My New 18" Wheels & Lowering Springs

[Deanoecosse]

Well after a bit of hassle where the wheel shop sent out the wrong offset wheels, my Galaxy is now rolling on its shiny new set of diamond cut A8 wheels and -50mm progressive G Max springs.

A quick review of my mods:

[u]Springs:[/u] I'm very impressed with the G Max springs. Although they didnt lower the car by 50mm due to the old springs having dropped a bit over the years, I'm very happy with the final ride height. Not too low that I'll get troubled too much by speed bumps and not too high so that it looks like a Land Rover as it did on the standard springs. Handling is greatly improved with the lower centre of gravity and the car doesnt roll much at all when cornering and with the springs being progressive rate, they will stiffen up the harder they are worked (I'm sure I've used that line on my wife before!) I've also noticed no reduction in ride comfort which was a concern before the springs were fitted, so they were well worth every penny of the

[mumof4]

shes looking good there!!Nice one

as for the swirls..tut tut, shouldnt wash a car going round in circles, always long sweeps from one side to the other.

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='mumof4' post='126645' date='Mar 6 2008, 00:32:57']shes looking good there!!Nice one

as for the swirls..tut tut, shouldnt wash a car going round in circles, always long sweeps from one side to the other. [/quote]

In my defence, the swirls were on it when I bought it 3 months ago, but I've not had a chance to detail the car since then! My sheepskin washmitt, pre-foam & 2 bucket method for washing ensures no more swirls will be added after I've done the paintwork correction. I may also do a FULL CAR wet sand to reduce some of the orange peel on it (factory original paint) if time allows.

[mumof4]

The gal i had was the same colour as yours, i always used to use maguires stuff on her and scratch8? was an amazeing product to use!Cant remember if that was the name of it as its been a while.Their clay was pretty good aswell.

[searcher]

Nice looking wheels you got there.
Gonna be a bugger to keep clean tho

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='?adrianf?' post='126649' date='Mar 6 2008, 07:09:26']Nice looking wheels you got there.
Gonna be a bugger to keep clean tho [/quote]

3 coats of Chemical Guys Wheel Wax is your friend Adrian! I apply another coat every time I wash the car, it really is superb stuff and allows you to just blast off the dirt by Jetwash.

mumof4- yeah the Meguiars consumer range that you can buy in the shops is pretty good stuff and their clay is probably the best that you can get outside of the professional range. However my polish of choice is the Menzerna professional range or the Meguiars Professional machine glaze range via the trade route when applying by machine or Blackfire products from America or trusty old Auto Glym Radiant Wax (Super Resin Polish if you buy from Halfrauds) if hand applying.
To top it off, Auto Glym have also just released a new paste wax at

[TimsBamma]

Looking good there...

Will you post the correction on Detailing World? It'd be interesting to find out how long it takes.

My Alhambra is on -40mm KW Springs and Shocks, only prob is I've killed 3 drop links in 10k miles, although I suspect its straddling speed humps that does it! Needs some Rims am thinking RS6's as well but I like the new RS4's as well. (if I can ever get the money together)

Can you advise what tyres you've had fitted and where you got the Rims from?

[searcher]

[quote name='TimsBamma' post='126669' date='Mar 6 2008, 13:33:33']Looking good there...

Will you post the correction on Detailing World? It'd be interesting to find out how long it takes.

My Alhambra is on -40mm KW Springs and Shocks, only prob is I've killed 3 drop links in 10k miles, although I suspect its straddling speed humps that does it! Needs some Rims am thinking RS6's as well but I like the new RS4's as well. (if I can ever get the money together)

Can you advise what tyres you've had fitted and where you got the Rims from?[/quote]


Did you notice much difference with the new suspension over the original. I find the original on the SE to be quite good for a car of its size and much better than the Gal i used to own.

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='TimsBamma' post='126669' date='Mar 6 2008, 13:33:33']Looking good there...

Will you post the correction on Detailing World? It'd be interesting to find out how long it takes.

