Lowered suspension kit fails to lower car?

Sulzer_Mike

Sulzer_Mike

Registered User
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
24
Reaction score
0
Points
1
Location
Manchester
Hello folks,

Would anyone be able to advise me if my car looks as it should following the fitting of a KW suspension kit which is supposed to lower the car by 35mm? I had the suspension kit (click link to see kit) which was comprised of springs and shock absorbers, fitted yesterday and unless my eyes deceive me the car actually seems higher than it did before I had the new and supposedly lowered shocks and springs fitted. In fact to me it looks to be slightly jacked up at the rear.

The car seems to feel better on the road and it certainly takes the many bumps and speed humps on the roads where I live better with the new set up so there are no complaints in that department.

My car is a late 2008 facelift A3 Quattro 170bhp 3dr with after market 18“ alloys with an offset of 45 running on 225/40/18 rubber. According to the box in which the suspension kit come it was the right kit for my car. Is it possible the garage may have fitted the suspension wrong? I took it back today and they had it on the ramps double checking everything and they said it was ok - however I am not convinced and feedback would be greatly appreciated.

JackedUp00-1.jpg
http://www.europerformance.co.uk/pages/products/product_info.mhtml?product=3872676
 
Last edited:
I know it takes some time for the suspension to settle but im not sure how long, Forum Guru N8 would though ;-)

I've a standard a3 sport with same size of wheels & my suspension is definately lower than that. The 35mm drop will be from standard SE height so if have a sport or an s-line it wont drop it as much as 35mm.
 
This site has been doing some crazy stuff today. Somebody else posted in another thread and it took about 4 hours to appear.
 
Being a fairly large and busy community, we find ourselves under attack from spam with ever growing frequency, so we're now running quite an aggressive anti-spam system. It's actually been in place for a good month or two, so I'm sure you'll agree it's doing fairly well at going about its business fairly quietly. Occasionally though, it gets a bit excited by posts which are link/image-heavy, particularly from users who haven't been in the database for very long. These posts are put into a queue for manual approval, therefore there can sometimes be a bit of a delay.

Cheers,

Rob.
 
This is why I always say go COILOVERS! As you have height adjustability. With springs you're f'd basically as it'll be either too low or too high, and what can you do about it? NOTHING. Except take it out again, which is MORE time or more MONEY for someone else to do it.

Suspension takes around 1000 miles to bed in properly.
 
No way should your car be THAT high after lowering, IMO.

If yours is an SE then you should see the full 35mm drop eventually, or at least 25mm until it settles.

Looking again, the front might be ok actually. But the rear looks way too high.
At the rear mine has only been lowered by an extra 10mm on yours but looks loads lower, and its not fully settled yet.
 
Last edited:
From my experiences in the past, the more expensive kits don't really settle much, whereas the cheaper ones usually settle about 10mm. Some expensive makes even put the fact that their kits don't need 'settling' in as a selling point.
I've always had around 10mm of settling though, which still makes yours look too high. I'm sure that it shouldn't sit like that.

I used to be manager of a car tuning and styling shop and we had our fair share of problems with suspension kits. It's not impossible for the kit to be made or boxed wrong. We used to do all the run of the mill stuff like Spax, Jamex and PI, and we had instances with all of them where cars have sat uneven after lowering. The manufacturers were all good at taking them back and swapping them over, but they never covered the cost of fitting it all again.
If you can, physically read the part numbers off of the shocks and springs and check with the manufacturer that they are correct for the kit.
 
if that was my car id put the old stuff back on its looks way to high
 
Another thing... that kit you bought says its for 2.0 AND 3.2, but when you look on KWs website and some retailers they show seperate kits for both... i.e. one for TDIs and one for 3.2s.

Also, for the quattro I can only see 30mm lowering kits. The one you've got is 35mm which only seems to be available for FWD.

See here ----> Audi A3 suspension from KW
 
Thanks for the feedback folks - much appreciated.:thumbsup:

Well on the plus point, at least I can say I am not imagining it as everyone agrees it is not right. On the negative front I am now stuck with it because the garage has got rid of my old shockers and springs so I now have to find a solution to the problem.

Does anyone have any idea if rear springs on an A3 can be fitted upside down and if so is it possible it could cause this kind of problem? I think I am clutching at straws with that theory in the hope a quick fix can be found but somehow I doubt that it will be that easy in this case.

Ads makes an interesting point about some retailers listing a separate kit for the 3.2 and 2.0 Tdi Quattro. I thought this anomaly was odd before I ordered as it is almost sure a six cylinder 3.2 will weigh more than a four cylinder diesel. I did ring the retailer before ordering and I was given cast iron guarantees that the kit I was ordering was the correct kit for the car.

