6+ Best Volkswagen Jetta MK4 Coilovers: The Ultimate Guide
Are you looking to lower your MK4 Jetta and improve its handling? One of the best upgrades you can do is to install a set of coilovers.
In this guide, I’m going to explain the benefits of installing coilovers on your Jetta, as well as give you the top 6 coilovers available on the market today.
Top 2 Coilovers for the MK4 Jetta
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Benefits of Installing Coilovers on Your MK4 Jetta
From the factory, the Jetta wasn’t exactly designed as a sports car. However, they do have lots of potential for tuning and performance, and when the right parts are installed, you can make your Jetta handle extremely well.
Whether you are looking for performance benefits, or you just want to lower it for looks, one of the best options you have to do this is a set of coilovers.
Coilovers allow you to do several things:
- You can set and adjust the ride height to sit at the perfect spot for your needs
- They will significantly improve the handling of the car
- Depending on the model, they will allow you to fine-tune the damper settings so you can soften or stiffen the ride to your liking.
No matter what your budget and needs, there are coilovers available for $500 street kits all way up to $10000+ race specific setups, so no matter what you are looking for, there will be a kit for you.
The Best Coilovers for the MK4 Jetta
Now let’s take a look at some of the best coilover options on the market today.
KW V3
Lowering range: Front 1.4-2.5 inches, rear 1.2-2.0 inches
Dampening adjustment: 2-way independent compression and rebound
Price: $2294
The KW V3 coilovers are one of the most popular high end coilover kits in the world.
Designed to be very comfortable on the street while giving you performance on the track, the KW V3 is designed as the perfect blend between ride quality and performance.
They give you 2-way independent dampening adjustment, allowing you to independently adjust rebound and low speed compression, so that you can fine tune the suspension to your needs and setup.
KW puts an huge amount of engineering into every kit they produce, fine tuning each one for the particular car to ensure that they work perfectly with the car’s characteristics.
Another thing these coilovers are famous for is their anti-corrosion properties. The shock bodies are made from KW’s special INOX-LINE stainless steel, and the spring perches are a polyamide composite, meaning they are extremely resistant to corrosion. You will never have to worry about them seizing, and KW also offer a lifetime warranty to back this up.
These coilovers will lower your Jetta up to 2.5” in the front and 2” in the rear, and the ride height adjustment is done by the spring perch, which means the lower you go the less suspension travel you have. If you are planning to go super low, this won’t be the best kit for you.
However, if you are after a very high quality and high performance kit that gives you a good balance of street comfort and track handling, the KW V3’s are a good option, especially if you live in harsh weather areas where corrosion is a problem.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by spring perch
- 12-level independent compression adjustment
- 16 level independent rebound adjustment
- Special INOX-LINE stainless steel and composite spring perches which will never rust or seize
- Lifetime warranty
- Made in Germany
- Rebuildable by KW
You can get the KW V3’s for your MK4 Jetta for the best price here:
GET MK4 JETTA KW V3 FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
BC Racing BR Series
Lowering: 1-3 inches, 2-4 inches on the Extreme Low option
Dampening adjustment: 1-way 30-level compression-rebound simultaneous
Price: $1195
The BC Racing BR Series is an extremely popular coilover kit that provides phenomenal value for money and can handle both street and track driving.
One of the reasons why this kit is so popular is the amount of customization options that BC Racing give customers. Almost anything that can be customized on a coilover kit can be specified on these, from custom spring rates and valving, to Swift Springs, Extreme Low, rear camber plates (on applicable models) and more. You can put together the perfect kit to suit your needs.
The dampers are monotube and give you 30 levels of dampening adjustment (simultaneous compression/rebound) which allow you to fine tune the ride and handling to suit your requirements and quickly change them between street and track settings.
The height adjustment is done by the shock body, which ensures you have full suspension travel at all heights. This not only makes for a better ride, but it means your dampers will last longer at low ride heights since they won’t be bottoming out all the time.
Lowering on the regular kit is from 1 to 3 inches, and if you opt for the Extreme Low option, it will go up to 4 inches lower than factory.
These coilovers have proven many times over to handle almost anything thrown at them. You will find countless positive reports from people who use them for both street and track.
They also come with a 1 year warranty and are also fully rebuildable, with BC Racing selling all the parts you need to do the rebuild.
When you take into account the customizability, the build quality, the ride comfort, handling performance and value for money, there are few other kits on the market that can compete.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment from the shock body
- Lowers ride height from 1-3inches, Extreme low option goes 2-4 inches
- 30-level adjustable dampening (compression/ rebound simultaneous)
- Monotube dampers with linear valving
- Rebuildable with all parts purchasable from BC Racing
- Custom spring rates and valving available
- Swift Spring upgrade available
- 1 year warranty
You can get the BC Racing BR Series for the best price here:
GET MK4 JETTA BC RACING BR SERIES FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
ST X
Lowering: Up to 85mm (3.3 inches)
Dampening adjustment: No
Price: $1194
If you are going to only use your Jetta on the road and don’t plan on hitting the track, the ST X kit is a great option that’s going to give you a very comfortable ride and a large height adjustment range.
The ST coilovers are actually made by KW, and aside from not having the INOX-LINE stainless steel shock bodies and extra lowering range, these are identical to the KW V1 kit. Instead, the ST X have galvanized shock bodies, which isn’t quite as corrosion resistant but allows them to be cheaper than the V1s.
Designed as a street kit, they have twin-tube dampers which will give you as much ride comfort as possible, while still significantly improving handing.
The ride height adjustment gives you up to 85mm of lowering. Now, keep in mind that it is done by the spring perch, which means the lower you go, the less suspension travel you will have and the less comfortable the ride will be.
However, these coilovers do have a great reputation for ride comfort, even when running low, so it shouldn’t be a big issue.
