I’m looking for technical help or recommendations on: Coilover Recommendations
Hi all, it’s me again.
I’m buying coilovers for my 5. For months I’ve been told MeisterR Sportives are brilliant for enjoyment on the road whilst still being comfortable enough.
I am 2 weeks away from buying and all the reviews I’ve read on here are now in direct contradiction to what people are saying to me regarding the quality of Sportives specifically, instead recommending alternatives that are nearly double the price.
I understand that the more expensive you get, the better. But I really am not trying to break bank here and £590 seems enough as it is.
I’ve asked all over and I either get people arguing amongst themselves over who has the biggest … or I get the nick taken out of me for asking in the first place.
So, MeisterR Sportives, for a car that I drive for fun, and will rarely see track action.
First up double check that the units definitely have height adjustment.
The versions I bought don’t have height adjustment (no third collar) so my car rides too stiff at the rear to keep it’s ar$3 up. I’ve no complaints with the fronts at all. The car handles well and feels good at the steering.
The coating on the springs didn’t last very long.
You gets what you pays for at this price point.
Mine have been on for probably 4 years, 15k miles and other than the height adjustment issue they’ve been ok.
If you spend another £3/400 you will get adjustable damping. If you know what to do with that then it’s good. If you don’t it’s a waste of money. If there are more subtle differences included in the price I’m sure someone will put me right!
I recently bought want you are after for a steal but, because of the shite weather I haven’t fitted them so can’t advise on whether they are even worth the bother over standard stuff.
I only bought mine because they were a bargain. The original suspension is actually a coilover but with a larger diameter spring. Hence I am very wary about all the chat about how they are better but still with the same sort of ride comfort.
I recently fitted lowering springs to my standard dampers and with a reasonable tool kit changing your suspension is pretty straightforward.
My MK2.5 came with Meister Sportives; fitted by the previous owner. I haven’t driven one with the stock suspension in decent condition, so don’t really have much to compare it to, however:
‘As received’ the ride height was about 315mm (wheel arch to wheel centre) front and rear. I THINK this was the default height for the Sportives. This made it feel ****** awful on bumpy roads as the rear suspension, especially, was riding on the bump stops. Lifting the rear by 15mm to 330mm made it feel a lot better, but the front tyre was still hitting the inside of the arch on hard compression (fairly worn Rainsport 195/50 15 on stock wheels). Raising the front to ~320mm pretty much solved that, but made the car go dangerously light on the front at speed (tested in Mexico, Officer ). To counteract that, I raised the rear up another 5, or so mm to ~335mm which killed that feeling, and it now feels quite good (for ‘spirited’ road driving - I also intend to fit a front spitter / air dam at some point). So I ended up at 320mm in the front and ~335mm at the back (~12.6" front / 13.2" back) which is pretty much as high as the Meister Sportives will go on my car.
I think the suspension ratios for the NA are slightly different - especially at the rear which may make a difference. They’re actually OK, but if I was buying from scratch, I’d try and stretch to something with adjustable damping. (Just because…)
Problem is ask 10 people and you will get 10 different answers.
It maybe worth you having a chat with one of the respected companies that set the geometry up on these cars to see what they suggest really.
Ive read mixed reports on the sportives but they seem to be mostly positive, the chap that used to sell them was active on a lot of forums but ive not seen him for a while.
Gaz were another that seemed well respected but are forgotton about.
). To counteract that, I raised the rear up another 5, or so mm to ~335mm which killed that feeling, and it now feels quite good (for ‘spirited’ road driving - I also intend to fit a front spitter / air dam at some point). So I ended up at 320mm in the front and ~335mm at the back (~12.6" front / 13.2" back) which is pretty much as high as the Meister Sportives will go on my car.