Coilovers Vs Spring & Damper kit - Pros & Cons

[Ads]

I can only give you my experience on 35mm springs on an 8L S3 mate. I feel that for the journeys I make that 35mm on 18" wheels is fine. I also have the LCR front bumper splitter and I'm just at the right height to clear all speed bumps and the ride is very comfy.

Are you only replacing the shocks/springs for looks or are your standard ones a bit shot now?

For looks and ride.
My current ones are still doing fine, but body roll and the two mile gap between tyre and arch needs reducing quickly.
I've got a new set of wheels to go on and they will look shocking on my current set up.

 

[Westy]

For looks and ride.
My current ones are still doing fine, but body roll and the two mile gap between tyre and arch needs reducing quickly.
I've got a new set of wheels to go on and they will look shocking on my current set up.

Probably want the 50mm springs then mate as long as the ride doesn't become too hard.

Body roll can be a whole new ball game. You might benefit from different anti roll bars for that.

 

[Ads]

Probably want the 50mm springs then mate as long as the ride doesn't become too hard.

Body roll can be a whole new ball game. You might benefit from different anti roll bars for that.

I don't mind a bit of roll, but at the moment when cornering fairly hard, especially around roundabouts, there is more roll than I feel comfortable with. Just want a bit of reduction to keep things a bit more even.
But if I'm honest, looks are my priority.

 

[Farhan]

Go with the 50mm bro, The 35 will pretty much bring you down to s line height which is still a fair bit high up.

 

[rockape]

+1 on the 50mm. Have you looked at smoothie's thread? There's some good pics of his lowered on 50mm H&R's.

 

[moag]

Cheers Damian.



This is fast becoming my next dilemma.... 35mm or 50mm???????

I'm on Sport springs at the moment so I guess I'm gonna get an additional drop of 20mm with 35mm springs, and 35mm with 50mm springs.

50mm is what you want bud. Should have your ride height looking saweeetttt.

 

[TimG]

But if I'm honest, looks are my priority.

You NEED coilovers or you risk being one of many who spent a stack on a shock & spring combo and was upset it didnt give the drop/look you wanted.

All this stuff about them lacking comfort over a spring and shock combo is negligible IMO. My Koni coils on my TT & KW's on my Golf were both perfectly comfy AND allowed height + damping adjustment for playtime. Whilst I agree coilovers were born for the track, many are easily comfy enough for daily use and offer all the adjustability you need.

+1 for coils

 

[warren_S5]

You NEED coilovers or you risk being one of many who spent a stack on a shock & spring combo and was upset it didnt give the drop/look you wanted.

All this stuff about them lacking comfort over a spring and shock combo is negligible IMO. My Koni coils on my TT & KW's on my Golf were both perfectly comfy AND allowed height + damping adjustment for playtime. Whilst I agree coilovers were born for the track, many are easily comfy enough for daily use and offer all the adjustability you need.

+1 for coils

If it's about looks over outright handling I'm inclined to agree, it just depends on how obsessive you are about the precision of the gap between your arch and tyre. Personally whilst I don't want a chasm, I've never really given a rats **** about a couple of mm here or there. The H&R coils I had on a previous car were probably one of the worst spends I've ever put onto a car, hence my reservations, but your absolutely right, if you want to be getting a very particular look then it is the only way.

 

[Ads]

Closely followed by comfort and improved handling, looks are my priority, but not to the extent of getting a perfect stance e.g. front lower than the back etc etc.
A nice level low and I'm happy. I haven't got a specific height I'm after.

The more I think about it the more I'm convinced coilies aren't for me.

 

[Ads]

Ok, so now I've decided on springs and shocks.................

Which kit to go for????

The H&R and KW kits are priced roughly the same, and the Weitec kit is about £60 less.

Any opinions on these brands?? Experiences??? Not so much about the heights, more about the comfort/handling.

