Weird Suspension Question

[dg1980]

I have a 2005 2.0tfsi Quattro S Line which to be honest have always felt the suspension to be a bit crashy but have learned to live with it. With the cold weather the last few days in the mornings I've noticed the ride seems to be much more comfortable and less crashy. I know this seems sounds a bit strange but has anyone else noticed this or is this a sign the shocks are shot and the cold weather has stiffened them up overnight?

Dan.

 

[Sayam]

What is the mileage on the car? S-line suspension is (for me anyway) among some of the most uncomfortable suspension available on what should be a premium hatchback. It's truly awful.

If it were my car I'd fit Eibach Pro-Kit springs which will lower it a touch and then fit some dampers that work with the spring rate of the Eibach.

I buy anything suspension-wise that I need from Damian and he's a forum sponsor so a good person to speak with @DPM

 

[audismart]

just bought some Eibach pro springs for mine after a lot of sifting through the threads, came to the conclusion as everyone has said they work well with the standard OEM S-Line dampers which they have been engineered for, their a progressive spring and soften the crashy S-Line suspension, but retain the OEM ride hight, just another 5mm lower, they improve handling too. paid £123.74 delivered, can give you the link if interested?

 

[dg1980]

Cheers for the replies and advice guys, after a little bit or searching it seems that everyone is highly recommending the Eibach pro springs over the S Line springs for a more comfy ride. If you could send over the link that would be very much appreciated,

Thanks,
Dan.

 

[audismart]

www.car-parts24.com

 

[ABS2788]

Can anyone recommend what shocks would go well with the eibach pro kit lowering springs? My rear springs are nearly gone so need to change and thought now is the time to change the crash landing s line springs. My shocks look old as well and seen better days so will change these as well just which ones. My car is the same as op and I'm after more comfort with a slightly lower look as well? Thanks

 

[audismart]

A lot of people are saying Koni FSD, Bisltein B8 are good or you can get a Bilstein B12 kit that comes with the eibach pro or sportline.

 

[Gazwould]

Eibach and Bilstein .

Gas is denser at cold temps thus provides better damping ?

 

[ABS2788]

Blistein b12 look promising especially if they come with the eibach springs. They are a little out my budget range so will have to do some more saving and hope my current standard springs last me little longer

 

[Gazwould]

Eibach Pro with oe Bilstein B4 , cheaper and probably similar if not more comfortable than a B12 kit .

 

[audismart]

Blistein b12 look promising especially if they come with the eibach springs. They are a little out my budget range so will have to do some more saving and hope my current standard springs last me little longer

£575 for a B12 kit.
Or roughly £125 for pro eibach springs and £420 for B8 dampers.

 

[ABS2788]

Thanks for your help guys. Any big differences between the b4 and b8 dampers as per above.

 

[audismart]

B4 are OEM replacements and B8 are a bit shorter and better damped to suit lowering springs, so you should get a small drop in ride hight too.

 

[Gazwould]

B4 is oe but rumoured to be uprated a bit .

B8 is a shorter uprated monotube damper.

 

[Sayam]

B4 is similar to the OEM damper but it has gas in which prevents the oil's viscosity from changing as it warms up and cools down, so maintains dampening effect.

B8 is a more sport orientated shock and has shorter range of movement, which makes it suited to lowering springs. However, the one person that I know that has Pro-Kit springs and B8 dampers complains they are too stiff...

Wonder if the B6 is a little softer than the B8 or if it's just the B8 in a traditional taller body?

 

[Gazwould]

B6 is same but standard length .

 

[ABS2788]

Yeh I don't want much stiffness if I can help it but wouldn't mind the ride a little lower for a more stance look. B8 sound good though but can anyone else comment on them

 

[Gazwould]

Here's Demon Tweeks description of the B4.

"Bilstein B4 Performance Front Gas Dampers are designed to be direct replacements, with a slight performance advantage over the original dampers. They are ideal for use with the standard ride height springs or can be used with lowered and uprated springs (max suggested lowering approx 40mm) if lowering on a budget.

