THE SUSPENSION
If you've ever been in a severely lowered car with aftermarket suspension, you simply wouldn't believe how fantastic the ride quality was on our GTI with the Koni FSD / Eibach combo. On my initial drive from the tuning shop, I paid attention predominantly to the engine's gains - and completely forgot about the suspension, until I noticed that it actually felt smoother.
You read that right - the GTI's ride quality improved by lowering it. While that is so rarely the case, it wasn't too surprising, given that Koni's FSD (short for Frequency Selective Damping) system is designed to do exactly that. Despite a considerable loss of wheel travel (the kit lowered the GTI 1.5 inches in the front and 1.2 inches rear) the suspension bottomed out no more frequently.
Suspension guru and steering snob Marc Noordeloos hates aftermarket suspension - and didn't love this setup either - but he was nevertheless impressed by its secondary ride quality. He wants to try the FSD shocks using stock springs, as he concluded that lowering the car changed the suspension geometry enough to mar steering feel.
Small niggles aside, there is no question that Koni's FSD shocks are all they're cracked up to be - they filter out small road irregularities far better than the factory shocks, and then firm up in response to big bumps. It's easily the best aftermarket lowering suspension I've ever encountered - and the GTI's aggressive look was just the icing on the cake. Now that it's back to stock, I think "SUV" every time I see the gap between the fenders and wheels. ...next page >>