The project Octavia RS has been treated to a set of H&R lowering springs. However the improvement was not as much as I was hoping for, so I thought some Sachs dampers/shocks would complete the job.
The H&R springs cured a lot of problems the car had with the suspension, however there was still more body roll than I would like. I thought maybe it was because the dampers were old and had gone soft. My thinking was fitting some fresh damper would cure some of the roll because they would be stiffer than old shocks/dampers.
However, the improvement in body roll was not as big as I hoped it would be. There was an improvement but not night and day.
So handling was not amazing but for sure this is down to the VW MK4 platform rather than the H&R springs and Sachs dampers/shocks.
So how was everything else?
Fantastic. This is not the first time I’ve experienced Sachs dampers and they are just as I remember. They feel like expensive dampers and are not harsh in any way.
The Kayaba dampers fitted to the Focus can feel a bit wooden at low speeds, but not the Sachs. The Sachs have great bump absorption while still having good control (for stock dampers).
As a stock replacement damper I like Sachs a lot. Unfortunately, on the Octavia RS MK1, they are not enough and neither are H&R springs.
The main issue with the Project Octavia RS as it stands (with the H&R and Sachs) is body roll in general and high speed stability. It feels like a risk to put big cornering forces through the car at 140km/h+ speeds. This is a problem for a 300 brake car.
I think the only solution is going to be coilovers on the MK4 platform. This goes against what I have said previously about H&R and stock/sport dampers being all you need on a road car. Having got to know the MK4 platform quite well now I’d say this car could be one of the exceptions to the rule.