Springs and dampers or Coilovers for my quattro? HELLLLLP!

Chris6t9

Chris6t9

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I got a A3 s-line quattro and i just cannot decide on springs and dampers or coilovers...
I spoke to Damien at dpm performance today and thought i was going to take the coilover route until i read this thread.

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-...coilovers-vs-spring-damper-kit-pros-cons.html

Now the only springs i can get for quattro is the h&r 35mm lowering springs because they dont do the 50s for quattro but im just not sure it will be enough to fill my arches, but i also i don't want to put coilovers on for the ride to be way too hard for road use... I want it to be alot harder than it currently is, maybe as firm as the Leon FR i used to own because with the quattro it will corner brilliantly.

I'm also looking to fit 13mm spacers to the rear and 10mm to the front.

Any advice at this difficult time would be be great!
 
Chris6t9 said:
I got a A3 s-line quattro and i just cannot decide on springs and dampers or coilovers...
I spoke to Damien at dpm performance today and thought i was going to take the coilover route until i read this thread.

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/a3-s3-...coilovers-vs-spring-damper-kit-pros-cons.html

Now the only springs i can get for quattro is the h&r 35mm lowering springs because they dont do the 50s for quattro but im just not sure it will be enough to fill my arches, but i also i don't want to put coilovers on for the ride to be way too hard for road use... I want it to be alot harder than it currently is, maybe as firm as the Leon FR i used to own because with the quattro it will corner brilliantly.

I'm also looking to fit 13mm spacers to the rear and 10mm to the front.

Any advice at this difficult time would be be great!
Click to expand...

All depends on what ride height you want to run. Coilovers give you the choice to run at different heights and I have red good and bad about how hard they are. It seems the more you pay the better quality dampers you get and the ride is appropriately firm but not harsh or too hard.

I ran eibach pro kit on my 3.2 quattro sport and the ride height was perfect for me, I am now running the same on my S3 and again the height is right for me. I am fitting bilstein dampers to mine at the mo. Rears are much better than stock and going to fit the fronts this weekend and am expecting sam improvement as rears, will keep you posted.

The other thing is cost, quality dampers and lowered springs is best value for money imo. coil overs can be expensive when you only adjust them once!!!
 
I have the eibach pro springs 30mm which is only really 10mm as the sline is already on lower springs i think. I wished I had uprated dampers fitted at same time as well.
 
i have the cheapest JOM' kit at like 180 quid. and other than going pretty low if wanted, the ride is great!

And by 'great' i mean, its very soft like the original suspension and doesnt break my back like my old focusSt170 did. They say they are 30% firmer, but i didnt really notice a difference.

but most people want a harder spring for faster road use o the joms get slated :p
 
JJ.Foulds said:
i have the cheapest JOM' kit at like 180 quid. and other than going pretty low if wanted, the ride is great!

And by 'great' i mean, its very soft like the original suspension and doesnt break my back like my old focusSt170 did. They say they are 30% firmer, but i didnt really notice a difference.

but most people want a harder spring for faster road use o the joms get slated :p
Click to expand...

Cheap coil overs usually get slammed on the forum. I always say you get what you pay for.
 
mechanic69 said:
Cheap coil overs usually get slammed on the forum. I always say you get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

aye they do, but many have used these no problems.

How i see it is, im not tracking the car, so i dont really need expensive stuff, and if these break in a couple of years, they are cheap enough to just replace tbh.

Also im a poor student, i shouldn't even own an audi in the first place.
 
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mechanic69 said:
All depends on what ride height you want to run. Coilovers give you the choice to run at different heights and I have red good and bad about how hard they are. It seems the more you pay the better quality dampers you get and the ride is appropriately firm but not harsh or too hard.

I ran eibach pro kit on my 3.2 quattro sport and the ride height was perfect for me, I am now running the same on my S3 and again the height is right for me. I am fitting bilstein dampers to mine at the mo. Rears are much better than stock and going to fit the fronts this weekend and am expecting sam improvement as rears, will keep you posted.

