Is there a consensus suspension setup for wagons?

Wondering what the current preferred suspension (springs/shocks/struts) setup is for MK4 wagons. I'd like to stay within +/- 1 inch of stock height (i.e. not looking for major lower or lift) but I would like a bit better performance, especially in the body roll department. Poking around IDParts.com it looks like Koni Reds + Suplex springs are their preferred choice for a stock ride height setup. Anybody have any thoughts/experience here?

Get the FK coilovers from Europe ... Not the ECS version. That's what I run and have run in mkivs

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I put on Koni Reds and didn't really notice a huge difference. Still more body roll than I'd like. I think sway bar(s) might be a better way to go.

irvingj said:

I put on Koni Reds and didn't really notice a huge difference. Still more body roll than I'd like. I think sway bar(s) might be a better way to go.

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Yeah sorry I flew through the op I've always steered decent with sway bar upgrades and coils; but in the US I haven't gone as low as I was in Germany with mine. Body roll on my mkv rabbit was ridiculous until sways and braces were installed. I'm sure I'll be doing sways on my current mkiv as well but for now I have a set of fk streets (station wagon and sedan version) laying in the living room [emoji14]

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Popular are Konis and Bilsteins. I've read billies stand up to road salt a bit better.

Lol, I see a lot of people raising them up like a truck.

BobnOH said:

Popular are Konis and Bilsteins. I've read billies stand up to road salt a bit better.

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Bilstein HD or sports, plus rear sway-bar should do the trick.

Enabled said:

Lol, I see a lot of people raising them up like a truck.

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Really ! Where ? Pics
Definitely not in the northeast, at least I haven’t seen them.


Bajan

i have the bilstein HD all around
ships from bilstein canada
love the stiffness

cfa5 said:

i have the bilstein HD all around
ships from bilstein canada
love the stiffness

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Which springs, OEM? And how much lift did it give?

I was on a budget and went with new springs plus all the other stuff. I went with the Koni Strt's (the less expensive orange ones). I went with towing springs on the rear.


I've been pretty happy with the setup. I think it's enough for my purposes.


I have noted a bit of the rust people talk about, but being in the salt zone it doesn't seem excessive.

McGuillicuddy said:

Which springs, OEM? And how much lift did it give?

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Just from what I've read, when you replace the springs they will be the same basic fit, just stiffer or softer. It'll raise up a tad. Lifting the car is generally accomplished below the lower spring seat, 1" or 2" kits are popular.
The comment about lifting like a truck was meant as an exaggeration.

Wider wheels/tires with thinner tire sidewalls.

If you have 15 inch wheels, the tall sidewalls flex a lot during turns.

2005 Wagon owner here... I went with Bilstein HD's and new VR6 springs in the front. Believe it or not, the VR6 springs have the same dot color code as what I took off my 2005 BEW auto trans. Also put all new bushings, tie rod ends and ball joints in at the same time.

I went with the "Beef on a Budget" setup from IDParts, I have not yet installed the rear springs, but I have installed the rear dampers and the front strut/springs and all new hardware. The ride is solid now without being harsh, and from the ground to the front wheel well arch is 27-3/8 using stock size tires.

I have towing rear springs from idparts and vr6 front springs with metalnerd 2 inch lift spacers. Only other thing I can do is get taller sidewall tires for another inch lift. You are limited by the front cv axle as far as the lift.

Harder to do with traction control as it acts up more on corners unless turned off.

Less issues in snow and easier to get in and out personally.


As far as shocks. Wagon has the Koni FSD which is real nice. They have a new gen set of shocks similar to that. The others I have - have Koni red as they have wagon length shocks where the others are one length in the back for all models (wagon or non-wagon).

We went with KW V1 set at max height (about 1 inch lower than stock height) on our 2003 jetta wagon and I really rather like it.
Definitely worth a metal skid plate though if one wishes to retain an oil pan / sump.
The original springs struts were worn out (and had broken a coil or so off) so a comparison between broken original stuff and new isn't really fair.

It does seem to wear out the front top strut mounts after 45000 km though, or that could be related to not slowing down for corners. Its a TDI, .Lightning quick acceleration is not its forte, its more of a momentum car, if you don't slow down as much for the bends you do t have to speed up so much after.

Still on stock 15's (195/60/15 or 195/65/15 whatever)/because with sub optimal road surfaces a bigger sidewall height gives some shock absorbency.

I failed to mention before I brought the tires down to almost stock pressures, the ride was a bit harsh in the sense of feeling the cracks in the road as I drove over them. After I lowered the tire pressures down to 34 front and 32 back, the is smoother and quieter.

ive been running stock springs with koni str's the past 150k and like them quite a bit.....until i rode in my buddies with fsd's. going to stick in the new fsd (active specials) in a few weeks. both tighten up the handling.

