Some new "after" pics a day after installation:









So I finally caved and decided the box deserved a well-earned present after nearly 3 years and 85k+ hard miles. I will be updating with pics of the install, plus before and after pics of everything involved, and driving impressions following the install. I had searched pretty thoroughly and all of the pictures I could find of the cup kit were now dead links, but the drop should be more or less ideal for what I use the car for.

From Tirerack:
H&R Cup Kit - matched struts/shocks/springs - 2.2" front, 1.8" rear - $638 shipped

From Partshippers.com:
Progress 22mm rear sway - $158 shipped

From Autozone:
Energy Suspension front sway bar endlink bushings: $14.99

I had been back and forth between getting a set of Ksport coilovers, koni + eibach sportline, or the Cup Kit + the Progress sway...and I decided to go with the cup kit based on previous experience on various Volkswagens I've owned, and the simplicity of a matched setup without any other variables to mess with, since this is a daily driver that gets close to 30k miles a year. The reported stiffness of the Ksports for daily use, as well as relatively unknown durability over the long haul (like, 50k-100k miles long haul) scared me a little bit as well.

Tirerack ships quickly - I should have the suspension within the next day or two, and will be putting it on Thursday night if it gets here by then. I will be driving roughly 500 miles this weekend so I should be able to get some pretty good driving impressions.

I'm excited! This will be essentially my first mod to the car, as all of my project money has gone into my various Volkswagen project cars, and this was my daily driver (as you can tell by the miles on it).


Edit - Before Pictures:













Edit: Pictures from during and after the install!

So I got to the garage, all excited to bang this job out in maybe 2 hours....well that was not to be, as I flipped the switch on my air compressor on, and found out the belt had broken



Buuuut I decided to go ahead with it anyway, and just make it a late night and do it with hand tools. So I pulled into the garage and took a few more "before" shots:









Everything that comes packaged w/ the H&R Cup Kit:



In the rear, taking the old crap off:





And then again, with the new stuff on:





Got the first front strut off, and laid it down on the ground next to the new one to compare length - DEFINITELY a good bit shorter:



Trimmed the bumpstop:



Unfortunately, I don't foresee anyone being able to install the Cup Kit without a spring compressor...I certainly couldn't do it by myself - maybe with a strong friend pushing down on the spring while you put the hardware on top, but either way, I had to use a compressor for this install due to the shortened strut:



Did both sides, and now I have pretty silver and black all the way around:



Before I put the car back down on the ground, need to take care of the sway bar endlink bushings. Needless to say once you look at the pics...85k miles and a little less than 3 years on the road, and these bushings might as well have not been there anymore!





The new bushings installed:







And finally....the "after" pics:









In these pictures, the rear of the car had been on the ground for several hours, while the front had just been set down for the first time, so I expect the front to settle slightly more over the next few days while the rear is likely close to its final height. I will have to reserve the judgment on performance/handling for another time as I only got to drive it about 10 miles tonight home from the garage.

As far as the drop, though? Perfect. Will update with better pics in daylight in a few days.

 

I will be very curious as to what you think of the Cup Kit. I've been a fan of H&R for a while (I've had their springs on a couple of my Hondas). I'd rather run something like that than coilovers because I would rarely (if ever) adjust the height of my vehicle. But, the Cup Kits are nice because they come with shortened, matched struts/shocks.

Make sure you keep us in the know!

 

Yes, I am curious as well. Keep us posted!

 

Cup kit will be arriving tomorrow for sure, and will be installed Thursday night. I washed the car (a rare occurrence for me) and got some "before" pictures tonight - I'll put them up later.

 

anybody know the spring rates on the H&R and whether it is progressive?
are the dampers adjustable?

some paint chipped off of my anti-sway bar over the course of a year of PA driving (and one rallycross), especially at the corners. i recently took mine off. i cleaned, sanded, and coated it first with zinc then with an asphalt under coating. there were pits forming, which i think would lead to cracks. these things can and do break. if i had known before i first installed it, i would have coated it then.

good luck

 

H&R will not post their spring rates, and yes, they are progressive. Dampers are non-adjustable. I'd be more than happy to meet up with you once the suspension is on and the car is aligned if you want to drive the car...I frequently make the trip from Hanover to Collegeville, wouldn't mind meeting you somewhere in the middle.

