# SOLO-WERKS Coilover review thread for CC + DIY



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

*04/15/14 update*

The coilovers have 45000 miles on them, pretty hard miles at that with the roads in central/northern NJ. The front passenger corner has finally given up, I guess the seal blew in the shock last week, car is bouncing like crazy since. Good news is solo-werks is handling it very well. Rather than have down time I gave them $100 deposit to have the new one shipped then i'll ship them back the blown one. All under warranty so i'll get the deposit back once they get my old coil to confirm its damaged. 

Got the new shock in today, got it installed. Ride is good again.. I couldn't believe how toasted that old one was though. There was literally nothing left to it, you could pick it up and it would just drop all the way back down into itself. Zero resistance left. That 3 yr warranty paying off :thumbup::thumbup:



*12/04/13 update*
Just an update as I got it ready for winter yesterday. 

Over 35k HARD NJ/NYC miles on them, they ride good still. A couple noises here and there but nothing out of the ordinary. Aren't any more "bouncy" then when I first got them. 

This is going to be their second Northeast winter. Everything still spins by hand freely, very minimal rust as well. I have cleaned/greased them one other time before the 2012/13 winter. And now again for the 13/14 winter. Green Grease is the ****, and keeps these threads rust free and in great shape.













*03/26/13 update*
I have put 24k miles on these, through a northeast winter and all. Today I lowered the car more for my "summer" wheels. Here is how they look. If you look there is a ton of GUNK, the bottom threads showing, is where I wiped off the "green grease" I had applied ONCE before winter that was it. Clearly the grease did it's job as there was zero rust underneath it. And I drove these things hard all winter through salt etc.. FYI that 24k miles was in a time span of about 8 months.










And how she is currently sitting.












*09/24/12 update* I have put 10k miles on these coilovers so far..

I have seriously ROCKED some pot holes, and drove all over NYC with 3 passangers and a loaded trunk with luggage.. All I can say is I have zero complaints. So far, more than pleased :thumbup: And this is all on a 225/35/19 tire that is on a 9" wide wheel..(stretched tire)

I have gotten some noises from them if they sat for a while after getting a beating on some rough roads and a heavily weighed down car like my NYC trip over labor day weekend, but it's like they had to "break" back in after sitting for a few days and the noises(creaking) would go away within a few miles.. So, zero complaints from me. They ride smooth, not bouncy.. I am happy :thumbup:

________________________________________________________________________________

*Update:* The car is now slightly lower after almost a month of not having it (sunroof noise  all fixed now..)

Put new wheels on it, and lowered it more. The rear still has a solid 1/2" and the front 1/4" but it rubs when cornering, so nothing changes until i roll the fenders. 

The car, as low as it is, with a 225/35 tire on 19x9 wheel rides very well. There is virtually no "bouncing", and it takes bumps like a champ. I have zero complaints with these coilovers... It has been about 6k miles now. Overall impression so far: :thumbup::thumbup:





















So I went ahead and decided to be one of the first to put these on a CC and put a review, atleast here on vortex. I got these from UPS Tuesday evening, and installed them yesterday, Wednesday. I did some final tweaking today, and am happy with how it sits right now. 


In total I spent 5 hours for the whole job 40 minutes of which was trying to figure out what to do when I first encountered the stripped end link, PIA. http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4330188-Koni-Coilover-Install-DIY&highlight=koni+diy and it was pretty much exactly the same for our cars. You also don't need the spreader tool, I used a punch like a screwdriver shape, to spread it, worked just fine. The double socket for the top nut of the suspension though, WELL WORTH IT. Huge pain trying to tighten that nut down without it. I have read mixed reviews about needing to remove the axles, on the drivers side I removed the axle, on the passenger side I left it in. I wanted to see if it made a difference, both sides went fine with or without the axle. Having the axle in requires more "muscle" and is probably better off if you have a friend, but I managed by myself without much of an issue. I also cut the bump stop down, there are "sections" of it, I removed the lowest portion, as it it pretty long, not sure how necessary that was.







suspension out, axle still in, end link cut in half, later I cut the bolt out down by the sway bar.

The rears are straight forward form the link above. Make sure you put the adjustable collar on TOP of the spring, not on the bottom, much easier to adjust and you can discard the top nut and washer that come screwed into the top of the adjustment collar for rear, not necessary. Also, there is a rubber perch on top of the stock spring, you will want to add that to the new spring. I didn't the first time around, 2 things happened. 1) when trying to adjust the height, the whole collar would just spin and I couldn't adjust anything which required me to use one wrench to "lock" the collar and the other to adjust, a real pain in the ass. 2) it allows some wiggle room on top, metal on metal kind of. Which creates a "clunk" while driving over bumps. I put it back in, and both issues were resolved. 

Although probably not necessary in the spring/summer, i still want to have a coating on them year round just as a preventive. "Green grease" was applied to the threads









*Now for the actual coilover ride review.*

I have put roughly 100 miles on them. First impressions, a lot stiffer than stock, and very minimal "bounce". For reference, my previous cars (all audi/VW) were on H&R ultra lows, FK's, nuespeed race springs, and H&R race springs. These coilovers IMO ride better than my ultra lows did (unless you like hitting a bump the size of a pee and feeling like your car is going to break) and are right on par with any other suspension I have encountered. They give the whole car a very 'stiff" feeling from turns to bumps. There is basically no body roll as I have them set right now, and I haven't encountered any bumps that made me cringe. (I live in NJ, the roads are pretty bad, so that's saying something) I am extremely happy with these coilovers from the start, and honestly wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to a friend. 

I drive quite a bit for work, and will rack up 4-5k miles in a couple months. In which I will really be able to tell how these coilovers stand up to the roads and abuse etc. I will continually update the thread as I drive more and put on more miles. Now for some pictures.

*Fronts*: ~4-5 threads left, helper springs in, 11 3/4" from top of center cap to fender, 24 3/4 GTF(on a not so level ground)









*Rears*: 8-10 threads left, the top rubber piece and perch in, 11 3/4" from top of center cap to fender, 24 3/4 GTF(on a not so level ground)










This was before my final adjustment and adding the rubber piece back on top of rear spring, took some pictures before surfing today

















And after adding the rubber piece on the rear, eliminated all clunking and can now adjust the rears easily, roughly same height, just ~1/2" less threads in the rear. I can not fit my finger into the wheel gap straight, it has to be slightly angled up, since the wheels are only 17" and have alot of rubber it may look like there's a decent gap, but I assure you, there is not.










