Altea Freetrack TDI lowered

[mendez]

Nice to meet another Freetrack owner - and welcome to my thread too!

You have a very nice car (especially as it's a TSI) i've looked at a "Audi A3 TDI Quattro Sline car" and your rear has a lot less arch gap compared. As you have used standard xl springs at the front - It is definitely lower than a standard Freetrack. It's probably bouncy at the front due to the "spring rate". I think it's a great idea fitting "Eibach Pro line springs" and look forward to the results of: stance, comfort & driveability

Are you planning to get Skoda Yeti 4x4 Eibach Pro springs?

 

[Icarus83]

Hi Mendez, yes nice to meet a fellow Freetracker! Thanks for the compliments btw!! I'll add a few more pics in a bit. Added some PFL xenons most recently which look great IMO.

Yes planning to get the Yeti 4x4 Eibach springs. The Sline springs I have fitted (rear) normally take 25mm off compared to non-sline ride height on the A3s, so a 35 lowering spring should theoretically take me approx 10mm lower at the back, and 35mm lower at the front which should be perfect.

When I fitted the std XL springs to the front they did drop the 40mm expected (as the Freetracks are 40mm higher from the factory). Tbh the front spring rate is fine, it's the rear that bounces more. I still reckon the A3 quattro springs are not quite man enough for the fatter rear of the Freetrack.

 

[mendez]

I've had a light smoke film applied to the rear lights and reflectors & replaced all bulbs with LED (including canbus decoders). I used red bulbs for brake lights, side lights and fog light, as white bulbs made everything look pink Side indicator/ repeaters have been converted to LED. I'm undecided whether to go ahead and do the same at the headlights. Last time i changed a front indicator - it was a bumper off and headlight out job faff...So it would be cool to see what your "PFL xenons" look like

 

[Icarus83]

Here's the PFL xenons:

Sent from my M2007J3SG using Tapatalk

 

[mendez]

Here's the PFL xenons: View attachment 31302 View attachment 31303 View attachment 31304 View attachment 31306 View attachment 31307

Sent from my M2007J3SG using Tapatalk

Those lights are epic!!

How long have you had them installed? How are they at night compared to OEM? Any adjustments needed? MOT passable?

 

[Icarus83]

Those lights are epic!!

How long have you had them installed? How are they at night compared to OEM? Any adjustments needed? MOT passable?

Prob about a year, I have a friendly MOTer so never had a problem, but the car has washers so on the surface looks OEM and I dont think you'd have an issue. They are genuine Leon/Altea pre face lift xenons. I prefer them to the chrome dome normal versions you see on most cars. Much classier and look like they have been Joey-modded from the factory- and they seem to be cheaper than the chrome ones. They are Bi-Xenon but I haven't wired that function in yet.

Needed Kufatec loom adaptors as the connector/pinouts are different from Halogen clusters, and also if you don't code them properly in VCDS the bulbs will flicker. 6k bulbs fitted. Would prefer some 5k's but less places seem to do E marked ones in that colour.

Light output is ok, not as wow'd as I thought I'd be - could be colour temp though. I have a 2004 Touran that I also retrofitted xenons to and the output of those is definitely better comparably. These are Lumex bulbs as they are only £30 a pair for D1Ss, you may find OSRAM or Phillips are better for output.

 

[mendez]

Prob about a year, I have a friendly MOTer so never had a problem, but the car has washers so on the surface looks OEM and I dont think you'd have an issue. They are genuine Leon/Altea pre face lift xenons. I prefer them to the chrome dome normal versions you see on most cars. Much classier and look like they have been Joey-modded from the factory- and they seem to be cheaper than the chrome ones. They are Bi-Xenon but I haven't wired that function in yet.

Needed Kufatec loom adaptors as the connector/pinouts are different from Halogen clusters, and also if you don't code them properly in VCDS the bulbs will flicker. 6k bulbs fitted. Would prefer some 5k's but less places seem to do E marked ones in that colour.

Light output is ok, not as wow'd as I thought I'd be - could be colour temp though. I have a 2004 Touran that I also retrofitted xenons to and the output of those is definitely better comparably. These are Lumex bulbs as they are only £30 a pair for D1Ss, you may find OSRAM or Phillips are better for output.

