Mk2 Octavia 1.8 tsi suspension mods

[theEntreriCode]

Hi all,

I have a 2010 Mk2 Octavia 1.8TSI that is begging for some mods. She has driven close to 50,000 Kms in India. What the car really needs upfront is a handling boost but for the life of me I can't decide how to go about doing it. Here are my options

1) Bilstein B16 PSS10 or Koni adjustable suspension. This solution I think is pretty much out. The bilstein will run me close to 2000 GBP landed in India and from the conditions of our lovely pockmarked roads, it will destroy any passengers back. The Koni will probably be around 800-1000 GBP but same problem. So unless some one can suggest how to use one of these and keep the ride acceptable for a daily driver (remember our roads are worse than UK roads) I don't think it makes sense. At the price though, I must say Koni's sounds better than the Bilsteins. Even though I like the bilstein systems more.

2) Use Bilstein B6 shocks with Eibach pro-kit springs. From the research I have done, it seems that this will improve handling while keeping ride comfort to acceptable levels. This will lower the car by 30 mm according the eibach. It costs 800-900 GBP

3) Use Bilstein B6 shocks with stock springs. Will this improve the handling all that much?

The only advantage of 3 that I can see is that it does not lower the car. Will option 2 lower the car from my GC of 165 mm? or the euro spec GC which is much lower? I don't want to have the drive super car style in the city.

Thanks!

 

[pgarner]

the B6 are pretty much the OEM counterpart. look towards the B8 dampners if your lowering the ride.
however skoda used to sell the eibach pro springs as an accessory to use with the standard dampners.

im looking at the B8 and pro kit probably next year as the suspension will be starting to age a little by then

 

[theEntreriCode]

the B6 are pretty much the OEM counterpart. look towards the B8 dampners if your lowering the ride.
however skoda used to sell the eibach pro springs as an accessory to use with the standard dampners.

im looking at the B8 and pro kit probably next year as the suspension will be starting to age a little by then

Are you sure about this? The B6's and B8's are essentially the same dampners except the B8's are used for aggressively lowering your car. The B6's are good until 30-35 mm according to Bilstein. How would you rate them with Koni FSD's?
The road conditions are really bad here and it just does not make sense to lower an everyday car. Having said that, I'm going to talk to people who have done it and see if I'll be able to live with it. If I lower, I might go the weitec/eibach/H&R way and lower a maximum of 30 mm. 10-20 mm if I can get away with it (nice stiffish springs) mostly for the handling boost.

 

[HugoBoss]

If your not going to be carrying excessive loads I'd go for option 2 with the B6 or the B8, aren't the dampeners on both adjustable? But first I'd see if I' can get the eibach springs with only lowering the car not more than 20mm if possible.

 

[theEntreriCode]

If your not going to be carrying excessive loads I'd go for option 2 with the B6 or the B8, aren't the dampeners on both adjustable? But first I'd see if I' can get the eibach springs with only lowering the car not more than 20mm if possible.

Mostly it will just be 1-2 passengers with an occasional full load for out of town trips (rare since I have more comfortable, albeit not as exciting transport for such occasions, seems to be a favorite with the fam). The eibach springs will lower me 30mm at the very least. I may be able to get away with it. Would you recommend HR or weitec? From what I hear the HR springs will be a tad more aggressive in the handling department while weitec have some that lower down by 20 mm.

I read somewhere else that around here are running around with B14s without too many issues. I drive on some rough stretches to work, the 14's will run a good 300-400 GBP over the 6's and I am not certain if the ride height adjustment feature is worth it. Dampening should be stiffer. I don't think the6's or 8's are dampening adjustable, but I could be mistaken. Aftermarkets in India cost a fortune. In most cases there's just one company that sells them and they have an inordinate markup. I could save 50-100GBP by self importing but then there's no guarantees if things go wrong. What's your take on this?


Thanks!
tEC

 

[HugoBoss]

I'd go with eibach their springs are progressive and they take into concideration everyday driveability and they sell a top rated product. If the bilsteins have adjustable dampeners go for that as you can always adjust dampening to suit your needs if not they'd still be good but then you risk having a bit of an stif ride that you'll need to get use to. If you never gonna change your ride height, height adjustability is a waste of money but it may come in hany to be able to change that for a dual purpose car,ex, every day use, race track use or heavy load carrying use even to be able to change the height that suits your needs over time would be usefull. The only thing is every time you change the height you have to do the wheel alighnment.

 

[theEntreriCode]

I'd go with eibach their springs are progressive and they take into concideration everyday driveability and they sell a top rated product. If the bilsteins have adjustable dampeners go for that as you can always adjust dampening to suit your needs if not they'd still be good but then you risk having a bit of an stif ride that you'll need to get use to. If you never gonna change your ride height, height adjustability is a waste of money but it may come in hany to be able to change that for a dual purpose car,ex, every day use, race track use or heavy load carrying use even to be able to change the height that suits your needs over time would be usefull. The only thing is every time you change the height you have to do the wheel alighnment.

Things have gotten really interesting over the last couple of hours. It turns out that one can get good value for money (for India) KW's with manual adjust and custom designed (for india) Teins with electronic controls for this car. Both have ride height and dampening adjust and are not too much more than the B6's. what do you say? Take a plunge with Teins or stick to KW V2's?

 

[HugoBoss]

Phew, ok after eibach, I do happen to be a big Tein fan, they are immensly popular with Ozzy skyline owners and I know they are a really good product, the roads here in Ozzy may not be as bad as yours but they are pretty #!#!#!#!ty too. So with what I know, I would definitely go with the Teins.

 

[HugoBoss]

Just remember to be patient when you start adjusting the damper settings, it may take a while before you get the sweet spot, especially considering changing them will also change the way the car handles, you may wanna research that as it can get very involved, it's far more than just going for what ever you feel is most comfortable.

 

[theEntreriCode]

Phew, ok after eibach, I do happen to be a big Tein fan, they are immensly popular with Ozzy skyline owners and I know they are a really good product, the roads here in Ozzy may not be as bad as yours but they are pretty #!#!#!#!ty too. So with what I know, I would definitely go with the Teins.

Just remember to be patient when you start adjusting the damper settings, it may take a while before you get the sweet spot, especially considering changing them will also change the way the car handles, you may wanna research that as it can get very involved, it's far more than just going for what ever you feel is most comfortable.

Okay so I'm going to get in touch with the dealers and get all the prices together. I'll also talk to a few people on an Indian forum that are running different set ups. It may take a while because I'm off the China for a fortnight next week. I'll update this thread as soon as I can get some more concrete information on performance and pricing for the different set ups. I'm obviously going to try to test as many set ups as possible, but this may be difficult since the tuner scene here isn't that great and people who've done it are dispersed all over the country.

Hugo, you've been a great help, kindly bear with me for the time it'll take to collect all the info to make an informed decision. Your input is going to be invaluable in the weeks ahead.

P.S That is one sweet ride you have there. If I could find one for an affordable price (virtually impossible to find, let alone the affordability factor) that is what I'd be driving! Someday when I have enough money and time, I'd like to drive a nice Holden large block through Oz and NZ :bigsmile:

 

[HugoBoss]

Thanks matey your'e too kind, glad to be of service, looking forward to your updates, don't forget. Oh and i've been meaning to mention to stay clear of track rated coil overs as they will crush your spine on bad roads. Good luck with your endeavours buddy.

 

[pgarner]

yeah i thought about the B6 to start with as they were cheaper but found that they were the OEM counterpart for standard springs