Advice on lowering

[KevinOS]

Hello i have a few questions about lowering my A3...
1. How much should i lower it by so that i can still carry 5 without rubbing?
2. What are the advantages of coilovers compared to springs?
3. I was looking at 18 inch alloys, either RS4s or something with a bit of a dish, any suggestions?
4. What suspension setup would be closest to OEM comfort without breaking the bank?
5. What size spacers would be needed to make the wheels flush?
6. Is it possible to have "stance" without making the car impractical?
Any advice much appreciated

 

[dzTT]

If you go down the coilovers route then it is adjustable to suit your needs, so if your going to be carrying more people you can always raise the height then lower it again.
Wheels I think the RS4s look awesome but there is a lot of cars with them now, not saw too many A3s with BBS LMs they come with a decent dish and look pretty sweet.
if you were just going for springs to lower then might be worth getting some sline shocks as i believe they are lower and keep ecent amount of comfort.
Spacer size will depend on what wheels you get, check the ET first. i think the majority of people on here are running 8 and 10 mm spacers. Ive not got around to getting some for my own yet but on the TT i went for 20 and 25mm ones.
Stance is achieveable without going too low, but you will never get the perfect stance without it tbh.

hope this sorts some things out for you

Dazz

 

[FranA3]

Get some coilovers I've got them lowered it nearly all the way down and can still carry 5 mate , I'm running 225/40/18 tyres on 18" et45 wheels no rubbing or very rare rubbing only if I hit a big bump mid corner other than that no worries at all , I'm running v-maxx coilovers that a bought off N8 pm him he sells them at a very competitive price

 

[DPM]

You should be fine with around a 35-40mm drop without any rubbing when fully loaded.

How many miles has your current suspension done?

For spacers 10mm front and 12mm rear gives a great look on the A3 but this will depend on what wheels you're running.

Damian @ DPM Performance

 

[Ads]

1. How much should i lower it by so that i can still carry 5 without rubbing?
40-50mm you will get rubbing at the back with a full load (removing wheel arch screw should stop this).
But you WILL get scraping under your car when going over the higher 'island' type speedbumps.
30mm drop will prevent this.

2. What are the advantages of coilovers compared to springs?
coilovers are adjustable, springs aren't.
Springs are generally more comfortable than coilovers.


3. I was looking at 18 inch alloys, either RS4s or something with a bit of a dish, any suggestions?
RS4s are a bit dated now. They still look good enough but I would go for something a bit less dated/common.
Or spray them a different colour, then they look at lot better IMO. (see fran's alloys).

4. What suspension setup would be closest to OEM comfort without breaking the bank?
Spring-wise... Eibach springs will be closest to OEM comfort. H&R will be a bit firmer.


5. What size spacers would be needed to make the wheels flush?
10/12mm will get your there abouts, but probably not totally flush at the back.

6. Is it possible to have "stance" without making the car impractical?
Depends what you mean by "stance". If by that you mean zero arch gap then unless you drive over speedbump-free roads then you are always going to have a few problems getting around quickly.

 

[KevinOS]

1. How much should i lower it by so that i can still carry 5 without rubbing?
40-50mm you will get rubbing at the back with a full load (removing wheel arch screw should stop this).
But you WILL get scraping under your car when going over the higher 'island' type speedbumps.
30mm drop will prevent this.

2. What are the advantages of coilovers compared to springs?
coilovers are adjustable, springs aren't.
Springs are generally more comfortable than coilovers.


3. I was looking at 18 inch alloys, either RS4s or something with a bit of a dish, any suggestions?
RS4s are a bit dated now. They still look good enough but I would go for something a bit less dated/common.
Or spray them a different colour, then they look at lot better IMO. (see fran's alloys).

4. What suspension setup would be closest to OEM comfort without breaking the bank?
Spring-wise... Eibach springs will be closest to OEM comfort. H&R will be a bit firmer.


5. What size spacers would be needed to make the wheels flush?
10/12mm will get your there abouts, but probably not totally flush at the back.

6. Is it possible to have "stance" without making the car impractical?
Depends what you mean by "stance". If by that you mean zero arch gap then unless you drive over speedbump-free roads then you are always going to have a few problems getting around quickly.

Thanks for all the replies ...as regards the wheels, what other options are there in the low budget price range (up to about £800) without looking cheap?

 

[FranA3]

Thanks for all the replies ...as regards the wheels, what other options are there in the low budget price range (up to about £800) without looking cheap?

the world is your oyster they say bud , take a look on ebay you can get a really nice set of rims for less than that oem too , just think outside the box and don't follow everyone else

 

[FranA3]

(see fran's alloys).