From the lessons learnt from developing and refining the race-versions of the Golf 5 since its launch in 2005, we are proud to release the VWR StreetSport PLUS Monotube Coilover suspension kit to suit the enthusiastic road and track driver.

We have spent the last 12 months developing this all-new kit, an adjustable monotube suspension system that genuinely offers the sort of quality, detailing and refinement that few of the 'aftermarket' suspension products can offer.

All of our kits use our premium monotube construction, which few kits at this level offer. The whole VWR Coilover family ﾖ from StreetSport up to our full-race TrackSport have also been designed from the outset to be upgradable. As you will read below, uprated VWR Linear springs can be fitted at any point on all models, and the VWR Adjustable Top Mount will also fit any kit, from road to race. Many customers have really enjoyed being able to uprate their VWR suspension kit over a few months or years.

ADJUSTABILITY

The StreetSport PLUS Coilover suspension system differs from the StreetSport Coilover suspension system in that it has adjustable damping rates ﾖ a single easily-reached adjuster varies the bump and rebound settings of the damper through 12 settings front and rear to suit your preferences and usages. So, stiffen the damping when you get on-track, and soften it when you use the car on bumpy road use. It's as easy as that.

The ease of adjustment is a really unique point of the VWR StreetSport PLUS suspension kit. Too many ﾑadjustable' kits are so tricky to adjust that most owners eventually stop bothering. We wanted to develop a product that allows you to adjust the character of your car whenever you want to. So you can adjust your dampers by hand without even jacking the car up, with no tools. It's as easy as that. And the adjusters are beautifully over-engineered, with pleasing, heavy clicks for each adjustment ﾖ a lot of work went into getting that just right!

Other than this adjustability, the two kits have the same features. Either kit replaces the entire standard front and rear dampers and springs with high quality, monotube motorsport-derived units with much more sophisticated valving inside the dampers for significantly better levels of wheel control than any mass-produced damper offers.

Although the VWR StreetSport PLUS Kit offers a tauter set up than the standard car in it's ﾑmiddle' settings, the adjustability allows you to choose either tighter or softer settings than the (non-adjustable) VWR StreetSport Coilover Suspension kit, allowing you to tailor the car's suspension to your usage and taste.

Another very significant advantage of a coilover set up is that it allows full adjustment of ride height, using a simple threaded spring perch on the threaded body of the damper. This allows the car to run at your chosen height, from standard clearance down to ground-scraping show cars, whilst keeping the same spring length wherever you set it.

CONSTRUCTION

The StreetSport PLUS (and its cousin, the StreetSport non-adjusable damping kit) are European-made from strong, durable stainless steel powder-coated in satin black for durability, using a 22mm shaft and anodised aluminium spring seats. Damping force on rebound and compression are adjustable in 12 positions via the easily-reached anodised adjusters with a very clear (and pleasing) click action.

As a premium product, all the VWR Coilover family are all of a monotube damper design. The main advantages of monotube dampers are that the pistons are much larger than those of twin-tube dampers, which are more normally the design that cheaper dampers follow. The larger monotube piston creates more flow through the valves than the smaller twin-tube piston as it can displace more oil through the valve; this makes the mono-tube damper more sensitive to small suspension movement.

The deflected-disc valve system found in VWR Monotube systems are more precise and consistent than the system of check valve, springs, and orifices commonly used in cheaper twin-tube dampers. VWR Monotube dampers use much higher gas pressure which helps them to run much cooler than a twin-tube damper. This means VWR dampers are able to provide consistent damping performance under the harshest condition (such as track use).

Precision, consistency, and performance advantage mean parts used in monotube dampers have to be produce with higher accuracy than twin-tube dampers, and hence tend to cost more ﾖ but the benefits are clear to any suspension expert. We'd really recommend that customers don't choose a twin-tube suspension system for your car without trying a monotube alternative first.

Each kit is made to the very highest of standards, produced alongside our full motorsport-specification suspension kits. We truly believe that by applying the standards demanded from high-level motorsport to a street suspension, there is no other coilover kit at this price-point that offers anywhere near the quality of engineering as the VWR Racingline kits offer.

