Volkswagen CC Coilover Upgrade Guide

Surprisingly enough, a lowered or slammed CC actually looks pretty good. The Volkswagen CC is a four-door coupe variant of the Passat and was first introduced in 2008. Unfortunately, the demand didn’t meet Volkswagen’s expectations, so they discontinued it in 2017. It certainly doesn’t look like something you would think about lowering but when dropped and stanced out it actually makes the CC look a lot more sporty and appealing.

The CC actually had some solid suspension out of the factory with MacPherson front struts and multi-link axle in the back. With its 2.0L TSI and 3.6L 4motion engines, the CC was a fun ride. Since the CC was only discontinued about 5 years ago, the OE suspension should still be pretty solid. However, if you are looking to enhance the CC’s look, a great set of coilovers will do the trick.

Furthermore, even with solid OE suspension a good set of coilovers can also improve both the handling and cornering. However, be cautious as a low quality and cheap set of coilovers can actually decrease performance and ride quality so stick to reputable brands.

VW CC Coilovers Considerations

When it comes to purchasing a coilover kit, there are a lot of components to take into consideration: coilovers vs lowering springs, monotube vs twin-tube design, spring rates, dampening and more. However, before looking at any of the listed considerations, it’s important to layout the suspension goals you are going for. Are you wanting your CC to be stanced? Are you looking to improve handling drastically? Or are you taking your CC out to the track on the weekends and daily driving it during the week? These are all things to think about before looking into what coilover best suits you and your lifestyle.

There are hundreds of coilover kit options out there for many different driving conditions. We are assuming that a lot of our CC readers are looking to go low with a solid bang-for-your-buck coilover setup. However, we don’t want to rule out any other readers that are taking their CC to the track. So let’s jump into things to consider when looking at purchasing coilovers.

Coilovers vs. Lowering Springs

This is always a heavily debated topic when it comes to lowering a vehicle. To start this debate off, we don’t find anything wrong with either, but we personally like coilovers over lowering springs and we’ll go into why. We don’t have anything against lowering springs if a driver’s sole goal is to lower their vehicle and center of gravity. If this is you, go for lowering springs. However, if you save up a little longer and a couple more hundred bucks, you could get coilovers that not only lower your vehicle, but also allow you to customize your driving experience. On top of that, you also get upgraded struts and shocks. Again, we don’t see anything wrong with going with a cheaper set of lowering springs vs coilovers. We’re just putting our opinion out there for others to consider.

Monotube vs. Twin-Tube

This topic can be a bit confusing if you go into too much detail, so we will refrain and only focus on the high level information so it is easier to understand. Monotube and twin-tube focuses on the internals of the coilovers.

Monotube coilovers contain a single chamber that house both hydraulic fluid and hydraulic gas. The technology with this design is to not allow these two substances to mix ever. This leads to more precise and stiffer suspension. With that said, monotubes are usually made for moderate street cars and track cars. As you can imagine, these tend to be more expensive.

Twin-tubes are on the other hand are designed as it sounds. Instead of a single chamber containing both hydraulic substances, there a two chambers, one containing hydraulic gas and the other containing hydraulic fluid. The downside of this is that the mixing of these substances is possible. When that happens, it causes less precise suspension. Now this isn’t a bad thing if you are using these for stance or are wanting a more comfortable driving experience. Twin-tube coilovers tend to be less expensive than monotube’s and provide a softer suspension.

Coilover Spring Rates

Springs are crucial components in a suspension. They control the vehicle’s ability to absorb bumps, bounce, and create a lower center of gravity when loaded. Spring rates specifically relate to the amount of weight or force it takes to compress a spring by 1 inch. Depending on where you are located, this can be measured by lb/in or KG/mm.

Let’s go into more detail. A higher spring rate, or 420lb/in, means that it takes 420 pounds to compress the spring by 1 inch, which will yield a stiffer suspension. A lower spring rate, or 230 lb/in, means that it takes 230 pounds to compress the spring by 1 inch, which will yield a softer, more comfortable suspension. Most aftermarket coilover kits will have higher spring rates than the OE suspension.

