Front suspension help (Koni/H&R)

[le mans]

I fitted Koni/H&R suspension to my rs2 about 18 months ago. I put on new oe style top mounts at the same time.

As far as ride height goes I can fit one finger between the rear wheel arch and top of the tyre but the front I cannot.

After installation I had the suspension inspected by a certifier (I'm in NZ) and he commented that there was not very much 'travel' available on the front but it passed (ordinarily this install would not require certification but I was getting the car certified for something else and they like to verify all mods are acceptable).

The car rides well except for sharp bumps when you get a decent shock transmitted through to the steering wheel. It's annoying enough to make me want to go back to the OE springs, but I like the handling now and it looks really good!

I took the protective plastic covers off the wheel housing yesterday and noticed the top plate is sitting proud. When I jacked up the car it moved down a bit. Is this normal? If not what can I do to fix? TIA guys.

Suspension compressed:


Suspension extended (wheel off ground):


How she sits (recent photo on a road trip):

[SteveH]

Your top mounts are probably shot already

[Rusty]

This is normal. The only thing holding the top mount in place is gravity so lift the wheel off the ground and it falls out; that's why the top cup exists as it stops the strut falling out altogether. Common MacPherson strut design flaw and also a common incorrect MOT failure when there's nothing wrong with the parts, only the design.

[sidrick]

From memory I'm sure there was more thread showing when I did mine (before and after). Are the nuts tight enough?

It's normal that there's a gap, but it wasn't this big on mine with all new parts.

[le mans]

Thanks guys, I couldn't torque it accurately as I used a deep necked spanner instead of that special vag socket. It's only supposed to be 60nm from memory though. Might drop into my mechanics tomorrow to get them to check it. Is it normal for the macpherson strut suspension to transmit shock loads through the steering wheel. My other 2 cars are B5s and have a completely different front suspension set up.

[andy10v]

There will always be a slight gap to allow articulation, however that looks excessive indicating the top mount has collapsed.

Stiffer springs will cause the already weak top mounts to fail more quickly.