The rears definitely have more room to go lower over the front. When I didn't have that top rubber piece (still dont know what that is actually called) the rears had an additional 1/2" to go down on top of the 1/2" left now. But depending on how daring you are, I know there are plenty of people who have removed the helper spring up front and have gone very low with some added "bounce" they say. Personally I wouldn't do it, and I can't see myself ever wanting the car lower than it is now, but I know guys in the MKV section do it.

Also, if anyone wants to see the maximum drop, or anything, or any specific questions. Feel free to ask, that is why I did this :beer:


----------



## HipsterDoofus (Nov 26, 2011)

Great write up! :thumbup: 

What exactly is the double socket? I had to used vice grips and an allen wrench to do the top nut. I'm having some slight clunks at low speeds (below 15-ish), and i believe its an issue of that not being tight enough...


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

HipsterDoofus said:


> Great write up! :thumbup:
> 
> What exactly is the double socket? I had to used vice grips and an allen wrench to do the top nut. I'm having some slight clunks at low speeds (below 15-ish), and i believe its an issue of that not being tight enough...


 Thanks... link http://www.metalnerd.com/cat05.htm Part # MN2122 It is about half way down that page and makes life a whole lot easier


----------



## Vr6DubNY (Jan 5, 2001)

How much more drop do you figure they have in them? Has it settled anymore today? Any possibility of a picture today from the side? Also if you are using air, is the double socket necessary, ive always just used an impact to spin the top nuts off. Thanks for taking the time to answer all the questions that are gonna come up.


----------



## SHAG WAGON (Jun 15, 2004)

Thank You!! :thumbup::thumbup: 

Great write up. Can't wait to hear more about these coilovers


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Vr6DubNY said:


> How much more drop do you figure they have in them? Has it settled anymore today? Any possibility of a picture today from the side? Also if you are using air, is the double socket necessary, ive always just used an impact to spin the top nuts off. Thanks for taking the time to answer all the questions that are gonna come up.


 It is dark out now, but I will get a picture tomorrow from the side of the car. I haven't noticed any settling, but I haven't really looked either. I'll re-take some measurements tomorrow as well to see for sure. 

Honestly, the rear i'd say can go down almost another 1/2" or so. The fronts have about a 1/4" left to go down. Down the line, strictly for curiosity I may remove the helper springs up front, and see how it rides. As that will get you MUCH lower in the front. I wouldn't keep it like that as I have no need to go any lower at all as I daily drive it all over on roads I am sometimes unfamiliar with, but I am sure some guys would do it to get low. 

I did use air, and to take off the nut from the stock suspension to get the bump stop(I replaced with new strut mount and bearings) it did nothing. The shock would just spin in itself, I had to lock it. Your's may work with air though, never know.. Also when putting them on, I prefer to use a torque wrench rather than blasting it on, as my impact gun can easily go over 100 lb/ft. So yea, for me the double socket was necessary.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

A couple of pointers here... 

1. Soak the front swaybar endlinks in PB Blaster or penetrating oil. They can seize up easily on a stock car, as the OP found out. 
When you put on your new suspension, be sure to put some anti-seize on the swaybar endlink threads to avoid that from happening again/in the future. 

On a higher mileage or older car, it's not a bad idea to replace the endlinks either. And if they are seized, you will be cutting them off.....so it's a good idea to have replacements on hand. 

2. The rear rubber piece is a "spring isolator pad." You're not supposed to use those with the perches. 
Will it hurt anything? Probably not. 

But for anyone else....you DO NOT need to use that or cut that. 
The perches just go over the nub....metal on metal will not create any noise. My ST's & Koni's are that way....no issues at all. 
The weight of the car/spring against the perch....it won't budge at all or create noise. 

And when I adjust the rears....it's waaay faster and easier to just drop the control arm (1 bolt & nut) and remove the perch itself and spin it by hand instead of trying to fit a wrench in there. 

3. You DO NOT want to use an impact gun on the front struts when removing the top nut or installing the top not. 
It can damage the internals of the strut. 

If you don't have the double socket wrench....you can use a offset wrench (13/16") to hold the nut and then a allen wrench or allen bit on a ratchet to hold the strut shaft. 
That's the way I've always done it


----------



## martin11222 (Mar 9, 2010)

Great DIY....I'm also looking to put coilovers on my 2012 cc rline . I live in ny and my roads arent any better then the ones in nj ...my question is about the ride quality....I have a 5 month old and I don't want to make the car bouncy...and too stiff...in your opinion..would you recommend these coilovers in my situation ...I'm not looking too slam the car all the way down....just a moderate drop...thank you


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Thanks.. but, 



snobrdrdan said:


> A couple of pointers here...
> 
> 1. Soak the front swaybar endlinks in PB Blaster or penetrating oil. They can seize up easily on a stock car, as the OP found out.
> When you put on your new suspension, be sure to put some anti-seize on the swaybar endlink threads to avoid that from happening again/in the future.
> ...


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Here is how she sits right now. Nothing has been adjusted form my previous post. I am going to grab some measurements when it stops raining/drizzling


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

martin11222 said:


> Great DIY....I'm also looking to put coilovers on my 2012 cc rline . I live in ny and my roads arent any better then the ones in nj ...my question is about the ride quality....I have a 5 month old and I don't want to make the car bouncy...and too stiff...in your opinion..would you recommend these coilovers in my situation ...I'm not looking too slam the car all the way down....just a moderate drop...thank you


 Honestly, it is hard to say. The car is not bouncy, at all. The car is noticeably stiffer though, but, ANY suspension you put on the car to lower it will make it stiffer. Unless you want to put out over a grand to get dampening adjustable to make it ride very soft, your options are limited for keeping the ride not to stiff. My girlfriend doesn't complain and didn't even say anything (other than complaining that I can't pull into her driveway without going 2mph and angling in as it has a crazy steep angle from the road) and she is used to a stock jetta suspension.


----------



## martin11222 (Mar 9, 2010)

Are you familiar with kw variant 1 coilovers...if so...Is the ride quality anything like them...my second choice is the koni ss coilovers ...I know for a fact they are damper adjustable...


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

martin11222 said:


> Are you familiar with kw variant 1 coilovers...if so...Is the ride quality anything like them...my second choice is the koni ss coilovers ...I know for a fact they are damper adjustable...


 One of my friends had kw variant 2's on his mkiv gti last year. The car was stiffer than mine is now, but I do not know how he had them setup unfortunately. Where are you located? If you are in the tristate area maybe we will end up near each other, in which case you would be welcome to see them for yourself.


