A4 B7 Avant Suspension

[eel]

Hi all.
I'm looking to upgrade my suspension to something a bit more modern and new.
Does anyone have any recommendations?

I have looked at Elibach Sportline kits but I'm all ears if you have other kits to suggest.


Thanks

 

[tr7]

Rob is the man to speak to

something in here

Audi A4 (8ED)

www.bilstein-shop.com

 

[eel]

Cheers thank you I'll have a look

 

[Charlie Farley]

Hi all.
I'm looking to upgrade my suspension to something a bit more modern and new.
Does anyone have any recommendations?

I have looked at Elibach Sportline kits but I'm all ears if you have other kits to suggest.


Thanks

Before you rush out like an eager beaver, what's your budget as that will dictate what you should look at.

 

[eel]

Before you rush out like an eager beaver, what's your budget as that will dictate what you should look at.

Don't really have a budget but I'm happy to spend upwards of £2000. I enjoy my car and want it to last.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Don't really have a budget but I'm happy to spend upwards of £2000. I enjoy my car and want it to last.

Well then, no budget for upgrades on a b7 , your a man after my own heart chap...

Ok, so no budget as such .
what do you want to achieve as a final goal?
Is it just aesthetics with nice handling or just better than s-line harsh ride?

 

[Charlie Farley]

I forgot to ask , saloon or avant , 2wd or quattro?

 

[Charlie Farley]

Ignore the first bit, I just realised it's an Avant...i'll engage my brain shortly...lol

 

[Charlie Farley]

Either way 2wd or Quattro , a factor that is always very relevant is ride height, and do you wish to have ultimate control over how your car sits.

If above you should consider better spec coil-overs , if you are happy to just accept preset ride heights then choose a fixed spring/damper setup.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Bilstein b8 or b12 , KW's etc.
You do tend to get what you pay for with some kit, build quality and warranty can make all the difference though from a longevity standpoint.

 

[Charlie Farley]

I have KW coil-overs fitted now, well fitted them last October, brilliant kit as well.
Great handling but nice ride quality too, cant fault them and being coil-overs i can get the ride height just right for my personal preference.
Prior it was Bilstein B8 dampers with H&R 45mm drop springs, also an excellent kit but lacking the adjustability of the KW's.

 

[eel]

Bilstein b8 or b12 , KW's etc.
You do tend to get what you pay for with some kit, build quality and warranty can make all the difference though from a longevity standpoint.

Wow thanks for all this!
I'm not too fussed about the aesthetics but want to sort out the harsh ride.
If coilovers only extra benefit is adjusting the height then I might just go with the spring and damper route.

How much fiddling did you do with the coilovers to get the correct height?

 

[Charlie Farley]

If i had to do it again tomorrow id go with coilovers.
Originally i went with a replacement fixed height setup which was good , coilovers always appeared like a lot of work so steered clear of them, but now it's changed my point of view.

fitting and adjustment was very easy with only a small amount of fine-tuning that took about an hour tops to get the ride height just nice.

 

[eel]

If i had to do it again tomorrow id go with coilovers.
Originally i went with a replacement fixed height setup which was good , coilovers always appeared like a lot of work so steered clear of them, but now it's changed my point of view.

fitting and adjustment was very easy with only a small amount of fine-tuning that took about an hour tops to get the ride height just nice.

Okay thanks for that!
I'll certainly look at the coilovers then if it wasn't that much of a hassle.

Also looking to change the control arms and anti roll bar as well.

 

[eel]

I have KW coil-overs fitted now, well fitted them last October, brilliant kit as well.
Great handling but nice ride quality too, cant fault them and being coil-overs i can get the ride height just right for my personal preference.
Prior it was Bilstein B8 dampers with H&R 45mm drop springs, also an excellent kit but lacking the adjustability of the KW's.

Which KW coilovers did you go for?

 

[DPM]

Coilovers will always be a firmer option over a good quality springs and shocks kit so also something to think about. The ultimate springs and shocks kit for me is the Koni Sport and with your budget you could easily go for those.

Damian @ DPM Performance

 

[eel]

Coilovers will always be a firmer option over a good quality springs and shocks kit so also something to think about. The ultimate springs and shocks kit for me is the Koni Sport and with your budget you could easily go for those.

Damian @ DPM Performance

Thanks Damian.

I'm guessing it's these ones?

Koni STR.T 35mm Springs & Shocks Suspension Kit | Audi | A4 | DPM Performance | PN9717

Buy the Koni STR.T 35mm Springs & Shocks Suspension Kit for only £518.00. Fits A4 B7 (Avant / Saloon) (2005-2008) 1.6, 1.8T, 2.0FSi

www.dpmperformance.co.uk

I'll be looking to buy in the next month or so.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Coilovers will always be a firmer option over a good quality springs and shocks kit so also something to think about. The ultimate springs and shocks kit for me is the Koni Sport and with your budget you could easily go for those.

