Fitted the Eibach Pro springs yesterday. After having a look on the net and seeing how Audi do it in the workshop repair guide on Elsa Win I thought It wouldn't be too difficult.
Started off with some before shots,
My car is an SE with the standard suspension, measuring the height from the wheel centre to the top of the arch lip it was 390mm all round.
Started at the front and removed the front strut with not to much of a problem, Took the spring off and compared it with the Eibach item,
The Eibach spring is a full 60mm shorter than the standard spring. Same number of coils but the Eibach one is 15.5mm thick and the standard spring 15mm.
The gumph on the Eibach site says that the standard bump stops are used but in my experience when you lower a car to keep some ride comfort you need to shorten the bump stops otherwise the ride can be quite harsh.
There are three lengths fitted as standard
Front
8K0412131E 1BA 81mm
8K0412131F 1BE 72mm
8K0412131G 1BV 66mm
I shortened mine to 72mm the same as the S line suspension set up. Just need to hacksaw 10mm off the top of the bumpstop and it fits back fine.
It was really easy refitting the front spring on the shock as it was so much shorter didn't even need the spring compressor to refit it.
I reset the suspension inboard joints for the new ride height.
By undoing the inboard bolts on the top 2 arms and the bottom 2 arms, then jacking the strut up till it's at the normal laden position.
You can then tighten the inboard bolts, This stops the rubber bushes being permanently preloaded which helps there life.
You need a T55 Torx to hold one of the bottom arm bolts is you decide to undo it.
The rears springs were interesting as I thought they would be, On my old Passat just a matter of undoing the shock absorber lower mounts and the rear axle would drop down enough to remove the springs. Not so easy on a quattro.
The official way of removing the rear spring is with a special spring compressor, normal spring compressors mostly won't fit due to the confined space. By putting the spring compressor I have inside the coil spring rather than on the outside, and using some Pretty sturdy ratchet straps managed to compress the standard spring enough to remove it.
Again the standard springs were 60mm longer than the Eibach springs.
This proves very useful as the Eibachs slot straight in with no spring compressors.
The rear shock absorber bottom bolt is ridiculously tight and had to use a breaker bar and the jack to undo them. Again there are 3 lengths of rubber buffer.
standard suspension 1BA
8K0512131 140mm long
Sport suspension S-line 1BD, 1BE
8K0512131B 118MM long
Adjustable suspension and 1BV, 1BL -30mm suspension
8K0512131D 110mm long
I took 20mm off my buffers to make them the same as the S line ones.I didn't have time to reset any of the rubber bushes on the rear suspension as it was going to be dark by the time I finished. Will do this at some point in the future. You need to watch what you are undoing on the rear as some bolts are eccentric and adjust camber and toe.
And the end result
Currently seems to have dropped about 40mm at the front and 30mm at the rear, when I reset the bushes at the rear it may drop a few more mm.
Car drives really nice, I wouldn't say it's that much firmer than standard, passed the acid test by getting over all the speed humps in Heath Hayes high street easily, a place I never took the Passat as they are monsters :roll: .
Less roll when pushing it around corners, the kind of thing you expect.
When I have finished tweaking it will take it and get a full 4 wheel alignment done.
These have been recommended and get very good feedback on the net.
Aline - 4 wheel alignment specialists
Karl.
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