----------



## Vr6DubNY (Jan 5, 2001)

Thanks for posting pics, looks good...choosing a suspension set up isnt as easy as it used to be


----------



## martin11222 (Mar 9, 2010)

Kw variant 2 are damper djustable ...variant 1 aren't..that's why I wanted to compare too solo werks..I'm actually going to be in nj tomorrow by Clifton nj...and little fall ...is that near you?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

martin11222 said:


> Kw variant 2 are damper djustable ...variant 1 aren't..that's why I wanted to compare too solo werks..I'm actually going to be in nj tomorrow by Clifton nj...and little fall ...is that near you?


 Yea, I know.. which is why I said I don't know how he had them set, either way relatively useless. 

That is a bit north of me, I will be working tomorrow in the marlboro area which is quite a bit south of that. I may be going to eurofest Sunday(still not sure, it's questionable), which is at metlife stadium. If you wanna PM me, if your in NJ frequently or if you live in NJ maybe we will be near each other at some point soon.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

njm23 said:


> Thanks.. but,


 I'm not hating or anything...I'm just saying that most/if not all of the coilovers for the MK5/MK6/B6/CC/etc. have the perches going directly to the frame....no rubber pad in-between them 

And cutting up that rubber pad also stops you from going back to stock right away too (if you wanted to)...you'd have to buy another set. 

Same thing with the endlinks....if you ever sell the car or the coilovers, now you gotta buy new stock endlinks. 
I know you got new ones, but it doesn't hurt to keep your stock ones. 

That's all. 
It's your car though 



martin11222 said:


> Are you familiar with kw variant 1 coilovers...if so...Is the ride quality anything like them...my second choice is the koni ss coilovers ...I know for a fact they are damper adjustable...


 Koni's are more comfortable than the KW V1's 
And the Koni's will go lower, they're cheaper than the V1's @ $980 SHIPPED, and have adjustable dampening too 

If you wanted adjustable dampening, you'd have to step up to the V2's which are probably ~$1800


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> I'm not hating or anything...I'm just saying that most/if not all of the coilovers for the MK5/MK6/B6/CC/etc. have the perches going directly to the frame....no rubber pad in-between them
> 
> And cutting up that rubber pad also stops you from going back to stock right away too (if you wanted to)...you'd have to buy another set.
> 
> ...


 Nah, i didn't take it offensively, was just stating my experience. Believe me, cutting my end links was a last resort, it isn't easy cutting the bolt against the sway bar with minimal room for a cutting wheel. And those rubber pads, not worried about it, a few $ from the dealer for new ones..No big deal..Worth it to avoid the clunk, and I didn't change anything aside form those pads, so it was 100% them.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Vr6DubNY said:


> Thanks for posting pics, looks good...choosing a suspension set up isnt as easy as it used to be


 Definitely not, but I'd say these are an excellent value and well worth it. IMHO the only reason to go another route is if you want dampening adjustable suspension. These go plenty low, and ride quite well, and with a 3 year warranty, really not much "risk" at all.


----------



## Vr6DubNY (Jan 5, 2001)

Ended up going air with an autopilot v2 set up and airlift's...it solves my low issues, and my comfort issues.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Vr6DubNY said:


> Ended up going air with an autopilot v2 set up and airlift's...it solves my low issues, and my comfort issues.


 Nice. :thumbup: I just can't deal with the compressor noise and having to rid of my spare tire in order to keep my trunk space, which is NEEDED for work.


----------



## martin11222 (Mar 9, 2010)

snobrdrdan where can i get the konis ss for $980 shipped and also i heard that you need to setup the rear dampering before you install konis cause in order for you to change it they need to be removed so my question is what setting would you recommend on them in my situation..im definitley going to drop it for the summer and i got a 5 month old i really dont want his head to pop off with these bad ny roads..lol.....thanks


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

martin11222 said:


> snobrdrdan where can i get the konis ss for $980 shipped and also i heard that you need to setup the rear dampering before you install konis cause in order for you to change it they need to be removed so my question is what setting would you recommend on them in my situation..im definitley going to drop it for the summer and i got a 5 month old i really dont want his head to pop off with these bad ny roads..lol.....thanks


 The Konis are still $980 SHIPPED from Redline Motorworks: 
http://www.redline-motorworks.com/product_p/1150 5080.htm 

Coupon Code: GETKONI4LESS 

ONLY issue: They're on nationwide backorder until May, but you can lock in that price 

You are correct, the rears do need to be set off the car. 
Koni recommends a half turn (90 degrees) from full soft for the rears, and that's what I'm running. 

That's all you'll need...read here too from Koni: 
http://www.koni-na.com/faq.cfm#3


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Little update - I have put about 600-700 miles on the coilovers.. After being on the car for a couple of days, the rears seem to have settled a little bit, 1/8"-1/4", and the fronts are still the same height as when first installed. 

After getting some time with the car, on some roads that aren't particularly good, I have to say I am very pleased with the ride. They are stiff, but handle bumps and just really bad pavement as a whole, really well and do not feel like the car is hitting a giant pothole and you just broke your wheel in half, which I have felt with some other suspensions. There is no "bounce" to speak of, and overall I am extremely happy with the coilovers and how they handle the roads of NJ/NY :beer: 

As more miles get put on, and they go through their paces with this Northeast weather and me living 5 min from the ocean, I will continually update the thread.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Did you get it aligned yet?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> Did you get it aligned yet?


 Went in yesterday. any reason?


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Just wondering what your specs were, for comparison to mine (had mine aligned as well, on Konis) 

Can you post them?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> Just wondering what your specs were, for comparison to mine (had mine aligned as well, on Konis)
> 
> Can you post them?


 I'll get it up tomorrow, left the printout at my work. :thumbup:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> Just wondering what your specs were, for comparison to mine (had mine aligned as well, on Konis)
> 
> Can you post them?


Sorry, totally forgot about the alignment specs. I am curious to know how yours was any different

Well posting a pic was smart.. may as well do the same. :beer:


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Here's mine....before on top....after on the bottom:

I told them to have the camber equal on both sides in the back, btw.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

figured adding my actual pic would be good... Everything appears extremely similar, aside from me being lower resulting in more camber. Yea, makes sense about the camber, but .1 of a difference won't do much I feel. looks good either way. :beer:


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Yeah we got similar results...cool.

What are you FTG, btw?
Or, the more accurate way, from the lip of the bottom of the wheel to the bottom of the fender?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

I'll have to check on the lip of the wheel to fender, never did it like that. GTF was something int he range of 24.25 in the rear and 24.50/75 in the front. the rears settled, I raised it a little bit in the rear prior to the alignment by 1/8" or so, i'll grab some measurements tomorrow in the daylight again.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Cool
Just grab FTG then

Grab an updated side view pic too (if you wanna share)....now that it's all settled & aligned


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Took some measurements the way you asked form the bottom of the lip to fender.

