TDI on GTI springs

bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
for those of you who might wonder how TDI looks on GTI springs, here you go





 

ESmith813

Active member
Joined
Jan 17, 2019
Location
Poconos, PA
TDI
2015 Manual GSW TDI SEL
Looks good! Correct me if I'm wrong, but GTI springs will fit a wagon too, right?

How noticeable is the ride difference?
 

bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
Looks good! Correct me if I'm wrong, but GTI springs will fit a wagon too, right?

How noticeable is the ride difference?
yes, they will. they might even fit better because wagon is slightly heavier in the back, and i wish these springs were a tad lower in the rear on golf. The ride didnt change significantly, stock shocks, maybe a little stiffer and less roll, i think the car got a little more nimble when manuevering, but it might me in my head as well. Aestetically it got better in my opinion. It is a good alternative to VW DG springs, especially if you can get them for free
 
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Martin Winterkorn

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 29, 2018
Location
Valley of the Sun
TDI
2015 Golf TDI SE w/ Lighting Package
Can anyone speak to putting Alltrack springs on a normal Golf (non-sportwagen). I read this on ID Parts. "This kit can be installed on a normal Golf, however, we do not have any testing data for that, so at this point we are recommending this kit ONLY for Golf Sportwagen models. We are working on a normal Golf lift kit as quickly as possible."

Does anyone have any experience and possibly pics?
 

adjat84th

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Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Location
Virginia Beach, VA
TDI
'01 Jetta TDI/'15 Golf TDI
This looks good! Agreed the wagon may actually come out more even. H&Rs are a bit lower but not much so this is a milder drop than that and possibly easier on the stock struts.
 

alext91

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Mar 26, 2015
Location
Northwood, New Hampshire
TDI
1996 Passat TDI, 2013 Jetta Sportwagen TDI 6MT Pano (Sold), 2015 Golf S 4DR 6MT (Sold), 1999.5 Jetta TDI Tornado Red (Sold)
for those of you who might wonder how TDI looks on GTI springs, here you go





Looks good! These fit even though the TDIs have the torsion beam rear? I wasn't aware this was a direct swap. This is springs only and not dampers? Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
Looks good! These fit even though the TDIs have the torsion beam rear? I wasn't aware this was a direct swap. This is springs only and not dampers? Thanks!

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
i was thinking the same thing about the IRS vs torsion beam at first, but looking at the GTI crowd that is widely using the Driver Gear springs 5G4-071-677-E , which is technically designed for Golf and not the GTI, it made me believe there no really significant difference in them.
Yes these are on stock dampers, i wish i could use the GTI struts, but they are 55mm in diameter vs 50mm on Golf, you could technically use them if you swap out the knuckles i guess
 
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CGR

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
2002 Golf TDI manual. Silver/Black
The rear of my Golf on stock shocks and springs was 27 1/4" ground to fender. The GTI springs and stock shocks measured 26 3/4" ground to fender. When I switched to Koni Sports with the GTI springs, it dropped to 26 1/2" ground to fender. I tried the H&R sports with the Koni's and it dropped to 25 3/8", far too much for me and I immediately sent them back.

I like the ride on the GTI springs better with both stock shocks and the Koni's. The stock TDI springs are horrible to me, the rear end bounces around entirely too much. The GTI springs are firmer for sure, there is a decreas in body roll and an increase in turn in response similar to the effect of adding a rear sway bar.

I find the Koni's to be more comfortable than the stock shocks, but still maybe a little too much rebound. I want to try some Koni Special active on the rear end next to see if I can smooth the ride out a little more.

I haven't done the front yet, hopefully next week. I'll be putting in GTI springs and Koni Sports.
 
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CGR

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Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
2002 Golf TDI manual. Silver/Black
I've also tested rear springs from

MK7 Golf R, 27" GTF. Very rigid with almost no suspension travel at all.

MK4 Golf TDI, 26 3/8" GTF. I did a 600 mile round trip Tuesday from Pittsburgh to Scranton PA on the MK4 Golf spring and it is the most comfortable of them all. It's also the softest. It was great on most conditions, but too soft on the big bumps and rippled pavement on I80. It crashed down too much on to the Konis and hit pretty hard, I think the Koni's have too much rebound for the soft spring. I have the two middle sections of the bumpstops removed so I don't think I was hitting them. I hauled a transfer case for my Duramax back from Scranton and it dropped the rear end down to 25 7/8" - 26". I haul stuff in the hatch pretty regularly so I think these will be too soft.

MK4 Jetta/GLI, 26 1/2" GTF. The GLI ran the same rear springs as a standard Jetta in the MK4's I believe, three green and one silver or white. They are faded a little.

I currently have the MK4 Jetta spring in, it's a more comfortable ride than the GTI spring with the same ride height.

If I get some Koni Special Actives to try, I will test the GTI, and both Mk4 springs with them to see what I like best.

I plan on putting a Neuspeed rear sway bar on also.
 