The other thing is cost, quality dampers and lowered springs is best value for money imo. coil overs can be expensive when you only adjust them once!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback guys. Mechanic i'm on s-line suspension and i was thinking 35mm H&R springs with the Bilstein B4 Sport Damper / Shock Absorber Kit. How much will this drop my car?

H&R 35mm Lowering Suspension Springs | Audi A3 Car Parts

Bilstein B4 Sport Damper / Shock Absorber Kit | Audi A3 Car Parts

However now i look at it is that £310 for 2 or 4?
 
manor13 said:
I have the eibach pro springs 30mm which is only really 10mm as the sline is already on lower springs i think. I wished I had uprated dampers fitted at same time as well.
Click to expand...

So if i got the 35mm springs mine would only drop 15mm?

You got any pics mate?
 
I have this problem also. I have an s line 3.2 and the 35mm lowering kit doesn't seem enough, why don't they do a 50mm !!!!! Was thinking about going jom for the same reasons listed above, I did go out in a 3.2 with them fitted and that felt very good. So may go they route, would prefer just springs though.
 
I need a picture of one down 35mm.... I dont think an extra 15mm from sline will be enough! Not even sure if it will be hard enough for me either :/. Ive only got another day to make a decision!
 
Chris6t9 said:
Thanks for the feedback guys. Mechanic i'm on s-line suspension and i was thinking 35mm H&R springs with the Bilstein B4 Sport Damper / Shock Absorber Kit. How much will this drop my car?

H&R 35mm Lowering Suspension Springs | Audi A3 Car Parts

Bilstein B4 Sport Damper / Shock Absorber Kit | Audi A3 Car Parts

However now i look at it is that £310 for 2 or 4?
Click to expand...

All the drop heights quoted are from the standard height spring. So the sport is already 15mm lower and the spine 25mm lower than standard, I think. So a 35mm drop will lower a sport by 20mm and an spine by 10mm. you need to measure your gap and work out whats best for you. If I've got the drops wrong excuse me but you get the idea.
 
Chris6t9 said:
I need a picture of one down 35mm.... I dont think an extra 15mm from sline will be enough! Not even sure if it will be hard enough for me either :/. Ive only got another day to make a decision!
Click to expand...

I dropped my 3.2 with the eibach springs and it gave me a 20mm even gap between tyre and arch, and it was even all way round arch which was what I wanted. If you want lower or slam the car then coil overs are the answer.
 
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mechanic69 said:
I dropped my 3.2 with the eibach springs and it gave me a 20mm even gap between tyre and arch, and it was even all way round arch which was what I wanted. If you want lower or slam the car then coil overs are the answer.
Click to expand...


I think the H&R 35mm might be oknfor me then. Do you have a pic mate?
 
mechanic69 said:
Best I can do, theres a bit of shadow making the gap look bigger, but there is a constant gap which was the point.

Click to expand...

That doesn't look too bad! I think that's made my mind up then to go for the h&r 35mm spring! Any uneven tyrewear at all on the 30mm drop? Only thing im worried about now is that the ride wont be hard enough.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Didn't notice any uneven tyre wear but on the Quattro I was changing them all every 18 months anyway. If you want to sort the ride out get a decent set of dampers kws, bilsteins etc
 
mechanic69 said:
Didn't notice any uneven tyre wear but on the Quattro I was changing them all every 18 months anyway. If you want to sort the ride out get a decent set of dampers kws, bilsteins etc
Click to expand...

Im looking at getting the H&R Kit so would you suggest otherwise and get the blistein dampers instead with the H&R springs? I just want it to handle like its on rails but still be soft enough for these roads if you know what i mean. Did you notice a difference in the firmness at all? I dont want to buy to find it still doesn't handle like i would like on the bends for a quattro.
 
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mechanic69 said:
Bilsteins fitted 30mm shorter pistons to match my springs, turn up tomorrow. Fit this weekend, sweet
Click to expand...