Front - 22"
Rear - 21 7/8"

Going to bring the back up that little bit to even it out completely.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Looks good! :thumbup:

Wheels next, or are you keeping the 17's?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> Looks good! :thumbup:
> 
> Wheels next, or are you keeping the 17's?


I'm looking at a few different 19" wheels, still haven't decided.. I'd say within the next 1-2 months i'll have wheels on there. Just haven't found anything I really like yet. 17's will be staying for winter use.


----------



## RedATPGti (Nov 25, 2002)

I recently installed these on my 2012 cc and I have some odd noise coming from the front at low speeds when going over steep bumps (speed bumps, etc.). I have taken the fronts out and verified that everything is tight and secured. It's not a clunking noise but it sounds like metal rubbing against metal. 

Question for those that have this setup... These do not come with bump stops or dust covers, I did not use the factory ones because I did not see the need for it. Did you reuse the factory front bump stops? I don't think the factory dust covers fit. The only other thing I can think of is the shorter sway bar end links hitting or rubbing against something.

Any suggestions will be highly appreciated... Are there any other DIY's for exactly this setup? :banghead::banghead::banghead:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

RedATPGti said:


> I recently installed these on my 2012 cc and I have some odd noise coming from the front at low speeds when going over steep bumps (speed bumps, etc.). I have taken the fronts out and verified that everything is tight and secured. It's not a clunking noise but it sounds like metal rubbing against metal.
> 
> Question for those that have this setup... These do not come with bump stops or dust covers, I did not use the factory ones because I did not see the need for it. Did you reuse the factory front bump stops? I don't think the factory dust covers fit. The only other thing I can think of is the shorter sway bar end links hitting or rubbing against something.
> 
> Any suggestions will be highly appreciated... Are there any other DIY's for exactly this setup? :banghead::banghead::banghead:


Yea, you posted in the DIY for these exact coilovers.... made by me. 

You need to re-use your bump stops, the dust covers do not go back on the front as they will create noises/rubbing problems. The rears you need to reuse your bump stops and the dust cover can go on the rear.

Did you install the strut mounts/bearings in the right direction? Are you sure the top nut on the strut is tightened down all the way?

If you are thinking it could be your swaybar, you would be able to jack the car up and see visible rub marks. How low are you?


----------



## RedATPGti (Nov 25, 2002)

njm23 said:


> Yea, you posted in the DIY for these exact coilovers.... made by me.
> 
> You need to re-use your bump stops, the dust covers do not go back on the front as they will create noises/rubbing problems. The rears you need to reuse your bump stops and the dust cover can go on the rear.
> 
> ...


I verified the strut mounts were installed with the arrows towards the inside of the car and that was not the problem... Now i'm thinking the strut mounts may be bad because I may have over tighten them... But at the same time it does not feel like that is the problem... Are the strut mounts that weak on these cars?


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

What do you mean you "overtightened the strut mount?"

When you put the top nut on the strut/coilover, you tighten it down until it stops.....shouldn't damage the strut mount.
And then the 3 bolts that hold the strut mount to the strut tower....you can't really overtighten those either. If you did....you'd just strip out the holes on the mount.

How low are you though?
It could be possible that your passenger side axle is hitting the frame. Check for wear marks


----------



## RedATPGti (Nov 25, 2002)

snobrdrdan said:


> What do you mean you "overtightened the strut mount?"
> 
> When you put the top nut on the strut/coilover, you tighten it down until it stops.....shouldn't damage the strut mount.
> And then the 3 bolts that hold the strut mount to the strut tower....you can't really overtighten those either. If you did....you'd just strip out the holes on the mount.
> ...


You do have a point, I was pretty upset when I wrote that and did not really think things through... The noise appears to be coming from the strut tower area and it has gotten progressively worse and very annoying. The guy from AMI has responded to their thread stating that they have 5 other customers that reported a similar problem. In the meantime I am going to try a few things to see if I can pinpoint where exactly the noise is coming from. Thanks.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Doesn't sound like it's the issue, but did you use new strut bearings when you installed them?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

*Update:* The car is now slightly lower after almost a month of not having it (sunroof noise  all fixed now..)

Put new wheels on it, and lowered it more. The rear still has a solid 1/2" and the front 1/4" but it rubs when cornering, so nothing changes until i roll the fenders. 

The car, as low as it is, with a 225/35 tire on 19x9 wheel rides very well. There is virtually no "bouncing", and it takes bumps like a champ. I have zero complaints with these coilovers... It has been about 6k miles now. Overall impression so far: :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

Looks *REALLY* good! :thumbup:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> Looks *REALLY* good! :thumbup:


 Thanks, slowly making it's way to where I want it.


----------



## dystynkt (Oct 12, 2007)

Wow lovin' those wheels. Great looking cc!


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

*Just an update*, I have put 10k miles on these coilovers so far.. 

I have seriously ROCKED some pot holes, and drove all over NYC with 3 passangers and a loaded trunk with luggage.. All I can say is I have zero complaints. So far, more than pleased :thumbup: And this is all on a 225/35/19 tire that is on a 9" wide wheel..(stretched tire) 

I have gotten some noises from them if they sat for a while after getting a beating on some rough roads and a heavily weighed down car like my NYC trip over labor day weekend, but it's like they had to "break" back in after sitting for a few days and the noises(creaking) would go away within a few miles.. So, zero complaints from me. They ride smooth, not bouncy.. I am happy :thumbup:


----------



## SwiftX (Sep 22, 2012)

Car looks awesome man, just a question, how much lower do you have on the front and rear? I'm contemplating this set up on a mk3 Jetta.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

SwiftX said:


> Car looks awesome man, just a question, how much lower do you have on the front and rear? I'm contemplating this set up on a mk3 Jetta.


Thanks, appreciate it. In these pics, with all perches/helper springs/lock collars in, the rear has a solid 1/2-3/4" and the front had 2-3 threads. Granted they are 2 totally different platforms so never know how that will affect things. I lowered the front today a bit more, sits 1/8" lower now and that is bottomed out on the front. Still rides just as well as when I initially had them on with a good 3/4" thread left to go down.


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

njm23 said:


> Thanks, appreciate it. In these pics, with all perches/helper springs/lock collars in, the rear has a solid 1/2-3/4" and the front had 2-3 threads. Granted they are 2 totally different platforms so never know how that will affect things. I lowered the front today a bit more, sits 1/8" lower now and that is bottomed out on the front. Still rides just as well as when I initially had them on with a good 3/4" thread left to go down.


njm, I'm guessing you still have your spring helpers in the front. I installed my solo werks coilovers yesterday, and i pretty much bottomed out on the front and the gap is still 2 fingers space. My friend and I double checked the installation and nothing went wrong. Was yours have that much gap space between tire and fender after installation? Or will it settle a lot? 

