ap coilovers or weitec shocks+springs?

ROLTYA3TURBO

ROLTYA3TURBO

essex boy :)
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i'm looking at suspension next up on my car,but i'm undecided what to use?ap coilovers or weitec shocks+springs?
both are exactly the same money,i've never had coilovers on any of my cars always shocks + springs,so i don't know how they'd feel.
could anyone give some advice?past experiences?
any of you runing eitha of these?
any help/advice/warnings would be much appreciated
thanks in advance :)
 
hi mate i am in the same situation, kinda made my mind up on getting some kw springs and shocks as the are a decent price. going to keep up with your thread and maybe get some more ideas...
 
I read somewhere on here that coilovers are not really necessary unless you plan to use the car on the track. Hope this helps.
 
From experience, coilovers are a bit too firm for just road use. Especially on Britain's decaying roads. As mentioned above, if you plan to spend time on the track, then its a compromise you are willing to make. I did one track day in a previous car, and it was great, but after a short time, I found driving my car became an uncomfortable chore due to the crash, bang, wallop ride on coilovers.

I have just put new KW suspension on my S3 and I couldn't be happier with it. I have nothing to compare it to, but even though its lower than before, it handles infinitely better and the ride is actually more comfortable than before.

Opinions on ride quality are subjective though. Some people no doubt buy coilovers just to say they have coilovers on their car!
 
thanks for the tips guys,i thought the coilovers would be to harsh myself.i do plan on having a few track days and santa pod days but not until i start working on the power.So for now i think i'll stick with my original idea of shocks+springs.
Now the only problem i have is between kw and weitec?lol,heard good things about both kits.:think:
 
08080808 said:
hi mate i am in the same situation, kinda made my mind up on getting some kw springs and shocks as the are a decent price. going to keep up with your thread and maybe get some more ideas...
Click to expand...

Let me know how they turn out mate,i'm planning on fitting my suspension next weekend.Just need to decide which kit lol
I'll be taking pics every step of the way with writeups on how i done each mod so you'll have plenty of things to give you inspiration :)
 
I've never modded the suspension on an A3 before but I always went "tried and tested" when I had all my Golfs - which was usually koni.

The tried and tested for the A3 / S3 these days seem to be the Bilstiens - just check out the work done by glen in the stickies section of the forum.

The very last golf I had I tried H&R coilovers - and I can understand where people are coming from when they say they can be a bit harsh for "everyday driving" - I suppose it depends on how young you are / how strong your spine is - 15yrs ago I didn't mind and I loved them, not so sure now though (I'm 37).

Having said all that, I may find myself going down the coilover route again because having an A3 (and this next bit is a bit assuming) probably means the A3 has less room under the arch then the S3 - which could be a factor if putting on larger (wider) wheels - which I think you're doing as well?
 
i am getting the kw set sold by dpm, asked him which was better between the kw and weitec set as they were basically the same price. i need something more soft as i am done with hard suspension and i dont do many track days. also my brother in law has a r32 rear anti roll bar i might use on the s3.

just want something better than standard and not to extreme. but i wont get mine done till after i get back from holiday in around 3 weeks. def would like to see how yours go.
 
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08080808 said:
i am getting the kw set sold by dpm, asked him which was better between the kw and weitec set as they were basically the same price. i need something more soft as i am done with hard suspension and i dont do many track days. also my brother in law has a r32 rear anti roll bar i might use on the s3.

just want something better than standard and not to extreme. but i wont get mine done till after i get back from holiday in around 3 weeks. def would like to see how yours go.
Click to expand...

well mate i will be posting up all the progress in my build thread so just keep a look out on there :)
think i'll be going for the kw kit,and also there front and rear arb's.just need to order them now and hopefully fit it all next weekend,also might replace all the bushes while i'm at it
 
i have the ap coilovers and there not harsh on the road at all i was expecting them to be fairly hard but there softer then most springs and shock combos ive been in before plus they handle great
 
Wietec kit on mine and its nice. Not harsh but nice and firm still...a nice balance I find.
 
I have the ap coilovers, Dont find the ride hard at all. and they are also at a good price...
 
thanks tom and kev your not helping me make my mind up at all lol,i'd like the coilys for when i do wanna make trips to tracks and santa pod every now and again but i'd like the added comfort of the shocks+springs so think thats what i'll be going for and see how then handle on the track as and when i get there if there no good i'll have to change them :)
 
the ap's really arnt that bad i took gazzaone out in my car the other day and he was supprised how nice a ride it is,
have you ever been in a honda s2000?? my brother has one and its quite alot more of a firmer ride with standard shocks and springs
 
ROLTYA3TURBO said:
thanks tom and kev your not helping me make my mind up at all lol,i'd like the coilys for when i do wanna make trips to tracks and santa pod every now and again but i'd like the added comfort of the shocks+springs so think thats what i'll be going for and see how then handle on the track as and when i get there if there no good i'll have to change them :)
Click to expand...