 

[~RS~]

think with A3s all drops are takes from sport height? so youll need a 50mm drop to close out the arch gap (99.999% sure)

I wasn't aware of this, thought they were all taken from SE or standard spec height although that would explain why my 35mm KW springs are rubbing at the rear on 235/35/19's.

so a 50 mm drop will loose the arch gap, and not leave me with back pain after a few weeks... and also no rubbing when i have passengers in the car? remember i want to run 19's

I'm running FK shocks and KW springs with 19's speedlines too, live in London and my ride is hard as hell might be down to combo of FK shocks with KW springs but it's definitely pot hole dodging for me! I'm having mine looked over to make sure it's not anything else but I'm pretty sure its just simply the lack of rubber and being so low. I though the drop would have been left the arch a mil or so above the tyre but it's tucked them instead. Up front is a little higher but still hard drive. Goes round a corner like you wouldn't believe, matchbox style but not what I was after which was comfort and a modest drop. Just my 2p....

25mm for stability and improved pitch / roll, if you go 40mm the damper stroke isn't likely to be operating that effectively to counteract the lack of side wall flex (tyres used to be part of the natuiral suspension action). Again it depends on which model you are running as to how much lowering it needs, but from S3 levels of ride height I'd only drop 25mm max.

The STANDARD / TECHNIK / SE models run full ride height as standard

SPORT model runs 15mm lower than STANDARD / TECHNIK / SE

S Line model runs 10mm lower than SPORT

S3 runs 'S suspension', but brochure doesn't quote it being any lower than S-Line, maybe just different springs

So based on this I'd say if your car is STANDARD / TECHNIK / SE , it's likely to be running 25mm higher than S3, therefore you could lower by 50-60mm lowering springs.

The Sport you could lower by 35-40mm

The S-Line / S3 springs seem to be available at 25mm, and given the ride I'd say that's as much as you'd want.

Ensure when you buy the lowering springs you get well matched / proven damper combo's as some work better together than others.

All subjective guesswork, so probably best to check with someone like Damian at DPM.
I

I think the S3 maybe 35mm lower than standard then the RS3 40mm but I'm not 100% on the S3 although it does look lower to the eye usually than an S line.

Do Dampers also add to the amount a car would be lowered by? I ask as my FK shortened ones combined with the KW springs seems to have dropped lower than the 35mm KW quoted it would. The arch gap was more than 40mm before I'm sure and the drop has pretty much tucked the tyres under the arches now... I read in the damper literature that using just the dampers with regular shocks would lower the car by 20mm but when I was going to put my old shocks back on because it's too low a couple people told me only the springs lower the car....

I think that ASN is suffering from the coilover obsession atm....along with dare I say it, 19" wheels! Now there's nothing wrong with obsessions and I have a few lol so before anyone gets defensive, I get the whole 19's slammed look and enjoy looking at the show pics it's just an observation of mine. There's some awsome looking cars of that genre on here as we all know, but for a lot of people coilovers and 19's are generally a "look" mod rather than a handling one. I wanted a lowered look too but stayed on 18" to retain some suppleness as I knew eibach springs would be stiffer. I'm still on original shocks but looking to change to sport dampers soon(big lesson learned there!). The car is more planted through corners with less roll but the shocks and springs sometimes feel like they are doing there own thing if that makes sense. I know I'm not getting the best performance and the original shocks are struggling with the extra spring rate.

Hahaaa! I'm suffering with a 19" wheel obsession for sure! They just look so much better than 18's tbh and perfect for the A3 (SB) imo. But... you definitely notice it more though with less rubber.... currently trying to find out just what I need to use to retain the 19's but get back the OEM comfort or surpass it without spending another load of cash on the suspension.

Ads, I went with 35mm KW shocks and springs as my standard kit was shagged. I only really do 1 Nurburgring trip a year so they are perfect for me. Reduced ride height (on 18s), better handling, but not too harsh.

Coilovers tend to become 1 set ride height after a while anyway because they tend to sieze at whaever you've set them at and they're difficult to adjust again.

Going by the drop on my KW spring/ FK shock combo I'd say 35-40mm is bang on for 18's and should still ride pretty good, do you rate your KW's to be as comfortable/ more comfy than the stock set up?

Speed humps and pot holes for me, 99.9999% of the time.
So springs/dampers then, I guess.

+1 lol! I'm thinking of just getting the KW dampers before trying anything else so as to match the springs to... Only other option is for me would be to go back down to 18's boohooo lol

 

[GNJ_Motorsport]

Reading the thread I think a full suspension kit rather than coilovers will be good for you. I would go for a 40-50mm drop and I would recommend the H&R kit for the A3 8P.

 

[TimG]

Ok, so now I've decided on springs and shocks.................

Which kit to go for????