The legendary Bilstein damping smooths out bumps for an excellent ride, but control And stability are maintained at speed for confidence in all conditions.

Bilstein B4 Gas Dampers offer:
Performance shock absorbers that suit standard springs or most lowered spring kits (up to approx 40mm)
High level of comfort with stable vehicle control
Gas pressure technology
Road-tested and fine tuned by Bilstein

The Bilstein B4 damper is the perfect choice for those wanting sure and stable handling at a great price."

 

[audismart]

Here's Demon Tweeks description of the B4.

"Bilstein B4 Performance Front Gas Dampers are designed to be direct replacements, with a slight performance advantage over the original dampers. They are ideal for use with the standard ride height springs or can be used with lowered and uprated springs (max suggested lowering approx 40mm) if lowering on a budget.

The legendary Bilstein damping smooths out bumps for an excellent ride, but control And stability are maintained at speed for confidence in all conditions.

Bilstein B4 Gas Dampers offer:
Performance shock absorbers that suit standard springs or most lowered spring kits (up to approx 40mm)
High level of comfort with stable vehicle control
Gas pressure technology
Road-tested and fine tuned by Bilstein

The Bilstein B4 damper is the perfect choice for those wanting sure and stable handling at a great price."

I was looking at a specification on B4s and it quoted on 30mm max lowering springs.

 

[Gazwould]

It all goes on how much it is going down by according to a specific model and how oe stiff the dampers are already .

I wouldn't put an SE damper with any lowered spring .

Sport , S Line , S3 , yes .

On my VW , Eibach Pro only lowers my Sport model by 15 mm , so new oe Sport B4 dampers are ideal .

I suspect a similar story from S3 height to H&R .

The spring manufacturer always quotes a total drop as if going from SE Standard suspension.

 

[ABS2788]

Out of curiosity, if I went down the b12 setup, what sort of difference would I see roughly in terms of ride height from an s line setup I have currently?

 

[audismart]

5-10mm mate, if you go for the pro set. The S-Line shocks are shorter than sport shocks, not 100% on this but you wont see much difference in height from the shorter bilstien B8s i dont think.

 

[ABS2788]

Oh, I thought by paying that much for the kit I would want to see some lowering as well as the comfort and handling. Maybe I'm asking for too much or being too cheap?? Haha

 

[audismart]

You can go lower with the sportline B12 kit, but you will compromise on comfort and you may get some wheel scrub on the arches with passengers.

 

[ABS2788]

Yeh to be fair I was thinking the pro set up as I want to retain some comfort especially as a daily drive consists of avoiding pot holes, bumpy/uneven road surfaces and speed bumps

 

[audismart]

Yeh to be fair I was thinking the pro set up as I want to retain some comfort especially as a daily drive consists of avoiding pot holes, bumpy/uneven road surfaces and speed bumps

Thats exactly the reason I'm retaining my OEM S Line dampers and getting the pro springs, The ride height, the stiffness I like, the way the car handles small bumps and undulations in the road is a joke, and the car gets really twitchy at 60 and 70 on the twisties, the pro eibach address that I'm told and they get rid of the twitchyness at speed and give more feedback and confidence.

 

[ABS2788]

Thats exactly the reason I'm retaining my OEM S Line dampers and getting the pro springs, The ride height, the stiffness I like, the way the car handles small bumps and undulations in the road is a joke, and the car gets really twitchy at 60 and 70 on the twisties, the pro eibach address that I'm told and they get rid of the twitchyness at speed and give more feedback and confidence.

Any particular reason why you wouldn't go for the b8 dampers though? I need to change my s line dampers either way as they have reached there sell by date

 

[audismart]

Any particular reason why you wouldn't go for the b8 dampers though? I need to change my s line dampers either way as they have reached there sell by date

My S-Line dampers have only done 60k they are working well with no leaks, so should get at least another 40k out of them, B8s will be on the list if I still have the car.