advice for replacement springs - 8L S3

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rogerthat

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Hi

I noticed when fitting new rims to my vehicle (2000 8l s3) one of rear coil springs are bust.

So I presume it would be best to replace both rear springs at the very least, so looking at the option of replacing all four.
I know Eibach is an established brand but also quite expensive to put into an old car like mine. Also considering a slightly shorter spring.

Any recommendations are appreciated.
 
Was thinking the same thing after my MOT on Saturday failed due to a snapped spring on the front.

After reading a few threads a few people mentioned that the Apex set are OK, but not great on standard shock absorbers - also when lowing a lot of people say you need adjustable tie bars as you have significant chamber....

Anyhow.. I decided to stick with stock springs...
 
How much are a set of standard springs? If your not going to change the shocks then I wouldn't uprate the springs
 
Where abouts are you mate I have a nearly new rear spring for an S3 which you can have (or anybody else for that matter) for free if you pick it up from my house (Oxford)
 
Alex C said:
How much are a set of standard springs? If your not going to change the shocks then I wouldn't uprate the springs
Click to expand...

I got two standard springs from a local parts store for £61, they had an offer on - buy one get one half price :arco:
 
I had this 18 months ago, went down the Bilstein B8 and Eibach spring route, not cheap buit, very worthwhile. If your only going to stick with standard dampers I'd stick with standard srpings and do them as a pair.
 
Thanks hoggy for the offer. I am based in the Netherlands at the moment, will look a bit online.
I will try source a pair of stock sized rears for my cabby.
 
sorry to hijack the thread, sportsquattro how much of an improvement would you say B8's are? I find the standard setup slightly harsh.. especially when hitting pot holes (which seem to be increasing by the day) so was wondering if it's worth keeping my eye out for some B8's..
 
stock setup harsh!? I also have B8s with HnR springs and they are stiffer than standard but still not a harsh ride.
 
Yeah I actually tense up when I'm going over a speed bump, and don't take that as I'm going over bumps at 120mph.
unless the spring has been snapped since owning the car (few months) and causing the shock to bbottom out every time I hit a bump.

ill find out on Thursday night when I pick the car up after new springs and CV
boots :arco:
 
std dampers are a little wallowy and tbh given the age of the car are not going to be fresh... bottoming out std dampers could just be due to them being tired...

Billy B8's and a suitable spring set (Apex -30's, H&R -25's or Eibach Pro's) will make the car feel amazing in comparison...

Your top mounts are most likely in need of replacing too as these tend to go soft fairly quickly...

<tuffty/>
 
As mentioned depending on the mileage covered if you're going for an aftermarket shorter spring it may also be worth while changing your dampers at the same time.

Damian @ DPM Performance
 
Continuing to hijack here.. apologies.
Car has done nearly 140,000 what I believe are standard shocks. Front spring has snapped and was just going to replace the 2 front springs with standard items (£60) however after reading I'm sort of leaning towards new springs and dampers all way round.

Just seen AP-Racing new springs and dampers all way round for £290 delivered.. can any of you guys above beat that price or can anyone recommend this set up? are adjustable tie bars needed with this? thanks!
 
140k on original shocks and springs..... yeah you may want to look at having the lot replaced. Original bushes/top mounts as well?
 
Alex C said:
140k on original shocks and springs..... yeah you may want to look at having the lot replaced. Original bushes/top mounts as well?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing they are yeah.. car has some history with it - none of which are spring or damper related so it's only a guess.
From what I saw of the damper on Saturday after it failed the MOT the paint had started to rust, so I'd say they haven't been replaced for 5 years at least. Again, nothing in the history for top mounts or bushes - but no suspension creak so I'd say they were OK. I do feel every bump in the road though with the set-up I'm running at the moment.. Drove a MK2 Golf GTI on JOM's for about 6 month, I'd say my standard set-up is only slightly softer than that.
 
russwuss said:
Continuing to hijack here.. apologies.
Car has done nearly 140,000 what I believe are standard shocks. Front spring has snapped and was just going to replace the 2 front springs with standard items (£60) however after reading I'm sort of leaning towards new springs and dampers all way round.

Just seen AP-Racing new springs and dampers all way round for £290 delivered.. can any of you guys above beat that price or can anyone recommend this set up? are adjustable tie bars needed with this? thanks!
Click to expand...

Don't need adjustable tiebars for an S3 (helps if you state model and year of your car when asking these questions)... AP coilovers are ok but they are budget and all that comes with budget gear...

Plenty of people use them, I am not a massive fan of coilovers as I think they are too hard/harsh for road use... billy B8's and any of the spring setup I mentioned earlier are night and day better for a road car...

<tuffty/>
 
Sorry.. it's a 2001 AMK S3.