Damian @ DPM Performance

I found the opposite when changing from b8 with H&R springs to KW coil overs the kw setup is much better overall and Ride quality is better.

 

[tr7]

@eel maybe worth asking

What tyres and size are you running?

I've found tyres to be one of the biggest factors in ride quality

Maybe worth thinking about before you go changing components

 

[eel]

@eel maybe worth asking

What tyres and size are you running?

I've found tyres to be one of the biggest factors in ride quality

Maybe worth thinking about before you go changing components

I have 18s and currently have michelin pilot sport 4s on.

Not sure what to go for now haha out of coilovers or shocks

 

[Charlie Farley]

Its one of those things that can be affected by numerous factors.
As mentioned, the tyre profile will make a noticeable impact, especially with an s-line setup.
18" on s-line is fine with 235/40 etc but once you start going down to 35 then it can be felt.

That said, it's not always the case, I run 19" Oz alloys with 235/35 Goodyear eagles with no noticeable difference over running an 18" with a 40.

whether it's coil overs or a fixed height setup, the better the quality product the better the quality of ride will be.
Some will disagree with me on the next bit, which is understandable but the s-line setup on B7s is really less than ideal and when worn it's terrible.
It says it all when B7's are known for snapping rear springs on a regular basis because its rubbish kit.
I had both replaced at just over 30k miles because they had snapped, it's a common fault, I've never had any probs since going to aftermarket springs/dampers.

I was very sceptical about changing from the Bilstein b8's with H&R 45mm drop springs, which worked brill, then over to coilovers as I had heard so much negative press about them.
Poor ride, difficult to adjust, poor life span etc, all the things you expect to be good were being slated as rubbish, so I was in unknown territory to be honest.
From research it seemed to suggest that low-end coilovers were the main culprit for the negative feedback , owners that had fitted better spec and quality kit had no issues whatsoever, hence why i took a chance and went with the KW's.
I'm glad I did as I retained the excellent handling and user-friendly ride quality but also gained the ability to level up the front to back ride heights that are always off with the quattro's, nobody seems to have an answer why the fronts are too high and back too low or vice verser but its was nice to get that sorted out.

Maybe worth having a run out in a car that's got decent coilovers fitted to get a better idea on what they are like.
At the end of the day, w can only advise from personal experience and personal preference, the final choice is yours I'm afraid.

 

[Charlie Farley]

I recall ordering kw2's but was sent 1's but they are still excellent .
after fitting and set at my chosen height, the front and rears are pretty well

spot on now.

but as we always say, personal preference really, what works for one owner may not for the next.

 

[eel]

I recall ordering kw2's but was sent 1's but they are still excellent .
after fitting and set at my chosen height, the front and rears are pretty wellView attachment 254891View attachment 254892View attachment 254893View attachment 254894 spot on now.

but as we always say, personal preference really, what works for one owner may not for the next.

Wow thank you so much for the amazing write up!

I'll definitely take all that information into account. The ride height also looks brilliant on yours!

The rear snapped spring was what actually got me thinking to change the suspension haha. Had a snapped near side.

Everyones help has been brilliant, I'll update with what I go with in a month or so and how it looks!

 

[Charlie Farley]

I wish you the best of luck with it.

 

[Charlie Farley]

One final word of caution.
Unless you really need to replace the front top control arms etc "DO NOT TOUCH THE PINCH BOLT" you can remove the front shock and top mount assembly without touching that top pinch bolt.
Unless it's been disassembled very recently and the pinch bolt removed etc the chances of it snapping or being seized solid are 99.9% likely, don't find out the hard way
so leave well alone on that bit.

 

[DPM]

Thanks Damian.

I'm guessing it's these ones?

Koni STR.T 35mm Springs & Shocks Suspension Kit | Audi | A4 | DPM Performance | PN9717

Buy the Koni STR.T 35mm Springs & Shocks Suspension Kit for only £518.00. Fits A4 B7 (Avant / Saloon) (2005-2008) 1.6, 1.8T, 2.0FSi

www.dpmperformance.co.uk

I'll be looking to buy in the next month or so.

That's the STR.T kit, Koni also do the Sport kit with adjustable damping. Drop us a PM when ready and we can go through options and prices.

Damian @ DPM Performance

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

Bilstein B8 kit, with Eibach Sportline shocks. The difference over a worn out S line set up is night and day.
Eibach don't/didn't do Sportlines for a quattro though.