My Alhambra is on -40mm KW Springs and Shocks, only prob is I've killed 3 drop links in 10k miles, although I suspect its straddling speed humps that does it! Needs some Rims am thinking RS6's as well but I like the new RS4's as well. (if I can ever get the money together)

Can you advise what tyres you've had fitted and where you got the Rims from?[/quote]

Hi yes I'll post the correction detail on the Detailing World site when I've done it, are you a member on there aswell? Its gonna be 12-16 hours I reckon although the paint should be reasonably soft compared to an similar sized X5 that I've done which was hard graft.

The tyres that are fitted are a budget tyre made by Diamond Back and were fitted as part of the wheel/tyre package. I'd never heard of them before but they seem pretty decent so far and they are a directional tyre with a nice tread pattern. I bought them from a Company in Ayr in the west of Scotland called DP Motorsport [url="http://www.dp-motorsport.co.uk/"]http://www.dp-motorsport.co.uk/[/url]. They also advertise on ebay, just do a search for RS6/RS8 wheels and you will find them. They are probably the cheapest you will find anywhere at the moment due to the sheer volume of wheels that they sell. They are selling around 25 sets a DAY on ebay and more via their shop. I paid

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='?adrianf?' post='126674' date='Mar 6 2008, 14:19:08'][quote name='TimsBamma' post='126669' date='Mar 6 2008, 13:33:33']Looking good there...

Will you post the correction on Detailing World? It'd be interesting to find out how long it takes.

My Alhambra is on -40mm KW Springs and Shocks, only prob is I've killed 3 drop links in 10k miles, although I suspect its straddling speed humps that does it! Needs some Rims am thinking RS6's as well but I like the new RS4's as well. (if I can ever get the money together)

Can you advise what tyres you've had fitted and where you got the Rims from?[/quote]


Did you notice much difference with the new suspension over the original. I find the original on the SE to be quite good for a car of its size and much better than the Gal i used to own.
[/quote]

Adrian, I've noticed no reduction in ride quality over the standard springs, infact the ride is so much better now that its lowered and on the progressive springs, no more rolling round corners. If I recall tho, I think the Seat Se had lowered springs as standard anyway (-30mm possibly) so yours would have been pretty good to begin with. In my opinion, Ford should have fitted the Galaxy as standard with lowered springs as it transforms the car and makes it a much better drive.

[TimsBamma]

[quote name='?adrianf?' post='126674' date='Mar 6 2008, 14:19:08'][quote name='TimsBamma' post='126669' date='Mar 6 2008, 13:33:33']Looking good there...

Will you post the correction on Detailing World? It'd be interesting to find out how long it takes.

My Alhambra is on -40mm KW Springs and Shocks, only prob is I've killed 3 drop links in 10k miles, although I suspect its straddling speed humps that does it! Needs some Rims am thinking RS6's as well but I like the new RS4's as well. (if I can ever get the money together)

Can you advise what tyres you've had fitted and where you got the Rims from?[/quote]


Did you notice much difference with the new suspension over the original. I find the original on the SE to be quite good for a car of its size and much better than the Gal i used to own.
[/quote]

I changed the suspension @ 60k miles so I'm sure the old was getting tired. The drop links and strut tops were changed at the same time.
Yep the ride is definately firmer, probably too firm for some but not hard, of course being an SE Bamma its sits quite a bit lower than the Galaxy /Sharan anyway so I suspect that the actual drop is circa 25/30mm, certainly looks better, will post a pic once I've figured how (think I need to join photobucket)

[TimsBamma]

[quote name='Deanoecosse' post='126675' date='Mar 6 2008, 15:06:54'][quote name='TimsBamma' post='126669' date='Mar 6 2008, 13:33:33']Looking good there...

Will you post the correction on Detailing World? It'd be interesting to find out how long it takes.

My Alhambra is on -40mm KW Springs and Shocks, only prob is I've killed 3 drop links in 10k miles, although I suspect its straddling speed humps that does it! Needs some Rims am thinking RS6's as well but I like the new RS4's as well. (if I can ever get the money together)

Can you advise what tyres you've had fitted and where you got the Rims from?[/quote]

Hi yes I'll post the correction detail on the Detailing World site when I've done it, are you a member on there aswell? Its gonna be 12-16 hours I reckon although the paint should be reasonably soft compared to an similar sized X5 that I've done which was hard graft.

