Rear coil spring recommendations

koz · Apr 28, 2008

Well, I've replaced all my shocks/struts with Bilstein TC's and am very happy with the results. The previous owner must have been driving it like this for some time - I took out what looked to be the original shocks (1998 Jetta with 105,000 miles on it), and the piston just fell out of the bottom tube of the shock. So, once I got into it, I realized the rear springs were shot as well.

What do you guys recommend for rear springs? I'm thinking about looking for vr6 springs to add a little stiffness, but I've had a tough time finding them. What other alternatives would you recommend? I'd really like to keep the ride close to stock since the roads up here in Maine are beyond bad. Too stiff a ride and I may lose a passenger out the sunroof.

TonyJetta · Apr 28, 2008

koz said:
Well, I've replaced all my shocks/struts with Bilstein TC's and am very happy with the results. The previous owner must have been driving it like this for some time - I took out what looked to be the original shocks (1998 Jetta with 105,000 miles on it), and the piston just fell out of the bottom tube of the shock. So, once I got into it, I realized the rear springs were shot as well.

That's not bad....my B4 had 140k on the factory parts when I changed them out!

koz said:
What do you guys recommend for rear shocks?

If you like the bilsteins up front, why not in the rear? They are OK in my B4 w/ passengers.

Tony

koz · Apr 28, 2008

TonyJetta said:
If you like the bilsteins up front, why not in the rear? They are OK in my B4 w/ passengers.

Tony

Sorry if I was a bit unclear. I have Bilstein TC's both front and rear. What I'm looking for is recommendations on springs not shocks.

NOTE: First post has been edited and corrected.

Lug_Nut · Apr 28, 2008

There was a poster from europe asking about the availability of other rear springs for his A3 Golf wagon. It turns out that like the B4, the rear springs are not different between the 6 cylinder VR6 and the four cylinder GL, GLS. There is a difference from sedan to wagon, but all sedans use the same, all wagons use the same. They are not interchangeable between the two body styles. Your rear Jetta sedan springs are all there is for OEM.
Why do you think your springs are "shot as well", as you termed it? There is a check to determine if the springs are collapsing and becoming permanently deformed resulting in a lowered ride height. What is the value you measure on your car, how does it compare to new spring specification and how close to the allowable limit is it?
Bet you don't know because I'll bet you don't want to find that you still don't need to replace the springs.
You might think you want to replace them, but you don't need to.

ruking · Apr 28, 2008

koz said:
Well, I've replaced all my shocks/struts with Bilstein TC's and am very happy with the results. The previous owner must have been driving it like this for some time - I took out what looked to be the original shocks (1998 Jetta with 105,000 miles on it), and the piston just fell out of the bottom tube of the shock. So, once I got into it, I realized the rear springs were shot as well.

What do you guys recommend for rear springs? I'm thinking about looking for vr6 springs to add a little stiffness, but I've had a tough time finding them. What other alternatives would you recommend? I'd really like to keep the ride close to stock since the roads up here in Maine are beyond bad. Too stiff a ride and I may lose a passenger out the sunroof.

No change. Given that you have already stiffened up 20% over stock shocks, and still have need of longer suspension travel due to poor roads, I would swag your oem springs will still be good to app 200,000 plus miles.

koz · Apr 29, 2008

Lug_Nut said:
There was a poster from europe asking about the availability of other rear springs for his A3 Golf wagon. It turns out that like the B4, the rear springs are not different between the 6 cylinder VR6 and the four cylinder GL, GLS. There is a difference from sedan to wagon, but all sedans use the same, all wagons use the same. They are not interchangeable between the two body styles. Your rear Jetta sedan springs are all there is for OEM.
Why do you think your springs are "shot as well", as you termed it? There is a check to determine if the springs are collapsing and becoming permanently deformed resulting in a lowered ride height. What is the value you measure on your car, how does it compare to new spring specification and how close to the allowable limit is it?
Bet you don't know because I'll bet you don't want to find that you still don't need to replace the springs.
You might think you want to replace them, but you don't need to.

Hey Lug_nut, thanks for the info on the OEM springs. I wasn't aware they were all the same on the rears. As far as the reason for thinking they were shot - there is a sag to the rear end (not extreme, but noticable) and the rear end seems to hit pretty hard even on moderate bumps and that's with the new shocks.

As for the the spring values and so forth - you're absolutely right. No, I don't know what they are. But not because I want to spend money on springs. Care to share where I can find values/tolerances? If the springs are still good & I don't have to replace them, that's great. I'd just rather do the preventative maintenance and replace the springs once if needed than continually replace the shocks.

