Finally got a chance to swap out the 300# shine front springs for my OEM
springs w/1/2 coil removed.
Current setup:
Front: Bilstein HD, OEM springs w/1/2 coil cut
Rear: Bilstein HD's on lowest circlip mounting point, OEM springs

Car is perfectly level (same hub-wheelwell distance f&r), and just slightly
lower than stock.

For my needs, this appears to be the ideal setup. Ride is very compliant and
controlled, float is gone. Absolutely none of the "bouncing" I experienced
w/the 300/200 setup. Yes, there is more brake dive, accel-squat, and body
roll than the 300/200 setup, but it's a compromise that works better for my
needs. It's not rock hard, but it's very sporting and "crisp".
Overall, I'm going to stick w/this setup for a while. Next steps will be new
tires & a front strut tie bar.

I need to get an alignment -- currently running w/a ballparked home
alignment at 2deg neg camber & 0 toe.

Thanks for all of your help & advice during this process. I'll be returning
the Shine springs, provided I can make it in under the 30d window. If I've
missed the window, they'll be for sale sometime soon...

Scott Stiles
'98 GTI VR6


>-----Original Message-----
>From:	Scott Stiles
>Sent:	Monday, September 07, 1998 10:11 PM
>To:	'gti-vr6dev.tivoli'
>Subject:	Suspension (Shine) update, plus "how do I cut springs?"
>
>My 1.5 week (1400mi) old VR6 is going through some suspension
>tuning -- thought I'd update folks, plus ask advice on how to
>physically cut the front OEM springs.
>
>Stages:
>1) stock
>2) shine 300/200 w/Bilstein HD. Impression: Handling was
>great, but the ride wasn't what I needed it to be for extended
>trips on rough highway. The car bounced very stiffly down the
>highway, especially in cases where there were evenly spaced
>expansion joints, etc. It also felt as if the HD damping
>wasn't quite stiff enough for the springs (especially the 200#
>rears). From any given bump, the car would oscillate: up
>rather sharply, down, up again slightly, and down to a stop.
>In frequent succession, this was enough to tire me out over a
>300+ mile trip. Humorous note, I was travelling through a
>construction zone on I90 just East of the Pass, and hit a bump
>hard enough to crack my head hard on the ceiling... Next time
>I'll wear a helmet :)
>3) shine 300 Front, plus OEM rear springs, Bilstein HD f&r.
>This setup is surprising me. I was just getting a headstart on
>swapping the OEM springs back in w/the Bilstein's, and have
>been having quite a bit of fun w/this spring combo. You would
>think that it would understeer like a pig, but it doesn't
>(keep in mind I have nearly 2deg of neg frt camber). Handling
>is push-to-neutral depending on throttle/brake usage. The most
>surprising thing is that the front & rear feel well matched,
>spring-rate wise. The car rides nearly as good as stock in
>this configuration, with only minor "crashing" over major
>bumps/potholes. It has *none* of the irritating hopping of
>Stage2 above.
>4?) I haven't decided between one of two options (both w/the
>Bilstein's): a) shine 300, plus shine 120 rear from the 4cyl
>package. b) cut fronts (a'la FrankenBilstein), and OEM rears.
>
>So, down to my question: How do you cut springs? Can you do it
>w/a hacksaw (& the proper blade)? How 'bout a dremel?
>
>Thanks,
>Scott Stiles
>'98 GTI VR6
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