The tyres that are fitted are a budget tyre made by Diamond Back and were fitted as part of the wheel/tyre package. I'd never heard of them before but they seem pretty decent so far and they are a directional tyre with a nice tread pattern. I bought them from a Company in Ayr in the west of Scotland called DP Motorsport [url="http://www.dp-motorsport.co.uk/"]http://www.dp-motorsport.co.uk/[/url]. They also advertise on ebay, just do a search for RS6/RS8 wheels and you will find them. They are probably the cheapest you will find anywhere at the moment due to the sheer volume of wheels that they sell. They are selling around 25 sets a DAY on ebay and more via their shop. I paid

[Deanoecosse]

Tim, the wetsanding by hand of your stone chips isnt as daunting as it sounds or looks. Theres a few good threads on Detailing World showing the process. As long as you have the correct paint (I always get mine from the dealer rather than Halfrauds) and take your time you can get an almost invisible chip fix.

Your other products are good-SRP-great hand polish and good for masking light swirls (even better & less pain if you get your hands on a PC) and the Colly is unbeatable for durability and looks great aswell. Its always my winter wax of choice. Waiting to see if I can blag a sample of the new Auto Glym wax via the trade.

As for uploading photos, yeah on Detailing World you will need a Photobucket account but on this site its a doddle, you just browse to the location of your pic using the "browse" button in the attachment box at the bottom of your post and click "Upload". Did it myself for the 1st time today.

[TimsBamma]

Yep think I'll try out the bonnet first, was looking at paints4U as they seem to do all the bits necessary, could do with some 3000grit as well.

My Bamma's pics have gone walkabout, so may have to rescue from my work laptop, will sort out next Wednesday (of to the Alps snowboardingwith a mate for the first time in 4 years married with 3yr old now... )
Decided on Colly because of durability, lucky if I get to wax the car every 4 months. 15 yr old and 3yr old see to that.

Will check out the Bilt Hamber DeOx as I've a very rusty 5mm stone chip on the bonnet edge... Mind you it was there before i got the car.

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='TimsBamma' post='126722' date='Mar 7 2008, 08:46:50']Will check out the Bilt Hamber DeOx as I've a very rusty 5mm stone chip on the bonnet edge... Mind you it was there before i got the car.[/quote]

Let me know how you get on if you try the Deo-ox as I was thinking about getting some for my Triumph TR7 resto that I've had languishing in my garage for the last 7 years, my 4+7 year old kids prevent me spending any time on it.

[TimsBamma]

Certainly will, TR7 eh, thats a blast from the past.Coupe or convertible? Certainly don't them on the road much now, definately a classic in the making

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='TimsBamma' post='126741' date='Mar 7 2008, 13:09:08']Certainly will, TR7 eh, thats a blast from the past.Coupe or convertible? Certainly don't them on the road much now, definately a classic in the making[/quote]

Tim, its the convertible that I've got. Always loved them when I was a kid and vowed to have one of my own one day. Obviously with the cars all around 30 years old now, rust is a real problem. Even from new they were bad for the old tin worm, although I seem to have a really good one with mainly cosmetic tidying needed. However, I stripped the hood, door, bonnet, bootlid, interior trim etc 7 years ago but then my son came along and the TR7 was put on the back burner "just for a year or so". But then I bought a Lotus Excel as a weekend toy that I could play with till the TR7 was back on the road. I only intended keeping the Lotus for a year before selling, but almost 4 and a half years later, the Lotus is still in my garage as its just so damn good that I cant bring myself to sell it and free up some time to sort out the TR7.
My wife keeps joking that my son will be old enough to drive before the TR7 is finished, so I've got just over 9 years to get my finger out!

[TimsBamma]

Oooh TR7 & Lotus Excel....

Kids do rather take any spare time don't they.

Good luck with the restoration, might see it on Detailing World one day too.

Has the Excel made it there yet?

