S3 Suspension Upgrade advice...

[RobeyOne]

I've had my 2011 8P S3 Black edition just coming up for two years now, and I love every bit of it with one exception.....I find the ride somewhat harsh and 'chattery', particularly as our roads seem to be more pothole than tarmac these days....so I figure it's time to do something about it!

I've read several posts on here recommending the Eibach Pro kit with Bilstein B4 dampers, and maybe ARB upgrade but all seem to reference lowering, and I'm completely happy with the height of the car. I also don't want to compromise the dead flat cornering when pushing hard, I just want to provide a bit more comfort during daily commute and I reckon a more progressive setup than standard should be able to achieve that. I don't want to spend a fortune, and have budgeted on up to £100 a corner, so that may limit my choice somewhat.

Really interested to hear from people who have achieved good results with the same criteria, ie:

• No change in ride height from S3 stock
• Better comfort at low speed without compromising cornering ability
• Plug n Play setup - I'm not too bothered about adjusting once fitted
• Somewhere within sight of £400

Thanks in advance!

 

[S38pkyle-ing]

If you don’t want to change the ride height at all then Eibach Pro kit springs are not for you mate. Mind you they only go on the front and drop it 20mm, which in my opinion makes the car sit how it should...i prefer it that way anyway and I’m sure a lot of others would agree.

When it comes to more comfort if your thinking of fitting aftermarket springs then I’d say your fighting a losing battle. As far is I’m aware eibach are closer to OE than say the H &R springs....but then the H & R are out of the question anyway because they lower both the front and rear.

If you were to fit the Eibach Pro kit to b4 shocks I’m assuming you’d have to get the front shocks shortened by 20mm fill the gap between the spring and the top mount.

As for price wise.. I’ve recently purchased b8 shocks all round, had the fronts shortened, Eibach Pro kit front springs, OEM rear springs, bilstein front top mounts and dust boots all round for a pretty decent price. I did manage to get some sweet deals sorted but if you wana PM me I’ll happily have a chat about what I paid and where from.

There’s a lot more knowledgable people on here but hope this helps mate

 

[miltybilty]

Okay there's not gonna be much that you can find for Max £400 .... Hmmmm

Does the front impact feel when hitting bumps bother you? Or is it the way the whole car rides?

Koni FSD will be the way to go if want to add comfort well keeping stock height.

I have other ideas but I haven't tried them myself yet ....

Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk

 

[RobeyOne]

Thanks for replies guys.

When I say 'stock height', I mean for an S3 not standard A3....the car already sits pretty low and level as it is (maybe its previously been lowered?) - I'll try to get a decent picture taken tomorrow and post it up.

Regarding the ride - it is mainly the jarring in the front suspension when riding over potholes or rough roads that bothers me - it just gets a bit tedious and also increases interior trim rattles etc. I was hoping there might be a simple bolt-on replacement that would improve things, ie: thinking the stock units probably compromise more on cost than performance/comfort and an aftermarket option might be more biased the other way...?

 

[RobeyOne]

So having taken a more critical look, and gone through the sticky thread with Eibach photos, I'd agree there is scope to lower the front of my car! (pics below)

However....that's not my main objective - as we know I'm trying to improve the ride quality. So I have two questions:

1. If I were to go the Eibach pro/Bilstein B4 route, shorted by 20mm as required, would I/should I change the rear springs or shocks or leave them standard?
2. Would this actually provide a more compliant ride, or will it be just as stiff (or stiffer) than stock S3?