# FK Streetline coilovers installed. Happy with the results



## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

So I got a set of FK Streetlines. I know they're not stainless steel and are susceptible to rusting in foul environments, but we don't see too much bad weather in NorCal, but nonetheless, I treated them to protect them. Here's what I did:
1. I taped off the threaded section of the front struts and the shaft itself
2. I sprayed 3 coats of clear PlastiDip on the rest of the strut assembly. I chose clear so that in case any stone chips or whatever might poke through the PlastiDip, I'll be able to spot any rust if it starts to form, then can treat it again. I also sprayed it on the bottom mount point of the rear shocks.
3. Finally, I removed the tape, then applied CorrosionX on the threaded body of the coilover strut using a brush. If you've never heard of this stuff, it's AMAZING. I first learned about it on rcgroups.com - a forum for RC enthusiasts. The guys who have RC boats and SeaPlanes swear by it. You literally dip your electronics in this stuff and it makes it WATER PROOF. I tried it and swear it works. I dipped my receiver, electronic speed controller (ESC) and servos (dissassembled them) into a tub of CorrosionX and to this day, they're still coated and waterproof despite my boat and sea plane being submerged in water multiple times. The US Navy apparently also treats much of their electronic equipment and firearms with this stuff. Anyway, the good thing about this is that it's not sticky or greasy and shouldn't attract dirt like anti-seize, which is what I've read most people use to protect their FK streetlines.
4. I also applied Corrosion X to the threaded collars and locking rings front and rear. Even though they're aluminum and not steel, aluminum oxidizes, so why not protect them too?

Before I had the FK's, I had H&R sport springs on the stock struts/shocks and the ride wasn't bad. The FK's feel a bit firmer and a bit bouncier, but overall, I'm happy with the results and can't complain considering the ride height is lower.

Onto before and after pics - although these before pics were of stock height - not with the H&R springs.







































































































Oh yeah, I also have Megan upper and lower adjustable control arms in the rear and 15mm front, 20mm rear spacers on OEM ALMS 18x8's et 33 with 225/40/18's and am at 24 7/8" from fender to ground with no rubbing at all.

I'm going in for an alignment this week and am hoping to dial in my own settings based on the Jeff Sikes Mazda specs, with these changes:

Front camber= -1.2 each side
Front toe= -0.00 degrees each side
Rear camber= -1.5 each side
Rear toe= -0.08 degrees each side

Since these cars understeer, more negative front camber and less negative rear camber is the goal. Should I dial in more front negative camber if they can do it? Say -1.4?


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## Neb (Jan 25, 2005)

Looks great :beer: A cupra lip on the front would set it off too :thumbup:


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## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Looks great! I'm about to install my silverlines. How many threads do you have left in the front and rear? I'm trying to get an idea for where to start.


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

Im not super low. On the fronts, I measure about 1 3/4" from the bottom of the lower collar to where the thread on the body starts. On the rears, I have about 7/16th on an inch between the base of the perch and bottom collar. Each side is somewhat +/- a few 8ths or 16ths of an inch higher or lower to get each side even.

My ride height is about 24 3/4" fender to ground. Here are some pics

Fronts:









Rears









Visual aid:


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## Atl-Atl (Jun 7, 2006)

Awesome, thanks for the info! Cant wait to get mine on!!! :beer:


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## nilreb (Mar 17, 2012)

i still can't decide whether to stick with my 17" or get 18"


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

If you're talking about OEM wheels, 18's look much better IMO than 17's, but are a bit heavier. But I've seen some wide aftermarket 17's with a low offset look fantastic. (pic below)

For reference, the stock 6spoke TT 17's weigh 51.5lbs with tires. The ALMS 18's which I have weigh 52.5lbs with tires. IIRC, the fat fives were 48lbs with tires. That 3-4lb difference is somewhat noticeable.

Here's a pic of sweet looking 17's:


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

Fab, props to you on a very well executed TT. I love the fat fives on my Amulet Red 2001, but I think the ALMS wheels look fantastic with the grey paint. And I will be copying your plasti-dipped eBay spoiler add-on mod this summer. :thumbup:


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

fabric8 said:


> Before I had the FK's, I had H&R sport springs on the stock struts/shocks and the ride wasn't bad. The FK's feel a bit firmer and a bit bouncier, but overall, I'm happy with the results and can't complain considering the ride height is lower.


Interested in parting with the H&R springs? How much lower did the rear sit compared to stock height?


