The second option has been expensive historically, involving custom fabrication to modify the strut body and/or spindle. H2Sport has changed this for Volkswagen owners, but the company seems to be alone in the tuning world. With the popularity of the MacPherson set-up, more products of this kind should be available. Dampers and springs are still the first steps in changing a car's handling, then correcting geometry. Perhaps H2Sport will pioneer a whole new avenue.
H2Sport Spindle
*H2Sport makes a sport spindle for Volkswagens that corrects all the problems associated with lowering a MacPherson strut-equipped vehicle. VW owners can reap the benefits of a lower center of gravity without suffering from misaligned geometry. The axle is relocated with respect to the lower control arm pivot as well as the camber angle and the steering arm. Geometry is corrected to a better-than-factory set-up. The wheel is placed back in the proper camber curve, so negative camber occurs during body roll. Static camber with the new spindles is minus 0.5 degrees and increases from there with body roll. H2Sport also offers spherical replacements for strut mounts, adding up to an additional minus one degree of static camber.
The lower control arm mount on the spindle has also been lowered, raising the roll center closer to factory settings. On a stock Golf lowered by two inches, the roll center is dropped below ground level by over six inches. The H2Sport spindles correct that by a little over five inches, bringing it back into balance with the rear of the car.
Audi used this method on the MkIV-based TT. Knowing the ride height would be lower than that of the Golf, the spindle used was of a different design. You could go the factory route and use Audi parts on your VW, but the parts list is rather expensive. After checking prices at a local dealership, it was determined that the H2Sport pieces are a considerable bargain.
H2Sport is one of the first companies to create a real solution to geometry changes on MacPherson strut-equipped cars. At the time of writing, only MkIV pieces were available, but MkV pieces will soon be on sale.
Ron Wood at VW Specialties installed the spindles along with H2Sport's spherical bearings for both the A-arm pivots and strut bearings. The spherical bearings eliminate deflection found in the factory rubber pieces, ensuring proper geometry is maintained under the most stressful conditions. To make sure the subframe was as stiff as possible, a Eurosport lower tie bar was also installed. It cannot be stressed enough how important a stiff chassis is for proper suspension action.