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='TimsBamma' post='127244' date='Mar 14 2008, 13:29:05']Oooh TR7 & Lotus Excel....

Kids do rather take any spare time don't they.

Good luck with the restoration, might see it on Detailing World one day too.

Has the Excel made it there yet?[/quote]

Na, not yet Tim but the Excel will hopefully make it onto DW as soon as I get the fuel pump replaced so I can drive it out the garage to get it detailed. It should come up lovely as its single stage bright red paint and its fairly easy to correct the swirls in it. Will be doing it by PC rather than my rotary to keep the heat down on the GRP bodywork. The car hasnt moved for 8 months so is a bit dusty and neglected looking but it will look all the better in the "after correction" photos.

[mattc]

Hi Dean, Where did you get the springs from? and how long did it take to fit them, any special tools?
Cheers Matt.

[long]

[quote name='Deanoecosse' post='126644' date='Mar 6 2008, 01:06:33']Well after a bit of hassle where the wheel shop sent out the wrong offset wheels, my Galaxy is now rolling on its shiny new set of diamond cut A8 wheels and -50mm progressive G Max springs.

A quick review of my mods:

[u]Springs:[/u] I'm very impressed with the G Max springs. Although they didnt lower the car by 50mm due to the old springs having dropped a bit over the years, I'm very happy with the final ride height. Not too low that I'll get troubled too much by speed bumps and not too high so that it looks like a Land Rover as it did on the standard springs. Handling is greatly improved with the lower centre of gravity and the car doesnt roll much at all when cornering and with the springs being progressive rate, they will stiffen up the harder they are worked (I'm sure I've used that line on my wife before!) I've also noticed no reduction in ride comfort which was a concern before the springs were fitted, so they were well worth every penny of the

[projektzwo786]

very nice

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='mattc' post='130077' date='May 7 2008, 21:58:22']Hi Dean, Where did you get the springs from? and how long did it take to fit them, any special tools?
Cheers Matt.[/quote]

sorry I've not been on the site for a while and didnt see the post asking where I got the springs. I've also had a few people email me to ask some details, so here's where I got my springs (same place a few folk on the site have got theirs): Carisma Style [url="http://www.carismastyle.co.uk/cgi-bin/ac_catalog/commerce.cgi?product=LOWERING_KITS!FORD!GALAXY"]http://www.carismastyle.co.uk/cgi-bin/ac_c...FORD!GALAXY[/url]
part number is: 30FO34L No special tools, just your regular spring compressors to remove the old springs and fit the new ones to the shocks, although I just put the car into my local garage to do the work and it only took a couple of hours.

I've now done about 6,000 with the springs fitted and the car still drives aswell as it did on the day they were fitted, no problems at all with drop links or bushes. The springs have also settled a bit more now and the car is sitting slightly lower than it did in the original pics. In my opinion, its the best money that you can spend on a Galaxy/Alhambra/Sharan because it makes such a big difference to the way the car drives & it gets rid of that horrible Land Rover look with huge gaps in the arches for not much money. Edited September 22, 2008 by Deanoecosse

[jkspoff]

Deano, thanks for the info on the springs/wheels, I have booked mine in this Friday (31st) to have -50mm G-Max springs fitted, I already have the 18" RS6 alloys on, so this should finish it off nicely. Do you think I should have the drop links done as well, as they are ok at moment anyway ? MOT being doen at the same time, so they'll probably check them anyway. Looking forward to the better handling on the Gal too !

[Deanoecosse]

[quote name='jkspoff' post='136906' date='Oct 29 2008, 07:44:58']Deano, thanks for the info on the springs/wheels, I have booked mine in this Friday (31st) to have -50mm G-Max springs fitted, I already have the 18" RS6 alloys on, so this should finish it off nicely. Do you think I should have the drop links done as well, as they are ok at moment anyway ? MOT being doen at the same time, so they'll probably check them anyway. Looking forward to the better handling on the Gal too ![/quote]

Hi, I've replied to your PM, but for the benefit of others, no I didn't change the drop links on mine and I've had no problems whatsoever. I guess if your drop links are ok when you check them, then just leave them as they are.