**my friend said we could trim the helper springs since it's flatten spiral all around.** But i don't wanna do that.

Rear ones are good to go, i'm just concerned about the front. :screwy: any input would be great. Thanks.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Epence said:


> njm, I'm guessing you still have your spring helpers in the front. I installed my solo werks coilovers yesterday, and i pretty much bottomed out on the front and the gap is still 2 fingers space. My friend and I double checked the installation and nothing went wrong. Was yours have that much gap space between tire and fender after installation? Or will it settle a lot?
> 
> **my friend said we could trim the helper springs since it's flatten spiral all around.** But i don't wanna do that.
> 
> Rear ones are good to go, i'm just concerned about the front. :screwy: any input would be great. Thanks.


What you see above, is with the complete stock, un modified coilover system on the front. I am now bottomed out on the front, and you can see there isn't any gap. As well, my tires are actually a little smaller than stock tire sizes (the overall circumfrence compared to what the stock would be), meaning if I put the recomended tire size on it from factory would be even less of a wheel gap. Not sure what is going on with yours?


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

I'll snap a pic and post it later when i get home. maybe they just need to settle in..thanks for the reply.


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

This is when the car is on the ground...notice the 2-finger gap.









When i jacked up the car and inspect, everything looks fine. Notice it's bottomed out.. :banghead:









I asked my friend, and he said the Strut bearing arrow marks are correct. I guess i'll drive it more...the ride is pretty stiff, handling has improved though :laugh:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Woah, that is really weird. I never had a gap that large from the second I put them o. I was never to see my coilover up fornt from above the wheel, when I had 3/4" thread left I was barely able to see the coilover from the top of the wheel.. I would question first if everything was installed 100% properly. Do you have any pics of the whole car so I can see what the actual height is.


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

i'll get a shot tomorrow.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

^^^
Is the strut ALL THE WAY down in the spindle

If you look from underneath...you'll see there is a lip that stops the strut from slipping thru the spindle/hub assembly.
Make sure the bottom of the strut is sitting against that lip

Do you have pics of the struts assembled before you installed them?


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

Now think about it, there is a yellow foam/rubber piece sits on each strut. Is that a stopper piece supposed to come off? I'm afraid the answer is a yes.... :facepalm: on myself...


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> ^^^
> Is the strut ALL THE WAY down in the spindle
> 
> If you look from underneath...you'll see there is a lip that stops the strut from slipping thru the spindle/hub assembly.
> ...


This.



Epence said:


> Now think about it, there is a yellow foam/rubber piece sits on each strut. Is that a stopper piece supposed to come off? I'm afraid the answer is a yes.... :facepalm: on myself...


Nope, that is your bump stop.. It is supposed to be there.


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

i dont have pics before installation. I just put them together, measure height on each side and put them on. I'll check it this weekend with my friend. Thanks for the point out.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Epence said:


> i dont have pics before installation. I just put them together, measure height on each side and put them on. I'll check it this weekend with my friend. Thanks for the point out.


I'd still like to see a pic of the whole car, to see where it is sitting with them bottomed out.


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

here's a shot of the front setup. Sitting pretty high..:banghead:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Epence said:


> here's a shot of the front setup. Sitting pretty high..:banghead:


Yea, that definitely isn't right... Something is wrong there. have you got in contact with the company you ordered through?


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

yea i did..i was able to contact Glen. He referred me a thread to look at. Here 

I'm definitely taking care of it this saturday. In the mean time, driving slow, locally.


----------



## Epence (Jan 7, 2010)

Just an update on the re-installation of front coilovers.

It's the sitting of the struts into the knuckles. They were not completely sat in. [email protected] pointed out along with reference. Great customer service and help!

Correct sitting 









Everything's good now. Thanks to snobrdrdan pointing it out too! :thumbup:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Awesome man! Glad to hear. I knew there HAD to be something wrong haha.


----------



## Coty52 (Nov 5, 2010)

Put new wheels on it, and lowered it more. The rear still has a solid 1/2" and the front 1/4" but it rubs when cornering, so nothing changes until i roll the fenders. 

At this point with that much coil left, did you have helpers in and everything? How about the sway bar? I ordered these for my cc and am trying to decide what all i will have to tackle this next weekend when they get here.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Coty52 said:


> Put new wheels on it, and lowered it more. The rear still has a solid 1/2" and the front 1/4" but it rubs when cornering, so nothing changes until i roll the fenders.
> 
> At this point with that much coil left, did you have helpers in and everything? How about the sway bar? I ordered these for my cc and am trying to decide what all i will have to tackle this next weekend when they get here.


 Nothing was changed in the suspension, completely stock setup, nothing removed. The only issue I ran into was the axle hitting the frame on the passanger side on bumps. But I also had the coils completely bottomed out before that started happening. So I notched my frame and took care of that.


----------



## dracer219 (Jul 25, 2012)

So all in all it seems that everyone is happy with the quality. Has anyone also had the higher end equipment in comparison? This will be my first time dropping but very decent roads in Phoenix.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

dracer219 said:


> So all in all it seems that everyone is happy with the quality. Has anyone also had the higher end equipment in comparison? This will be my first time dropping but very decent roads in Phoenix.


Previous cars - VW with B&G's.. Audi with H&R ultra lows. I have owned some cars with "higher" end coilover's, and have virtually no complaints as of yet. I drive these things over absolute garbage roads in the tri-state area, pretty low too.


----------



## dracer219 (Jul 25, 2012)

njm23 said:


> Previous cars - VW with B&G's.. Audi with H&R ultra lows. I have owned some cars with "higher" end coilover's, and have virtually no complaints as of yet. I drive these things over absolute garbage roads in the tri-state area, pretty low too.


That's what I was looking for and also thank you for the sub install idea I have a shop looking into a install for me with a Alpine Type R 8". I know it's off topic but do you have any rattle from your sub?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

dracer219 said:


> That's what I was looking for and also thank you for the sub install idea I have a shop looking into a install for me with a Alpine Type R 8". I know it's off topic but do you have any rattle from your sub?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Haha nice :thumbup: Actually yup, I went through quite a process trying to track it down. Ended up needing dynamat right behind the seats. When the seats fold down/up there is that lip they rest against basically right at the top.. Once I did that really no issues at all with rattles.


----------



## dracer219 (Jul 25, 2012)

njm23 said:


> Haha nice :thumbup: Actually yup, I went through quite a process trying to track it down. Ended up needing dynamat right behind the seats. When the seats fold down/up there is that lip they rest against basically right at the top.. Once I did that really no issues at all with rattles.