Cool did you not try standard springs on them before sending them back? either way bet your glad they are finally sorted!
 
grchmason said:
Cool did you not try standard springs on them before sending them back? either way bet your glad they are finally sorted!
Click to expand...

yeah they would work on standard springs but the ride height would be wrong. i prefer the lower front end on the s3 with the eibachs, hate the negative rake on the standard setup too twitchy.
 
Best advice is find a look you like in the pic threads and ask what they have fitted, there are lots of options.what I like might not be your choice just my opinion
 
mechanic69 said:
Best advice is find a look you like in the pic threads and ask what they have fitted, there are lots of options.what I like might not be your choice just my opinion
Click to expand...


Would be cheaper for me to just buy the whole bilstein b8 kit rather than the h&r springs and the bilstein dampers, but then id only get the 30mm drop not the 35... argggg I just need to find a kit that gives the 35mm drop that gives me a hard ride aswell... Im so bad at this.

Ill have to check out some pics tomorrow but its getting late now. I need to order them tomorrow tho ideally! ahhhh
 
I know of a set of 110mm h&r ultralows for sale, which uses a "comfort" H&R spring and a bilstien damper and give you an adjustment range of upto 110mm from SE spec height.

Saw them on another forum the other day, very cheap for what they are too.
 
Chris6t9 said:
Would be cheaper for me to just buy the whole bilstein b8 kit rather than the h&r springs and the bilstein dampers, but then id only get the 30mm drop not the 35... argggg I just need to find a kit that gives the 35mm drop that gives me a hard ride aswell... Im so bad at this.

Ill have to check out some pics tomorrow but its getting late now. I need to order them tomorrow tho ideally! ahhhh
Click to expand...

Chris the bilstein b8s only come as a damper kit, you need to buy the springs separately. Have a chat with Damian of DPM he'll sort you out.
 
mechanic69 said:
Recommend Bilsteins they are a quality piece of kit, nice ride and not harsh at all.
Click to expand...

Just an update.
I threw my budget out the window and went for blistein b14 coils with h&r spacers in the end.... Wasn't prepared to buy springs that might not have got it low enough than I wanted and might not have got the handling I wanted. At least I can ajust it to how I want rather than getting one or the other now so I reckon ill be happy with the purchase!
 
audi upgrades
Cool !
I didn't want to create a new thread, maybe you won't bite me if I ask one question.:) I'm also thinking about upgrading suspension, looking for coilovers because of possibility to lower it for summer and raise for winter. Can't choose between FK Silverlines and popular on here AP. Winters are quite salty here in my country so stainless is a + (FK). Do not know if AP are stainless but if someone can guarantee they are better (handling, comfort, durability etc.) I can lubricate it enough not to rust :)
Car is used as a daily for short distances, not racetracking, only fast road, comfort is not so important because now my A3 is quite hard for me on stock and I got used to it.
Any comment will be appreciated, thanks.
 
keram said:
Cool !
I didn't want to create a new thread, maybe you won't bite me if I ask one question.:) I'm also thinking about upgrading suspension, looking for coilovers because of possibility to lower it for summer and raise for winter. Can't choose between FK Silverlines and popular on here AP. Winters are quite salty here in my country so stainless is a + (FK). Do not know if AP are stainless but if someone can guarantee they are better (handling, comfort, durability etc.) I can lubricate it enough not to rust :)
Car is used as a daily for short distances, not racetracking, only fast road, comfort is not so important because now my A3 is quite hard for me on stock and I got used to it.
Any comment will be appreciated, thanks.
Click to expand...

Your best bet would be to contact damien at dpm mate. I can imagine the coils being much much harder than stock tho.
 
smurfworth said:
Well, I can say from experience that your imagination is completely wrong.
Click to expand...

Well now ive got these babys fitted i can say its definately a firmer ride than stock! So so so much better tho! Not sure if its becuase of the settings there on or not but i love it and would recommend these coils to anyone!
 
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