The H&R and KW kits are priced roughly the same, and the Weitec kit is about £60 less.

Any opinions on these brands?? Experiences??? Not so much about the heights, more about the comfort/handling.

I've experienced the H&R Cup kit on a mates 8L A3 1.8T and it was comfy and handled very well. Cant comment on the others though.

 

[Ads]

Reading the thread I think a full suspension kit rather than coilovers will be good for you. I would go for a 40-50mm drop and I would recommend the H&R kit for the A3 8P.

Cheers. Can you PM me your best price for the kit??? Or post it here if you like??
Thanks mate.

 

[Ads]

I've experienced the H&R Cup kit on a mates 8L A3 1.8T and it was comfy and handled very well. Cant comment on the others though.

Yeah everyone seems to speak highly of the H&R's comfy'ness.
How much was the drop on your mates 8L?

 

[Shane.]

I have looked at this myself, I think in all honesty it all comes down to what you buy, the standard S line is suspension is very crashy I find, where I live is alot of speedbumps in the towns and then bumpy country roads just out of it and at times it can be ****** horrible. I have auditioned a set of Vmaxx plus on 19s running stretched, wound all way down on firmest setting and in all honesty even that was a hell of an improvement over my standard S lines. Me personally, I am looking at KW V1 inox I think I'd rather pay abit extra and have the look at the comfort (from what I have heard they are fantastic are very comfortable for coilies)

 

[N8]

Coilovers all day long

 

[MartayMcFly]

I guess I'm just going to see if anyone will take me out in an S3 with coils and 19s, and someone else with springs and 19s, to compare the two directly. Don't want a crashy/hard ride, but also don't want to be in off-road mode once the 19s are on.

 

[Ash187]

I am going to try out some of the other guys rides on Sunday when we meet at Ace cafe!
make my mind up about this once and for all!

 

[N8]

You lot make laugh

 

[basssound]

Make your mind up on the springs and shocks then go out and buy some KW Variant 1's and dont look back

 

[afcjay]

If you going to use your car for track days more than on british roads or your after scene points and a harsh ride go fo coilovers

If you drive in traffic at a average of 10-50mph,save your money and go for springs or springs and well matched shocks

 

[ern]

Just get a decent set of dampening adjustable coilovers.. if you feel like youve just put them at one height and the ride isnt as good as you would expect from springs and shocks then il take the coilovers off your hands

Make a small loss and try both worlds

 

[Ads]

Bit of an update:

Today I popped down to AMD Essex and spoke to one of their guys about lowering. He was firmly in favour of coilovers.
I asked him about the H&R spring and damper kit and he said that they don't even like selling H&R stuff because they are too firm and even firmer than coilovers.
He mentioned that Eibach springs were a much nicer ride than H&R, but still recommended AP coilovers (apparently an entry level coilover made by KW??) as the way to go.

He went on to say how rubbish JOM were (which I already knew), and that V-maxx are a load of sh*t too.


So...... I'm still favouring springs/dampers (but am now considering Eibach springs with some other dampers), but the idea of coilovers has 1% entered my mind again.

 

[jungleman]

stick to dampers mate, if your wanting another softer spring/damper go eibach pro springs & koni fsd dampers, been in a couple alfa GTAs with them fitted driven on london roads and they are spot on!

 

[S3Alex]

I've got the kW v3 kit on mine with about 50mm lower than stock. Depending on what you want to spend,and what you need,there are kist to fit most budgets,but generally,you get much more adjustment,and range with the more costly kits,and the ability to tailor it to pretty much what you want.

 

[warren_S5]

FSD's + Eibachs! That's how I'm gonna be rollin'

Just need to find someone who selss then both and does a nice discount.

Remember seller will always big up what they sell and knock everything else, so there is no substitute for getting in a few cars and trying it.

 

[jungleman]

FSD's + Eibachs! That's how I'm gonna be rollin'

they are a quality set up, though i dont think Eibach do front & rear pro springs for the S3, unless they have changed in the last 9 months?

 

[Ads]

stick to dampers mate, if your wanting another softer spring/damper go eibach pro springs & koni fsd dampers, been in a couple alfa GTAs with them fitted driven on london roads and they are spot on!

FSD's + Eibachs! That's how I'm gonna be rollin'

Just need to find someone who selss then both and does a nice discount.