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

RabbitTT said:


> Fab, props to you on a very well executed TT. I love the fat fives on my Amulet Red 2001, but I think the ALMS wheels look fantastic with the grey paint. And I will be copying your plasti-dipped eBay spoiler add-on mod this summer. :thumbup:


Thanks!



RabbitTT said:


> Interested in parting with the H&R springs? How much lower did the rear sit compared to stock height?


Yes, I actually posted them in the FS thread here They lowered about 1.2" front and 1.4" rear. It was a nice drop actually and rode great with the stock suspension. I posted a pic of how they looked.


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## BoostedLTH (Mar 19, 2014)

So the general consensus is that streetlines aren't too bad of a ride and are quite affordable, correct? 


Sent from my iPhone using basic grammar


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

BoostedLTH said:


> So the general consensus is that streetlines aren't too bad of a ride and are quite affordable, correct?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using basic grammar


So I just came back last night from a road trip this weekend with my wife and 4yr old son in the TT. We drove from NorCal to Las Vegas and back. That was about 550 miles per direction (~8 hours each way). On the way there, we stopped overnight. Breaking up that drive made a world of difference in terms of comfort. On the drive back, we drove straight, only stopping for fuel and meals, but we hit 2 hours of stop and go traffic. With the 3 of us in the car and a bit of luggage + fuel, I suspect the rear suspension had the bump stops positioned very close to making contact. 

On the mountain passes and smooth roads, the car drove like a go cart. It was stable, planted, had minimal body roll and was just fantastic. The freeways in Nevada are beautiful, smooth and wide. But the freeways in Central and NorCal aren't the greatest - especially where the road mates with overpasses or bridges. Hitting those at 75 or 85 was very firm and uncomfortable. But I attribute that to the ride height I'm set at. It's impossible to be this low and still have comfort from any coilover or spring/shock combo when the bump stops bump the stops. When the bumpstops make contact, *there is no suspension.*.

By midnight last night (1hr 45min left on our drive), I was *really, really* wishing we were in our A4. The last 30 min of our drive, I had to slow down to 65mph. I was done being jarred around.

In any case, if I were to do that road trip again with the TT, I would probably raise the ride height by .25 - .50" (maybe even 3/4") to compensate for our load, and gain additional clearance from hitting the bump stops.

All in all though, I'm still very satisfied with these coilovers and would still recommend them.


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

fabric8 said:


> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, I actually posted them in the FS thread here They lowered about 1.2" front and 1.4" rear. It was a nice drop actually and rode great with the stock suspension. I posted a pic of how they looked.


Were you able to run these with all the rest of the OE suspension and keep the alignment good?


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

RabbitTT said:


> Were you able to run these with all the rest of the OE suspension and keep the alignment good?


Yes with the exception of the rear control arms. I bought a full set of upper and lower Megan Racing adjustable rear control arms to make sure I'd be able to get proper camber and toe. A full set of of those cost me less than 1 set would have of the "name brand" adjustable control arms. You can read about my experience with them here starting on post #35. I've been really happy with those too.


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

fabric8 said:


> Yes with the exception of the rear control arms. I bought a full set of upper and lower Megan Racing adjustable rear control arms to make sure I'd be able to get proper camber and toe. A full set of of those cost me less than 1 set would have of the "name brand" adjustable control arms. You can read about my experience with them here starting on post #35. I've been really happy with those too.


Did you have to grind the Megan CAs when you had the H&R Sports on there, or only once you installed the FK coilovers and went Moar Lower?

BTW, I dig your ingenuity and can-do attitude. :thumbup:


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

RabbitTT said:


> Did you have to grind the Megan CAs when you had the H&R Sports on there, or only once you installed the FK coilovers and went Moar Lower?
> 
> BTW, I dig your ingenuity and can-do attitude. :thumbup:


Thanks! 

Yes, the Megan CA's and the nub on the knuckles needed to be ground down regardless of the suspension used to allow the trailing arm to travel the full range of motion without binding.


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

Holy $h!t. Just looked on ECS and the FK Strretlines are crazy cheap right now. $439 shipped! Might have to get a set for myself. Did the set come with new strut mount bushings and bearings?


