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Originally Posted by TruBluJettaMK2
First off, it's been too long since I last posted. I've been immersed in school and work this semester, it's definitely good to be back online. Anyways, I'm looking into various suspension kits, and was curious as to your opinions on Tokico HP kit, Eibach ProKits, or Weitec 60/40s. I'm just looking for a nicer ride with minimal drop, something inexpensive yet worth every penny. I took a look underneath the car last weekend to gauge the damage control for the change. The OEM pieces all seem to be in fair shape, but what should I consider replacing if I want to "refresh" my setup when installing the suspension kit? Thanks in advance everyone.
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The following opinions are opinions, take them at that:
Tokico is shit. A lot of people like them... they're adjustable, blablabla. Truth is they blow out early. Tokico knows this and they've done it for years. I don't know if they've taken efforts to fix the problem but old posting on forums from 1996 speak of issues and people today who make the mistake of buying them suffer the same problem. My roommates lasted about 10K miles.
Eibach springs are pretty good quality. When you buy the OEM performance springs for a MK4 (VW Sport) you get Eibachs with a VW part number on them. Most race teams run Eibach race springs. A lot of people talk about them sagging over time. As far as I'm concerned this is a good thing since you'll always want your car lower as time goes on
This usually requires a good strut like a Koni or a Bilstein, which cost as much for a set of 4 as most quality suspension kits.
Neuspeed and H&R springs have been the same for years. Eight years ago Neuspeeds just had the H&R logo on them and nothing else. Good spings, last for years... etc etc. They usually have several dead coils so you can lower your car a little more by chopping the worthless coils. SoftSports are pointless, Race springs are hard with more dead coils for lowering. Once again, good struts as above, spendy. I've heard complaints about H&R cup kits riding and handling less than optimal, possible due to the struts, or people just being pussies about being low. I have no experiance with them so I'll leave it there.
Weitec is pretty good stuff as well. I've installed several kits on MK1s, 2s and 3s. All fit well, all rode well and all handled well. The lower kits (80mm) have lots of dead coils and only lower your car about as much as the 60s. 60/40 is perfect. The GT kit is a damn good deal. The struts seem to last and are matched well. Watch Vortex for Weitec group buys since they seem to happen a lot and you can buy a complete kit for far less than 4 Bilsteins cost. Back in the day we used to get the wrong parts a lot when ordering Weitec stuff but they seem to have gotten their crap in a pile since and we haven't had any trouble. They were trying to make kits from seperate parts I guess.
Suspension Techniques used to be OK stuff, not sure about it now. JCWhitney sells it, not sure what that says about the product.
Intrax and Spax are shit.
Koni makes some of the best struts on the planet. They also make some of the most expensive. Koni adjustables are supposed to be equal to Bilstein sports when set to the highest setting. So you can turn down the stiff, which is nice.
Bilsteins are also pricey. Sports ride good because they're so stiff. Bottoming out becomes less of a problem because it takes one hell of a hit to move the suspension that fast. HDs a little above most performance struts. A little more driver friendly, but probably too expensive for what you get from them.
RPI kits use Boge struts. Factory quality stuff, and great... if you're running stock springs. Poor ride and early strut death are the downfalls of this setup.
Always replace the strut bearings when doing suspension work on any VW except early German Rabbits and Sciroccos. They're a wear part and contribute to the noise (clunk) most people associate with lowering.
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