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bmwM5power

Veteran Member
Joined
May 3, 2007
Location
Rochester NY
TDI
15 GSW TDI S 6MT / 02 JETTA TDI GLS 5MT 15 GOLF TDI 6MT
i should try the gli or mk4 standard jetta springs....didnt think of that, plus theyre "designed" for the torsion beam
 

CGR

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
2002 Golf TDI manual. Silver/Black
Would these be the spring set your referring to that are designed to go with a rear torsion setup?

IDParts

I'm referring to all MK4 springs. MK4 Golf's, GTI's, Jetta's, GLI's, and Jetta wagons all had a torsion beam rear suspension so all the springs from the MK4's are designed to work with the torsion beam. The R32 might be an exception, I don't know if it had a torsion beam or IRS. The springs have a different poundage rating to them depending on what car they came out of. The Golf springs are the softest, and the Jetta Wagon the firmest. The GTI's are lower I believe, and the GLI springs I have match the same paint code that was in some stock Jetta's.

The rear springs in my Golf currently are Jetta sedan springs with a paint code of 3 Green and 1 Silver.

The springs are all just linear coil springs of diffent firmness levels so it's trial and error to see what works best for your application. I want to try some GTI springs, they should be firmer than my stock TDI Golf springs, and softer than the Jetta/GLI springs I'm running now.

I just ordered a set of rear Koni Special Actives from Peter to try with the rear MK7 GTI, and MK4 Jetta springs I have.
 

Uno’15TDi

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Location
A suburb in Los Angeles
TDI
2015 Golf SEL
The springs are all just linear coil springs of diffent firmness levels so it's trial and error to see what works best ...

I just ordered a set of rear Koni Special Actives from Peter to try with the rear MK7 GTI, and MK4 Jetta springs I have.


I’m interested in your experience with the Special Actives and lowering springs. Which spring combination did you end up with?

The stock TDI springs are horrible to me, the rear end bounces around entirely too much .
My exact issue as well. Mostly at high speed on our slabs in LA. I can’t wait to get rid of this!
 
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thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
Stock rear shocks are a bit noisy on my hatch, wonder if anyone can recommend an ideal smooth riding shock to replace only rears?
 

viator092

Member
Joined
Jun 22, 2017
Location
Louisville,KY
TDI
2015 Golf
Racingline Springs for beam axle Golfs lowered my TDI the advertised 30 and 20mm front/rear. Side by side with our GTI it was slightly lower than hers and imho where a GTI should sit. The ride was firmer yet not intolerable. Just enough rebound.
 

CGR

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
2002 Golf TDI manual. Silver/Black
The Koni Special Actives are better in every way including comfort than the stock shocks with the stock MK7 TDI springs and every other spring I tried. There is no comparsion. I thought the stock rear shocks and springs were horrible rough riding. The Koni Sports were also better than the stock shocks, just not quite as soft as the Special Actives, but also very good on their softest setting.



I ended up trying MK4 GTI springs (2 orange 2 silver) with the Koni Special Actives, and then tried the stock Golf springs from my 2002 MK4, (2 Green 2 Silver). I like the stock Golf springs the best. This is the most comfortable setup yet and I'm very happy with it. Not quite as soft as the MK4 was with Koni Reds and the same springs, but close enough.

In the front I have Koni Sports set to one full turn paired with stock MK7 GTI springs from a manual transmission GTI. Front eventually settled and dropped 1.375" from 27.125" to 25.75" and the rear dropped 1.25" from 27.25" to 26". I didn't want to lower the car, just wanted better handling and a lot more comfortable ride. The mild lowering does not bottom out anywhere even on the worst roads in Western PA, which are some of the worst roads anywhere.



If I was starting from scratch, I would probably try the Special Active's in front with the GTI springs, but since I'm happy with the sports, I'm not messing with it anymore.



I also now have a Neuspeed RSB on the car and am satisfied and done playing with the suspension.



Here's a picture with the current setup.

 

thundershorts

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Location
west chester pa
TDI
2015 passat tdi sel premium 2015 golf s tdi gls tdi b5.5, 2002 eurovan,Peugeot 505 td,Citroen cx25 prestige
I think you might have answered the question I was afraid to ask, what shocks to use for stock springed hatch tdi rear for a smooth ride. At 22k miles, stock rear shocks are noisy running 18" pilot as3 over road ripples.
 

Uno’15TDi

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Location
A suburb in Los Angeles
TDI
2015 Golf SEL
The Koni Special Actives are better in every way including comfort than the stock shocks with the stock MK7 TDI springs and every other spring I tried. There is no comparsion. I thought the stock rear shocks and springs were horrible rough riding. The Koni Sports were also better than the stock shocks, just not quite as soft as the Special Actives, but also very good on their softest setting.



I ended up trying MK4 GTI springs (2 orange 2 silver) with the Koni Special Actives, and then tried the stock Golf springs from my 2002 MK4, (2 Green 2 Silver). I like the stock Golf springs the best. This is the most comfortable setup yet and I'm very happy with it. Not quite as soft as the MK4 was with Koni Reds and the same springs, but close enough.

In the front I have Koni Sports set to one full turn paired with stock MK7 GTI springs from a manual transmission GTI. Front eventually settled and dropped 1.375" from 27.125" to 25.75" and the rear dropped 1.25" from 27.25" to 26". I didn't want to lower the car, just wanted better handling and a lot more comfortable ride. The mild lowering does not bottom out anywhere even on the worst roads in Western PA, which are some of the worst roads anywhere.



