# Best Suspension option for MK1 tt 3.2



## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Hi guys, I'm going a bit demented here with the suspension options available for my MK1 3.2 TT. I've decided against Coilovers and sent the FK Konigsports back to the FK Depot in Germany as I've heard some horrible things about ride quality and reliability of both the springs and the Koni Shocks that are used.

I have a set of H&R Springs in the house and was planning on fitting Koni FSD's only to be told these would not work with lowered springs.!!! I then ordered a set of Koni Sports as i've had them before on my MK2 golf GTi and really liked them with their adjustability. Unfortunately these are out of stock until January so can anyone offer some decent advice on conventional Suspension.

Does anyone have Koni Sports with H&R Springs or the Bilstein B12 Kit on their 3.2 with Eibach springs?

How much did it lower your 3.2?
What's the ride quality like?
Do you wish you had went for another option with hindsight?
Did you change the Anti roll bars or Tie rods and what recomendations do you have here?

My car has done 115k and i'm planning to keep her for the next few years so want something reliable and lowered 3.5cm max which I believe the H&R'S are.

Many thanks Craig


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## TTSPORT666 (Dec 1, 2011)

Best suspension is bilstein b14's or like mine fully adjustable b16's. Kw's make some fine coilover kits to. Need H&R ARB kit, poly bush your chassis to and defcons for steering transformation. Poly top mounts are a fine investment to. :wink:

Ride quality on my b16's is better than standard. I have 9 different damper settings. My front coils are on lowest height setting and she still rides nice on country roads. Trust me i am a fussy git... :wink:

Damien.


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Sounds like good advice Damien. How does the B12 kit compare to the Coilover B14's or B16's?

I've already got the Powerflex rear Tie rod arm bushes and front Top Mounts but interested to get your thoughts on other bits needed for the fronts?

I agree, that if I do the H&R ARB kit then there's no point doing these Poly bushes as they come fitted to the ARB's. What ARB kit do you recommend? 25 / 25 or 25 / 21 ? Surely the 25/25mm is a bit overkill for fast road use?

Thanks again - (Also a fussy git! & in the process of setting up an account with couriers as i've changed my mind so many times already!!!


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## neilc (Aug 8, 2011)

Well I have the Bilstein PSS coilovers on my V6 with H&R 25mm arb's , defcons , Forge rear adjustable bar with toe in bushes and I have to say that this little lot has made the car really handle TBH , I very rarely feel the heavy engine up front and the car is just so composed on all roads.

Worth the expense IMO and I dont find the Bilsteins to uncomfortable at all.


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Thanks for the post Neil. Do you have the b14 pss kit and do you often tinker with the height adjustment? I'm not convinced I would adjust the height that much however i like the ease at which the Koni Sports could be adjusted.

B12 Bilstein or the Koni Sport /H&R combo?

Thanks again Craig


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## TTSPORT666 (Dec 1, 2011)

Craig i find my H&R front 25 and rear 21 rear set to stiffest setting is absolutely fine, that goes for track use to. I do wonder about going slightly thicker rear sometimes....but i am really happy how stable my qs is with this setup. And i am sure Neil will back me up on this...Neil is the norfolk stig by the way.. :wink:

Damien.


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

I have the Bilstein B12 kit fitted to my 3.2 as i just couldn't justify the cost if the other kits, I am very happy with the end result, it's firmed up the suspension and lowered at the same time, just what I was after, drop was around 25mm front and 30mm rear, I also replaced the top mounts with seat Leon cupra r ones which are meant to be firmer


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## neil_audiTT (Sep 1, 2010)

K double uuuuuuuuuuu

Variant 2's on mine, Cant fault her.

I dont think there's very much difference between bilstiens and KW's. They're both top quality kits and at the end of the day just springs and dampers! A few pounds of spring tension here and there wont make a huge difference.

On normal roads, even a track. I bet you'd struggle to tell the difference between my TT and Neil's bilstien TT

I was tempted with a stiffer rear ARB but honestly, i struggle to get the car to understeer, removing the ballast from over the rear end (which is a heafty old thing) Made a surprising amount of difference for mid corner off/on power weight transfers.


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## V6RUL (May 28, 2009)

How much is your budget.
B16s or KW3s, most expensive of the common products and give height, rebound + compression adjustability.
22 or 25mm rear Arb only.
Performance haldex.
Poly's optional but all or none.
Tie bars on a lower than 25mm drop..
Tyre choice has an influence
Corner weight by height once you've ditched unwanted weight
Steve


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Thanks for the post Neil. Do you have the b14 pss kit and do you often tinker with the height adjustment? I'm not convinced I would adjust the height that much however i like the ease at which the Koni Sports could be adjusted.

B12 Bilstein or the Koni Sport /H&R combo?

Thanks again Craig


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## TTSPORT666 (Dec 1, 2011)

Gogs this picture is awesome.... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Damien.


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

The B12 kit has B8 sport shocks and eibach springs, not adjustable, but I would never have adjusted them anyway once set up I'm sure


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## Marty (Jun 9, 2009)

I agree that the Bilstein's are a great piece of kit and a huge improvement over standard suspension. I have the B14s on mine.

I deliberated for months over which kit to buy and in the end it was clear - everybody said how Bilsteins were built to out-last the car, "the best", and "you can't go wrong with Bilstein".

Well, just a word of caution : they are not faultless...

Mine have had a quite disturbing clunking noise on the front end since about 2 months into ownership. Everyone said, it can't be the Bilsteins. Awesome (where I got them) had never heard of a failed set. So over the course of the last few months I set about having every single part of the front end of the car checked out, and I mean *everything* and at great expense. Nothing could be found. Finally, my mechanic said there was nothing else to check, and suggested putting the old suspension back on to see if it really could be the Bilsteins.