Remember seller will always big up what they sell and knock everything else, so there is no substitute for getting in a few cars and trying it.

Spoken to a few who have eibach/FSD and they are very happy with the set up. They were the pro spring though, not the sport line which are about 15-20mm lower. I would need to go for the sport line to achieve a 30-35mm drop on what I have at the moment.
Also, I'm not sure I'm feeling the slight nose down stance eibach gives. H&R always looks nice and level to me.

Headache.

 

[jungleman]

haha, i thought H&R had a tad RR? ill check my pics...

 

[Ads]

haha, i thought H&R had a tad RR? ill check my pics...

Ry was saying the same. I didn't see any RR on either of your cars. They looked spot on to me!

 

[jungleman]

just checked my build thread, there is a little RR maybe 5mm, its prob more pronounced when your running spacers as you can see how they sit in the arch's easier

 

[Ads]

I think if you focus on the space between tyre and arch then maybe, but looking at the car as a whole and how it sits in line with the ground then it looks level to me.

Eibach evens up the tyre/arch gap but makes the car lean slightly forward to achieve it.

Or maybe my eyes are just wonky.

 

[jungleman]

ah possibly... would need to see them side by side, to be fair, i wouldnt mind a few extra mm at the rear as you do catch the milltek from time to time lol
all personal choice though!

 

[Ads]

ah possibly... would need to see them side by side, to be fair, i wouldnt mind a few extra mm at the rear as you do catch the milltek from time to time lol
all personal choice though!

Lol. If it's any consolation, I'd rather have a catching milltek than my crappy pipe that would clear a traffic bollard if I ever drove over one!

 

[J.R.]

Bit of an update:

Today I popped down to AMD Essex and spoke to one of their guys about lowering. He was firmly in favour of coilovers.
I asked him about the H&R spring and damper kit and he said that they don't even like selling H&R stuff because they are too firm and even firmer than coilovers.
He mentioned that Eibach springs were a much nicer ride than H&R, but still recommended AP coilovers (apparently an entry level coilover made by KW??) as the way to go.

He went on to say how rubbish JOM were (which I already knew), and that V-maxx are a load of sh*t too.


So...... I'm still favouring springs/dampers (but am now considering Eibach springs with some other dampers), but the idea of coilovers has 1% entered my mind again.

Around how much are the AP coilovers ?

 

[S3RYE]

The car sits perfectly level as you say ads. But it also has reverse rake like Paolo said. They are very crashy at times and being brutally honest I hate them! can't wait to change them. Although I will go coils cause I'll be tracking it! And also want to slam it once in a while

Dont bilstein do a damper and spring kit?

 

[Ads]

Around how much are the AP coilovers ?

AMD want £600 supplied and fitted, including four wheel alighment. I think AP coilovers on their own are about £480-£490.

The car sits perfectly level as you say ads. But it also has reverse rake like Paolo said. They are very crashy at times and being brutally honest I hate them! can't wait to change them. Although I will go coils cause I'll be tracking it! And also want to slam it once in a while

Dont bilstein do a damper and spring kit?

I can only find bilstein kits which lower by 30mm.


Does this (level) car have reverse rake??

If it does then it looks like the only way to not have reverse rake is to have the car in a nose down stance, because the A3/S3's front arches are bigger/higher than the rears.

Oh and mate, I asked about the fitted price for the forge short shifter (just in case we could get a lil discount for doing both), but the guy checked his computer and says its gone up to £115 fitted now.

 

[Ads]

So.. I've spent the last couple of hours doing some major internet research and I've seen millions of photos of A3s on eibach pro, eibach sportlines, h&r 30mm and 50mm, and a couple of other set ups, and the winner is.................................................


Eibach Sportlines

After saying I don't like the nose down stance..... I actually do. Its only subtle and nicely evens out the tyre/arch gap for front vs rear.
Also, it seems that they do offer a comfier ride than h&r.

So I'm going to have them fitted (AMD supply/fit/align for £300), and i'm keeping my standard dampers on, and if the ride is crap then I'll have some FSDs fitted later on.


So that's it, i'm decided.
Cheers for accompanying me on this journey guys and for all your input. It's been emotional.



:icon_thumright:

 

[jungleman]

woo!
good man, you know what day your having them fitted?

oh and that A3 has mega reverse rake! lol