Flying Oyster’s suggestion about the snow is interesting because my first thought was it will be better in the snow because it will have improved ground clearance but on the down side it might not snow this year and can I put up with the embarrassment of driving around in a partially jacked up A3 until next year? I am becoming paranoid, probably with good reason, that other A3 drivers are looking at me thinking what is that numpty playing at with his jacked up Quattro.

Any suggestions or solutions to this problem would be greatly appreciated and in the mean time I will have to contact KW and see what they make of it.
　
　


　
　
　
　
　
 
Khufu said:
is there any way you can take a pic of the rear springs on the car?
Click to expand...

Yes, I will do it when it is light tomorrow and upload the picture. I suppose if the rear springs were installed upside down - but the garage did assure me that they were not*, instead of lowering the car they may have the opposite effect and push it up?

*The garage which installed the kit were not suspension specialists and I still have a suspicion they may have made some kind of monumental blunder when installing the kit.
 
The actual fitting isnt rocket science, expecially the rears. If the springs are seated in the rubber mounts top & bottom then they must be in right.
 
N8 said:
This is why I always say go COILOVERS! As you have height adjustability. With springs you're f'd basically as it'll be either too low or too high, and what can you do about it? NOTHING. Except take it out again, which is MORE time or more MONEY for someone else to do it.

Suspension takes around 1000 miles to bed in properly.
Click to expand...

^^ This. Although Bedding in means it might drop 5-10mm at best. Your gonna need a bedding in miracle :)
 
Last edited:
That does not look right at all! Also if you look at our listings we don't list a 35mm kit for the Quattro 2.0 TDI, only 30mm. So it is possibly the wrong kit. If you get the part numbers from the shocks and springs I would contact KW and ask them. We only have part numbers for the full kit here or I would check them for you.

Audi - A3 8P (03-) - Suspension Kits - GNJ Motorsport
 
Khufu said:
is there any way you can take a pic of the rear springs on the car?
Click to expand...

Pictures of the springs. The springs have the numbers 280116 280011 and the shock absorbers 61K 80 054 CKF 159

IMG_2372.jpg
IMG_2370.jpg
IMG_2369.jpg
IMG_2366.jpg
IMG_2357.jpg
IMG_2356.jpg
 
Last edited:
audi upgrades
That doesn't look right. I'm no expert or anything, but don't think there should be 3 coils touching when the car is unladen and stationary. How is the ride quality? A bit crashy?
 
MartayMcFly said:
How is the ride quality? A bit crashy?
Click to expand...

No, quite the opposite. If anything it feels slightly over sprung. I was driving along the M62 in the Warrington area and anyone who knows this stretch of road will know it is quite uneven due to mining subsidence. As I drove along the car felt more like a large saloon than a small hatch due to the way it handled the uneven surface at speed.

I have not pushed it to the limit to evaluate how it handles when cornering at speed with this new set up as I am far from convinced that all is well regarding the fitting or the kit itself.

I have contacted KW in Germany explaining the situation but as of yet I have had no reply.
　
 
I'd 2nd that, they surely shouldn't be touching! Mind you, if they weren't it would be even higher?$%$^^!
 
You do normally get some coils that will be closer together, but usually at the ends. This is to help make the ride more progressive as some parts will be compressed easier than others. The gaps in yours should be more even I would've thought.
But I'd have to agree in that they don't usually touch in the middle. Although I've never seen other KW springs to compare them to.
 
Theres no way thats the correct kit for your car. You could call somewhere like Venom Motorsport and get them to confirm the correct part numbers for your car and compare to what you've got (or tell them your part numbers you have and see if they can match them?)

It is very odd though because its so high, like they are made for the extra weight of the 3.2, but it even seems a bit to high even for that!
 
Thanks for all the feedback.:beerchug:

This is really beginning to crack me up now, not only does the car look bad since it has had the new suspension fitted, but now it also has started to creak from the rear passenger side. Took it back to the garage which fitted the kit - for the third time, they sprayed some kind of lubricant which cured it for 10 minutes and now it creaks every time you go over a bump or brake.

I have been studying part numbers and the suspension kit I had delivered had the part number 20010055 and this kit supposedly fit’s the A3 Quattro 3.2, 2.0FSi and 2.0TDi. However the kit for the Sportback A3 Quattro 3.2, 2.0FSi and 2.0TDi also has the identical part number of 20010055 which means the 3dr and Sportback A3 must have identical suspension? If buying KW springs on their own rather than part of the suspension kit, the part number is 25010055 and again this would suggest all 8P A3 Quattro’s share identical springs.

So good so far, but when looking at Eibach springs they appear to have different part numbers for the A3 Quattro 3.2, A3 Quattro Sportback and the A3 Quattro 3dr.

