New shock absorber advice

Dani_B19

Dani_B19

Audi-sports own special child.
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Evening all.

So im still trying to sort the a4 out but just havent had the time or head space, anyway i nees to get it sorted so onto the suspension.

Has anyone used or have any experience with GSFs Amtex shocks? I would be looking to fit these along with some eibach or apex lowering springs if i do go this route.

Im thinking i may want to just fit and forget and fitting budget coilovers isnt potentially going to be the right route.

As always budget especially this time of year is a driving force and my limit is still around the £250 mark hence not going for ap coilovers or bilstein shocks.
 
Evening Dani, I think your budget is going to be the sticking point in your plan.
There's a lot of kit out there and a lot of it is very good and not overly expensive , also a lot of kit out there that is not that good and as with most things in this world sometimes cheap is just that for a reason.
It may work ok but how long will it all last and will it be what you really want , there is kit out there for the price you are looking to spend but it may not be what you really want and may not work for you.
If I was going your route i'd be looking at something around the £400 base price really , that's only £100 squid's per corner and it will be a good starting point.
AP kit 's can be sourced from ebay.de for good prices at the moment, a lot less than uk list prices and it works well.
I'm no wild spender but on suspension I feel you do need to get something half decent , after all it works very hard and you'll be only more naffed off if you go cheapy and have a rubbish handling/ride quality car.
 
Bilstein B4 dampers can be sourced at around £40 - £50 a corner , and then get some lower springs , you could probably get it all for around £300 if you source the right locations.
 
just tried GSF website for amtek shock for my old bus , don't even offer them as an option , only basic springs.....maybe they are not used that much on A4's
 
Thanks for the feed back rob.

The gsf units are shocks not springs pal.

Looking online i can get the b4s for £160 delivered.

What springs would you recommended?

Everything seems to offer an equal drop front to back which is annoying as id like to drop the front as its far too high as standard or do you think it would even out front to back with an equal drop on springs?
 
GSF dont list amtek shocks for my old bus full stop Dani, only 3rd party springs....

B4 will be direct oe replacements so the same overall lenght dampers etc, just work better than originals...
Springs need to be specific lenght for a drop if you want to lower the fronts more but even then you maynot get a level ride heigh front to back.
H&R 45mm allround are good but then there are a few brands out there that do differing drop heights , just down to you preference.
My old bus is not 100% level but not too bad now its settled , but avants do seem to be afflicted by unevenride height more than saloons.

The problem with shorter springs is that you really need shorter dampers to match otherwise your dampers will be compressed more to startwith, but still doable.
Saloons seem to level out better than avants.
 
Ideally for my avant i needed a drop of 40 rear and 50 front which would be perfect but the only way that will work is with coilovers.
 
Well theres 3 options im thinking of

Amtex shocks and 40mm apex springs £219-£230 (supplier dependent)

B4 shocks and 40mm apex springs £288-£300 (supplier dependent)

Ap shocks and springs kit £280-£335 (supplier dependent)

If im honest its a toss up between the amtex or b4s as the aps realistically woyld be closer to the £330ish mark and only offer a 35mm drop.

The amtex are hard to argue with for the price saving as it coyld be a £70 saving and they come with a 2 year warranty
 
If you are keeping OE ride height, Bilstein B3 springs are great quality and match perfectly with B4 shock absorbers - neither are particularly expensive
 
I have Eibach springs and AP dampers which are good, tend to find people just recommend what they have or what everyone else has with stuff like this same with remaps and allot of fit and forget stuff (although mines been mapped 3+ times and had a couple suspension combinations because race car), haven't tried any cheap setups as I don't fit stuff myself and the labour cost puts me off buying cheap. Only way to get height spot on is with coilovers but I guess with the depreciation of our cars it's hard to justify a reputable manufacturer so personally if I was going coilovers I'd just buy budget and wind it down real low.
 
