Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one shot)

Golf_GTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Logan Ohio, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Ok, I'm in the middle of trying to get my poor little Golfs power issues under control and as soon as I do, I intend to start with the upgrades.

Before I start adding a ton of power I want to make sure that I can stop on a dime and steer around anything I can't stop ahead of. What I would like to do is hit everything in one shot and be down with it until wear parts start going south at which time I may make further upgrades depending on where we stand.

I will most likely grab a set of 17' wheels for summer performance driving but will keep the 15s for winter. As such I need to keep the breaks down to a dull roar. Not sure if the VR6 set up will fit in there but if so, great. If not how much do I loose by staying with the stock size and just going with high quality discs and pads?

I want to upgrade the struts, shocks and springs but do not care to drop the car all that far. I will be adding a DG skid plate but I don't care to test it multiple times a day. To these ends I may drop an inch or so and am thinking about going with KYB OE sport springs and Koni Reds if I can find them.

I will also add a rear sway and try and replace all the other odds and ends that would go along with general maint.

Does anyone have any feedback on...

1) Breaks
2) Springs
3) Struts/Shocks
4) Sway Bar and chassis
5) List of parts as well as possible source for one stop shopping for all the odds and ends that would go into the front end in particular?
 

jnecr

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2004
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2014 BMW 328d
Shocks/Struts: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=997215&an=0&page=0#997215

Brakes: http://forums.tdiclub.com/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1027282&an=0&page=2#1027282

Sway bars: Do a search for Sway bars or RSB or something of the like and you'll get more than you ever dreamt.

Springs: I put on some GLI springs (the newer GLIs 04.5+) and am happy with those. They lowered my car about an inch and aren't any stiffer. Shocks and struts will change your handling much more than the springs. So spend money on struts, not springs.

One stop shopping? www.vwvortex.com the classifieds will get you everything you want used. I would get everything but maybe the struts (unless you get them from one of the group buys over there) and the brake pads.
So I would not think twice about getting used springs, calipers, and sway bars. Slightly used brake rotors pass my test and I would go for new struts and shocks, not used.
 

Golf_GTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Logan Ohio, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

I don't think I'm going to have much trouble finding hard parts but would like some feed back on which parts other folks like and have found to work well.

What I really need however is a full list of all the bearings, bushings, bump stops, rod ends and anything else I may wish to source to get my front end up to new(ish) specs.
 

mydeathbynapalm

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2004
Location
Great Falls, VA (NoVA)
TDI
Golf GLS, 2002, Reflex Silver
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

"What I really need however is a full list of all the bearings, bushings, bump stops, rod ends and anything else I may wish to source to get my front end up to new(ish) specs."

you're asking people to do your homework.

http://www.parts4vws.com carries all the OE parts you'd want... http://www.tdiparts.com carries many of the same as well.

without dropping your ride, but stiffer then any OE (and vast majority of other aftermarket short of coilovers) spring: Shine springs w/ Bilstein HDs. Got 'em, love 'em. Use an autotech RSB and it's up to the task of bringin oversteer in even with the heavier front springs...
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I can't comment on brakes as I don't use them much, as evidenced by original pads at 90K on my '02. But my suspension recommendation is to go with Shine Real Street, or 'Shine lite' which is Bilstein HDs and the Shine rear sway bar. The handling of either setup is not to be believed as an improvement over stock and it maintains close to stock ride height (a bit lower in the rear) so you won't test your skid plate that often.

I also suggest you don't go bigger than 16" wheels. You can get 205/55-16s or 225/50-16s depending on rim width and maintain speedo accuracy. You'll also have a lighter wheel/tire setup for the same money. Light means better handling. Keep that in mind when you look at brakes, too.

Good luck.
 

Golf_GTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Logan Ohio, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

you're asking people to do your homework.
Why yes I am. Last I checked this joint is built on the idea of open book testing. If I knew all of this info I would not be sitting here with you all doing shade tree mechanic in cyber space... It would done be fixed. Right?

Honestly though... I know most of what I need but without a bently manual and some of the other resource material that some others have I would just be guessing and in turn would end up missing several bits and end up going back and fourth to the parts store however many times trying to get everything in order. Worse yet I get it wrong or get ****e parts and end up with an accident.

I do not care to skimp on breaks or front end and thought it wise to ask this very publicly in hopes of getting good feedback. Guess I'll go do some homework.
 

jnecr

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2004
Location
Raleigh, NC
TDI
2014 BMW 328d
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

By homework we mean searching. This info has been covered many times before. But with that said... everything is light-hearted and we all realize that searching can be very hard on any forum. But those two links I gave you were active topics, so clearly you didn't do too much searching...


You can always ask, sometimes you just won't get a good answer.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

Thank you. I wondered if someone would point that out.
 

Golf_GTDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 12, 2004
Location
Logan Ohio, USA
TDI
2001 Golf GLS
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

Ok, ok.... call off the spelling nazis please. I'll try to be gud.
 

Variant TDI

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 8, 2002
Location
SS, MD.
TDI
2002 Golf Variant, Reflex Silver
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

Thank you. I wondered if someone would point that out.
I guess my mention was a little too vague.

Ok, ok.... call off the spelling nazis please. I'll try to be gud.
Soapbox:

It's not really a speelung arrur. It's about technical accuracy. And to some of us, it's as much (or more) of a pet peeve than people calling diesel fuel economy "gas mileage". When brakes break, you don't brake, and your car breaks.

Off my soapbox.
 

dieseldorf

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Oct 11, 2000
Location
MA
TDI
ex- 1996 wagon, ex-2000 Jetta
I will most likely grab a set of 17' wheels for summer performance driving but will keep the 15s for winter.

This is always one of my personal favorites: 17' wheels.


Now dems is big weelz
 

Dante

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 27, 2000
Location
Pacific Northwest
TDI
Silver 2000 Golf GLS TDI
I've got a Shine Real Street Suspension from www.srsvw.com. It does not drop the car at all in the front and only a little in the back. Stock, the distance from the ground to the rocker panels is greater in front of the rear tires than in back of the front ones. With the SRS those distances are the same. The SRS comes with Bilstein HDs, Shine Springs and a Shine rear sway bar that goes inside the stock torsion bar.

I've considered adding an Audi A3 upper strut brace and Dieselgeek lower strut brace in front and a Turn 2 strut brace in back, but am not convinced they are worth the money. One of these days I might get them anyway.

I haven't considered Brakes yet.
 

milehighassassin

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 18, 2005
Location
Fort Collins, CO
TDI
2005 Golf TDi PD, Reflex Silver
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

To be honest with you the MK IV has pretty good brakes. Even with the downgraded brakes that we get to share with the 2.0
A good pad upgrade and fluid upgrade will do wonders, along with some good rubber.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
Re: Suspension, steering and breaks. (all in one s

It's not really a speelung arrur. It's about technical accuracy. And to some of us, it's as much (or more) of a pet peeve than people calling diesel fuel economy "gas mileage". When brakes break, you don't brake, and your car breaks.

Off my soapbox.
The other one that drives me nuts is misuse of it's. It's is a contraction of 'it is.' Its without the apostrophe is possessive. It's amazing to me how often I see it's used incorrectly--on the web, in print, everywhere.

Now I'm off my soapbox.
 
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