Sweet you have now given me insight on two things as well as everyone else 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Coty52 (Nov 5, 2010)

Got mine on and bottomed them out all the way around. Front still seems just a little high. Debating on removing helper springs or not. How much did your coils settle?


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

What do the helper springs do? I'm looking to put coilovers on as soon as weather gets warmer and have been researching which ones to buy and the solo werks are looking real good for the money but I have noticed that they are the only one's with the helper springs. So I'm not sure on what their purpose is. Also are any of you who have the solo werks running wheel spacers and are they needed?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Coty52 said:


> Got mine on and bottomed them out all the way around. Front still seems just a little high. Debating on removing helper springs or not. How much did your coils settle?


I honestly don't know, I messed with them quite a bit over the first month.

The pictures of my car at h20 on page 2, in the grass, that's the front bottomed out. Granted my tires are also a 225/35/19 on a 9" wheel so the sidewall height is less too which makes it look like a bigger gap in the wheel well slightly.



dieracks said:


> What do the helper springs do? I'm looking to put coilovers on as soon as weather gets warmer and have been researching which ones to buy and the solo werks are looking real good for the money but I have noticed that they are the only one's with the helper springs. So I'm not sure on what their purpose is. Also are any of you who have the solo werks running wheel spacers and are they needed?


There are no spacers needed, just changing your suspension doesn't require spacers as nothing changes with the placement of the shock etc. 

As far as the "helper" springs, they are quite common to be used. I don't know this for sure with solo-werks as I didn't design them so don't hold me accountable, but my understanding is that helper springs are there to provide tension when the main spring is completely free of any load (hitting a large bump). They will keep your springs from rattling around and keep everything in place... But if you are as low as possible, the helper spring is fully compressed anyway and not doing anything. As far as removing them, people say the ride sucks if you remove them (as a blanket statement, not towards any specific brand) , I have zero experience with that so I can't comment. My helper springs are still in.


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

njm23 said:


> There are no spacers needed, just changing your suspension doesn't require spacers as nothing changes with the placement of the shock etc.
> 
> As far as the "helper" springs, they are quite common to be used. I don't know this for sure with solo-werks as I didn't design them so don't hold me accountable, but my understanding is that helper springs are there to provide tension when the main spring is completely free of any load (hitting a large bump). They will keep your springs from rattling around and keep everything in place... But if you are as low as possible, the helper spring is fully compressed anyway and not doing anything. As far as removing them, people say the ride sucks if you remove them (as a blanket statement, not towards any specific brand) , I have zero experience with that so I can't comment. My helper springs are still in.


Thanks for the info. Ordered a set yesterday, cant wait to get them put on.


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

So to go all the way down in the front you needed a notch? How bad were you hitting until you did so?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

notamechanic said:


> So to go all the way down in the front you needed a notch? How bad were you hitting until you did so?


It was hitting HARD on a lot of bumps. To the point where I wasn't driving it until I did the notch. Had clearance when sitting still or driving on a smooth road, add any decent bumps into the equation and it was a hard hit to the frame.

When I jacked it up to take a look.


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

njm23 said:


> It was hitting HARD on a lot of bumps. To the point where I wasn't driving it until I did the notch. Had clearance when sitting still or driving on a smooth road, add any decent bumps into the equation and it was a hard hit to the frame.
> 
> When I jacked it up to take a look.


Sounds like I will need to do the same...Detroit roads. :facepalm:

Who did the notch, I'm not sure where you would take a car for work like this.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

notamechanic said:


> Sounds like I will need to do the same...Detroit roads. :facepalm:
> 
> Who did the notch, I'm not sure where you would take a car for work like this.


I did all the work myself, I have a welder. Welding is the only part that you need someone skilled.

If you can't do that yourself, any euro shop in your area that does custom work should be able to tackle this no problem.


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

Do the bump stops on the front struts sit at the top of the strut by the bearing or on the bottom? Has anyone put a dust cover on the fronts? Just curious.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

dieracks said:


> Do the bump stops on the front struts sit at the top of the strut by the bearing or on the bottom? Has anyone put a dust cover on the fronts? Just curious.


Do NOT put the dust covers on the front, you will end up having to take them off. The bump stops just sit there, can't really mess the placement of those up.


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

njm23 said:


> Do NOT put the dust covers on the front, you will end up having to take them off. The bump stops just sit there, can't really mess the placement of those up.


Sounds good.


----------



## Coty52 (Nov 5, 2010)

Im very happy with my solo-werks. ride very well for the price and go pretty low. I only put 800 miles on mine before i decided to pull them to go air ride but i would still reccomend them.


----------



## caughtbycops (Apr 9, 2012)

I'm not hijacking but seems like a good review thread for solo werks. Installed mine, a little stiff for my liking but I'm satisfied, not too much bounciness, you can go really low, and can't go wrong with the price. I am on 20's and a stretched tire 225/35 on a 9" rim, so it would definitely ride better with a different setup. 
Quick iPhone shot


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

caughtbycops said:


> I'm not hijacking but seems like a good review thread for solo werks. Installed mine, a little stiff for my liking but I'm satisfied, not too much bounciness, you can go really low, and can't go wrong with the price. I am on 20's and a stretched tire 225/35 on a 9" rim, so it would definitely ride better with a different setup.
> Quick iPhone shot


Nice :thumbup:. How many threads do you have left or are you bottomed out?


----------



## caughtbycops (Apr 9, 2012)

I have 3/4" left in the front and way plenty in the rear.


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

caughtbycops said:


> I have 3/4" left in the front and way plenty in the rear.


Nice. I'm waiting for the weather to break to do my install and I'm just trying to see where to start with the height adjustment. 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## caughtbycops (Apr 9, 2012)

Is anyone getting coil bind with these coilovers? I get it constantly when turning and driveways/speed bumps.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

caughtbycops said:


> Is anyone getting coil bind with these coilovers? I get it constantly when turning and driveways/speed bumps.


None at all. I was having what sounded exactly like coil bind, did some searching on my car. Turns out my dust shield for my brakes got bent, and when turning the wheel past 3/4 the shield was catching on the lower control arm assembly. 

Have someone turn your wheel for you while you listen/look to try and locate the source. It may not be your coils, as I have had zero binding issues.


----------



## caughtbycops (Apr 9, 2012)

Problem fixed thanks to Glen at AMI, needed new strut tower bearings.


----------



## @lex20th (Jul 28, 2009)

I'm looking to buy coilover for my R line CC, solo's is one of my options or ST's... 

