suspension upgrade questions '06 hatch

[northguest47]

the aveo is 7 years old now, and one thing i have always wanted to do was upgrade the suspension once the stock suspension started showing its age which it is now. the stock suspension isn't like a pickup so it holds up for awhile but seems to be fading, and the 'floating' setup does not work well with washboard and gnarly railway crossings it just slams the strut mounts over and over it appears making a small problem worse over time

since looking into the endlink conversion kit, it seems like a simple, tested, way to upgrade the suspension, and i am aware that it lowers the front, thats ok with me, i can work 'around' it, but also i have read of some posters deciding against coilovers. personally i don't know too much practical about shocks and/or springs but coilovers seemed lighter than stock and probably beefier if they were the right size and set up right, and of course, adjustable!

does anyone have any suggestions or ideas about the options out there for upgrading the suspension besides using mkII style coilovers and changing the weight of the oil? keep in mind my wants is not for auto cross type suspension, i am looking for more like a small pickup style, something that can take the washboard and some minor bumps from time to time, and if its lower than stock but 'stronger' i can work with that

[petrified.rabbit]

I can't speak for everyone, but i can confirm the coilovers on the aveo ride just like they would on the VW.

Now the mk2 coilover can maintain close to stock height, but why do you want to change the oil weight? IF you have someone who can do some welding, (to attach the stock end link arm) then go buy some mk3 bilsteins, keep the stock springs, and you should have a firmer more stable ride. Im not 100% sure about the whole changing oil weight thing, I know revalved but the weight of the oil doesnt seem to matter with the size of the valves..

What are you hoping for? the truck reference confuses me.

[northguest47]

Re-reading my post I guess a bit too wordy - by the truck reference I was just trying to describe a suspension more suited to minor offroading thats what I meant about the washboard and lots of bumps and potholes. 6 miles of washboard can put 'a lot' of stress on the suspension even though its not big bumps they never stop and the whole frame gets in on the action if one finds the resonant frequency of the car! Just trying to describe that a pickup suspension is more suited to take those kinds of roads by design, rather than say, a stock Aveo.
Its your end-link conversion kit that started all my questions because if I'm going to invest some of my dollars to improve the stock suspension with a design time of 4 years of so, I typically tend to use the 'spend 20% more' and 'get what you pay for' approach. I'd rather do it right and not get the best deal instead of the opposite.
I did look up the mk3 bilsteins, you had referenced them several times, can't remember which thread, but I don't have someone who can do the welding, I mean there are performance shops but I'm not so convinced they would take me seriously, and I doubt their rates would match up with the budget for this project either. What I would love is a do-it-yourself hot-rodder builder with his own garage on his own property, who is looking for a quirky project, I guess thats dreaming right now..
The oil weight feedback is appreciated I did not know that the valves are too big to make any appreciable difference.
Until this etec-ii motor shows signs of fading, I will continue to fix all the other things that go wrong with this fun little machine.

[petrified.rabbit]

Since you don't want to go lower, necessarily. If you go with cutting open your stock struts, and put in bilstein inserts (often even available adjustable). Then all you would need is endlinks, not my whole kit, as you would maintain the factory mounts.

The rear I would do the same thing, find a set of Bilstein rears that will fit the aveo. And again, possibly find adjustable to tune it in.

The springs, I loved H&R. Its a minimal drop. You could add a neoprene space to get the height back if you don't want to drop. But the H&R springs rate were awesome and improved handling and ride. (I even liked the drop it reduced body roll).

The rear of the car benefits great from a sway bar. I like the autotech rear sway. it was easy to install and used actual mount points, not pinch plates under the rear springs. (VW Performance - Autotech Sport Tuning: AUTOTECH ClubSport 28mm HOLLOW ADJUSTABLE REAR SWAYBAR, Mk2/Mk3) these are available used as well, with new bushings mine cost me $75.

I would also suggest a K bar, and upper strut bar in the front, I have not found on the just fits. But the would be made easily enough, I might put my students on it for a measuring / welding project this fall.

Also with the ride, spacing out the rear is a decent benefit in the turns. I would do this with the rear disk kit i am developing, to gain the added stopping power. I will be working on a big front conversion as well. NOW I am not always 100% bolt on but once converted, it is factory replacement parts and cheap to maintain.

I could go on and on.. I understand the resonance thing, i have 2 highways in the area that my car is just uncomfortable driving. Both are superpave, and only 10 mile stretches.

[northguest47]

Thanks for the feedback, Rabbit! Will be looking into what you recommend for the suspension, as there is a supplier relatively close to where I live, and the rear disk kit is a fantastic idea. The stock drum pads on my ride are getting pretty worn down at this state and the the casings had to be machined just to get them back on after inspecting.

[northguest47]

just an update on a project dragging on... i have the endlink adapter kit and going to go mkii coilovers on the front and adjustable strut, lowering springs, and airbags on the rear.. since going in this far, the front upper strut bar and rear anti sway bar should be added as it would all go on the same install.. its time this gets done, just bringin in the parts