ABT Golf VS4 – GTI Killer

Because most German roads are consistently good, many of the uprated suspension kits developed in Germany are downright uncomfortable on the broken road surfaces of England or California.

This has been my experience with almost every modified Golf GTI I’ve driven since 1981. Both generations of factory Golf R32 were borderline filling removers, while tuner versions of the independently-sprung GTI Mk 5 were only slightly better.

Imagine my surprise then when I rode out in Abt’s Golf 6 VS4 recently and experienced an almost limo-like ride quality both at town speeds and on the autobahn. When I later commented on this back at base, Florian Buengener, Abt’s effusive PR chief, explained that this was Christian Abt’s target for all their new sport suspension systems.

As a DTM (German Touring Car Championship) ace, Christian knows a thing or two about driving and setting up cars. “While stiff suspension works on a billiard-table-smooth track, real world roads need good wheel travel and a compliant secondary ride to keep the tyres in contact with the tarmac,” he explained. “In that respect, ride comfort and effective power deployment work hand-in-glove.”

Unlike racecars with their seam-welded bodyshells and full roll cages, road cars, especially hatchbacks with large tailgate openings, tends to flex over bumps. The sports suspension then has to be made fairly stiff to compensate.

However, advances in computer-aided design that enable stronger, stiffer and lighter bodyshells has made it easier to maintain suspension geometric accuracy under load. This in turn has made it possible to dial down spring and damper stiffness, especially in secondary ride.