I've been on my knackered old suspension since mid November after sending the coilovers back to Bilstein to be assessed and the clunking has completely gone. Not happened once. Conclusive you'd think?

Well finally I have heard today that Bilstein couldn't find anything wrong with them, but they "reconditioned" them with completely new innards anyway.

While I'll be happy to get them back on the car, and hope that the problem is fixed, it's only a hope. I'm surprised Bilstein went to all the trouble of reconditioning instead of sending out new kit to be honest. All a bit concerning :?


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

Thanks Damien,

Here's another couple for you ;-)


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## TTSPORT666 (Dec 1, 2011)

she sits so nice on her bilstein shocks and eibach springs...   Awesome V6... 

Damien.


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Looking to spend £600 - £850. Just sent the FK KonigSports back because i'm a bit of a brand snob. Have seen the Koni coilover kit for £730 but unfortunately VMS and I will not be sending Christmas cards this year so I wont be ordering it there. DPM will be my choice of supplier as they're decent to deal with.

Thanks for all the advice guys. Much appreciated


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## V6RUL (May 28, 2009)

gogs said:


> Thanks Damian,
> 
> Here's another couple for you ;-)


V6 pic whore.. :lol: 
Steve


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

Thanks Damien

It has improved her no end handling wise and looks wise ;-)

I won't post any more pics after these as its not my thread ! Sorry OP get carried away :-(


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

V6RUL said:


> gogs said:
> 
> 
> > Thanks Damian,
> ...


I can't help it Steve, it's become a habit ! I've only posted the better ones on the forum though! ;-)


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

Craig I bought the Bilstein kit direct from Germany and saved around £140 compaired to IK stockists, £30 for the new top mounts, whole lot for under £550 ;-)


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Thanks for the post gogs - I like to look of the Bilstein kit although the Koni Coilover for £730 looks like a contender.

Cheers again Craig

ps - prefer the photo's with the original Ronal Alloys.

PPS - if you want the front lowered ring DPM for >10mm Top Mounts


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

I did think about these but was unsure how they would be when fitted, have you used these before?

Yeah the V6 wheels look bigger than the Votex wheels when fitted, both on the same spacers and suspension set up


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## Jay-225 (Mar 7, 2012)

Cuprabhoy said:


> Thanks for the post gogs - I like to look of the Bilstein kit although the Koni Coilover for £730 looks like a contender.
> 
> Cheers again Craig
> 
> ...


@£730 the Konis are a bargain ( £300 off ) , i have them fitted to mine and am very very happy with them although its a 225 but won't make that much difference... Plenty of height adjustment and good damping options, nothing to complex 

Oh and agree with Gogs car looking better on the Ronals


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Without sounding stupid - whats everyone fitting spacers for? Is this to clear the front calipers?!!! :!: :?:

I ordered the >10 mm top mounts from DPM and then changed them to standard polyflex ones when i thought about buying the coilovers. These are both urethane so shouldn't flex or deteriorate too much or at all. If you wanted another 10mm on the front with your B12 kit then these would do the job nicely.

The future's Misano!


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## gogs (Dec 22, 2010)

Spacers are fitted in most cases to just give the car a wider stance, once the car is lowered wheels often look lost in the wheel arch area, So spacers just help fill that space in


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## V6RUL (May 28, 2009)

Correct wheel ET may mean you don't need spacers
Steve


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## A8VCG (May 9, 2011)

Thanks again for all the info lads and taking the time to add your comments to the thread - Very useful.

DPM have sorted me out with the Koni coilovers so I'm very pleased and can't wait to get them.

Please chip in with advice for my other post.

Craig


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## RazMan (Aug 28, 2012)

I went for the Eibach pros because I am on a budget, but I have to say I am glad that I did. Along with the obligatory spacers, my car looks much better, the handling has improved and yet it is much less firm than I was expecting (actually just as comfy). I certainly wouldn't like to go any lower than the 25mm - I have noticed that some speed bumps can be a bit 'challenging' now.


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## shadyninja (Jul 14, 2014)

hello, 
I also have the B12 kit on my Audi.
when I drive from cold its ok but after 20 mins the front suspension becomes saggy and when im stationary or at walking pace I hear this popping bubbling noise from the front as I steer the car.
I have 3-4 months left on the warrantee.
the car handles like sh1t.
I phoned bilstien and they said it cant be the B12 KIT.



Marty said:


> I agree that the Bilstein's are a great piece of kit and a huge improvement over standard suspension. I have the B14s on mine.
> 
> I deliberated for months over which kit to buy and in the end it was clear - everybody said how Bilsteins were built to out-last the car, "the best", and "you can't go wrong with Bilstein".
> 
> ...


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## millepeed (Dec 29, 2011)

KW v3 fully adjustable IMO prob the best as they are easy to dial in for road or track.


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## bombeiusz (Oct 22, 2010)

bc racing my choice 

19\G/48


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## Marty (Jun 9, 2009)

I'll follow up that my b14 pss kit is still awesome today. I did have a new noise on the front and assumed it was the kit again, but it turned out not to be. In fact I tested out a set of Gaz Gold - the noise was still there so it wasn't the Bilstein kit. And the Gaz kit was awful by comparison.

I still know I made the right choice.


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## Carl1012 (Aug 3, 2015)

Have Magnatic ride in 2008 TT 3.2l Quattro 
Can you run sports mode into or incorporated in mag ride


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