*sigh* Is anyone out there thinking about purchasing Tokico springs for their
Volkswagen? If so, then take my advice and don't spend money on them. A year
ago I installed a Tokico HP kit, which consisted of dampeners (struts) and
springs. I was pretty happy with them at first, but that didn't last very long.
It was only a matter of months before the handling started to get worse, and
the front end started making all kinds of horrible sounding groans and clunks.
Some time ago, I got under the car to find out what was going on, and there was
nothing obviously wrong - everything felt real tight. I did notice, though,
that the springs were looking incredibly poor. Yes, in almost exactly one year
the Tokico HP springs had degraded to the point that I could only describe them
as "beat". I saved about $100 over the cost of a quality suspension setup from
H&R, and about $300 over the cost of Bilstein struts with Neuspeed springs...
and now I wish I had spent the extra money because the Tokicos are complete junk.
The dampeners are still working fine, thankfully.
What I decided to do this evening was remove the Tokico springs and replace them
with a set of FK 60/40 springs that I had hanging around. FKs are some of
the best springs out there, but FK products can be a little bit difficult to
get in the U.S. I scored a set a couple years ago, though - behold: (click
image for larger view)
I only had enough time to do the 2 front springs tonight, I will do the rears
later. The front FK springs are 60mm lower than stock, which is even lower than
the Tokicos I had been using. Both the Tokicos and FKs are so short that I
didn't have to use spring compressors to disassemble and reassemble the struts.
Here are a couple of pictures of the Tokico springs that I removed (click them
for larger versions):
I took the Golf for a quick spin, and the difference is amazing. Even though the
FK springs are shorter and stiffer, the ride quality is much, much better and there
are no more funny groans and clunks when I go over bumps or cut the steering
wheel at low speeds.
If you're going to spend your hard-earned money, spend it on quality.
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Date: 11/25/07, 19:19:24 PST
From: Justinn
Comments: Oh great, I just paid 336$ for a whole round! I got Tok Dampers,springs, Another 100 for Tokico mounts, 20 for Eibach camber system. I hope my experience differs greatly.