Jake thats another thing i dont ewnt to spend a fortune as i know the cars just not worth it, yes its got an amazing spec list most dont but its an 05 reg with 150k on the clock haha.
 
Maybe its time to part company with it Dani, if the running costs are getting silly given its age and milage then maybe time to find something else with lower total running cost etc.
just a thought chap.
 
Just buy some budget coilovers with a decent warranty.
Trouble with another car is the unknown problems, at least you know where you are with them when you've had a car a few years.
 
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Agreed chap, but all used cars are a risk and potential bottomless pit of expense....as I know..lol
 
Tbh Rob i like the car.

The spec is unreal and i know without going down the pcp route i wouldnt find anything that matchs the a4 and unfortunately the pcp route is another 2-3 years off so the a4 is staying.

Ive decided im going with the eibach springs with an overall 30mm drop.

Just the shocks now haha, amtex or b4s.
 
£270 for the b4 and 30mm eibachs, think my minds made up haha
 
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you see Dani, we told you it was the best option......and don't forget my commission..lol
 
Haha ill send you a snickers in the post pal.
 
Before i place the order, anyone ever used autodoc?
 
Dani_B19 said:
Before i place the order, anyone ever used autodoc?
Click to expand...
I asked about auto doc within last week on here had two repiles 1 good and 1 bad but when im going to order the parts i need i will use the paypal as easy to resolve if there was problem.

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
 
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I have seen mixed reviews also, but then different buyers may have had different reasons for complaint , I don't really take too much notice of all the reviews that companies put up to be honest ,common sense seems to work just aswell with most sources.
 
Apologies for the thread hijack but I'm also in need of sorting the suspension on my car.

The car has covered around 130k miles on s-line suspension, it now handles like crap and groans and knocks so is well overdue a freshen up.

I've set aside a rough budget of £1000 to get it sorted, was hoping someone had done something similar recently who can recommend what to go for.

I've seen the Meyle HD front control arm kit for £390 and was wondering if something similar exists for the rear or is it a case of picking up the indivudual bushes and replacing them one by one?

Once I've the control arms and bushes picked out I'll have a better idea on what I can spend on shocks and springs.

Would appreciate any suggestions anyone has
 
mermade said:
can get away with changing the arm bushes rather than the expense of doing full arms https://powerflexstore.co.uk/audi/a4-inc-avant-2wd-2005-2008/
Click to expand...

I did look at replacing the bushes but I think it would be quicker and easier to replace the lot, I don't have much of a workshop here to do the swap myself.
I am thinking about ordering the powerflex bushes with camber adjustment as I'll be fitting new springs and dampers that are slightly lower and don't want to have abnormal tyre wear. If there was a reasonably priced set of adjustable upper control arms I guess they would be much easier to adjust?
 
On the abnormal tyre wear point, my old bus is on Bilstein B8's with H&R 45mm drop , with 19" et35 alloys , I have had the tracking etc checked a few times recently and even though the camber cant be adjusted as oem ,my fronts wear very evenly , no abnormal wear at all sides either , and its quattro.
Are sure you really need adjustable front , well unless your are going bonkers low that is..

rob
 
Just Rob. said:
On the abnormal tyre wear point, my old bus is on Bilstein B8's with H&R 45mm drop , with 19" et35 alloys , I have had the tracking etc checked a few times recently and even though the camber cant be adjusted as oem ,my fronts wear very evenly , no abnormal wear at all sides either , and its quattro.
Are sure you really need adjustable front , well unless your are going bonkers low that is..

rob
Click to expand...

No it shouldn't be too much different to yours, same dampers only with Eibach springs rather than the H&R.
I still have 19" 8.5J alloys from a 2011 S4 fitted so hopefully no issues when it is dropped a little.

Just thought I'd prefer to have the option for adjusting fitted now while everything is going to be stripped down. Got an email earlier saying the kit should arrive in the next 4 or 5 days and the control arms should arrive tomorrow so will probably just fit that and see how it goes.
 
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