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

RabbitTT said:


> Holy $h!t. Just looked on ECS and the FK Strretlines are crazy cheap right now. $439 shipped! Might have to get a set for myself. Did the set come with new strut mount bushings and bearings?


yeah - $439 shipped! that's why I jumped on them. No they didn't come with new strut bushings or bearings, but they're only like $13 per side. :thumbup:


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

fabric8 said:


> yeah - $439 shipped! that's why I jumped on them. No they didn't come with new strut bushings or bearings, but they're only like $13 per side. :thumbup:


I've replaced shocks and struts on my b5 VWs, but never installed coilovers. I'm hoping it is generally the same procedure, but without the need for use of those damn widow maker spring compressors. I presume as long as I buy new strut mount bearings and bushings, I won't need to compress the old springs at all - can you confirm?. Also, were you able to reuse your oem sway bar links?


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

Unfortunately, you'll have to use spring compressors to get the old suspension out, but it's actually the fastest and easiest way (versus pulling our the arms, axles, steering knuckles, ball joints, etc). I made a video when I did mine showing a trick that makes this job a piece of cake. I'll do a quick video edit and will post it on youtube and will share the link. I didn't think it would be of any use and am glad I didn't delete it.

The FK's come with their own end links for the front sway bars. You won't be able to use the OEM ones because they'll be too long.

With my technique, you can literally get the old suspension out from the fronts in about 10 min on each side if you have an air compressor and impact gun. I wouldn't do this work without it.

I'll summarize the steps here:
1. loosen wheel bolts (don't remove)
2. raise front end of the car on jack stands (both sides)
3. remove wheels
drivers side:
4. disconnect the headlight leveling adjuster from the drivers side
5. unscrew the torx screw holding bracket to strut body and pull the bracket away from the strut body
6. detach all connected hoses from the strut body (just pull the grommets away)
7. disconnect the swaybar end link from the strut body and sway bar. this will be replaced with the sway bar end link that comes with the FK coilovers
8. remove the 18mm bolt that secures the strut body to the steering knuckle.
9. remove the bolt on the top strut cap - support the strut body so it doesn't drop down when the bolt comes off.
10. place a 6mm allen wrench in the slit of the steering knuckle and twist. this will pry it enough to free the strut housing from the steering knuckle.
11. set the spring compressors on the springs with the compression bolts facing up.
12. align one of the spring compressors so you can use your impact gun with an extension through the opening on the strut tower. Basically, you'll be tightening the spring compressors from the top of the car through the hole in the strut tower.
13. tighten one spring compressor a few turns, then rotate the entire strut assembly or spring to tighten the other side.
14. repeat 12 and 13 until the spring is compressed far enough to allow you to lift the strut out of the knuckle and pull the entire assembly off the car.

repeat steps 6-14 for the passenger side. this is by far the quickest and easiest way to get the OEM suspension off (and back on if you were putting sport springs instead of coilovers)


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

Thanks for the info, but I found this YouTube how-to posted by edge motors that shows strut removal on a 2001 TT without compression of the springs. http://youtu.be/yniUGQPULJU. (He removes the strut bottom from the knuckle first, the removes the top nut.)

So I figured the only reason I'd need to use a spring compresser is if I want to reuse the bushing or bearing. 

What do you think?


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

RabbitTT said:


> Thanks for the info, but I found this YouTube how-to posted by edge motors that shows strut removal on a 2001 TT without compression of the springs. http://youtu.be/yniUGQPULJU. (He removes the strut bottom from the knuckle first, the removes the top nut.)
> 
> So I figured the only reason I'd need to use a spring compresser is if I want to reuse the bushing or bearing.
> 
> What do you think?


There are more than a few ways to get these out... I popped off both top nuts and let the suspension hit full droop, and with a little upward pressure, I was able to unseat the spring and rotate it around the strut body until there was enough play to lift the strut out of the spindle... Pics below, hope it helps for another perspective :beer:

*****
Got the front coils all wrapped up.. been meaning to do it all week but its been quite windy and work is busy. I had to redo the driver side as I forgot the upper spring perch the first time in.

I am going to order a strut bearing and bushing kit as mine are ready to be replaced, but I will wait until all the other suspension bits come in (adjustable sway bar links, roll correction kit).

Was able to get away with the same method I used on driver side. No spring compressor.. just a bit of rotation of the spring around the body. Here is the spring coming off after I loosened both outer and inner nuts on top of the strut. Sorry for the photo quality.