Dampening Adjustability

Lastly, probably one of the most important considerations, is dampening. Dampening refers to the control of the compression of the springs and how quickly they rebound following compression. So, dampening adjustability refers to having the ability to adjust the control of the compression and rebound. If a coilover kit happens to have adjustable dampening, this will allow the driver to have more control over the driving experience.

Adjustable dampening will more than likely be found on moderate street cars to track setups because more precision is wanted and needed. Now, not all coilover kits have adjustable dampening. So what do they have instead? Fixed dampening, which isn’t a bad thing to have, it just doesn’t allow as much customization from a driver’s perspective. But coilover kits that have fixed dampening are made to provide optimal dampening levels to the end consumer out of the box.

VW CC Coilover Benefits

• Ride height adjustability/Lowers center of gravity
• Dampening adjustability
• More comfortable driving experience
• Improved handling

Best CC Coilovers

When it comes to the “best” coilover kits, we think this question is rather subjective. As we’ve stated before, not all drivers want the same things out of an aftermarket coilover kit. With that in mind, it’s hard saying what the best coilover kits are, so instead we will provide our favorites in different categories. We have a stanced/daily driver kit listed, mild to aggressive street car kit listed, and aggressive street car to rack car listed. We’ve spent a lot of time scrolling through CC owner forums to find what coilover kits are most popular and have compiled the list below. Let us know your what coilover kit you are running in the comments below!

1) Raceland CC Coilovers

After scrolling through many forums, there seems to be mixed reviews for Raceland coilovers. Some love them for the price, while others claim they are inferior to many other aftermarket brands. We personally like Raceland coilovers because they provide the biggest bang-for-your-buck coilover kit. We can ensure the products Raceland rolls out are still high-quality. How so? Raceland sells directly to the consumer, which in turn eliminates the fees to the middle man, which passes the savings to the consumer. There are 3 different Raceland coilovers for the Volkswagen CC: classic, Ultimo, and Primo. This allows the driver to choose what driving experience they would like. Their twin-tube design features a 1-4″ drop in ride height, fixed and adjustable dampening, optional strut mounts, and more.

Along with the kit, Raceland offers a lifetime warranty, 30-day satisfaction guarantee, and great customer service. In our opinion, Raceland’s are the best cost-efficient, high-quality option out there for daily drivers. Since there are 3 options, we would highly advise going with the Ultimo or Primo set.

Driver: Stance or Street
Lowering: 1-4″
Price: $439
Buy Here: Raceland Volkswagen CC Coilovers

2) ST CC Coilovers

Next, a tier up, is the ST CC coilovers. This set is specifically for drivers that want increased handling on the streets and moderate ride height adjustability. Starting at $1,224, these are a little on the expensive side for coilovers, but for good reason. This set has good reviews and many VW CC owners vouching for them. Their twin-tube design is produced with high-quality components to ensure longevity. They provide ride height adjustability of 1.40-2.60”, fixed dampening, and an adjustable spring plate. If you have a little more money to spend and are focusing on improving ride quality and handling, ST’s are the way to go.

Driver: Street
Lowering: 1.40-2.60″
Price: $1,224 + Free Shipping
Buy Here: ST Volkswagen CC Performance Coilovers

3) Bilstein CC Coilovers

Bilstein’s makes our list once again for top coilover setups. The company has been around for many decades and for good reason. They are known for building high quality street and track coilover setups. The PSS10 coilover kit is no exception. It provides ride height adjustability of 1-1.75”, adjustable dampening, and their Triple C technology which ensures longevity and resists corrosion better than other brands. Starting at $1,973, these are specifically made for aggressive street cars and track cars.

Driver: Street or Track
Lowering: 1-1.75″
Price: $1,973 + Free Shipping
Buy Here: Bilstein Volkswagen CC PSS10 Coilover Kit

VW CC Coilovers Conclusion

To wrap up this post, we hope the information provided has assisted you in your purchasing decision. Again, all drivers do not have the same vehicle goals when it comes to a new suspension. Some want stiff and precise, while others want stance, but most coilover kits will contain the above considerations. Put simply, if you are looking for a solid daily driver kit that lets you go low, go with Raceland. If you are wanting to build a track CC and need stiffer suspension, go with Bilstein. Something we want to reiterate is to make sure you do your own research as well.