What you'll like depends on your personal preferences for ride, handling, and appearance. I've had new stock (after purchase) dampers on my Wagon, Bilstein HDs with Shine springs, HDs with stock springs, Koni Reds, FSDs, and Koni coilovers. I hated the HDs regardless of springs, and the FSDs and Reds are a tie. Reds ride a bit better on our terrible roads, FSDs handle better. The Koni coilovers weren't horrible but I wouldn't want to drive through a winter on them. See? Subjective.

My '99.5 Golf has Koni Yellows on it. Ride is a bit firmer than the reds, but the car does handle better. My son's Golf has a 2" lift and Koni STR.Ts. Ride is similar to the yellows, handling is good even at the increased ride height. My other son has Optimal dampers on his Jetta Sedan. They're very much like stock. Too soft for me, but he lives in the city and appreciates the ride compliance. And the low cost.

What's your car have on it now? How do you feel about the current ride quality and handling? That will help you decide what's next. Going from worn OE to Billy HDs would be a huge change. From worn OE to Reds, less so. But still a big improvement.

I upgraded/refreshed my suspension about a month ago, 2003 ALH Wagon
Koni reds with suplex springs, IDParts had them on sale,
They are exactly what i was looking for.
-Wagon tow springs in the back
-Wagon VR6 springs in front with 14mm spacers .
rear is about 1" higher than before
front is a little over 1 1/2" higher
the ride height looks dead even from front to back
i adjusted all the shocks 1/4 turn up from full soft
and the ride stiffness is exactly what i wanted

I used the same set up and love it.

smbaau said:

I upgraded/refreshed my suspension about a month ago, 2003 ALH Wagon
Koni reds with suplex springs, IDParts had them on sale,
They are exactly what i was looking for.
-Wagon tow springs in the back
-Wagon VR6 springs in front with 14mm spacers .
rear is about 1" higher than before
front is a little over 1 1/2" higher
the ride height looks dead even from front to back
i adjusted all the shocks 1/4 turn up from full soft
and the ride stiffness is exactly what i wanted

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I used the exact same parts as you on my 04 wagon. The only additional thing i did was to replace my lower control arm bushings with the Audi TT ones. . The height is perfectly level from front to back. My only mistake was I adjusted the damping up too much on the front and now I need to take the shocks out to reduce it. I did close to 1.5 turns in the front and its too much. Body roll has been eliminated. No more scraping the skid plate out over the railroad crossings near me. I would strongly recommend this set up

McGuillicuddy said:

Which springs, OEM? And how much lift did it give?

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yes original springs,
didnt notice a lift from the shocks

As the OP I guess what I have learned here is that the answer to my question is "no", there is not a consensus suspension setup for wagons.

My current setup is worn OEM so anything should be better. Ride comfort is good but I particularly do not enjoy the body roll and brake dive. I would sacrifice a bit of comfort to improve in those other areas.

Sounds like the Koni Reds + Suplex or OEM springs is a pretty safe bet for maintaining OEM ride height and ride comfort with some improvement in handling. Would be best with an anti-sway bar by the sounds of it although CAD$400 seems pretty steep for that particular product.

You might be happy with a fresh set of stock type springs and dampeners. I lifted mine with vr6 fronts and wagon rears just because of crappy PA roads and my line of work requires some ground clearance at times. The snow can be a challenge here too. 8” really isn’t uncommon.

Dieselmonkey02 said:

You might be happy with a fresh set of stock type springs and dampeners. I lifted mine with vr6 fronts and wagon rears just because of crappy PA roads and my line of work requires some ground clearance at times. The snow can be a challenge here too. 8” really isn’t uncommon.

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I'm not against the possibility of a lift. But isn't the OEM setup pretty poor for body roll and brake dive? My understanding is that it wasn't a great performing setup even from the start.

IMO OE dampers on MKIV cars are way too soft. I remember taking delivery on my Wagon and being disappointed with the handling on the drive home from the dealer. And I had traded an Audi with 80K on it and original dampers. By 50K miles they were very soft, lots of squat on acceleration and dive on braking. There are much better options out there.

VW got the message and the MKV and later OE stuff is much better. My '15 is fine stock.

feel free to take a ride in my 03 with the koni street's in the next few weeks.....or Active Specials when i stick em on. just a few mins north of whitby.

I did the wagon springs and vr6 fronts from ID on my sedan. I like the setup. A bit more ground clearance. The original ones were shot after 300k anyway. I will agree the stock type dampeners are poop. The stock rears have next to no compression dampening.

Dieselmonkey02 said:

I did the wagon springs and vr6 fronts from ID on my sedan. I like the setup. A bit more ground clearance. The original ones were shot after 300k anyway. I will agree the stock type dampeners are poop. The stock rears have next to no compression dampening.

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Which shocks? OEM?

The front are some cheap advance auto euro-whatevers and the back are $20 autozone red riders or whatever they are called. Basically stock type I think.
Bilsteins are in the plans at some point.