SPRINGS

We have specified our own VWR Progressive rate springs to match perfectly to the damping rate and car weight. These are finished in powder-coated blue with the VWR logo etched in.

VWR springs are carefully selected for each vehicle chassis' design and weight. VWR springs are power-coated blue with VWR Logos etched in and come as standard with progressive springs. A progressive rate spring is one in which the spring rate changes depending on the amount of load placed on the spring, therefore the actual spring rate is not a fixed number. This allows the spring to offer a comfortable daily driving experience on the street yet offer excellent control over the bumps and sudden elevation changes seen on streets around the world.

For the track minded enthusiast, a full VWR Linear front and rear spring is available which can be changed at any time. A linear rate spring is one that has a fixed spring rate, meaning that the amount of weight needed to compress the spring does not change with the load. In other words, they offer less of a compromise than the VWR Progressive Springs, which give a softer spring rate in the middle of their travel, but firm up towards the ends of their travel (hard cornering or braking for example). The VWR Linear Springs are just a stiffer spring, all of the time.

The main advantage of linear springs is the consistency in the way that the weight transfer from one side of the car to the other side, it should be very smooth and consistent, this makes the dynamics much easier to predict as the driver can anticipate weight transfer and body roll more accurately. Hence VWR Linear Springs offer superior control on the track over progressive springs but do so at the cost of comfort on the street.

These springs are designed to directly swap onto your StreetSport or StreetSport Plus suspension and are an excellent upgrade for anyone who frequents the track. Some customers even swap to the linear springs for a track day even and then back to the progressive springs when on the street. This is a key advantage of the VWR Coilover suspension kits ﾖ other suspension kits do not offer this sort of upgradability.

TOP MOUNTS/CAMBER PLATES

Another unique design feature of the VWR Coilover kits is that both VWR Suspension Systems (StreetSport and StreetSport PLUS) are fully compatible with either VWR solid adjustable Top Mounts or the standard rubber mounts. Unlike many Top Mounts available on the market, the VWR plates are a direct swap that require no cutting and are completely reversible back to standard.

Why fit them? The VWR Top Mounts offer several degrees of camber adjustment allowing the track minded driver to dial in the suspension even further without breaking the bank. This can help greatlywith turn-in on track, really transforming the front-wheel drive tendancy to understeer. Another reason for choosing solid Top Mounts is to remove the compliance in the stock rubber bushing. The feeling of directness and connection to the car is also transformed, taking away the feeling of slack and ﾑrubberiness' that can often be the case in production cars.

Another key advantage is to help with clearance of the tyre to wheel arch. This can be very close on Golfs with a low ride-height and wide tyres ﾖ but adding in negative camber to the wheels ﾑtucks' the tops of the wheels inboard helping greatly with clearances.

The downside? Well, solid top mounts will in general increase noise to some degree. The VWR Top Mounts use a unique ﾑpillow ball' top bearing, which minimises the harshness that most top mounts give ﾖ meaning that there is almost no compromise involved to refinement in the car. The ability to offer them as an upgrade for the spirited driver looking to maximize his or her experience with the ultimate in performance is another unique aspect to the VWR Coilover family.

THE END RESULT?

A true transformation in the way that your car rides and handles. Think how a Porsche 911?s suspension behaves ﾖ taut, controlled but never crashy or harsh ﾖ and you'll have a good idea of how your car will feel with the VWR StreetSport kit fitted.

This was the brief to our engineering team ﾖ to adapt our race-winning motorsport suspension into something that would combine dramatic performance improvements whilst still delivering genuine day-to-day useability (see the picture, above, of our team benchmarking the new suspension against a couple of the industry's best resolved suspension set ups ﾖ a 911 with PDC switchable suspension and a KTM X-Bow R). It was a tough challenge to reach ﾖ but we are thrilled with the end result.

We will provide you with our suggested suspension adjustment settings based on your planned usage of the car, which will act as our recommendation if you want to ﾑfit and forget', or as a good starting point if you prefer to find your own settings.