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

Boulder is correct- there are a few different ways to pull out the oem front strut assemblies. His is a clever one I thought to try but never did. Glad to see it works too 

But watching that video, I can't think of any way to get the oem strut/sprint combo out of the spindle like he did. The arm just won't drop low enough. It was clear in the video he had aftermarket springs. It's possibly he also had aftermarket sport struts which are shorter and may have given enough clearance to pull them out. The only other thing I can think of that allowed the arm to droop as far down as it did to give clearance would be if the rear control arm bushing was shot.

In any case, if you're lucky enough with yours that your arms drop far enough down to get the strut out of the spindle, then it makes the job much easier.

The only other reason you'd need spring compressors is to be able to re-use the nut that holds the strut bearing in place. But for $2.49 each from ECS  you could just buy a new pair since you're already replacing the strut bearing and bushings.


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

I'm going to be pulling the CA's at the same time - the bushings are getting hinky and I'm going to install poly ones. I think I'll do all of this at once so I don't have to get more than one alignment. And since ill have the CAs out, I should have enough droop to pull the struts without the compressors, I think... and I hope. The compressors make me really nervous - all that potential energy waiting to mangle my scrotum. :facepalm:

BTW, thanks for pointing out that the video I posted may have had shorter-than-oem springs. I actually failed to consider that. I guess the fact the spring is red should have tipped me off. :banghead:


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

Boulder, thanks for sharing your approach. Very clever. How did you undo the second top nut (the one thad holds the assembly compressed)? I imagine it would let go violently since there is a lot of spring tension?


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## Boulderhead (Oct 21, 2012)

RabbitTT said:


> Boulder, thanks for sharing your approach. Very clever. How did you undo the second top nut (the one thad holds the assembly compressed)? I imagine it would let go violently since there is a lot of spring tension?


Jack up the control arm to compress the spring and then remove the top two nuts. After they are clear, lower the jack slowly until you hit full droop. After that, I put my the heel of my palms under a coil, then push up and rotate :beer:


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

Or you can loosen but not remove the subframe bolts on that side, and you'll have enough room to get the whole strut out without spring compressors.


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

RabbiTT, I'm not sure if you've ever had a close call with using strut spring compressors, but they're safe IMO. I can't count the number of suspensions I've done on my cars and friends cars over the past 20yrs and have never once had a problem or close call. I rent them from my local auto store (autozone) for free (pay your deposit and get it back when you return them). The ones I rent is this style and as you can see, they have locking pins you push in after you set them onto the spring:










Once they're set in place and the locking pins are set, there's no way for them to come off and turn you into a widow :laugh:. And as long as you take turns to tighten both sides evenly, they're safe.


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## RabbitTT (Nov 27, 2012)

fabric8 said:


> RabbiTT, I'm not sure if you've ever had a close call with using strut spring compressors, but they're safe IMO. I can't count the number of suspensions I've done on my cars and friends cars over the past 20yrs and have never once had a problem or close call. I rent them from my local auto store (autozone) for free (pay your deposit and get it back when you return them). The ones I rent is this style and as you can see, they have locking pins you push in after you set them onto the spring:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Part of my concern is based upon the compressor set I used last time - I'm a cheap bastard and I shop at Harbor Freight too much. The compressors I got last time were made from pot metal, and I was sweating through the job in fear the metal would break under the strain. I wasn't aware of the AutoZone "rental" option; I think this time I'll go with that approach.


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## Vstone2262 (Mar 4, 2010)

Looks good. So far I am enjoying my FK's


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## GTI337man02T (Jan 17, 2003)

fabric8 said:


> Im not super low. On the fronts, I measure about 1 3/4" from the bottom of the lower collar to where the thread on the body starts. On the rears, I have about 7/16th on an inch between the base of the perch and bottom collar. Each side is somewhat +/- a few 8ths or 16ths of an inch higher or lower to get each side even.
> 
> My ride height is about 24 3/4" fender to ground. Here are some pics
> 
> Rears


Since I didn't get install instructions, I have an MK6 GLI, on most cars are the perches in the rear supposed to go into the bottom rear control arm or sit against the body? I've been reading some folks install them upside down to easier adjust, but what's factory spec?


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## fabric8 (Jul 4, 2000)

Some cars allow you to install the perch on top or bottom, but not the TT because on this car, the lower control arm is where the rubber bump stop goes and the perch can't go over it. IIRC, on A4's, you can install the rear perch on top or bottom and most install them on top for easier adjustments.

You need to inspect your setup to see if it'll allow you to install them on top.


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