Adam that is a quite a big gap to be fair...I don't know how anyone can stand driving a polo on mk1 golf rear coilies, I thought it was fucking awful, stiff to the point of dangerous if you ask me, jumped all over the shop and gave me backache. I'd never do it again, shocks and springs give you more than enough settings to find something low and liveable.

I went from this:

to this:

doesn't catch at all but you can't even get a finger in between the tyre and the arch - I looooove my car!!!!!

Bec x

Adam that is a quite a big gap to be fair...I don't know how anyone can stand driving a polo on mk1 golf rear coilies, I thought it was fucking awful, stiff to the point of dangerous if you ask me, jumped all over the shop and gave me backache. I'd never do it again, shocks and springs give you more than enough settings to find something low and liveable.

I'm not saying that is low, that is at the top of the thread on the coilovers! I'm just saying that before I was running more arch clearance than that and it was rubbing everywhere (with PhilJ shock and spring kit). It could probably go 10mm lower if i didnt mind a bit of rubbing on heavy bumps, or 20mm if I gave the arches a good going over.

Good thing about coilies is that if you want softer springs you can buy them for £40 a pair in any length from 6"-20" and 100lb to 3000lb! I had my shocks and springs on the highest setting and they still rubbed on even mild corners and bumps.. the coilovers give me something better to work on. Day to day I run 175/65 13 tyres as well which take out the majority of bumps :p

It is stiff, but I wouldn't say stiff to the point of dangerous. It's about as stiff as my mum's Impreza on *standard* shocks and springs!

It is stiff, but I wouldn't say stiff to the point of dangerous. It's about as stiff as my mum's Impreza on *standard* shocks and springs!

You must be joking, the mk2 coupe i had failed 3 MOTs at 3 different places with the coilies on, the rear suspension didn't have ANY travel!!! It was literally you bounced up and down in your seat all the way down any road, I'd never driven anything so awful. I won't even bother describing cornering, but I would'nt advise anyone to fit them unless it's a track car.

It is stiff, but I wouldn't say stiff to the point of dangerous. It's about as stiff as my mum's Impreza on *standard* shocks and springs!

You must be joking, the mk2 coupe i had failed 3 MOTs at 3 different places with the coilies on, the rear suspension didn't have ANY travel!!! It was literally you bounced up and down in your seat all the way down any road, I'd never driven anything so awful. I won't even bother describing cornering, but I would'nt advise anyone to fit them unless it's a track car.

Yours must have been stiffer than mine are then! I get at least 20mm of decent travel on them.

Plus it's never driven fast at all.

What exactly did they fail you on?

Edited 25 February, 200818 yr by mk4po-low

i found rolling on 6's gave too much gap

What exactly did they fail you on?

the rear suspension having no travel at all, i.e. not absorbing any bumps from the road. 3 places can't be wrong. had to put it on shocks and springs to pass.

What exactly did they fail you on?

the rear suspension having no travel at all, i.e. not absorbing any bumps from the road. 3 places can't be wrong. had to put it on shocks and springs to pass.

Can't find anything anywhere about the effectiveness of the suspension as a unit.

Springs must be in one piece and shocks can't be leaking is as much as i can find.

What exactly did they fail you on?

the rear suspension having no travel at all, i.e. not absorbing any bumps from the road. 3 places can't be wrong. had to put it on shocks and springs to pass.

Can't find anything anywhere about the effectiveness of the suspension as a unit.

Springs must be in one piece and shocks can't be leaking is as much as i can find.

Not saying they are leaking at all- they're brand new aren't they?!

But come on, they are not designed for the car! Washers to fit etc etc...

Time to whore out probably the best pics I have (again )

RSPL baby...must add that its settled a bit more since these pics where taken at Polo Show, not got any recent one's as its on winters, waiting till the cups are done :-D

Edited 25 February, 200818 yr by jonPDpolo

What exactly did they fail you on?

the rear suspension having no travel at all, i.e. not absorbing any bumps from the road. 3 places can't be wrong. had to put it on shocks and springs to pass.

Can't find anything anywhere about the effectiveness of the suspension as a unit.

Springs must be in one piece and shocks can't be leaking is as much as i can find.

Not saying they are leaking at all- they're brand new aren't they?!

But come on, they are not designed for the car! Washers to fit etc etc...

Just because they weren't originally designed for the car doesnt mean they can't be safely fitted! My buckets weren't designed for the car, neither were my front coilovers etc. Making things that weren't designed to fit my car into things that will fit my car is something I enjoy doing.w

The issue you have is with spring rates which can be easily solved for £40!

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/index...t=2a&page=1

Or by reducing the diameter of the lower spring seat by 1.5mm you can fit 2.25" springs:

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/index..._1152_1153_1154

Huuuuuuge range of springs :)

And no my shocks arent leaking (although they aren't brand new either) :).

I win for biggest arch gap

RSPL...what is that an abbreviation for?

TimW, that is not technically an arch 'gap' is it now! Looks amazing though.

obviously not going anywhere lol

RSPL...what is that an abbreviation for?

Royal Society for Practical Lowerage

Edited 26 February, 200818 yr by jonPDpolo

Mines dropped 'bout 80mm on the back methinks, with 13"s

I rub on the rears as it is on a 60/40 drop and 13x7s with 175/50's on and an offset of -7

RSPL FTW!!!

What exactly did they fail you on?

the rear suspension having no travel at all, i.e. not absorbing any bumps from the road. 3 places can't be wrong. had to put it on shocks and springs to pass.

Can't find anything anywhere about the effectiveness of the suspension as a unit.

Springs must be in one piece and shocks can't be leaking is as much as i can find.

Not saying they are leaking at all- they're brand new aren't they?!

But come on, they are not designed for the car! Washers to fit etc etc...

Just because they weren't originally designed for the car doesnt mean they can't be safely fitted! My buckets weren't designed for the car, neither were my front coilovers etc. Making things that weren't designed to fit my car into things that will fit my car is something I enjoy doing.w

The issue you have is with spring rates which can be easily solved for £40!

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/index...t=2a&page=1

Or by reducing the diameter of the lower spring seat by 1.5mm you can fit 2.25" springs:

http://www.rallydesign.co.uk/catalog/index..._1152_1153_1154

Huuuuuuge range of springs :)

And no my shocks arent leaking (although they aren't brand new either) :).

I never understood why people say that 'coilovers' are firmer than regular springs and shocks. Aren't coilovers just springs and shock which by normal design are height adjustable? (and in some case compression and rebound adjustable) The suspension on Mk1/2/3 you could argue are 'coilovers' as the coils are over the shocks.

Just as you can get different rate of Shocks and springs (e.g Std OEM shocks and Spings compaired to, say, the H&R Cup Kit) you can get different rate of springs and shocks in Coilovers.

So you can't just say that putting 'coilovers' on the back of a polo is bad its just if you put 'coilovers' that were designed for a much heaver car on the back of a lightweight polo then yes they are going to be dam hard. Solution find a coilover that fits that was designed to work with a vehicle as closer in design/weight as possible. Or Change the springs to ones which have a rate which is more suitable and possibly change the shock part to something that is less 'firm'

could'nt agree more ^^