RE: suspension pros & cons

["Scott F. Williams" <sfwilliams@home.com>]

> I'm going to buy a new suspension soon and I don't know what to get. I
> looked in the archives and I'm still not certain which is
> better...coilovers or struts & springs?

There was a thread about this last month that went over the details of this
conversion. Personally, I think it is silly unless a) you don't care about
peformance and are just going for show car points, or b) you are racing and
need the freedom to pick and choose your spring rates and to corner balance
the car. For the street, coilovers are just a fashionable waste of money.

> The scirocco in question (1986 8v) will *not* be driven in winter. I'm
> looking for a 2" lowering job and best handling.

Well, for starters, decide right now whether you want a 2" drop OR best
handling. You can not have both without doing some major surgery to your
car. The lowest drop that an A1-chassis car can tolerate on real streets is
about 1.25". After that, you loose so much suspension travel that you have
too run incredibly stiff springs to keep from bottoming. And then you hop,
skip, and bounce over every pebble in the road. This feels terrible, beats
your car to death, and reduces your traction.

How much money do you have to spend? There is a way around this, but it is
costly.

> Which is easier to install? Which offers best performance and
> handling? Pros
> and cons of each system type would be appreciated. Personal
> experiences are good too.

The easiest solution is to simply install lowering springs on some decent
dampers and call it a day. The coilovers will get you the drop that you
want, but you'll have to re-align your car every time for the car to handle
properly. Are you racing, showing, or daily driving this car? If you fall
into the last category, just save your money or spend it where it counts.
--
Scott F. Williams
NJ Scirocco nut
Golf GTI 16v rallycar
Mazda 323 GTX turbo assault vehicle
ClubVAC: "Roads found. Drivers wanted."

Check out our rally team's website!
http://www.usrallyteam.com


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