 

what kind of dub did ya have?! i was in the vw world for a few years myself. mostly A3 jettas and a Cabby. are you close to the lehigh valley?

 

I've had, not necessarily in order:
1997 Jetta GLS 2.0 w/ Weitec 60/40, smoked lights all around, 17's, TT exhaust (first car)
1991 Jetta Carat w/ a 3A 2.0 swap, AEZ wheels, single rounds, mk3 interior, lots of other stuff
1986 GTI 8v w/ cage, racing seats, big sways, bilstein + H&R, single rounds, etc...(hot lunch!)
1992 GTI 16v, stock
1984 Rabbit GTI, stock
1984 Rabbit GTI (another one), stock
1982 Rabbit L 4dr 1.7 stock, 500,900 miles when I parked it
1981 Rabbit L diesel 1.6 baby blue pimpness
1993 Corrado SLC VR6 w/ a Z-engineering charger and 16x8.5 and 16x9.5 staggered BBS RS's, big sways, bilstein + H&R, Autotech exhaust, Quaife LSD, etc...
1987 Jetta 8v parts car
1989 Golf CL 8v parts car
1987 Jetta coupe 8v, 15x7 BBS RS's, Bilstein + H&R, quad rounds, etc..
1991 Golf 2dr 8v project, sold incomplete
1984 Jetta 1.7 current second car
1985 Jetta Limo currently sitting engineless in my garage waiting for the right swap
1982 Vanagon currently in my garage, unknown what I will do with it
1992 Jetta 8v parts car
1982 Cabby parts car
1995 Jetta 2.0 bought for $75, changed fuel pump, ran fine then but still had too many problems...sold for $400.

Probably more cars missing. My garage might as well be a revolving door for VW's.

Some as drivers, some as parts cars, some as projects that may or may not have gotten completed...but you get the idea :-)

 

well rnt you just a VW ***** ahahha do you know Lenny at L&T in allentown? i bought 3 cars off of him. i love his junkyard! it was like a toy store haha. one of my buddys is a VW tech and we always spent weekends swaping something out of somones car

i want to do a A1 GTI with a 2.0 16v in it as a project

 

I'm actually building an '84 GTI w/ an ABA 16vT on megasquirt w/ an O2A trans over the next year or so - my completion goal is waterfest '08 (money limited). aiming for 300whp or so, reliably. I have a nice rust-free shell ready to go, stripped of all sound deadening and whatnot...starting to collect parts now.

 

i say this with as much respect as i can....you suck. im jealous.

 

eh, when I was 21 there was no way I could do this stuff either. Even now it's not like I have a ton of money to throw into this, that's why it won't be done this summer....honestly, including all parts to properly build the car, I don't think I'll break $4k, including wheels, megasquirt, suspension, 11" brakes, everything. The car's not going to be pretty...probably flat military green w/ bronze Rota 15's, but it will be fast as hell.

 

thats what want to do. on even less of a budget though...i want a flat black A1 GTI 16v with a set of 15 or 16in wheels good suspention and racing seat and a stearing wheel haha

 

The 4k is going to include a lot, though...gotta factor in a $500 turbo, FMIC, $500 for megasquirt-related stuff, $150 for a wideband o2 sensor, $700 for suspension, a few hundred for sways, a few hundred for brakes, it adds up quickly. I could obviously build a car on a lot less budget, but doing standalone and a properly build ABA 16vT doesn't come in much under that kind of money.

 

yea, i dont really want a turbo right away. ill just enjpy the car for awhile...i heard a 16V with ITB on it....oh god, my knees went weak.

 

OK - suspension arrived (ordered yesterday afternoon, arrived this morning at 10am - for $13 UPS ground shipping!). There is no possible way I'm patient enough to wait until tomorrow night when my friend can help me out...so I'm putting them on tonight :-)

Pictures will be up tonight.

 

woo hoo!

 

haha it is hard to hold back. at least the weather is a bit warmer now.

we should compare notes regarding the MS. i have been building one to install in my xa.

i don't often get in your direction much further than phoenixville or king of prussia.
but maybe sometime we can do a comparison.

 

I head East on 30 through Lancaster area to go between Hanover and Collegeville. Hanover is only 70 miles from you, either way- basically straight west from you. Something in between wouldn't be bad at all.

 

Added some "before" pictures.