Lowering Springs on a Quattro Avant with SE shocks?

[printmonkey]

Good evening all, apologies in advance if this has already been answered.

I've been searching the forum and reading about suspension options for a while and I'm still not sure which way to go.
My budget is fairly tight after the year we've all had (as I'm sure most of us can understand) but I would like to lower my Avant.

The car is a 2.0T Quattro SE Automatic Avant, I've carried out some essential maintenance items and added a few interior
mods, now it's time to work on the exterior mods.

I have a set of 18" s-line alloys on the way, an s-line front bumper with grille and door blades waiting for refurb and paint and a set
of folding and auto-dimming mirrors with door modules ready to fit (no doubt questions on the mirrors will follow).

I can't go as low as some of you have, ideally the same height a an s-line Avant or slightly lower. Locally we have a lot of
blended (Copenhagen) crossings and speed bumps so need to keep the ride height and comfort usable. The car is
used for a daily commute and I'm closer to 50 than I'd like to be!

Before I put the wheels on and drive around looking like a tractor can anyone offer advice
on the following options? I'll be doing all the work myself so labour costs aren't an issue.

1) H+R or Eibach lowering springs on the SE shocks.

2) H+R or Eibach lowering springs on the SE shocks as a short-term solution until
I can afford either Bilstein B8 or B6 shocks.

3) Replace all shocks and springs with new s-line spec items ie Eibach springs
and Bilstein B4 shocks.

4) Replace with a good used (hopefully cheap) set of s-line spec shocks and springs.

Cheers
David

 

[Charlie Farley]

Good evening David.
You've dropped yourself into one of the B7's minefields I'm afraid, suspension.
It is one of those areas on a B7 that has numerous options with very different end results.

You will get a lot of conflicting reviews on what's best but it does come down to two variables I'm afraid.
1) your budget
and
2) your personal preference of ride height and ride quality.

What works for one owner may not be your cup of tea.

What is the mileage on your Avant as that may also be a factor in your next step?
It may be a far better option to look at replacing 4 corners at the same time with all-new dampers/springs, ideally, this is the best option but it depends on your budget.
mixing and matching old dampers and new springs etc doesn't really work that well and tend to be a false economy.
Don't rule out midrange coilovers as they can be a very good compromise if you want a more personal ride height somewhere in between SE and S-line.
Anyway, it is not something to just rush into, take a while and get a feel of what others are using and how they rate them.
One very important factor you do need to keep in mind is this.
It is very likely your suspension is stock and never been touched, so, the risk of there being pinch bolt issues etc is very high, its a regular occurrence and can be a real bind, an added cost whether it's a DIY job or garage.

Hope that wasn't too long for you David, but it is a very well documented subject with more than one solution.

have a good one.

Rob

 

[AlpineCab]

Hi - I have a similar avant to yours, and am prob going to go Eibach Pro.

In a perfect world I would go H&R 45mm drop based on the reviews seen on the forum here. But the roads here are rough.

With that, I've some Bilstein B8 waiting plus I got the mounting rubbers and shortened bump-stops.
Car is 2005 and has 310k on the clock (km that is) so might as well do those at the same time. especially since I'm fitting uprated kit.

Whilst I've done shocks and springs on various other cars, I'm letting the mechanic sort this one out because he has the car-lift and air-tools and I just don't fancy doing it on ramps/axle-stands.

F*** age! I'm the other side of 50, old enough to remember when it was all about JAMEX . What happened to them?

 

[Charlie Farley]

H&R 45mm 's with Bilstein B8's is a very good combo and a very good ride, surprisingly good given the lower stance, but the b8's are a good damper to start with and well suited to H&R 45mm spring as they are a shorter damper to start with.
On quattro avants you still tend to get the rear a tad lower than the fronts but its only a minimal difference, at the end of the day its all down to personal preference.

 

[printmonkey]

Thanks for the info guys. Going with new springs and shocks all round. Sadly it will come down to budget so s-line spec
Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks. I can live with the s-line ride height.

I will try to avoid touching the pinch bolts Rob, I also own a 1986 VW Westfalia camper van, working on that suspension
and Subaru engine swap and gearbox issues has tested my patience enough over the last few years.

This Avant was supposed to be just a car to use not another project

The camper has been a bit of a money pit at times, hence the limited budget for Avant mods.

 

[Charlie Farley]

It's not a massive job, I've done it 4 times in 6 years on my avant, it can be done without touching the dread pinch bolt, but that's not to say you will not have issues with other bolts etc, if it is all original and not been touched, there is a very chance something will be solid.
Worth doing as much as you can really.

 

[Pie-eyedpiper]

It's not a massive job, I've done it 4 times in 6 years on my avant, it can be done without touching the dread pinch bolt, but that's not to say you will not have issues with other bolts etc, if it is all original and not been touched, there is a very chance something will be solid.
Worth doing as much as you can really.

I second that about the pinchbolt, there's a good YouTube video ( don't seem to be able to link them here anymore) showing how.
Most other bolts should come undone ok unless totally rusted, and the rear springs are a real pain.

 

[printmonkey]

The 18” alloys have arrived so I’ll pop the wheels off this weekend and give them a trial fit.
It will be a good chance to take a closer look at the suspension and start making a shopping list
of any parts that might need replacing.

I’ll look for the youtube video, I did read this b6 guide on a4mods.com that seems to cover it.

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