Here is a quick review of the H&R coilovers... I will add pics and more detailed information once I get it to autocross and some track days.

I installed the H&R coilovers on my car over the weekend. This replaces my HKS Hipermax 3 coilovers. The HKS worked good as an overall everyday/occasional track day/autocross coilover system. I ran a year worth of autocross, a couple of track days and daily driving. They are still feeling great but one of the dampening adjusters got stuck on a rear shock so it's time for something different...

Install

Installation is pretty straight forward. You reuse the stock upper mounts with the H&R. The stock springs arent really compressed much so if you have a buddy hold it down while you take off the top nut, it is pretty easy. Then it goes onto the car. Only ride height is adjustable so no need to mess with height and spring preload seperately.

The bottom two strut bolt holes on the H&R are slotted so camber is adjustable via the bottom bolts. Much more adjustment than the stock eccentric camber bolt. I put it on the most negative camber setting and it gave me i'd say 4-5 degrees! My car looked pretty jacked up with this setting so I messed with it until it looked about 2 degrees. Also, remember if you change the camber, the toe changes too. I had crazy toe-in on the most negative camber setting. I'm going to get a wheel alignment after I finish my settings.

Street Ride

The H&R feel very firm. It is stiff. You feel just about every bump and dip in the road. But the dampener is well matched with the spring rate so these bumps are not harsh. It contours the road surface providing a lot of feedback without breaking your back. Body roll is reduced over both stock suspension and the HKS Hipermax 3. The H&R has a higher spring rate over the HKS and this is evident in cornering where the H&R stays very flat where the softer HKS would roll more. This with the damper's ability to contour the road really gives you confidence to tackle corners. The H&R isn't as refined as the Ohlins DFV but it does feel more refined than the HKS. The HKS feel more like a track-oriented suspension in its linear dampening.

So all good? Here comes the negative... the H&R make more road noise. The stock front upper mount is metal, the top hat of the H&R is aluminum - there is no rubber in the system to isolate noise. While the noise is not as loud as a pillowball upper mount - it is still louder over the stock suspension which has rubber spring isolators and the HKS which has a full rubber upper mount. Also, this firm stiff ride is not for everyone. The dampening is not adjustable on these so you can't adjust it for different conditions.

So far:

+ Firm ride, excellent dampening, contours road and offers lots of feedback
+ Only ride height adjustment, very hard to mess up on install

- Road noise isolation is not there
- No dampening adjustment

I'll update this when I get more driving/track use on it.

Here it is with the stock top hats mounted.

 

Thanks for the review!

 

nice write up! Do you plan on tracking with them?

 

I plan on autocrossing and tracking the car as I did previously.

 

+1

 

Any updates on these coilovers now that you have mor mileage on them?

 

I have been updating another thread on the evoxforums..


I did get to take them out to an autocross and they worked very well. The higher spring rates and the firm dampener definitely makes a difference in the handling over the HKS. In the slalom, the car rolls less and you can have a better feel of the car and the road. Overall a very planted feel.

I don't know how autocross is set up in other locations... but this particular spot was in a parking lot with lots of elevation changes, bumps, torn up pavement and some "jumps". I was able to get some air time in the Evo launching it from the start over a large bump. Top speed on the course was probably 60mph through a long sweeper with some neutral steer fun at the top of 2nd gear - probably need 3rd gear if the car wasn't stock. Comparing my times with my usual suspects within my class I always run with, the times I got were pretty much the same as what I would have gotten before with the HKS - this is pretty good for a different set up that I was still getting used to!

Normal road driving is rather firm and stiff but not unbearable. The small bumps get sucked up but hit a large sharp bump and you will get bounced out of your seat. The ride does change once you get up to speed. At low speed driving under 50mph it is very stiff, once you go higher speeds it feels nicer and not as stiff - maybe because higher speed roads/highways don't have as many imperfections? Road noise is increased over the HKS and stock but as I mentioned before, not unbearable and definitely a lot quieter than a full pillowball set up.


Also, one of the shocks went bad and I am in the middle of the warranty process with Perrin and H&R. The shock shaft had play and it was loose making a clunking sound while driving. I have since replaced it with a new shock and it is working good again. The warranty process is a pain in the *** and H&R is very hard to work with.

Oh and in case it wasn't mentioned before, the shocks are made by Bilstein.

 

I just put these on last night and wow, I feel like I'm back in my VW again. Firm ride, handles better, good manners on bumpy city roads.

 

how much do these coilover run?