Finaly got my coilover kit fitted this week after first trying to do it myself and failing miserably due to a combination of bad weather, lack of available time and a a couple of seized bolts (which snapped when being done by the mechanic anyway). I decided to go for ST X Coilover Suspension Kit, supplied by
@DPM . My decision was mainly driven by cost, desire to keep as much comfort as possible while lowering the front of the car to be in line with rear and to improve on the standard S3 damping/roll, which is very bad for a car of this caliber - as many here will testify. I have no plans on doing track days at this time, not did I want the car lowered as much as possible. Although from what I understnad, this kit will go very low at the expence of comfort and clearance. I didn't need lots of adjustability due to how I plan to use the car - being able to adjust ride-height was the only thing that I wanted.
According to my limited research ST X is made by KW and ST is their mid-range brand, with AP being the budget range, with KW being the best of breed. St X shares much of its internals with KW v1, but costs less due to cheaper materials elsewhere. The ST brand effectively replaced Weitec range, which is what I wanted to get originally.
Anyway, I picked up the car from the garage today and spent just over an hour driving at various speeds on a combination of motorway, bumpy back roads and somewhere in between. Initial impressions are very, very good! I was very surprised by its ability to absorb bumps and potholes, while improving on the feel/communication through the steering and my 'butt'
Turn-in feels much more direct and precise with much less understeer - these improvements might be more down to improved tracking and new standard topmounts though, so take this with a pinch of salt. The main thing is that the bouncy ride is pretty mcuh gone - car feels very planted and seems to hold the road very well mid-corner, even on a very wet day like today.
In summary, I'm really chuffed with my choice so far. The original aims of having a comfortable ride while improving handling and lowering it slightly have been achieved. I can't comment on build quality yet and I guess things will take a bit of time to settle - time will tell. So far though, very impressed and would recommend this kit to anyone looking to have flexibility in ride height while improving handling and comfort of the stock suspension.
I'll post up a pic of how the car looks now once the rain stops