Low car doesnt mean good handling.

You want decent dampers, springs and ARB's if you want to get your car handling well on a track. Fitting coilovers and slamming it alone wont make it handle.

T
 
If you buy a pimp set of coil overs then go to university and get a degree so you can set them up. You're going down the road of corner weights, spring rates, rebound adjustment etc etc.......I reckon 95% of fully adjustable coilovers fitted to cars on the road are nothing like set up.

For the amount of track driving you're going to do just get a decent spring and damper kit which will be a good balance between road and track use. You will need decent antiroll bars though, they tie everything up and keep the car level and doing what it should be doing.
 
:iagree: ARBs do sooo much for VAG cars which are always set-up to understeer, as do strut braces - just don't seem many people bother with them - maybe these newer cars flex less?
 
Im very much in the same boat as you guys, I only want coilovers so when there on the car i can make it as high/low as i wish, But after theve been put on and adjusted i dont think id ever touch them again....
Does the KW/Wietec kit lower the car by much? I dont want to buy the kit and then want the car to sit lower. Im no stig so i dont care if the handleing wont be as good....But im sure anything is better then standard.
 
Depends which kit you get, I know you can get various drops in the Wietec kit.

T
 
I've got 15/20mm Weitec springs on mine, which don't lower much below stock. The matching shocks are arriving this week after I got fed up of bouncy castle knackered OEM shocks causing lots of understeer over the last month or so!!

Hopefully fitting on Friday. Many thanks to DPM for prompt and pleasant service as usual. I'll let you know all how much improvement they give...

Cheers,
 
KW arbs for the win!.

Your car will be like mine soon, yellow ARB's, coloured springs....it looks like a clown car underneath :)
 
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A3Tom said:
KW arbs for the win!.

Your car will be like mine soon, yellow ARB's, coloured springs....it looks like a clown car underneath :)
Click to expand...

haha,i looked at the other arb's, eibach and usual makes but the kw's seem a lot straighter with no bends so surely would keep the car more in line?plus they do look rather cool :hubbahubba:lol
 
All I know is mine work a treat.

To be honest, over standard any set of uprated front ARB and a rear ARB will have it 100% nicer to drive.
 
true i suppose mate anything gotta be better than standard.i'm sticking with the kw's anyhow :).don't think my funds will allow me to have them this weekend when i do my shocks+springs(hopefully),so most probs be the weekend after so i will feel the before and after effects:)
 
What's the front and rear dimensions of the KWs then?

I've always had it my head for the last few years that I would simply copy Glen on this one - I had a colleague at work who had one of the first ever TTs in the country, which he let me have a go in for 15-20 mins, so I can relate to what Glen was saying - very neutral set-up.
 
IIIadidasboy said:
What's the front and rear dimensions of the KWs then?

I've always had it my head for the last few years that I would simply copy Glen on this one - I had a colleague at work who had one of the first ever TTs in the country, which he let me have a go in for 15-20 mins, so I can relate to what Glen was saying - very neutral set-up.
Click to expand...


25mm front and back.....beefy!.

T
 
That's a HUGE jump for the back - what's it like to drive - I assume you've got them on?
 
IIIadidasboy said:
That's a HUGE jump for the back - what's it like to drive - I assume you've got them on?
Click to expand...


My cars a FWD so its a massive jump for the back....it doesnt have one as standard!!.

The cars spot on to drive though, really sure footed through the bends, no body roll and no understeer....nicely balanced.

How it should have come out the factory IMO.

T
 
A3Tom said:
My cars a FWD so its a massive jump for the back....it doesnt have one as standard!!.......
Click to expand...

Yeah I suppose it is then!!! LOL

But you haven't got KW suspension though - I wonder how yours will handle compared with ROLTY when his are on with a full KW set-up - that'd be interesting
 
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that's mainly why i went with the kw setup,wanted to do something different to tom,but also thought maybe they would've tested the roll bars with there own spring/shock kit that i'm getting.would be interesting to see if theres any difference.
 
Yep, would be interesting to see how they compare. I'd have thought they would be pretty much the same though, and difference would be quite slight I'm sure.

KW stuff is good kit though so I'm sure it'll be spot on when all matched up.

T
 
exactly,think the only thing that would handle differently is obviously gonna be the feel of the shocks/springs and the way they make the car handle on the twisty bits
 
That's what I was thinking - maybe the whole kit has been "matched".

Out of interest Tom, did you swap your front ARB yourself - what size was the original?
 
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