Lift for TDI Sportwagen (for oversize tires)

Carphuntin_god

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
On the Dark Side
TDI
2011 Golf 2-door 6-speed
you'd have to talke to a JSW owner to see if they top out... Golfs DO top out with JSW rears. the tig suplex rears i got seemed to work with the golf STR.T shocks i used. But with the JSW rears, I had to use Tig rears to not top out
 

johngfc

Active member
Joined
Feb 21, 2011
Location
Ft Collins
TDI
Jetta sportwagen
Thanks! I really appreciate your willingness to try things out, see how they work, and help the rest of us figure it out.
 

unorganizedplan

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 17, 2013
Location
Okotoks, AB
TDI
2012 JSW Highline w/DSG ; 2003 Jetta ALH w/5spd
Id Parts now has SUPLEX rear towing springs, at least for JSW, $169/pr at http://www.idparts.com/sportwagen-rear-towing-springs-pair-a5-p-5084.html

Are you recommending Tiguan rear shocks (rather than JSW) to avoid topping out? I presume the Tig shocks will also be stiffer.
firstly - holy smokes, nice post to summarize pretty much the entire thread!

if we assume the SUPLEX towing springs are the same specs as the VW towing springs, then the stock rear shocks are fine. I have had no issues topping them out. Maybe a good highway dip at speed would do it, but no problems for me day to day. I have a little additional weight, but nothing major. A CURT hitch, and an INNO cargo box that both remain on the car full time.
 

n1d0n

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 6, 2009
Location
canada
TDI
2013 golf tdi wolfsburg and 1986 toyota pickup SASed AHU tdi
Good morning everyone..

I wanted to also give a little update/review on this as I did this I think in November 2015 and now that winter is finally almost over I just bought some new summer tires.

I had bought the tiguan front spring from IDparts and I made my own lift in the back but it's the same as if I had bought the towing spring.. I got 2.5" of lift in the back.

My winter tires were 215/65r16 and I have studs and I can say that I don't think I could fit a bigger tire.. I think that for people that wants to know what is the limit before the tire rubs.. I think that for a winter tire 215/65r16 with studs is pretty much the max.. maybe something a little bit bigger would be ok.. but I don't want to be responsible if someone buys a tire bigger and it doesn't fit.. ahah

the ride all winter was the same as when it was stock.. I thought that it would be not as good but overall I couldn't notice too much difference except that I did not plow any street this winter with my front bumper.. the thing that I did notice is that if you go over a speed bump FAST it will (bottom out(I think is the right term)) so this is something to keep in mind.. so my suggestion would be to get other shocks if this becomes an issue for someone.

2 days ago I bought new summer tires to go on my 17" mag.
I got some 215/60r17 tires and although they were .2" bigger than my winter tires I was confident that they would not rub.. and they don't but it's close.. I went over speed bumps and tried while turning and all and they do not rub but wow is it close. so again my suggestion for a 17" tire would be 215/60r17.

Also so far I haven't noticed any decrease in fuel economy.. it's weird but I can even probably say that it went up since I did this.. maybe because the RPM's are lower.. but I also had a revise stage 2 tune from Malone this winter so this might have some effect as well.

Anyway here are the specs for both tires.
Winter tires 215/65r16
Diameter 27
Width 8.46
Sidewall 5.5
Circumference 84.8

Summer Tire Champiro VP1 215/60r17
Diameter 27.2
Width 8.46
Sidewall 5.08
Circumference 85.3

I am pretty sure that it's not related but I thought I would mention it.. I had a big clunk every time I went over any bumps or rugged road.. my front sway bar links were shot already.. I have 69000km on the car.. so I put some moog links on the car and they have a lifetime warranty on them and they are greasable.. like it should..

now there is no more noise at all..

Here is a picture with the new tires.




 
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GaryWagner

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Location
Nova Scotia
TDI
Golf Wagon
I have a 2010 Golf Wagon (Canadian JSW). I had a rear spring break last year and I replaced them with OEM Towing Springs (1K0511115CT). A couple weeks ago a front spring broke so I replaced those with front Tiguan Springs, part number 5N0411105T (actually Bilstein 36-233694). Basically the same parts as the IDParts lift.

So far it has only been a couple of days but I'm very happy with the results. I haven't been back for an alignment yet, I think it's off very slightly, but it rides great and I've had no issues topping out yet. I'm using stock shocks/struts.

The front wheel well is now 27.5" - lift of ~1.5"
The rear wheel well is now 28" - lift of +2"

Here are some after pictures, on stock tires and rims.


 

FordGuy100

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2011
Location
Silverton, OR
TDI
2004 Jetta TDI
Those of you with lifts and DSG's, how does that combo work out for you? Larger tires are going to put more stress on the drivetrain, I just want to know how the DSG reacts to it.
 

relegate

Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2014
Location
Radnor, PA
TDI
2014 Sportwagen
I ordered the lift kit from idparts today. My car is currently lowered with Neuspeed sports and, while fine in California, it's just been absolutely hammered in Pennsylvania. I have a dedicated sports car now, which I didn't in 2014 when I got this, so I am going the utility route, but I want to keep the Crossover theme, not the pretend FWD off roader (yet). I mountain bike and some of the parking lots have left some metal and plastic behind.