For daily drivers and street cars where you want the option to go low and retain a comfortable ride, there are a great option.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the spring perch, up to 85mm lowering
- Twin tube dampers fine-tuned by KW
- Galvanized shock bodies for corrosion resistance
- Composite spring perch to prevent seizing
You can get the ST X for the best price here:
GET MK4 JETTA ST X FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Yellow Speed Dynamic Pro Sport
Lowering: 1-3 inches
Dampening adjustment: 1–way 33-level
Price: $999
If you are on a budget but want to upgrade your suspension, the Yellow Speeds are one of your best choices.
These coilovers are designed for performance and have a great reputation both on and off the track.
The ride height adjustment is done by the shock body which give you full suspension travel at all heights, and gives you a lowering range of 1-3 inches. The dampers are monotube and give you 33 levels of dampening adjustment.
Yellow Speed themselves are also actively involved in motorsport, which is always a good sign from a company that makes performance parts.
For a relatively cheap coilover that will give you good performance, the Yellow Speed Dynamic Pro Sports are one of the best you’ll find. They also come with a 2 year warranty which is one of the best in this price range.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body – up to 2.5 inches of lowering on most applications
- 33-level dampening adjustment
- Monotube dampers
- Steel construction with electroplating and anodizing for corrosion protection
- 2 year warranty
You can get the Yellow Speed coilovers for the best price here:
GET MK4 JETTA YELLOW SPEED DYNAMIC PRO SPORT FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Godspeed MonoSS
Lowering: 1-3 inches
Dampening adjustable: 1-way, 16-level
Price: $675
A very popular budget coilover option, the MonoSS are Godspeed’s most popular coilover and provide are a great choice at a low price.
These coilovers are specifically designed to offer the perfect balance of performance and affordability, and give you a surprising amount of features given the low cost.
The dampers are 52mm monotubes made of “carbon seamless steel” which have 16-level dampening adjustment. They also feature “racing grade shock oil with a high viscosity index” and a “Performance Internal Piston” according to Godspeed. They are designed to handle street driving as well as track days, and these dampers make it easy to adjust the settings accordingly.
The springs are made from high strength SAE9252 steel, and ride height adjustment is done by the shock body which gives you have full suspension travel at all heights. They typically give you 1-3 inches of lowering compared to stock, depending on the model.
The MonoSS come with a 1 year warranty and the dampers can be rebuilt.
Considering the low price and many positive reviews to be found for these coilovers, they are a great option if you are on a budget but still want a decent coilover that can handle occasional track use.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the shock body,1-3 inches lower than stock on most models
- 16-level dampening adjustment
- Monotube dampers with racing grade shock oil and performance piston
- Anodized shock bodies
- 1 year warranty
You can get the Godspeed MonoSS for the best price here:
GET MK4 JETTA GODSPEED MONOSS FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Solo-Werks S1
Lowering: 1.5-2.75 inches front and rear
Dampening adjustment: No
Price range: $499
If you are on a really tight budget but you need to lower your Jetta, the Solo-Werks S1’s are the way to go.
These coilovers are extremely cheap yet offer superb value for money and will make sure you still retain a comfortable street ride while going low.
Solo-Werks was actually started by ex-KW engineers, who used what they learned from working at KW to make a very good coilover kit for a very low price.
While they don’t have dampening adjustment, the twin-tube dampers are tuned for each specific vehicle to ensure excellent ride quality and can even handle some track use.
The shock bodies are heavy gold zinc plated for maximum corrosion resistance, and have been salt spray tested for 500 hours to ensure that rust won’t be an issue.
These coilovers also feature special elastomer progressive bump stops which are designed to soften the blow of bottoming out, further increasing ride comfort.
They also come with a 3 year warranty, which is unheard of at these price levels and shows how much Solo-Werks stand behind their product.
Overall, if you are looking for a budget coilover kit for your MK4 Jetta, you are going to struggle to find anything better for anywhere near this price.
Features include:
- Ride height adjustment by the spring perch, lowers 1.5-2.75 inches front and rear
- Twin tube dampers tuned specifically for the vehicle
- Heavy gold zinc plated shock bodies which have been salt spray tested for 500 hours to ensure excellent corrosion resistance
- Elastomer progressive bump stops for added comfort
- 3 year warranty
- Boesheild T-9 lubricant/protectant for the adjustment threads
You can get the Solo-Werks S1 coilovers for the best price here:
GET MK4 JETTA SOLO-WERKS S1 FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Top 2 Coilover Picks for the Volkswagen Jetta MK4
Now I’m going to give you my top 2 picks from this list to help you further narrow down the choice. One for best value for money, and one for best overall.
Best Value for Money: BC Racing BR Series
The BC Racing BR Series are a very impressive coilover kit that has proven itself many times over. From street to track, these coilovers offer consistent performance, a comfortable ride and a huge range of customization options, all for just a little over $1000.
As far as value for money goes, these coilovers easily take that title, and are a great choice for street cars, going low as well as cars that will see the track.
GET MK4 JETTA BC RACING BR SERIES FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Best Overall: KW V3
KW put an incredible amount of engineering into their coilovers in order to produce the best product possible for its intended use. As far as the V3s go, if you are looking for a coilover kit that will give you excellent road comfort while still offering great performance at the track, these are about as good as it gets.
While they certainly are not cheap, KW does back them up with a lifetime warranty and they can be rebuilt, so you shouldn’t ever have to replace them (unless you want to upgrade).
GET MK4 JETTA KW V3 FOR THE BEST PRICE HERE
Conclusion
I hope that this guide has helped you to select the right coilover kit for your MK4 Jetta. If you need any further information, have any questions or would like to suggest another kit to be included in this list, feel free to post in the comments below.
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
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