Audi A3 8L Lowering.

[LJ_D]

Hi all. Had a search but notging came up on the A3 8L, mainly S3 and 8P.

I've got a A3 8L 1.9 TDI 130, I've got one broken OSF spring and a NSR broken spring.

So looking at changing to lowering springs.

Have read about not going 45mm or lower and it seems to sit lowish as standard anyway imo.

So looking at going 35mm, 40mm max

Seems golf MK4 springs are cheaper for some reason but will they fit the same, ride the same etc... Was looking at some A-Max/Apex springs but there 45mm.

I'm running 17" Ronal bolero wheels.

Any pics of you lowered 35-45mm on 17" wheels.

Thanks

 

[AGB-S3]

found mine had some eiback ? lowering springs on the standard dampers , right dogs dinner, clunk clunk every trip and not stable at speed , fitted a koni pack a while back, nice and stable, with adjustable tie rear tie bar ... mines about 25 mm down , any more than that and it wont run over speed bumps and hits the center jack on the ramps , feel like a go cart now . manged to scrub the rears out , hardly touched the front's .. guess the haldex is working mor than you think .
G,

 

[LJ_D]

I've just bought a set of 25F 30R eibachs.

So I'm hoping they'll be a nice rid, with a slightly noticeable drop.

 

[AGB-S3]

on standard lenght dampers, the compression stroke is reduced , by being pre-loaded , so it clunks over bumps .. when we took the original dampers off, the top bearings where well shattered ... the car was a dogs dinner, changed front and back in the end , all of a sudden , it was ''held'' by the damping and it followed the inside curb , rather than making a bid for the out side one , mid bend . due to chatter ..

 

[LJ_D]

Comes to replacing shocks I'll probably put bilsteins on it, when the time comes

 

[AGB-S3]

its not the make , its the geometry , if the compression stroke is pre-loade ,ie its shortened , then the hydraulics cannot provide the required resistance , due to insufficient displacement/travel , the devices have variable damping, then your driving in the higher damped area, ie the lower the car height = increased damping = less travel to end stop = a lot of shock and bottoming of the suspension

The bigger the compression, the greater the damping force , till it reaches hydraulic lock at the end of its travel. Stops front end dive when breaking .. high damping at low spring compression , will cause chatter , = tendency to bounce sideways , the car / bike should ride , held by the damping point , too much rebound and the suspension pumps down, too little and it floats .. simple un-damped harmonic motion

bit of a dark art to set up its very much, pays your money , takes your chance .. in my case , it was combined with restoring uniformity after some previous owner , well meant modification's .. and the odd bout of high speed instability ...

G,

 

[LJ_D]

Yeah I know what you mean, but the springs I've got are minimal lowering.

25mm on the front and 30mm on the rear.

So basically it's going to be the same as a S-Line model would be and I'm pretty sure they use the same shocks.

Anyone correct me if I'm wrong on that.

 

[<tuffty/>]

s-line is 8P not 8L...

I had Eibach sport springs originally when I swapped to B8's... comfy controlled ride but didn't like the way the car sat on them... too much arch gap at the rear compared to the front... changed to Apex -30mm... much better stance but ride was less comfy and eventually crashy once the springs were a few years old...

Now on H&R -25mm blues... same dampers from when I fitted them and the ride is great... car sits nicely too

<tuffty/>

 

[LJ_D]

Ok cheers mate, I can get set of bilstein b4's for about £150'ish off eBay.

 

[<tuffty/>]

B4's are just OE replacement gas damper... B6 are sport, B8 are shortened dampers designed for lowering springs but wouldn't use less than 30mm

BILSTEIN B2 Oil: For a worn or faulty original shock absorber - the same driving stability as on a new car.
BILSTEIN B4 Gas: For a worn or faulty original shock absorber - the same driving stability as on a new car. The BILSTEIN B4 Gas is a replacement part in Original Equipment quality and is available for almost any car.

Optimised suspension:
BILSTEIN B6 Sport: For a wider range of applications - with full payload and also at extreme temperatures - for consistent driving performance in town, on country roads and motorways, on short and long distances. The BILSTEIN B6 Sport is a high-performance shock absorber for normal and off-road vehicles.
BILSTEIN B8 Sprint: The BILSTEIN B8 Sprint was designed for lowered vehicles. This shortened high-performance shock absorber is the complement to suspension optimisation.
BILSTEIN B12 BTK: For optimum driving dynamics - the ideal blend of lowered springs and shock absorbers for first-rate fun at the wheel.
BILSTEIN B16 PSS9/10: Threaded chassis (shock absorbers and springs) with individual lowering and an additional nine/ten times damping force adjustment - can also be re-set with the units in situ for compression and rebound phases.

<tuffty/>

 

[LJ_D]

Cheers for that info tuffty.

What's price difference between b4 and b6?!

Cheers

 

[<tuffty/>]

https://www.dpmperformance.co.uk/car-parts/audi/a3/buy/dampers

DPM are a site sponsor so can give you a little discount on these prices I believe

<tuffty/>

 

[AGB-S3]

''shortened high-performance shock absorber is the complement to suspension optimisation.''

YUP .... )

 

[willhutson74]

https://www.dpmperformance.co.uk/car-parts/audi/a3/buy/dampers

DPM are a site sponsor so can give you a little discount on these prices I believe

<tuffty/>

are you able to ship to new Zealand