Very valuable info - much appreciated

 

[mendez]

So the correct tyre profile for the Freetrack is 225/50/17. I decided to go with 225/45/17 as seen in my original images when I replaced them (way cheaper) but my latest tyres are 225/50/17. Slightly less arch gap and with he springs settled, looks pretty level

 

[mendez]

Until recently I was running 10mm spacers in the rear. There was the slightest of rubbing on offside rear tyre on tight corners at speed. Removed them because i had to do a "tip" run with a load of weight in the rear. Didnt think it was wise to kill brand new tyres. I will be getting the camber adjusted (probably need around 1-2mm to prevent rubbing) I recon if I had stayed with 225/45/17 tyres, I wouldnt have run into this issue as the tyres are less bulgy

 

[Icarus83]

So the correct tyre profile for the Freetrack is 225/50/17. I decided to go with 225/45/17 as seen in my original images when I replaced them (way cheaper) but my latest tyres are 225/50/17. Slightly less arch gap and with he springs settled, looks pretty level
View attachment 31319

Yep, I have 225 45s on mine too for that reason, although looking at yours the 50 profile does look better. Due to get some new fronts soonish so will look at fatter options. I have some Audi A5 17" with dead winter tyres on so may get them fitted to those......ET28.....nom!

 

[mendez]

Yep, I have 225 45s on mine too for that reason, although looking at yours the 50 profile does look better. Due to get some new fronts soonish so will look at fatter options. I have some Audi A5 17" with dead winter tyres on so may get them fitted to those......ET28.....nom!

Nice wheels the 50 profile does ride smoother..with no real loss in performance (i was worried about that aspect) The Freetrack is an absolute weapon in the snow I've surprised scoobys and all sorts! even in the pissing rain, the grip on launch and turn in/turn out is a real joy to experience in such a "bulbous" vehicle. It shouldn't perform soo well....but it does. It's a shame SEAT marketed it wrong. IF they hadn't raised the suspension (suv style) and instead slapped it with a cupra badge like the MK1 Leon and Ibiza. I reckon the model would still exist today

 

[Icarus83]

Nice wheels the 50 profile does ride smoother..with no real loss in performance (i was worried about that aspect) The Freetrack is an absolute weapon in the snow I've surprised scoobys and all sorts! even in the pissing rain, the grip on launch and turn in/turn out is a real joy to experience in such a "bulbous" vehicle. It shouldn't perform soo well....but it does. It's a shame SEAT marketed it wrong. IF they hadn't raised the suspension (suv style) and instead slapped it with a cupra badge like the MK1 Leon and Ibiza. I reckon the model would still exist today

Yo! Need to part with my Freetrack as have a new car and need the space......on the off chance, can I interest you mine super cheap for £1500? Can come with a ton on spare parts too if you need anything?

Let me know if you would like any info

 

[Ivan Ryban]

Hi pals! Thanks for an amazing source of inspiration for the spring setting.. I read it all and took every bit of advice i found I admire how profoundly you took up the challenge of improving the details on this fantastic car. I always thought I was the only one who understood how unique Freetrack really is, and now I am glad to have found a group who feel the same, even if there is only five of you

For now, I am planning to change just the springs. I am looking for something that will work with stock shocks as well as with sport upgrades later on (when the time comes to change them, too). What I am looking for is the best possible handling. I know some lowering will have to take place to achieve that, but lowering is not my target, I would prefer if the lowering was rather decent (3cm, not more?). Btw. mendez, how much did you lower your freetrack with the Golf 6 R setup you installed (compared to stock ride height)? Did you buy the original VW parts or chose some aftermarket brand that matched the OEM number?
I went through the possibilities you mentioned here, and finally found a new approach. I focused on Eibach portfolio, and what their offer is for the cars similar to Freetrack. That means similar year, similar weight, and ride height. That includes Passat (Alltrack), Touran, Yeti and.. Tiguan!! From those four I found Tiguan to be the closest match on spring height and load with Freetrack. This might be a great choice for the handling part, and I hope the lowering will be even (front to rear) of 35mm at most. What do you think? I have a 2.0 TSI 2011 version..

Thanks a lot.

 

[Ivan Ryban]

Very well, to answer my own question

I found some magnificent Russian forums, that I was aware of a long time ago drive2.ru

Freetrack is somewhat established car in Russia and gained much more respect and attention there, than anywhere else in the world.. Possibly because of its universal use and Russian harsh winters (?). Nevertheless, what those guys achieved with their Freetracks surpasses my wildest imaginations, in the best sense. Naturally, after trying all the close possibilities (Passat, Tiguan etc, in a way, what I was going to attempt.. and I was pretty sure of my choice..) they also found the correct Eibach combination for the car.. they are exactly what Icarus83 suggested here.. Yeti 4x4 Eibach pro kit, the stiffer option, namely E10-79-008-01-22. They seemed uneven to me, I felt the front would be lowered too much (357mm to 284mm), and the rear ack too little (364mm to 327mm), but somehow they claim the front lowers 30mm and the rear 35mm, and the driving capabilities are the best of the Eibach options. So I guess I am going for the Eibach Yeti option, possibly add a 5mm ring to the rear spring to even the lowering. I do not understand how it works exactly, but it seems to ba a combination tried and approved by many Freetrackers there.. The only thing, that I could think of fot this to make sense to me is, that the Russian version of Freetrack came with different stock spring heights than European version.. Is that possible?

