Coilovers, but which make?

_GRP_

_GRP_

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So I want to lower my car, and was originally thinking Elbach Springs, but now I'm thinking coilovers.
These maybe more practice, as I don't want the car to bottom out if it's fully loaded.

Loving the stance of Coling's Sportback here: http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-...ore-requesting-pics-specific-wheels**-52.html

Am awaiting a reply to see what he's using.
With so many coilovers makes available, what do I look for when buying?

Sorry if this has been covered before, I did try the search facility.
George
 
like most things, depends how much £££ you want to spend.... once you know your budget, i'm sure the good people on here will give you good advise :thumbsup:
 
Yep and Damian is your best port of call :salute:
my sportlines look mint !
 
I'd say the main thing after figuring out your budget, is to sort what you're after from the coilovers - reliability, comfort, ease of adjustment, range of adjustment? Also, I'd say go for stainless ones, so they don't seize during the typically wet winter we're likely to have ahead of us.
 
To be honest I'd imagine once set, I'd not fiddle and leave how they are, so maybe just spings afterall?
Just don't want any rubbing if fully loaded, but most springs are uprated anyway.
Doing this for looks really, but I don't really want the ride any harder then standard s-line suspension.

Really don't know, what are the pros/cons for both?
 
moag/n8.

But are coilovers overkill for what I'm after.
As mentioned, just want it sitting nice. If just springs I hear Eibach have the lowest drop?
Can't imagine I'd ever tweak coilovers if I had them, so are they a bit of a waste of money for what I'm after... could spend the difference on other mods, revised rear lights for example!
 
Replied to your PM.
I had eibach lowering springs on previously, wasnt low enough for me.
Currently got JOM coilovers on, cheap as chips and I have no complaints been on well over a year.
 
I've got H&R springs on, and happy with the drop, but the ride is top of my "get it fixed" list. Was going for a set of coils on here, but apparently my bank is too slow transferring money. If you get uprated springs, I recommend getting shocks to match (Bilstein B8s, probably), but then you're into coilover money anyway.
 
Exactly Mart, and if at a later date you decide "Ohh, the car is too low/high" then you have to have it all taken out again, and reinstall coilovers resulting in a waste of time & money.
 
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N8 said:
Exactly Mart, and if at a later date you decide "Ohh, the car is too low/high" then you have to have it all taken out again, and reinstall coilovers resulting in a waste of time & money.
Click to expand...

^^^THIS!!! Nothing worse than reverse rake or high/low. Most who buy springs buy twice and pay twice for install. I have H&R with the front 2 VA coil on my car and pss10's on the rabbit. H&R alittle more back and teeth friendly but I love both
 
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tcardio said:
^^^THIS!!! Nothing worse than reverse rake or high/low. Most who buy springs buy twice and pay twice for install. I have H&R with the front 2 VA coil on my car and pss10's on the rabbit. H&R alittle more back and teeth friendly but I love both
Click to expand...

Tom, I know you know. But lots on here DON'T LISTEN TO ME :laugh:
 
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i listen to you N8, your wise beyond your years :laugh:
 
Anyone run FK coils on their A3's? I've had them on my last 3 cars and they've always been great with regards to comfort/price, especially the Konigsport range (height/damping adj)
 
audi upgrades
The only counter argument I have to the coily position is as follows:

In the main coilovers are used by race teams as they are highly adjustable, and allow the car to be trued up (ride height wise) after corner weighting to ensure the car is level. That's why coilovers were invented to the best of my knowledge.

Yes they allow the average person who wants a very particular ride height / set up to achieve this, or give occasional track dayers a range of option set ups, but unless they are quite easy to adjust the chances are you won't! And when you do unless you buy decent (stainless / inox coated ones), by the time you come to adjust them after a harsh winter you can't because everything will have corroded!

I've had H&R coilies on a Lupo GTi, Weitecs on a Mk2 Golf, and Bilsteins on a Leon Cupra R, and I've gone back to spring damper combo as it's less hassle for me personally. All were good, but just overkill for my needs.