I am thinking of re-shoeing my 18x8" wheels with some 235/50/18 DSW06's that seem to get awesome ratings. They currently have 225/40 S-04 Potenza Max Perf Summers and I probably want a better all-arounder.

My issue with the DSG is the gearing... I have a Malone Stage 2, and if it's slightly damp the front gets NO traction with the stock conti's, the S_04s are better but worn out as well. The Bilstein HD's on the right side are also blown. It will spin 1-3 and in the wet it sometimes spins in unexpected places (corners, etc, the usual).

I ordered the springs and opted for the STR.T Koni Oranges which ID said will be great with the new springs (I had the struts already as I was planning on replacing the Bilsteins).

I'll let you know if the DSG gets pissy but I wouldn't think so, and I also don't think the ESP will . I know the speedo will be off a bit as well... If it all sucks, I can got right back to the 225/45/17's that came stock.
 

drade

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2015
Location
Hellas
TDI
1.9tdi mk5

ATR

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 18, 2005
Location
Baltimore
TDI
2011 Golf TDI 6MT
I've read that a few guys have been experiencing clunks, maybe this could solve someone's problem as they claim it is a cure for the common knocking issue from the Golf Mk5, Jetta and VW Passat:

http://www.darksidedevelopments.co.uk/products/vw-subframe-washers-spacer-plates-for-mk5-platform.html

its rather cheap and simple so its probably worth a shot.
BTW I've bought a couple of things from these guys, they were helpful and everything went smoothly.
Exactly what ECS has as well:
https://www.ecstuning.com/News/MKV_Subframe_Spacer/ES2102460/

The best kit so far that I've seen (while pricey) is the Tyrolsport Deadset Subframe Collar Kit:
http://www.tyrolsport.com/suspensio...-kit-for-all-mk5/6-jetta-gli-and-mk2-audi-tt/

Read a few reviews on that kit and it sppears to really fix many of the areas that have play in them between the car and the subframe.
 

drade

Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2015
Location
Hellas
TDI
1.9tdi mk5
After quite a few months of reading up on how to lift my Golf MK5 the time has finally come to decide as my suspension is pretty near its end. Since I will be replacing the shocks and struts as well as the springs I was thinking of buying oem fwd tig shocks, struts and springs. At some point, when they are done, I will also replace my tires with 225/50r17 (I currently have 225/45r17 tires). I am thinking that a 55 sidewall would be too much and possibly too floaty.

My goal is to make my Golf a better and frankly comfier ride when driving fully loaded with 3 grown ups, 2 kids, a trunk and roofbox full of things, over potholes, trying to park on difficult driveway angles and so on.

What do you guys think? Is it the correct combination?
 

SomeJ

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 30, 2011
Location
central New Mexico
TDI
2011 JSW TDI 6m
2 year Update

An update to my post of the upgrades a little over 2 years ago...

The H&R 29037.1 lifter springs did not work out in the long run. I do not recall how many miles I have on them, but needless to say, they began to sag really bad earlier this year and ended up destroying my tires. I have had a good amount of weight + pulling trailers so they did get a work out.

Now I have the OEM JSW towing springs which were ordered from ID parts. Around 6kmiles on them so far and they are holding up well. 2500 of those miles is pulling a camper with a load in the back of the car. The towing springs did lift the backend back up quick a bit, id say about 1inch higher from where the slumping lifter springs had ended up. Lifted to the point that just the slightest bump will cause the factory shocks to top out (without a load in the back of the car) and make it sound like something is rattling in the back.

The front springs which already had 32k miles on them when I got them, were factory from a 4 motion tig. These springs are still holding good and I have had no issues with them.

Over all I am now extremely happy with this setup. Will update in time as everything gets more "broken in".

-J

So I installed the new rear springs earlier this week...
Used the H&R 29037.1 lifter springs.

After a few days of driving with a normal load in the back of the car... I am seeing just around a .5 inch lift.

The fronts are slated to go on Monday. One thing to note, the new tig lifter springs were actually about half an inch shorter than my OEM jsw springs. However they are much stiffer. The back end is not nearly as bouncy and actually takes quite a bit to get it to move. Really these springs seem more like a towing spring to me which is no problem as that is exactly what I have planned :)

After further reading, I have decided to not put on the new H&R lifter springs on the front and instead am going with a slightly used set of FWD OEM tig springs. Reports say they will lift the front, but not as much as the lifter springs. And with the full set of lifter springs the front actually raises more than the back making the car appear to sag in the back. So... On Monday we shall see if these OEM tig springs give me a lift and keep the car fairly level from front to back :)

