel like it cant feel! 

it is a bit of a barge only way forward after what you have already done is going for an audi TT quick rack to replace the standard steering! I know our Abarth is about HALF the number of turns lock to lock! the TT rack would make it feel sharper...

Dnt u need all new tt track rods too?

you might even need the subframe.... Haydn (niceyellowvrs) has bought an old TT to replace the front end of his vRS ... not sure which bits he's using, but he's got the whole car for it...

Edited 8 March, 201610 yr by sharkrider

thank you all for your contribution,

 

 

so in conclusion:

 

Do B4 exist or not for vrs 1.8?

 

Id keep std springs...anybody makes them aftermarket?

 

Thanks

 

Chassis

Looking at the catalogues, that looks to be a no for B4 Vrs shocks. Standard springs of a mature age do have a bit of a reputation for snapping, so you might want to budget for new standard springs and top mounts in your plans - do it once and do it for good.

 

I have had Bilstein shocks on other cars, and have been very impressed, but I am torn between Koni FSD's and Bilstein B8's when I have to replace mine soon.

 

I have a long term spine condition, so stiff suspension is a no go for me, but a little stiffer than standard damping would be nice.

Edited 8 March, 201610 yr by kentphil1

Go for standard replacement OEM stuff from TPS then add a neuspeed 28mm RARB and an R32 FARB job done.

Thats the part numbers of the front springs, back springs, and front Gas shocks. This stuff has bn on my car for over a year now and i had it on ramp the other day,gave front spring a rub with rag and its still like new.... Good quality stuff

And car sits sweet aswell. Only in my opinion ofcorse