I'm now running Eibach Prokit springs to reduce front rake issue and I'm going to switch to Koni FSD dampers next year (which offer a mag ride style adjustment).

To be honest most things are better than the OEM's, I don't know where Audi source their dampers and springs but they bite!
 
tcardio said:
^^^THIS!!! Nothing worse than reverse rake or high/low. Most who buy springs buy twice and pay twice for install. I have H&R with the front 2 VA coil on my car and pss10's on the rabbit. H&R alittle more back and teeth friendly but I love both
Click to expand...

You really think the H&Rs are better riding than PSS10s? What numbers do you have your damper rates on?

And excuse the ignorance, but what does "front 2 VA coil " mean?
 
warren_S3 said:
The only counter argument I have to the coily position is as follows:

In the main coilovers are used by race teams as they are highly adjustable, and allow the car to be trued up (ride height wise) after corner weighting to ensure the car is level. That's why coilovers were invented to the best of my knowledge.

Yes they allow the average person who wants a very particular ride height / set up to achieve this, or give occasional track dayers a range of option set ups, but unless they are quite easy to adjust the chances are you won't! And when you do unless you buy decent (stainless / inox coated ones), by the time you come to adjust them after a harsh winter you can't because everything will have corroded!

I've had H&R coilies on a Lupo GTi, Weitecs on a Mk2 Golf, and Bilsteins on a Leon Cupra R, and I've gone back to spring damper combo as it's less hassle for me personally. All were good, but just overkill for my needs.

I'm now running Eibach Prokit springs to reduce front rake issue and I'm going to switch to Koni FSD dampers next year (which offer a mag ride style adjustment).

To be honest most things are better than the OEM's, I don't know where Audi source their dampers and springs but they bite!
Click to expand...

Thanks for your comments Warren.
Surely a good spring/damper upgrade is the same cost as coilovers though, so not much in it I guess.
Cheepest AP's I've found are £454, and then what am I looking at for fitting?

George
 
bloblob2 said:
i listen to you N8, your wise beyond your years :laugh:
Click to expand...

:laugh: Thanks lad, I'll text you back shortly!

Gtdi said:
Anyone run FK coils on their A3's? I've had them on my last 3 cars and they've always been great with regards to comfort/price, especially the Konigsport range (height/damping adj)
Click to expand...

Lots run FK, IanS3 who is one of the lowest, he loves his FKs, although they have broke. H&R -140mm custom kit of Si Sweetland is the best bet.

warren_S3 said:
The only counter argument I have to the coily position is as follows
Click to expand...

Yes true Warren. But cheap coils with alot of comfort are more common these days, and coilovers are now widely available/used by the modders these days, young and old, they offer superior ride over the spring/damper combo in my experience over the years.

tcardio said:
ROFL, I have the same problem at home
Click to expand...

She listens to me, I never listen to her :laugh:

warren_S3 said:
I always listen to you. I didn't buy reps twice!
Click to expand...

Good lad :laugh:

_GRP_ said:
Thanks for your comments Warren.
Surely a good spring/damper upgrade is the same cost as coilovers though, so not much in it I guess.
Cheepest AP's I've found are £454, and then what am I looking at for fitting?

George
Click to expand...

I can arrange fitting in Bristol George, as we discussed before. PM me if you need to.
 
MartayMcFly said:
You really think the H&Rs are better riding than PSS10s? What numbers do you have your damper rates on?

And excuse the ignorance, but what does "front 2 VA coil " mean?
Click to expand...

Hey wait a minute...Don't put words in my mouth.:shutup2: I like a stiff ride so the rabbit is set stiffer on occasion when it gets track time. I've messed with all the settings one at a time as you know. Right now I think it's 4F6R. H&R's are used in the daily so they aren't adjustable so I get what I get. I never said one rode better than another. My setups are different and when I run stiffer, I get a little more road rebound which I like.