Looney · Apr 29, 2008

I also need rear springs

I was in at the Dealer today and they said that my rear springs were broke due to rust. They wanted $400 to replace them. I am wondering if there is a better solution than the OEM springs. I have found many performance springs out there, but they all want do lower the suspension anywhere from 1"-2".

bikeprof · Apr 29, 2008

Nuespeed(www.shock.com)
Shine
H&R
www.tirerack.com
WITEC
and others

Check the VWVortexForums for availability of EUROPEAN parts/distributors...

ruking · Apr 30, 2008

Looney said:
I was in at the Dealer today and they said that my rear springs were broke due to rust. They wanted $400 to replace them. I am wondering if there is a better solution than the OEM springs. I have found many performance springs out there, but they all want do lower the suspension anywhere from 1"-2".

Yes, there are a huge number of solutions..

One cheaper one would be to go to oem take offs, as they are plenty of folks doing spring and shock mods at relatively low mileage. If you catch folks at the right times (put an add in several place... say on www.tdiclub.com...) , you can probably get them from inexpensive to free. The reason why I mentioned this is if FAST rust is a factor, this would be a very cost effective way to go, as your rate of rust might dictate more changes in the future. This also keeps your vehicle at "stock" height.

bikeprof · Apr 30, 2008

When I took the OEM springs off, the only thing to do was recycle them 'cause I could not find anyone to accept them

.
So yes, there may be some OEM springs out there for you...

NFSTDI · May 1, 2008

I seem to recall that the rear end is a tad lower on these to begin with. Could that be why you think yours is sagging?

Stock springs should last about as long as your engine, if not longer. It's highly unlikely your rears are shot unless the previous owner was either towing a lot or chauffeuring the three tenors. I'd be more concerned about the fronts since that's where the weight is. However, the fronts are likely fine as well. The real test is how it handle, not how it looks.

If you want to change ride height so that it does not look like it's sagging you might actually like the NeuSpeed SofSports. Mine looks pretty nice but it's noticeably lower. I notice when I attempt to enter a steep driveway or want to see around a car when I am making a left turn. As I recall they lower more in the front then the rear so they even the car out nicely.

Lug_Nut · May 1, 2008

koz said:
and the rear end seems to hit pretty hard even on moderate bumps and that's with the new shocks.

Replace the springs with 4x4 blocks. That'll not only prevent bottoming, it will also dramatically prolong the life of the shocks.

I'll get some ride height numbers from my stock A3 for you to use for a comparison, but honestly, unless you have a physically broken spring, I doubt there will be much difference between ours.

bayshorecs · May 1, 2008

How much weight does it take to bottom out the shocks? If I put 150lbs in the trunk, I am sitting really low...

RIP TDI · May 1, 2008

NFSTDI said:
... unless the previous owner was either towing a lot or chauffeuring the three tenors.

What a great line! The mental picture will be with me for months.

Lug_Nut · May 1, 2008

bayshorecs said:
How much weight does it take to bottom out the shocks? If I put 150lbs in the trunk, I am sitting really low...

The answer is: It depends on the spring rate, the weight on the springs, and the compressible length remaining.
note that something else might bottom out before the spring limit is reached and this other component, possibly the damper, could be the limit to suspension compression travel.
How fast the suspension bottoms out is determined by the damper.

Lug_Nut · May 2, 2008

Here's some measurements you can use to compare my A3 GLS ride height to yours:
14 1/2 inches from rear axle center straight up to the fender lip.
15 inches from the front axle center straight up to the fender lip.
These measurements eliminate variances for different diameter wheel and tire combinations between what I have and what you might have.

bayshorecs · May 3, 2008

hmm.

My front's are 13 3/4 inches on the rear and 14 1/2 on the front. The car is not perfectly level right now though either.

I also noticed the boot is torn on both of the backs. If I put my ear to the space between the tire and the fender and pull down on the trunk, I can hear a squishy sound. The springs don't appear to be broken.

So I take it I am riding on nothing but springs in the back...

NFSTDI · May 9, 2008

My car currently measures 13" rear and 14" front. That would put yours dead on at stock height based on the 3/4" rear and 1/2" front drop specs of my springs.

Lug_Nut, Any thoughts why your car would be out of spec or do you think both his car and mine are low?

Rear coil spring recommendations

koz

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TonyJetta

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koz

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Lug_Nut

TDIClub Enthusiast, Pre-Forum Veteran Member

ruking

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koz

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Looney

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bikeprof

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ruking

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bikeprof

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NFSTDI

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Lug_Nut

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bayshorecs

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RIP TDI

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Lug_Nut

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Lug_Nut

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bayshorecs

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NFSTDI

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