Ultimate MK8 Golf R coilovers for street & track [AST 5100 Competition Suspension]

Introduction

Do you want to transform your MK8 Golf R from wallowing away on stock suspension, or looking for more performance than on lowering springs for spirited weekend drives to track-ready performance? Upgrading the suspension is the key to unlocking your MK8 Golf R full potential. After installing the AST ALS (adjustable low spring) and feeling the improvement, and enjoying the adjustable ride height, the stock dampers were not offering great performance and we knew there was more driving enjoyment on the table, so we went about installing the AST 5100 Competition Suspension and wow, what a difference it made!

Who are AST?

If you’re not aware of AST already, AST stands for ‘Advanced Suspension Technology’ and was founded in 2000 by suspension engineer Piet Kreeft, who worked in Formula 1 suspension since 1965 and contributed to many constructors and drivers world championship successes. Bringing his wealth of knowledge and experience for us, the enthusiasts to enjoy! Our story with AST goes way back to 2007, when we won the VW Cup with our AST suspension-equipped MK5 GTI!

Why might you want to upgrade your suspension to a coilover setup?

People like to make suspension a more complicated topic than it is. Essentially, a spring supports the weight of the vehicle, and a damper controls how fast the energy goes into the spring and how fast that energy is released. As you improve the performance of your MK8 Golf R, or use it in different ways than the manufacturer primarily designed it for, you go outside of the specification the original springs and dampers were designed for. What this feels like behind the wheels is diving under braking, squatting under acceleration, body rolling or taking too long to settle after a force goes through it, making the car feel unsettled and not providing confidence.

What you are achieving by upgrading the suspension is helping the spring and damper to properly control the weight of the sprung (car body) and unsprung (wheel). The goal here is to strike a balance between maximising the tyre grip and driver feedback. As you add power, improve brakes, drive faster, corner faster and add grip (tyres) in other areas, the forces the suspension has to deal with are different, and needs to be upgraded to maximise the driving experience.

What is the AST 5100 Competition Coilover System?

The AST 5100 Series Competition is a true coilover system, not just your typical front coilover with separate damper and spring on an adjustable perch. features coilover on the front, and rear! On the front, it the AST 5100 Series Competition benefits from an adjustable camber top mount, allowing us to dial in extra negative camber for a significant increase in front-axle grip. The bearing used for the top mount is silent in operation, over spec’d and environmentally sealed for an unconventionally long service life. On the rear, it’s a true coilover. Most factory or aftermarket coilovers for this car come with separate damper and spring on an adjustable perch, but AST’s competition series delivers you solid rear top mounts, and a true coilvoer for the rear This design eliminates deflection from the factory top mount, introduces a linear spring, and broadens the spring choice.

The system is single-adjustable for the rebound, allowing you to control how fast, or slow the spring energy is released allowing you to strike a balance between track performance or daily driving, or dial it in moreso one than the other. It’s incredibly easy to make these adjustments, making the suspension adaptable for both spirited drives and competitive racing. It can also be upgraded.

Driving Experience

Once the kit was fitted, we couldn’t wait to hit the road and see how it felt. We headed straight for some challenging country roads with plenty of dips and bumps. On these types of roads, the stock suspension, even with aftermarket springs, feels underdamped—after hitting a bump, the car tends to bounce a couple of times before it settles down. But with the **AST 5100 Competition Suspension**, the car felt so much more composed. After going over a bump, it settled almost instantly, ready for the next bump or turn

Yes, the setup is firmer, as you’d expect from a coilover system built for fast road and track day use. But surprisingly, it wasn’t uncomfortable. We expected more noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) given the front camber-adjustable top mounts and solid rear top mounts, but it wasn’t bad at all. There was no significant increase in NVH inside the cabin, although you might notice a bit more when driving at low speed on rough, pot holed UK streets.

One weak point in our setup was the **Dunlop Sport Maxx tires**. They don’t grip nearly as well as the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S, which we usually prefer. Despite this, the suspension managed to extract every bit of grip from those tires. The improved damping, better spring rates, and overall quality of the coilover system did a fantastic job of controlling the body’s movements and keeping the tires planted.

Conclusion

The AST 5100 Competition Suspension has completely transformed our MK8 Golf R. It’s incredibly versatile, working perfectly on both fast roads and the track. What’s more, it offers the flexibility to adjust as you upgrade other parts of the car. If we decide to swap the tires for something with better grip, we know there’s enough range in the damping adjustment to optimize the setup without having to buy a whole new coilover kit.

In short, this is a serious suspension system that offers both performance and adjustability, making it perfect for anyone looking to take their Golf R to the next level.

Purchase the parts from the links below:

• AST 5100 Series 1-way with Front & Rear Top Mount INVERTED CO Suspension for Golf Mk8 (GTI/R) AWD 2019-Present - ACC-V1906SD

Watch the installation of the whole package in the video below: