other non-engine tuning tips?

[MikeM]

Don't know if this sort of topic is ok, but having been upsoluted & then having very slightly upgraded the brakes (new f discs & EBC GreenStuff pads), I'm now looking at replacing the shock absorbers. In the USA most folk swear by Bilsteins, but someone has also mentioned Koni adjustables very favourably, and I noticed in the latest issue of Diesel Car that a fairly upmarket UK tuning company (tuning everything on the car, not just the engine) uses the Konis.
Anyone in Europe tried these Konis on the B4 Passat by any chance ... & care to comment?
Mike
Exeter, UK
B4 Passat '96 TDI Estate

 

[Turbo Bora]

Interesting...
Did you upgrade to lighter disks/drilled when you did this?
I am on a mission to have my Jetta lose a little wieght.
If so where did you get them and how much was it?

You could do me the favor of e-mailing me at hallznr@bellsouth.net
You could also just buy them for me, but I think that is pushing the limit.
Thanks.

 

[MikeM]

No, just standard oem replacement fronts bought at a GTI festival at a great discount at the same time as being "upsoluted".
Having said that, I have tried to follow debates on various types of disc upgrades and would not go for crossdrilled unless of the highest quality (some folk seem to have issues to do with warping)... and accept higher wear rates. Grooved discs, e.g. ATE seemed a more stable option (removal of hot gases generated under heavy braking) but are also fairly pricey.
If I was going for unsprung mass lightening, I guess I'd first go for alloy wheels ... but I'm sticking with fitting decent shocks first and foremost.
Mike

 

[Adi]

Whilst I haven't got a Passat,can I offer a
suggestion, dampers or shockers are a very personal choice. Unless you can try a similar
car with the dampers on, on your local roads
the choice you finally make,is going to be a certain gamble. I have been troubling over a choice in dampers for my small Peugeot hatchback in England. I have studied vehicle
dynamics and suspension systems for a time now, and understand the principals of bump and rebound rates, and all the different damper make ups. At the end of the day, one mans water is another mans wine.
I will be choosing the Digressive Bilstein dampers. They are the latest generation dampers and the twin valve technology works in transient handling as well as steady state cornering. The side effect is they have a hard low speed ride.
The konis are a leading damper, and are used as original equipment on some high quality cars. But the latest technololgy is with the
Bilsteins and are being used by the high performance cars.
Again, I think the final gamble is down to you. That is what I have found.