 

[Ivan Ryban]

Very well again, I hope this helps someone in the future, otherwise I feel like I am chatting with myself..

Eibach's pro-kit is where it belongs! I used the Yeti high load version and the lowering looks fantastic (and I am not into this kind of thing, I did it solely for driving pleasure, I was surprised myself at how much I liked the looks of the car when I saw it lowered for the first time)

I kept stock shock absorbers, but we replaced all mountings (plates in the back spring and mounting + ball bearings in the front), both silentblocks in the rear arm (used Powerflexes because the rubber ones were too short-lived there, especially the inner ones..), of course stabiliser connecting rods, and steering tie rod ends.. plus lower engine silentblock (with a Powerflex insert ) I used CSC5 AO tyres on stock rims (225/45 R17) and the first drive was a pure pleasure. Sure, it is not a racecar (for now ), but the improvement in handling as well as comfort (!!) is very pleasant! the car is much quieter and more comfortable on the road (with the exception of engine noise in the cabin ), much more stable over high speed travel on bumpy roads (which are abundant here..).. when I woke up today, everything was covered in snow, but the car sits and waits for the first sight of dry roads

 

[BASH29]

Very well again, I hope this helps someone in the future, otherwise I feel like I am chatting with myself..

Eibach's pro-kit is where it belongs! I used the Yeti high load version and the lowering looks fantastic (and I am not into this kind of thing, I did it solely for driving pleasure, I was surprised myself at how much I liked the looks of the car when I saw it lowered for the first time)

I kept stock shock absorbers, but we replaced all mountings (plates in the back spring and mounting + ball bearings in the front), both silentblocks in the rear arm (used Powerflexes because the rubber ones were too short-lived there, especially the inner ones..), of course stabiliser connecting rods, and steering tie rod ends.. plus lower engine silentblock (with a Powerflex insert ) I used CSC5 AO tyres on stock rims (225/45 R17) and the first drive was a pure pleasure. Sure, it is not a racecar (for now ), but the improvement in handling as well as comfort (!!) is very pleasant! the car is much quieter and more comfortable on the road (with the exception of engine noise in the cabin ), much more stable over high speed travel on bumpy roads (which are abundant here..).. when I woke up today, everything was covered in snow, but the car sits and waits for the first sight of dry roads

Hi Ivan, it's really good to see detailed info on best possible lowering options. Would it be possible for you to confirm ride height at arch tops and some pics would be amazing.

I own a 57 plate freetrack tsi and I'm looking to make some alterations.

Thanks

 

[Ivan Ryban]

Hi Ivan, it's really good to see detailed info on best possible lowering options. Would it be possible for you to confirm ride height at arch tops and some pics would be amazing.

I own a 57 plate freetrack tsi and I'm looking to make some alterations.

Thanks

Hi Bash,

sorry for my late reply, I kept thinking about your request for most part of the previous week, but I struggled to find an entirely flat spot to measure the heights on.. The numbers varied between 65 and 65,5 cm in the front and 66-67cm in the back, but when I found a spot where left and right heights matched (for each axle), it read 65 cm front height and 66,5 cm rear. I neglected to take note of these heights prior to spring change, so I am hoping you could tell me your measurements on stock springs?

POV photo:

The front is lower than the rear (that is, with unloaded car), but I am happy for this, as this should help the car "follow its nose" while driving, thus improve the handling sharpness of the car..

Ground level photo:

 

[Ivan Ryban]

Now I am about to change the shock absorbers. I will change rears first, as they need to be changed now, the front ones (stock) seem fine. As there are not many options for the Freetrack, I am considering a pair of Bilstein B6 or B8 shocks. My current reasoning is as follows: Since I am on lowered springs, I believe I could go for the shorter B8, which should provide better handling capabilities on smooth surfaces. In theory, B8 will allow less spring travel (from compressed to fully extended shock) than B6, which could be an issue on "bumpy" roads (which are much more abundant where I drive, than "perfect road surfaces"), because they may cause the wheel to lose contact with the road (due to its shorter "extended" length) more often than the longer B6.. This is my current dilemma, if anyone has any ideas about this issue, I will appreciate it greatly.. Thanks