MK7 Suspension Geometry - Intro

[@seekerofthetruths]

Good info. Recently installed lowering springs on the wife's sportwagen and was surprised how much i hated it compared to the stock springs when running the tail of the dragon. Definitely felt flatter and grip was up on sweepers due to the camber and lower cog but the bump steer and stock height bump stops made it feel very "squirmy" in tight technical corners. Interested to see details on the ball joints and correcting bump steer.

[@chewbaccabuddy3377]

Just in time to get the wagon setup for autocross in April 😂 Can’t wait

[@jeremymitchell8470]

Any thoughts on long travel coilover setups (with camber plates) or 034 LCA’s? Those are what I chose to add negative camber and a little more positive caster. I have the 034 ball joints too, but haven’t decided if I’ll run them or the OEM version. I don’t want to drop my ride height much more than 15mm so I’ll be doing some measuring before I install the springs on my struts. I look forward to seeing what you come up with in your series!

[@datadrivenmqb]

Honestly if the Camster plates had been out when I purchased, that's the direction I would have gone. I bought the camber plates and then the other ones came out like 3 weeks later... hah. The 034 control arms are probably the best bet to pair with them IMO. Adds camber and a tad more caster as well without wildly affecting bump-steer (which the ball joints absolutely do). To be fair, bump steer is very hard to feel on this chassis because the steering is so over-assisted. But it's bad for tire temperatures, tire wear, and predictability if you're really driving the car at the limit on anything other than a perfectly smooth track. IMO the "best" solution would be camber plates (Vorshlag if using coilovers, 034 Camsters if on anything else) + CSS knuckles. Between that and slight lowering (10-15mm) I believe will put you in the -3.1 to -3.3 deg range which should be plenty for most people. If more is needed, then either 034 LCAs or Powerflex LCA camber bushings would be what I'd do. I tore my Powerflex bushings in a year, but they're not hard to replace so it would just be a maintenance thing IMO. No personal experience with the 034s, but haven't seen anything bad yet FWIW. They also add a tad bit more caster too which is nice.

[@jeremymitchell8470]

I’m reluctant to run poly bushings in the front. It seems like nearly application that uses poly has a fairly quick wear/failure rate. I’m not exactly sure how much the Cygnus camber plates will get me, but I was estimating -3.0 or possibly a little more with the ball joints. Bump steer will probably be unavoidable, but I’ll probably end up going with the RS3 ball joints to minimize it.

[@KXP70]

@@jeremymitchell8470 have you considered the 8S Audi TT front wishbone if you're wanting more camber? They're the same as the TTRS wishbones as far a I have been told, so come with stiffer rubber bushes as standard. It would be a more durable solution than poly bushing. Plus you may still be able to utilise the RS3 ducts, or use a TTRS duct if they make them and the shape is different in the mounting area.

[@jeremymitchell8470]

@@KXP70​​⁠I read that those increased the track width enough on the Mk8 that there could be issues with cthe CV joints. I’ll run the 034 LCA’s and if I don’t like them, FCP euro will swap them out for another option if it comes to that.

[@grg88888]

What shocks are those? Never seen red shocks that are performance oriented for the mk7 gti/r.

[@datadrivenmqb]

They're Koni Special Actives. Been on the car for over a year now. They're AMAZING on stock springs, was able to enter the esses at VIR at 120mph on them. They're not "meant" for lowering springs (as I wasn't originally planning on dropping the car), but per Koni they're OK for a

[@D3JXY]

Have you tried the Megan/HardRace RCA Spacers for the balljoints alongside the 034 Balljoints? They should raise the Balljoint and cancel out the need for the tie arm to be lowered... I'm planning on changing to this setup in the near future for track work. Hopefully you can look into this and see it beneficial.

[@datadrivenmqb]

So I've seen those. The funny thing is they don't do a single thing for roll center adjustment (which IMO is probably ideal since this chassis doesn't have any great bump steer solutions). My main reservation is IMO they're both cheap China garbage. The reason roll center isn't affected with those spacers is because the ball joint is still in the same spot in relation to the knuckle. The lower control arm can be shaped like a loopty-loop and that doesn't change the geometry. The pivot points are all that actually matter. It moves the arm down, but not the ball joint pivot.

[@D3JXY]

@@datadrivenmqbSo you think the current best solution for the roll centre adjustment is still just the verkline out tie rods?

[@datadrivenmqb]

@@D3JXY those can correct bump steer, but only move the tie rod down by 2mm. Any of the roll center correcting ball joints move the ball joint pivot down by ~10mm (at least 034, not sure how much Whiteline moves it). I've got a solution in the works to dial out the bump steer :)