Does anyone know if A3 Sportback Quattro’s and A3 3dr Quattro’s have identical suspension? If they have different suspension I might then have a clue as to what’s gone wrong.
 
Last edited:
Hi m8, are the locating pegs fitted in place at the bottom
Of the spring carrier, i cant see in your pix, i ask coz if these
Arent properly in place the springs wont sit down deep
Inside the carrier, basically your looking for a metal fixing
Stud poking through the underside of the carrier, hth

Cal
 
I will check it out in the morning Cal - thanks for the suggestion. This picture shows more or less what the springs looked before they were fitted.
KWSuspension.jpg
 
I would doubt a 3.2 weighs more that a 2.0 TD, the 3.2 is not a heavy engine and in any case his extra ride height is all at the back. the 3.2 is one of the lightest/compact v6's made and is not carrying turbo's and intercoolers etc or its battery up front.
I am not a suspension guy but in the bike world springs are progressively wound and a spring that sits coil bound stationery and unladen is not actually a spring any more. There is without a doubt something very wrong there to the extent i would be worried about using it until i was sure i knew what was going on. Especially as you say you have been on the motorway !!. If one of those springs brakes or the anti roll bar snaps ( i have had that after fitting Spax to a Manta) you WILL lose control. ( i span the Manta through 180 degrees on a gentle bend in the road).
 
Last edited:
I took the car into a suspension specialist (National Tyres) today and their suspension expert said the previous garage responsible for the fitting, fitted the suspension in the correct way. Nevertheless I requested they remove and re-fit the rear suspension just so I could have peace of mind. This they did and there is absolutely no difference.

The suspension ‘expert’ said it is almost certain I have been sent the wrong suspension kit or that components within the kit were wrong. He said not only was it too high at the back but he said the creaking sound was caused by the dust jackets which sit over the pistons on the rear shockers. He said they should be fairly loose fitting but in fact they were a really tight fit which he claimed was unusual.

Here are some pictures I took during the re-fitting episode today.

S15100051600x1200.jpg
S15100031600x1200.jpg
S15100021600x1200.jpg
S15100081600x1200.jpg
S15100101600x1200.jpg
S15100151600x1200.jpg
 
i'd agree, the springs have been fitted correctly by the look of the pictures. It has to be a fault with the springs themselves. I'd say they have been boxed wrong TBH, any year appropriate rear VAG range spring would look better even if not actually correct for the car.
 
Just a quick update on this ongoing affair. Yesterday two new rear springs (pictured) arrived from KW in Germany. They believe these new springs will resolve the issue. The replacement springs have identical numbers and look the same as the springs currently on the car but they have not yet been fitted so I cannot make further comment at present.

Before the springs were dispatched I was asked, not unjustifiably from the manufacturers point of view, to measure the distance from the fender (wheel arch) to the centre of the hub. This I did and the measurements were

370mm front left
370mm front right
390mm rear right
390mm rear left

Since then I have become a bit of an anorak when it comes to A3 fender to hub measurements. I measured an 05 A3 Quattro S-Line 3dr and the fender to hub measurements were 370mm on all four corners. So it appears to me that my car has been lowered 15mm on the front to make it equal to a Quattro S-Line on the front but on the rear I believe it is higher than standard.

Does anyone else have a standard A3 Quattro and if so it would greatly appreciated if you could give the standard fender to hub measurements as I will probably get arrested for interfering with motor vehicles if I keep on measuring fender to hub distances of parked A3’s I spot when on my travels. A3 Quattro’s are surprisingly difficult to find when you are looking for one by the roadside!
　
IMG_2381.jpg
IMG_2384_edited-1.jpg
 
definately wrong springs that cars way to high go for h&r you wont be dissapointed
 
Hi Folks,

Just an update for anyone interested. I had the new rear springs, which were sent as replacements by KW, fitted today and they have now lowered the car to what in my opinion is an acceptable level.

It has been a lot of messing but I got there in the end. Sincere thanks for all the advice and feedback.:beerchug:

Side.jpg
Front.jpg
 
Hi Mike,
Interesting thread. That now looks much better!

Do you reckon you'll get any compo for the time/money you've had to waste so far?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

RobMorris
Soft lowered suspension
Replies
11
Views
3K
Rom
Rom
M
Looking to lower my car
Replies
1
Views
637
MartayMcFly
MartayMcFly
S
Lower suspension arms
Replies
12
Views
1K
scott909
S
Jambo26
Lowered My Car
Replies
4
Views
762
Jambo26
Jambo26
vorney
what to lower my car by
Replies
14
Views
946
FranA3
FranA3
Top
Back