Shock absorbers KONI or GABRIEL
I've driven the car with the new setup (Koni FSD F&R, Hawk HP+ F&R, ATE PremiumOne rotors F) for about a week now. By now I've gone through most of the places I drive by regularly. My impressions: 2. The Konis are amazing. Ride is definitely firmer, with much better dampening of spring motion. The car feels like it turns flat compared to the stock Sachs. At the same time, bumps and other road irregularities are absorbed much better. Cobblestone streets feel like smooth pavement.
I had them install Koni FSD struts and shocks; Hawk HP+ front and rear brake pads; ATE PremiumOne front rotors; and ATE Super Blue brake fluid. In the city, the car brakes exactly the same as before, although pedal modulation seems better. Did I say exactly the same? Almost--now my brakes squeal. Usually not a lot, sometimes quite a bit. It comes mainly from the rear, where I am still running stock (and somewhat worn out) rotors. I tried several 70 mph -> 20 mph hard braking exercises, and the front pads exhibited pretty significant fade after 6 times or so. The stock pads NEVER developed fade, even on multiple tracks days at Watkins Glen. This worries me a bit. I did boil the OEM brake fluid in almost every track event, and I am hoping that the ATE SB will do the trick there. But I am left wondering whether stock pads would have been just a s good (and silent). The suspension is quite nice. On the street, the ride is quite similar to stock, which is a good thing. On potholes, the suspension seems to be able to absorb them better and transmit less jerk to the cabin. When turning or doing slalom, the car is definitely more planted and exhibits less roll/bounce. That said, I was always quite happy with the R32's stock sport suspension--it just felt a bit underdampened, and a bit harsh on pavement defects.
after a too good to be true deal on a ground control kit and a set of koni yellows, some replacement bits and advice from steve (reflexgti), and the long awaited return to production of the h2sport spindles, the new supsension is all bolted in and maybe barring a few adjustments, buttoned up.
Seems like a good price for Koni Yellows. What does Koni say about running these with the stock springs? I don't want to drop, but the stock dampers are too slow IMHO...
Koni... they transformed my Mk4 Golf into something that rode and handled better when compared to stock... The ride was stiffer, but the quality was actually better, especially on the highway. A lot of people noticed and commented on how good the car felt.
I've had Konis under my 2001 T4 for a while now....my feeling is that they work very well in the front but I'm less convinced in the rear...
Brand New adjustable Koni Reds w/ Neuspeed Sofsport Mild-Lowering Springs, new bump stops and bushings.........rears are installed, fronts need to be installed
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!
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.
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.
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