How low do these solo's go??? not looking to buy wheels for now i have stock 18" R line wheels, also how is the ride? 

thanks!:thumbup:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

@lex20th said:


> I'm looking to buy coilover for my R line CC, solo's is one of my options or ST's...
> 
> How low do these solo's go??? not looking to buy wheels for now i have stock 18" R line wheels, also how is the ride?
> 
> thanks!:thumbup:


 About this low.. Posted/quoted form the second page. 



njm23 said:


> What you see above, is with the complete stock, un modified coilover system on the front. I am now bottomed out on the front, and you can see there isn't any gap. As well, my tires are actually a little smaller than stock tire sizes (the overall circumfrence compared to what the stock would be), meaning if I put the recomended tire size on it from factory would be even less of a wheel gap. Not sure what is going on with yours?


----------



## @lex20th (Jul 28, 2009)

Is that with the spring helper? I'm looking to go a liitle lower than that...


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

As he stated, that's with the helper spring and rear perches. You can obviously go lower by removing those.


----------



## @lex20th (Jul 28, 2009)

notamechanic said:


> As he stated, that's with the helper spring and rear perches. You can obviously go lower by removing those.


 Awesome... most likely ordering these... they might even get here before the car does lol (my car is getting shipped to me) 

thanks for the help!:thumbup:


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

@lex20th said:


> Awesome... most likely ordering these... they might even get here before the car does lol (my car is getting shipped to me)
> 
> thanks for the help!:thumbup:


 Yeah, these will definitely go as low as you will ever need. Good luck with everything though, because these cars need a lot to get them to go low and not rub.


----------



## @lex20th (Jul 28, 2009)

notamechanic said:


> Yeah, these will definitely go as low as you will ever need. Good luck with everything though, because these cars need a lot to get them to go low and not rub.


 I know I have h&r ultralows on my fahrenheit and had to do a couple of things to avoid rubbing... gonna have to change those 235's for 225's at least con the CC


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

update in the first post as well as here...

*03/26/13 update*
I have put 24k miles on these, through a northeast winter and all. Today I lowered the car more for my "summer" wheels. Here is how they look. If you look there is a ton of GUNK, the bottom threads showing, is where I wiped off the "green grease" I had applied ONCE before winter that was it. Clearly the grease did it's job as there was zero rust underneath it. And I drove these things hard all winter through salt etc.. FYI that 24k miles was in a time span of about 8 months.










And how she is currently sitting.


----------



## @lex20th (Jul 28, 2009)

I got my set today  ... I'm confused about the rear install, the perche goes in the bottom because it has the locking pin right? I saw a pic here and it looked like it was on the top, maybe it was just the angle of the pic..  

also if i want to be a 0 finger gap with 235/40/18 how much thread approximately i have to leave in the rear? in the front I'm going all the way down with spring helper see how it sits

thanks!


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

@lex20th said:


> I got my set today  ... I'm confused about the rear install, the perche goes in the bottom because it has the locking pin right? I saw a pic here and it looked like it was on the top, maybe it was just the angle of the pic..
> 
> also if i want to be a 0 finger gap with 235/40/18 how much thread approximately i have to leave in the rear? in the front I'm going all the way down with spring helper see how it sits
> 
> thanks!


They can be installed either way...read here:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...overs-499-Shipped*-VW-Audi-BMW-from-AMI/page4

As for threads....5 threads left front & rear:


----------



## Turb02 (Jul 15, 2010)

snobrdrdan said:


> They can be installed either way...read here:
> http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...overs-499-Shipped*-VW-Audi-BMW-from-AMI/page4
> 
> As for threads....5 threads left front & rear:


At this height and amount of threads left, is the axle hitting the frame?


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

Turb02 said:


> At this height and amount of threads left, is the axle hitting the frame?


No rubbing at all, frame might be hitting going up my driveway but that's it. :thumbup:

OP, want to post a thread on how to remove the inner fender liners for us? I need to roll my fenders in the next week or two, new wheels are on the way.


----------



## Turb02 (Jul 15, 2010)

notamechanic said:


> No rubbing at all, frame might be hitting going up my driveway but that's it. :thumbup:
> 
> OP, want to post a thread on how to remove the inner fender liners for us? I need to roll my fenders in the next week or two, new wheels are on the way.


Thanks. so its not hitting when you hit semi large bumps or potholes at speed?

Removing the liners is VERY easy! Some Torx screws (cant remember the size. T25 maybe?) hold it to the body, and the front splash/engine guard. Remove the screws and it comes right out.

I had to remove mine for the TOP install.


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

Turb02 said:


> Thanks. so its not hitting when you hit semi large bumps or potholes at speed?
> 
> Removing the liners is VERY easy! Some Torx screws (cant remember the size. T25 maybe?) hold it to the body, and the front splash/engine guard. Remove the screws and it comes right out.
> 
> I had to remove mine for the TOP install.


Nope! But I try not to hit those at speed. 

Thanks for the tip!


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

notamechanic said:


> No rubbing at all, frame might be hitting going up my driveway but that's it. :thumbup:
> 
> OP, want to post a thread on how to remove the inner fender liners for us? I need to roll my fenders in the next week or two, new wheels are on the way.


Haha, only thing is there is some styrofoam and looks like some wires up in there that you would need to take care of/re-locate. I have just been letting mine "work" themselves in to the tires.. so to speak... :laugh:


----------



## @lex20th (Jul 28, 2009)

Went to a car show and won best daily driver on my CC barely a week old for me and already winning  only got painted calipers coilovers and Asti dip girl and rear emblem, de badged rear 









My Fahrenheit won best paint, best interior, and best water-cooled





















Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

Did any of you guys shorten the rear bump stops for the install? I left them stock and am getting a slight noise coming from the rear when I go over rough spots in the road and I'm thinking it's the stops. I know when I did Eibach springs on my jetta I had to cut them down. 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

dieracks said:


> Did any of you guys shorten the rear bump stops for the install? I left them stock and am getting a slight noise coming from the rear when I go over rough spots in the road and I'm thinking it's the stops. I know when I did Eibach springs on my jetta I had to cut them down.
> 
> Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


I didn't when I put Parker's on

BUT you really can't cut them anyways. 
If you cut the top part, then the shock mount won't hold the bump stop in place
If you cut the bottom part, then the bump stop won't hold the dust boot on

There is a TINY piece that hangs, under the dust boot, that you could trim though...maybe 1/4" worth (?) if you really want to


----------



## notamechanic (Oct 26, 2012)

snobrdrdan said:


> I didn't when I put Parker's on
> 
> BUT you really can't cut them anyways.
> If you cut the top part, then the shock mount won't hold the bump stop in place
> ...


I was speaking with him yesterday, I think it's because he put the perch on top instead of on bottom like we did on my car.


