Adding the Bilsteins made such a huge difference in the handling of the car! Stock shocks are sloppy by comparison.
i used bilstein sports with my gc setup...the bilsteins worked great and did everything they were supposed to.no more dive and squat.body roll was kept to a minimum and it offered GREAT comfort, but it just wasnt what i was expecting.
I've got a set of bilstein sports and ground control coilovers on the car right now and there have been no problems. Spring rates are 275F/250R, spaced about an inch lower than stock front to rear. Nothing rubs, theres lots of travel, and the handling and comfort characteristics are superb.
My shocks needed replacing, and couldn't source original ones - in fact the only choice I had here was Koni's. Can't complain, they seem to do the job well!
As far as the bouncing goes, mine did too. The roads are very bumpy around here, so I wanted to put new original shocks, but then I went with Bilsteins, they were cheaper. They are stiffer, but not so much and definitely improve handling.
Here's my review of the Koni FSD / Weitec 30mm (1.2\") lowering springs setup. Cliffs notes: Koni FSDs & 1.2\" lowering springs (Eibach, Weitec, whatever) are the muthaf&^kin' bomb. Buy 'em if you're looking for the best handling (not looking) setup for a Mk IV. Koni isn't full of crap. These dampers work exactly as advertised. They have excellent small bump sensitivity, dispatching railroad tracks, cobblestone roads, and cracks in the pavement with muted thuds. The car sails over bumps that would rattle my teeth with the Bilsteins. What is WEIRD is that despite this smoothness, there is little loss of communication through the steering wheel, and absolutely no increase in squat, dive, or roll vs. the Bilsteins. The added travel due to less lowering has made the car less jittery on bumpy corners as well. In short, it is fabulous. Very trackable, and probably better for road courses than the Bilsteins.
Well, I'm sure you could just buy a set of Koni's for ohh I dunno around $1000-1200 installed...
i had Konis, then Bilsteins, then KYB AGX on my 2004 jetta 1.8T. I liked the KYB AGX a lot, had no complaints. I kept stock springs.
While you could also try Koni yellows after you rebuild the suspension, in my experience they would not be the best choice for ride comfort on rough roads because the bump dampening is NOT adjustable, (nor is the Koni reds), and the yellow dampening rates are tailored more towards track use than the reds.
my uncle has KYB non-adjustable shocks/struts and they SUCK. I need a kidney transplant whenever i ride in his car. They are soo harsh and stiff, they actually reduce traction. No body roll, squat, or dive, but i wouldnt recommend them for a daily driver
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