Everyone wants to lower, I want to lift...

I found a ton of info about springs to lower my GSW but I want to do the opposite. I'd like a little increased ride height, or at least something a little more stiff to prevent sag when the car is loaded down or I have my bike rack on. There's also a lot of info out there about doing this to the JSW but it's my understanding that none of that will work for the GSW. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

The Alltrack is the same car with a lift kit. I guess theorist step would be to see what the differences are. (Aside from IRS vs torsion beam in the rear).

Keep on eye on VWVortex Classifieds. Surely, someone will buy an AllTrack to get the AWD+Sunroof+6MT, put lowering springs on it, and then sell the stock springs to someone like you. I think the AllTrack springs give 1.1" taller ride height than the GSW. Just a thought.

The rear torsion beam singing to be the big difference compared to the Alltrack (which same IRS as golf R) and the rest of the VW cross shopping part numbers, it'll prob work but may provide different results that direct plug and play.

Check out idParts. The owner has a bunch of spring + shock options, but I am not sure about the A7 GSW.

jerrymander said:

Check out idParts. The owner has a bunch of spring + shock options, but I am not sure about the A7 GSW.

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IBW. Will figure it out. I also want to lift it up s bit. Perhaps konis also. I have been very satisfied with his recommendations for shocks and springs on my other cars

Bob S. said:

IBW. Will figure it out. I also want to lift it up s bit. Perhaps konis also. I have been very satisfied with his recommendations for shocks and springs on my other cars

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IBW likes his shocks and springs for sure.

In our '16 GSW TSI we added the air lift 1000 "coil spring helpers" or whatever you want to call them. Solved the sagging problem nicely for $80 and a bit of cursing during the install.

I'm interested in this as well. Please post back with what you do and some pics.

Google image search if you raise it high enough and put white letter sidewalls on it, looks like an older Outback.

The Alltrack is totally different in the rear.

Volkswagen usually has rough road suspension options for various markets, which typically mean taller springs and sometimes a spacer (like the front of the A4 cars).

You may also be able to get parts from the new Tiguan coming out soon. As the previous Tiguan was based on the A5 Golf, I suspect the new one will be largely based on the A7 Golf.

Volkswagen has a lot of interchangeable bits across all kinds of models, though.

ETKA shows a total of NINE spring options for the rear of the twist beam 2015 Golf variant. I bet only one or two of those springs are ever found on US-spec cars, and among the others, there is a rough road or heavy load version that would lift the rear of the [unladen] car quite a bit.

surfstar said:

In our '16 GSW TSI we added the air lift 1000 "coil spring helpers" or whatever you want to call them. Solved the sagging problem nicely for $80 and a bit of cursing during the install.

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Which kit did you use? I didn't find one for the MK7 GSW on their website.

Ah, I'm forgetting that TDI and TSI are different rear suspensions, so take this as a reference point, but do your own measuring...
But here's how I settled on the AirLift 80753 (quoting myself from VWvortex)

I've been doing lots of reading and the two main kits recommended for current and previous gen Golfs are
Air Lift 80753
Firestone 4176
There's a big difference in the bag sizing though. AL is 3.44 x 8.75" and FS is 3.56 x 7"
I actually would prefer the FS setup, as I do not want any increase in height when unloaded, and the AL might do that (you're supposed to maintain 5 psi minimum to protect the bags). Also the bags supposedly work as well when simply pushing on the coils outward and don't necessarily have to touch at the top/bottom (especially in a non- heavy duty setup, ie Golfs).
BUT, it seems like the FS valves/fitting are more leak prone, especially if the install doesn't allow much air line slack. Push to connect fittings seem to be the issue.
There is also an 80777 air lift kit with 3.44 x 7" bags. I'm not sure if that would be sufficient though, as it also has one spacer/protector vs two in the 80753 setup (the FS one also has only one spacer - but I think the wider bag might help).
So I'm torn, as I do not see a clear winner here. I think the Air Lift may prove more likely to hold its air over the years, though, so I may go for one of their kits.
[Also, I believe I found the 80753 for under $80 and that also helped sway my decision ultimately.]
and:
I've crawled under the car with a tape measure and the best I can guestimate is that the sportwagen has almost 9" between the upper perch and down into the lower 'well' (perch) area. This is including about 3" of the spring sitting in the cup on the arm, if you know what I'm trying to say. I am going to try the 80753.

I ended up just using one spacer from the kit, placed at the bottom, with the fill valve going through it - I believe the spacer in this orientation would help protect the fill valve. Over 1 year and no issues - still work great.

I recommend measuring the TDI rear springs and seeing which setup matches up best. As you can see the varying sizes makes it seem like the measurements don't have to be exact for the air bags to help.
Good luck!