In terms of the 2 VA spring...In 2009, I put on my H&R's on the Audi. I slammed it for the look but didn't like the look nor the ride as time went on. I readjusted the height but the front got a little saggy over time. The coils touched each other frequently as the red paint was gone on several areas. I decided to order some new fronts and discovered a thread from a BMWi135 owner who purchased the H&R 2 VA spring instead of the supplied 1 VA spring. The 2 VA is longer and gives a little more height adjustability and stiffness. I figured I would just order this one instead and that's about it
 
_GRP_ said:
Thanks for your comments Warren.
Surely a good spring/damper upgrade is the same cost as coilovers though, so not much in it

George
Click to expand...

Sometimes they seem to cost more, which leaves me asking bigger questions in terms of the outright quality of the more adjustable coilies. I wouldn't spend less than £800 on coilies for that reason, if coilies are cheaper than basic spring / damper where is the saving being made????!

The regular big coily brands are pretty safe bet (KW/Weitec/AP/Billy's/HR), but the words cheapest and coilies in the same sentence always makes me shudder!
 
warren_S3 said:
Sometimes they seem to cost more, which leaves me asking bigger questions in terms of the outright quality of the more adjustable coilies. I wouldn't spend less than £800 on coilies for that reason, if coilies are cheaper than basic spring / damper where is the saving being made????!

The regular big coily brands are pretty safe bet (KW/Weitec/AP/Billy's/HR), but the words cheapest and coilies in the same sentence always makes me shudder!
Click to expand...

But I can get AP's for£454 so a bit of a contradiction to your above statement.

"I wouldn't spend less than £800 on coilies for that reason"
"The regular big coily brands are pretty safe bet (KW/Weitec/AP/Billy's/HR)"

Anyway, thanks again, that's the whole idea of this thread and forum is to get peoples comments/views and then make an informed choice. The AP's are looking very tempting at the moment.
 
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What I was trying to say (uneloquently), was I'd be reluctant to spend less on coilies than spring dampers, and as spring dampers are £500-600 I personally would expect to pay more for coilies (e.g.£800+). Only a personal view, but you asked for opinions.
 
tcardio said:
Hey wait a minute...Don't put words in my mouth.:shutup2: I like a stiff ride so the rabbit is set stiffer on occasion when it gets track time. I've messed with all the settings one at a time as you know. Right now I think it's 4F6R. H&R's are used in the daily so they aren't adjustable so I get what I get. I never said one rode better than another. My setups are different and when I run stiffer, I get a little more road rebound which I like.

In terms of the 2 VA spring...In 2009, I put on my H&R's on the Audi. I slammed it for the look but didn't like the look nor the ride as time went on. I readjusted the height but the front got a little saggy over time. The coils touched each other frequently as the red paint was gone on several areas. I decided to order some new fronts and discovered a thread from a BMWi135 owner who purchased the H&R 2 VA spring instead of the supplied 1 VA spring. The 2 VA is longer and gives a little more height adjustability and stiffness. I figured I would just order this one instead and that's about it
Click to expand...

Fair enough, "softer ride", not "better". I now realise you're talking about H&R coils anyway... I was thinking vs H&R 25mm springs. I'm away to get PSS10s for mine, and if the ride is worse than it is now (with H&R springs and stock dampers) then there's zero point.
 
Having changed the springs on my S3 to Eibach's which are supposedly slightly softer than H&R's, whilst the stance at the front end of the car has improved, the ride quality has pretty much stayed the same. It's very slightly better over light bumps and undulations, and therefore gives you better road surface contact and slightly improved turn in, BUT it's certainly highlighted that the OEM dampers are way too harsh (push back way too hard after compression), and lack any real sense of progressiveness throughout the damper stroke. I wouldn't want 'French soft' ride characteristics, just something that tracks the road accurately without being skittish or crashy.

I've not had a car in the last 10 years from the VAG group that rides with any real level of compliance, hence why I've experimented with different set ups (some successful, others less so). If set up properly something like the AP's could give you a far better ride quality even if you lower them quite a bit from factory spec.

I can only imagine the OEM spring damper combo chosen is tuned to German roads not what we get in the UK (land of the pothole / speedhump).
 
If anyone is interested in discount on some AP Coilovers please send me via PM as we need one more person for a deal as one original member has dropped out.
 
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