If I was starting from scratch, I would probably try the Special Active's in front with the GTI springs, but since I'm happy with the sports, I'm not messing with it anymore.

Thanks for all the research and writing this up!



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

CGR

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
2002 Golf TDI manual. Silver/Black
My wheels are 17" VW Goals with Michelin Pilot AS3 Pluses. The stock MK7 TDI rear springs suck, doesn't matter what shocks you pair them with. The Special Actives will make them a lot better though.



I had some MK7 Golf R springs and wanted to try them in the front, but was afraid of it dropping it too much. A stock GTI sits 26.625" - 26.75" from the factory. Our MK7 TDI's sit one inch lower on the same factory GTI springs. The Golf R sits 26"-26.125" from the factory. The GTI fronts springs are rated at 175lbs, and the R springs are 195 lbs. Since the R springs are sitting .75" lower with the same motor as a GTI, I was afraid of them dropping too far even though they are a little stiffer. I feel I could get away with a firmer front spring, but I wasn't able to figure out what spring would be the right one to increase to the R firmness without lowering the car any further.
 

milktree

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2011
Location
Eastern Massachusetts
TDI
2015 Golf Sportwagen, 2004 Jetta Wagon (sold!)
My wheels are 17" VW Goals with Michelin Pilot AS3 Pluses. The stock MK7 TDI rear springs suck, doesn't matter what shocks you pair them with. The Special Actives will make them a lot better though.

Could you expand on that? Are the rear springs too soft, too short, too long, or too firm? (I bet it's not the last one) Or are the stock dampers inappropriate for the stock springs?




I had some MK7 Golf R springs and wanted to try them in the front, but was afraid of it dropping it too much. A stock GTI sits 26.625" - 26.75" from the factory. Our MK7 TDI's sit one inch lower on the same factory GTI springs. The Golf R sits 26"-26.125" from the factory. The GTI fronts springs are rated at 175lbs, and the R springs are 195 lbs. Since the R springs are sitting .75" lower with the same motor as a GTI, I was afraid of them dropping too far even though they are a little stiffer. I feel I could get away with a firmer front spring, but I wasn't able to figure out what spring would be the right one to increase to the R firmness without lowering the car any further.

Maybe a 1" spacer between the spring and its perch? That would raise the ride height while still keeping the 195 lb/in spring rate.



It seems unlikely that we'd see coil bind, so the extra preload is safe (assuming the spacer keeps the spring located properly.)



I don't suppose you measured the free length of the stock TDI / GTI and Golf R springs, that would be helpful toward comparing alternatives.
 

CGR

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 27, 2003
Location
Pittsburgh, PA
TDI
2002 Golf TDI manual. Silver/Black
Could you expand on that? Are the rear springs too soft, too short, too long, or too firm? (I bet it's not the last one) Or are the stock dampers inappropriate for the stock springs?

Maybe a 1" spacer between the spring and its perch? That would raise the ride height while still keeping the 195 lb/in spring rate.

It seems unlikely that we'd see coil bind, so the extra preload is safe (assuming the spacer keeps the spring located properly.)

I don't suppose you measured the free length of the stock TDI / GTI and Golf R springs, that would be helpful toward comparing alternatives.
I would say the rear dampers are too soft on compression with too much rebound. In the stock configuration, the rear end was constantly bouncing and unsettled. The MK4 springs I'm running now are softer than the stock springs, but paired with the special actives, are much more comfortable and controlled. The bumps register and the rear end regains composure immediately. I'm not a fan of the gas pressurized shock in general, they rebound like a pogo stick and always seem rough to me. The Koni's just absorb the bump and compose themselves without any bouncing around or fuss. My experience with my MK4 and Bilsteins proved that out also. The Koni's were 1000% better than the Bilsteins on the MK4.

A spacer in the front might work. I'm done pulling the front apart so I'll not likely every know. I'm happy with the car now so I'm leaving the suspension alone.

Tuning and deleting will be my next mod now that the suspension is sorted out.


I didn't measure any of the springs, only measured ground to fender with each different spring installed.
 
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Uno’15TDi

Active member
Joined
Nov 18, 2019
Location
A suburb in Los Angeles
TDI
2015 Golf SEL
I would say the rear dampers are too soft on compression with too much rebound. In the stock configuration, the rear end was constantly bouncing and unsettled. The MK4 springs I'm running now are softer than the stock springs, but paired with the special actives, are much more comfortable and controlled. The bumps register and the rear end regains composure immediately...The Koni's were 1000% better than the Bilsteins on the MK4.


I realize the main topic is GTI springs on a TDI... Since we also spoke about shocks I wanted to post my first stage(of three) concerning replacing the TDI springs. As previously mentioned the stock(Sachs) shocks are ‘bouncy’ and unsettled. The Koni Special Active was my replacement choice. I’m very satisfied with the more planted feel of the Golf. I’ll write up an install thread shortly. Thanks for all of the input!


 
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