STOCK springs & shocks - 2006 US GTI vs 2009 US GTI
I would not waste the time or money switching between different stock model years.
I had to replace a damaged shock, so my motivations were a bit different.
You can find used very low mileage oe shocks and springs at very low cost
in the various forum classifieds.
Many people remove and replace them for more serious lowering.
It is a buyers market for original equipment.
I was in a bit of a rush (car disabled),
so I paid $200 USD + shipping for a full set of
2009 US GTI springs and shocks.
(I post under the name JetTurbo on the forum where I purchased the shocks)
Documented ride height before and after.
For the sake of consistency, I used a
CST/Berger 06-808C Aluminum 8-Foot
Telescoping Rod marked in Feet, Inches, and Quarter inch
to measure fender height at the centerline of the wheel.
Note: all measurements were made long after springs had settled.
2006 original springs/shocks measured at 70k miles,
2009 replacement springs/shocks measured after 15k+ miles.
2006 US stock GTI suspension: front 24-1/4" - rear 24-1/2"
2009 stock GTI suspension: front 24-1/4" -- rear 24".
reversed the rake! front stayed the same and the rear dropped a 1/2".
go figure -
2006 US stock GTI suspension - front 24-1/4"<click pic for close up>
2006 US stock GTI suspension - rear 24-1/2" <click pic for close up>
2009 US GTI stock suspension - front 24-1/4"<click pic for close up>
2009 US GTI stock suspension - rear 24" (23-7/8"?) <click pic for close up>
As best I can tell, there is no perceivable difference in ride quality between the two variants.
