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Eibach Pro vs Eibach Sportlines & Audi Mag Ride re-calibration on FL RS3.
I thought I would post this here as it might help future readers.
After having Eibach Sportlines fitted on my previous S3 and being very impressed. Read article
here
I knew it would be something that I would very much like to do my FL RS3 at some point. This was especially true when I recently parked next to a very nice Golf GTI Club Sport which had a lovely stance and made my car look incredibly high in comparison. The seed was already sewn but parking next to this car made it flower far quicker than I had expected and the mod itch had struck!
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But with the additional mass of the 5 cylc engine over the front axle compared to the 2 litre lump in the S3 and with the shockingly poor state of our roads I wanted to re-investigate possible options. Would lowering the car ruin the comfort level and highlight the bad roads? Would lowering the car bring unwanted attention? Could it be done in an OEM+ fashion?
After driving the car for about 6 weeks I really liked the general level of comfort the car offered with the Mag Ride set to comfort setting, despite having 19’s all round and having the larger 255 set up on the front. It was something I did not want to sacrifice. Dynamic was great but a little too harsh for all of the time and especially with kids or passengers in the back although on a spirited drive on your own truly superb. (although I knew there might be room for improvement). My FL RS3 had so far never exhibited the bouncy castle ride that some PFL cars are known for so overall I was pleased with the ride and damping that the stock FL car had. I just wanted to improve the stance without sacrifices to either end of the spectrum between comfort and dynamic modes. I also wanted to find a solution that looked OEM+ and did not want the slammed look or any future issues with rubbing.
The car would be used on the road and with the current state of the UK road network I was very much focused on compliancy and suppleness but with all the control I had previously experienced with uprated springs.
So I knew I needed to try to keep as much of the comfort as possible whilst obtaining a suitable drop to improve the cars stance and if possible maintain or even improve dynamic mode. I wanted to keep the Audi Mag ride functionality and ensure there was a significant difference between settings without any compromises. No mean feat thats for sure.
Like many things, there can be a wide spectrum cost wise for spring and suspension set ups. I didn’t want to go crazy and fit a fully adjustable MSS kit, but at the same time fit a poor/ sub standard or cheap item to an otherwise great car. Having used Eibach previously and being impressed by them it really was an obvious choice for me again, especially at their price point ( circa £220 a set ) however I was intrigued about the differences between the Pro and Sportline variances.
The Eibach website states that the
Pro-Kit is the perfect answer for most popular road vehicles. The springs works with stock dampers and dramatically improves both a vehicle's performance and appearance. The Pro-Kit lowers the car’s centre of gravity, reducing squat during acceleration, body roll in corners and excessive nose dive under braking.
Lowering the car:
Front - 20mm drop
Rear - 10mm drop
The
Sportline in contrast is the extreme-performance spring set created for the extreme enthusiast.
The spring for one who craves a racecar attitude for maximum street performance with the lowest possible drop (according to the Eibach website), but with the exceptional ride quality you expect from Eibach.
Engineered with the same care as the Pro-Kit springs, The Sportline springs dramatically reduce squat during acceleration, body roll in corners and nose-dive under braking.
Lowering the car:
Front - 20-25mm drop
Rear - 15-20mm drop
So what did I choose this time?- You can probably guess..::
I took the plunge !
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Eibach Pro’s fitted.
The result is a subtle but effective drop of about 10-18mm all round from a stock height. On my car with Audi Mag Ride the stock height was circa 470mm from floor to wheel arch. This was actually identical to the stock height measurements I took with my previous FL S3 on Mag ride. So I would be able to make some general comparisons in both stance, drop and ofcourse ride comfort and control.