The AP Kit I was looking at isn't coilovers, it's a spring and damper set. I don't need to constantly lower / higher the suspension so there would be no point in going for coilovers..

AP kit is below btw.. 10% off at the moment.

AUDI A3 8L 96-04 1.8T 1.9TDI S3 QUATTRO AP SPORT SUSPENSION 40/30 LOWERING KIT | eBay

Thanks for the advice, my budget can't stretch to B8's at the moment.. as I know you've recommended them, and I've seen many others that run them.
 
<tuffty/> said:
AP coilovers are ok but they are budget and all that comes with budget gear...

<tuffty/>
Click to expand...

I'm currently running AP coilovers and haven't had any issues in the past year of having them on, and I've given my car quiet a bit of stick.

Just out of curiosity, if the £450 AP coilovers are considered 'budget' what would the FK kits and numerous other far cheaper brands be described as?
 
You know what... that could be my bad... I have been looking at budget coilovers for my Mk2 Golf and could have sworn I was looking at AP's that were sub £200... lol

If they are around the £450 mark then I would still say the B8's are a better choice but then it is personal preference... I had Spax adjustables on my A4 and while I do like a firm ride I found them to be too firm and that was even after turning the damping down a bit...

From what I have seen most decent coilover setups are in the £500-£1000 region... coilovers are generally track orientated and therefore designed to give decent damping (adjustable in some cases) when running a lot lower than a typical road application...

My personal experience with coilovers suggests the ride quality decreases the lower you go unless the dampers are adjustable in some way which is why I went for Spax RSX on my A4...

Adjustable coilovers are expensive sadly..

<tuffty/>
 
rogerthat said:
looking at fixing the direct problem now on my rear i found the following (so far the cheapest):
TRW Audi | Euro Car Parts UK’s No.1 Car Parts Retailer

Anyone run these in their S3 before?
Click to expand...

Roger

These springs are for mk1 TT 8N chassis & aren't listed under the S3. They would replace the slightly lower OEM Sline springs (usually found to have red dots). I actually want to purchase these springs, expect a 10mm drop to your standard ones. Would be interested to see the results once your done. I didn't do my homework & purchased the 204mm TRW spring which sits really high so don't even bother with them.
 
<tuffty/> said:
You know what... that could be my bad... I have been looking at budget coilovers for my Mk2 Golf and could have sworn I was looking at AP's that were sub £200... lol

If they are around the £450 mark then I would still say the B8's are a better choice but then it is personal preference... I had Spax adjustables on my A4 and while I do like a firm ride I found them to be too firm and that was even after turning the damping down a bit...

From what I have seen most decent coilover setups are in the £500-£1000 region... coilovers are generally track orientated and therefore designed to give decent damping (adjustable in some cases) when running a lot lower than a typical road application...

My personal experience with coilovers suggests the ride quality decreases the lower you go unless the dampers are adjustable in some way which is why I went for Spax RSX on my A4...

Adjustable coilovers are expensive sadly..

<tuffty/>
Click to expand...

Cool Cool...just checking as I always saw the AP coilovers as a good medium between budgets (FKs) and the pricey stuff (KW3s) which is why I went for them. Was only asking in case something had come to light regarding the AP coilovers to now warrant them as budgets.

They are harder than OEM - but I did think the standard suspension was a bit soft for a performance hatchback and I definitely needed the car lowered once I had 18s on her.
 
russwuss said:
sorry to hijack the thread, sportsquattro how much of an improvement would you say B8's are? I find the standard setup slightly harsh.. especially when hitting pot holes (which seem to be increasing by the day) so was wondering if it's worth keeping my eye out for some B8's..
Click to expand...

Russwuss. The improvement is huge, very composed yet compliant ride, one thing I did not want was a rock hard crashy ride. Comfort levels as standard but car corners much flatter with less roll and just feels so much better than standard. Definately a very worthwhile upgrade.
 
sportquattro said:
Russwuss. The improvement is huge, very composed yet compliant ride, one thing I did not want was a rock hard crashy ride. Comfort levels as standard but car corners much flatter with less roll and just feels so much better than standard. Definately a very worthwhile upgrade.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice! Brought a set of AP springs and dampers all round today, so hopefully they are close to the B8's in terms of handling and comfort. Can't wait to get 'um fitted now.
 
I've got AP coilovers on my s3 and i find the ride comfort to be pretty decent. Saying that though, my past experiance with coilovers are only with JOMs wound all the way down on my mk2/mk4 golf.
 
<tuffty/> said:
Don't hold yer breath on the comfort side dude...

<tuffty/>
Click to expand...

I did say close haha, anything is better than the standard set up I have at the moment.
Decided to go for springs and dampers over coilovers though, not interested in going stupidly low.. would like to have my car dyno'd and mapped one day :drool:
 
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