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

I'm gonna take the springs out on Saturday and see whats going on. Glen at AMI suggested that the isolator pads were not all the way flush with the body thus allowing the perches to rock. And I know that when I installed them, the center hole in the isolator was not wide enough to go all the way over the body perch, not letting the pad cover the whole perch. So we shall see. Worse case scenario I mount them to the control arm.


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

dieracks said:


> I'm gonna take the springs out on Saturday and see whats going on. Glen at AMI suggested that the isolator pads were not all the way flush with the body thus allowing the perches to rock. And I know that when I installed them, the center hole in the isolator was not wide enough to go all the way over the body perch, not letting the pad cover the whole perch. So we shall see. Worse case scenario I mount them to the control arm.


Yeah, that's why I didn't put the perches against the body on Parker's car because they didn't fit right.
But they fit perfectly in the LCA....so I'd just go that route if I were you & save yourself the headache.


----------



## dieracks (Mar 4, 2012)

snobrdrdan said:


> Yeah, that's why I didn't put the perches against the body on Parker's car because they didn't fit right.
> But they fit perfectly in the LCA....so I'd just go that route if I were you & save yourself the headache.


Flipped the perches into the LCA and they fit much better. Also spun them all the way down in the rear and the fronts down to 5. Rear doesn't look all that much lower though. Probably needs to settle yet. 

The springs only go on to the perches one way right? Wasn't sure if I checked that. I just pulled both pieces out and flipped it. 

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

dieracks said:


> The springs only go on to the perches one way right?


 Yeah...one side of the spring is more flat (you can see it's cut/shaved down to be flat) 
That side goes against the perch :thumbup:


----------



## X37 (Dec 29, 2007)

I like what Im reading here


----------



## bob1sh (Jun 3, 2013)

njm23 said:


> *Update:* The car is now slightly lower after almost a month of not having it (sunroof noise  all fixed now..)
> 
> Put new wheels on it, and lowered it more. The rear still has a solid 1/2" and the front 1/4" but it rubs when cornering, so nothing changes until i roll the fenders.
> 
> The car, as low as it is, with a 225/35 tire on 19x9 wheel rides very well. There is virtually no "bouncing", and it takes bumps like a champ. I have zero complaints with these coilovers... It has been about 6k miles now. Overall impression so far: :thumbup::thumbup:


Hey bro are you running adapters with those Rover wheels?


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Just an update as I got it ready for winter yesterday. 

Over 35k HARD NJ/NYC miles on them, they ride good still. A couple noises here and there but nothing out of the ordinary. Aren't any more "bouncy" then when I first got them. 

This is going to be their second Northeast winter. Everything still spins by hand freely, very minimal rust as well. I have cleaned/greased them one other time before the 2012/13 winter. And now again for the 13/14 winter. Green Grease is the ****, and keeps these threads rust free and in great shape.


----------



## [email protected] (Jan 25, 2012)

Glad to see that the coilovers are working out for you.
quick question though.

Did you spin the lock ring back up to the top?
Without that you may hear some jingling and jangling.


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

Matt @ AMI said:


> Glad to see that the coilovers are working out for you.
> quick question though.
> 
> Did you spin the lock ring back up to the top?
> Without that you may hear some jingling and jangling.



yea, I dropped it down to clean the threads. It is spun back up now. :thumbup::thumbup:


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

So small update.. The coilovers have 45000 miles on them, pretty hard miles at that with the roads in central/northern NJ. The front passenger corner has finally given up, I guess the seal blew in the shock last week, car is bouncing like crazy. Good news is solo-werks is handling it very well, the replacement coil should be here tomorrow. Rather than have down time I gave them $100 deposit to have the new one shipped then i'll ship them back the blown one. All under warranty so i'll get the deposit back once they get my old coil to confirm its damaged. 

I'll update again once it's complete, I think it is just the one front corner that is the issue. Find out once I replace it if theres still any other issues. This all happened over the period of a week I felt the ride getting bouncier, then one day it just got unbearable so I jacked up the car, to see what looked like fluid all over the coilover and wheel well form the shock. No bad news really, 45k miles, and replaced under their 3 year warranty, i'm not complaining one bit.


----------



## AZ_CC (May 25, 2012)

I put on solos recently and they are great coils for the money....ride is good and drop is perfect....I highly recommended them to anyone


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

njm23 said:


> So small update.. The coilovers have 45000 miles on them, pretty hard miles at that with the roads in central/northern NJ. The front passenger corner has finally given up, I guess the seal blew in the shock last week, car is bouncing like crazy. Good news is solo-werks is handling it very well, the replacement coil should be here tomorrow. Rather than have down time I gave them $100 deposit to have the new one shipped then i'll ship them back the blown one. All under warranty so i'll get the deposit back once they get my old coil to confirm its damaged.
> 
> I'll update again once it's complete, I think it is just the one front corner that is the issue. Find out once I replace it if theres still any other issues. This all happened over the period of a week I felt the ride getting bouncier, then one day it just got unbearable so I jacked up the car, to see what looked like fluid all over the coilover and wheel well form the shock. No bad news really, 45k miles, and replaced under their 3 year warranty, i'm not complaining one bit.



Got the new shock in today, got it installed. Ride is good again :thumbup::thumbup: I couldn't believe how toasted that old one was though. There was literally nothing left to it, you could pick it up and it would just drop all the way back down. Zero resistance left.  3 yr warranty :thumbup:


----------



## snobrdrdan (Sep 10, 2008)

njm23 said:


> Got the new shock in today, got it installed. Ride is good again :thumbup::thumbup: I couldn't believe how toasted that old one was though. There was literally nothing left to it, you could pick it up and it would just drop all the way back down. Zero resistance left.  3 yr warranty :thumbup:


Just curious....why didn't you get another one for the other side?
(paid for it)

I would assume that the other one has gotta be a little "tired" as well after "45k hard miles"


----------



## njm23 (May 30, 2008)

snobrdrdan said:


> Just curious....why didn't you get another one for the other side?
> (paid for it)
> 
> I would assume that the other one has gotta be a little "tired" as well after "45k hard miles"


Oo yea absolutely and that was my same thought as well. But for another $100 deposit that I wouldn't get back if the shock was in fact fine, I wasn't to big on the idea at the moment. I wanted to see how the ride was after the fix in the pass corner. If I wanted to do another warranty process later on for that corner I could, so didn't see the rush when I saw no obvious signs of failure for that coil.


----------



## CantCCeM (Oct 21, 2015)

was looking at those land rover wheels myself for my car, look rreeaalllyy good on urs, how do you like em?


----------



## ChocSuh_nday (Mar 30, 2016)

Hi. New to the forums and just picked up a cc not too long ago. I recently bought some solowerks coils and was just curious what is max drop. Thanks. Damian


----------