Stock heights - Front
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Rear - Stock Height
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With the Eibach Pro’s fitted to the FL RS3 its now appx 452mm floor to wheel arch. I also chose the Eibach Pros rather than the Sportlines as they come as black springs for a start ( compared to bright red on the Sportlines ) so offer a very stealthy upgrade to stock. The Pro’s seem to offer a similar drop albeit 5mm or so less drop, especially on the rear but balance this with superb comfort levels and incredible control when cornering, to offer what I would describe as an OEM+ offering.
Here is a comparison of the drop between Sportlines and Pro’s on an Audi Mag ride car.
Front - After fitting springs- Pros top / Sportlines bottom.
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Rear. Pros top / Sportlines bottom
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Comfort was excellent with the springs fitted, Dynamic was also good, but I knew from previous experience with the Audi Mag ride that a re-calibration would put the icing on the cake and provide total control to the top and bottom ranges of the damper extension. Especially with the new springs dropping the car around 18mm on the front and circa 10+mm on the rear.
Re-Calibration of Audi Mag Ride.
@DJAlix from Vagcarcoding was my first point of call for the re-calibration. We went out in the car with the Eibach Pros’s fitted for a before comparison. Alex was impressed with the springs and noted that Comfort was both controlled and very pleasant over everything bar the very worst of roads. Dynamic setting again was very good but your eyes had to be on full alert for pot holes and in perfections in the road. We both felt that the Eibach Pros were once again an excellent spring just like the Sportlines produced by Eibach. They were however marginally more forgiving over the worst of bumps and compliant over speed bumps. However you could feel the top and bottom of the dampers not quite controlling the very furthest edge of the range of movement, once again similar to the Sportlines I had fitted to the S3. The springs were excellent but not totally accepted and in unison with the car. The car had a sporty and flat/ stiff feel in Dynamic ( which I’m sure some may actually love ! but it wasnt fully controllled ) and with it came a bounce / jerkiness to the man moobs which was not to my liking over anything but smooth tarmac.
Resolution
Re-calibrating the cars mag ride and adjusting the settings that are stored by the factory to the new ride height would ensure that the car knew it was lower. I was convinced this would be a night and day difference based on previous experience. We went for a test drive and within 50 yards we could feel the difference and I was proved right. Alex and I both agreed the ride was now superb on the Eibach Pro’s and the handling was great for road use in both comfort and dynamic settings. The re-calibration had brought full control back over the cars springs and allowed the dampers to function as they were intended. Dynamic is usable just about all of the time providing a supportive yet compliant ride and comfort is ... what else can I say...comfortable and provides a very pleasant place to whaft away the miles after a hard busy days work. Once again I was very happy with the cars new ride height and comfort levels. More info on the Mag ride setting procedure can be found on my original post
here:
Thoughts and conclusions.
Its still early days with the Eibach Pros, and I’m sure they have a little bedding in to do. However I am amazed and very pleased to report that they have done what Eibach claimed. They have lowered the cars centre of gravity, reduced the front wheel arch gap that I really wanted to correct and completely retained the level of comfort and precision that I demanded. Turn in is excellent and the ability to glide over minor in perfections in the road is phenomenal for a lowered car. (Ok I know its not slammed but circa 20mm drop on the front is noticeable ). The Pro’s offer all this in a very stealthy stock looking package that only a very keen eye under the car might spot. They are very much an OEM+ bit of kit.
The Sprtlines on the other hand offer 85% of the comfort of the Pro’s, but come as bright red springs. Yes the Sportlines do offer a further drop but it is negligible at the front (2-5mm ) and marginal at the rear 5-10mm.
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If you are looking for an OEM+ look that provide great comfort and control then the Pros are probably for you. If you want a bit more drop and are willing to sacrifice 10-15% comfort yet not loose it entirely then the Sportlines are for you.
In my eyes the Eibach Pro’s really do seem to offer the best of both worlds, comfortable and compliant yet sporty when required.
To be honest I fail to see how you could be disappointed with either set of springs and what can be accomplished with a Mag Ride re-calibration.
What are you waiting for !.... I love how mine looks and drives !
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Regds
Jungle