Cheers!
J
 

DASKYMZ

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Location
Yuba City, CA
TDI
2010 VW Jetta TDI Sportwagen, 6sp DSG
After a little reading here, I ordered the JSW lift springs, install kit & Koni FSD struts/shocks from ID Parts for my wife's 2010 JSW TDI. Here's what we bought:

https://www.idparts.com/sportwagen-lift-springs-set-p-5101.html
https://www.idparts.com/koni-fsd-strut-and-shock-set-a5-p-706.html
https://www.idparts.com/suspension-installation-kit-with-mounts-a5-p-4807.html

We've got 90K on the original equipment, and when we took the rears off (after the tire shop indicated cupping on a new set of tires after ~5000 miles), the shocks were about shot. My wife likes to overpack, and I would like to eventually try towing a small camping trailer, so we upgraded the suspension & got the rear tires replaced under warranty, then took it to Les Schwab for alignment. Here's the result of the lift (sticking with stock tires & wheels for now):













That's what I've got so far... impressions are that it drove great on the way home from Sacramento to Yuba City (did the whole install at my brother's place, since he's a mechanic) and tracked straight. We were thinking it would have positive camber due to the lift, but it ended up needing toe adjustment all around instead of camber. I'm hoping there will be a perceptible difference in handling on dirt/unmaintained roads, since we like to explore where we can go with this car.
 

sinfony78

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2005
Location
houston, tx
TDI
2010 sportwagen
since 10k miles, i've been on a lowered car with koni yellow, h&r springs, and 18" rims, and it was my daily driver...i used it on solo road trips with a hitch bike rack and installed a jl audio stealth box. i've since gained a wife, her child, and her brother, so the lowered car no longer serves its purpose trying to lug all that weight around and bottoming out on meager dips in the road. unfortunately i just installed a b&g rs1 coilover kit to give it back some lift, but it's not that much and will probably start sagging again after another 40-50k miles. so once i've exhausted the utility off the newly installed suspension, i'll be fully utilizing the vehicle and lifting it, replacing with 16" wheels and larger tires, and traveling the country with this sucker again

kind of wish i hadn't already spent the money on the b&g + install, cause i'm ready to do this now

maybe once my money comes in from the diesel lawsuit, i'll just see this as a sunk cost and lift it immediately. glad to see that this has been done already with positive results
 

stover954rr

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 14, 2012
Location
North NY
TDI
2010 JSW 2003 Jetta TDI Wagon... Oldman Tan soon to be FS
KILEN 65067 Coil Springs

Hey Guys,
I am selling back my 2010 JSW to VW. I currently have the kilen 65067 springs from Germany in it. I have been thrilled with them, no more saggin wagon. If someone was interested in them I would take them out and sell them.

The price is $185 shipped They only have 7k miles on them. Please pm or email.
 

tomsyco

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2011
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
2010 White Golf 2 Door
Is anyone getting vibration. Under load I am getting a vibration, which I think is the CV axles. I installed the golf lift springs http://www.idparts.com/golf-lift-springs-set-mk6-p-5930.html with bilstein touring struts. The car is tuned so under acelleration when the front end pics up a bit i get veavy vibration and its not in the wheels. It feels like it is the cv axles for sure. Does anybody think I just have a bad axel, or is it overextended?
 
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GaryWagner

New member
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Location
Nova Scotia
TDI
Golf Wagon
Yes, I get this as well and have since I installed the springs 8 months ago. An alignment improved vibrations quite a bit, but I still get a hum in the front end at around 70mph when under throttle. Sounds like it originates from the inner CV joint
 

tomsyco

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2011
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
2010 White Golf 2 Door
Yes, I get this as well and have since I installed the springs 8 months ago. An alignment improved vibrations quite a bit, but I still get a hum in the front end at around 70mph when under throttle. Sounds like it originates from the inner CV joint
How many miles do you have on those CV joints?
 

Carphuntin_god

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
On the Dark Side
TDI
2011 Golf 2-door 6-speed
I don't know if i ever posted to this thread about it...but i know i pm'd another person here about the perceived hum/thrum, whatever you want to call it when putting load on the system. I don't know how long i've had my lift in...but there was something there. It never got worse (I don't notice it now...so not sure it's even there anymore).
actually, i'll try to work it out... i should be able to figure out when the lift went in vs my fuelly records.

edit... about 18400 mi since lift done
 
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tomsyco

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2011
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
2010 White Golf 2 Door
Does anyone have tiguan rear shocks to measure full extension length vs the stock golf shocks?
 

tomsyco

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2011
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
2010 White Golf 2 Door
I had dislocated that joint ages ago when lowering, so I think I may have caused this issue, because it was present on day 1 after lifting. It wasn't something that developed over time. these springs are a bit too high on the spring rate though and I wish they were a few pounds softer so they wouldn't top out on speed bumps and whatnot.
 

Carphuntin_god

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
On the Dark Side
TDI
2011 Golf 2-door 6-speed
interesting. I put in plain str.t front shocks and never hit a topping issue. the Golf-length rear str.t's did top out though...and i put in tiguan rear shocks.
 

tomsyco

Veteran Member
Joined
May 14, 2011
Location
Rhode Island
TDI
2010 White Golf 2 Door
That doesn't cause any issues with over extending the rear? On the front i know the rubber at the joint would probably eventually rip.
 
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