who's fitted h&r springs to the A5 ?

[vw754]

Anyone fitted h&r springs to their A5 s-line?
Any pics with 19's and please state what drop.

Im thinking of going 40/40 or 35/35 but not sure which to go for, i want it sit level all round not nose down if u get wat i mean.

 

[Tjaart]

Before:
The car has 1BE sport suspension, 19inch rims with 255/35R19 tyres. Spacers

After:
H&R 29059-2 Sport springs. rated for 1100 kg plus axles (my car is the 3.0TDI). Supposedly 1.25 inch Front and 1.2 inch Rear

Alignment indicated that the front camber is -2.20 degrees and needs to be below -1.3 degrees. The control arms are not adjustable.
The Front is definitely lower than the rear. And the car scratches over every bump. So I have since changed the tyres to 255/40R19

 

[vw754]

thanks fo the reply,nice car mate............im still on the search and cant make my mind up lol

 

[vw754]

could it be that yours is lower at the front with it being the 3.0 tdi?

 

[Tjaart]

Thanks

could it be that yours is lower at the front with it being the 3.0 tdi?

Perhaps, but the kit is meant for heavy axles. The difference is small enough not to bother me too much.

Maybe check on Audizine for more examples to verify the same case for the 2 litres.

 

[Donny_DJ]

Interesting thread. @Tjaart how's the ride now? Is it quite firm?

 

[Tjaart]

Interesting thread. @Tjaart how's the ride now? Is it quite firm?

The H&R springs are progressive. So normal road driving is slightly stiffer than the OEM sport springs. You almost don't notice it. Normal = good smooth roads that don't cause the springs to compress too much so only the soft portion is being used.
But remember the lowering springs have less space for travel, so they have to be stiffer in order not to bottom out. So if you drive over a bad section of road and hit a nice bump, the soft part will fully compress until the very stiff section is all that is left. And that is QUITE firm.

90% of my daily driving is on okay-ish roads, so it doesn't bother me.

 

[Donny_DJ]

The H&R springs are progressive. So normal road driving is slightly stiffer than the OEM sport springs. You almost don't notice it. Normal = good smooth roads that don't cause the springs to compress too much so only the soft portion is being used.
But remember the lowering springs have less space for travel, so they have to be stiffer in order not to bottom out. So if you drive over a bad section of road and hit a nice bump, the soft part will fully compress until the very stiff section is all that is left. And that is QUITE firm.

90% of my daily driving is on okay-ish roads, so it doesn't bother me.

Really helpful mate. That's not London roads though right? What size tyres you running?

 

[Tjaart]

Really helpful mate. That's not London roads though right? What size tyres you running?

No, I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. Roads aren't that great here.
I am currently running 255/40R19 tyres. Here is a photo: (this is with spacers though). It lifts the car up just enough to clear bumps

 

[bobby singh]

I had H&R's on my A4 and the ride was terrible I removed them within a week and fitted Eibachs pro kit.
Now the ride is perfect - Drive my car 450miles a week so comfort was #1 requirement.

H&R's would be great on a track no doubt but on the road I didn't like them at all.

H&R do sit lower than Eibachs but I'm happy with clearing bumps now without any issues

 

[Tjaart]

I had H&R's on my A4 and the ride was terrible I removed them within a week and fitted Eibachs pro kit.
Now the ride is perfect - Drive my car 450miles a week so comfort was #1 requirement.

H&R's would be great on a track no doubt but on the road I didn't like them at all.

H&R do sit lower than Eibachs but I'm happy with clearing bumps now without any issues

Bobby makes some good points. The lower you go the stiffer the suspension will get. Unless you go coil-overs or air-suspension.
Uncomfortable is relative, so you will have to make a judgement call on what is acceptable to you vs how low you want to go.

In Bobby's case there is a ~10mm difference in drop between the two brands. And different designs as well. If you don't want to go all out, then Eibach is a good option...

I love the low look, so I bear the stiffer ride. I only drive on avg 44km a day.

 

[Donny_DJ]

I had H&R's on my A4 and the ride was terrible I removed them within a week and fitted Eibachs pro kit.
Now the ride is perfect - Drive my car 450miles a week so comfort was #1 requirement.

H&R's would be great on a track no doubt but on the road I didn't like them at all.

H&R do sit lower than Eibachs but I'm happy with clearing bumps now without any issues

You London @bobby singh ? Were you S-Line?

 

[bobby singh]

Live near Heathrow
Correct s line and I replaced the shocks with oem sachs parts.

 

[Donny_DJ]

No, I live in Johannesburg, South Africa. Roads aren't that great here.
I am currently running 255/40R19 tyres. Here is a photo: (this is with spacers though). It lifts the car up just enough to clear bumps

With the 40 profile tyres do you get any rubbing on the arches (with/without passengers)? What size spacers you running?

 

[Donny_DJ]

Car looks great btw @Tjaart

 

[Tjaart]

Car looks great btw @Tjaart

Thanks bud.

With the 40 profile tyres do you get any rubbing on the arches (with/without passengers)? What size spacers you running?

255/35R19 tyres:
Spacers 20mm Front and 25mm Rear
no rubbing loaded or not.

255/40R19:
Spacers 20mm Front and 25mm Rear
Rubbing with and without extra load. I will be getting two 15mm spacers to run 15mm front and 20mm rear for this tyre size.
The tyres rub on the sidewall.

Without spacers:
I have ran a few track events with the 255/40R19 tyres without the spacers and never rubbed. Meaning the top of the wheel does not catch the fender inner liner during hard cornering.
Pic of testing

 

[Donny_DJ]

Thanks bud.



255/35R19 tyres:
Spacers 20mm Front and 25mm Rear
no rubbing loaded or not.

255/40R19:
Spacers 20mm Front and 25mm Rear
Rubbing with and without extra load. I will be getting two 15mm spacers to run 15mm front and 20mm rear for this tyre size.
The tyres rub on the sidewall.

Without spacers:
I have ran a few track events with the 255/40R19 tyres without the spacers and never rubbed. Meaning the top of the wheel does not catch the fender inner liner during hard cornering.
Pic of testing

REALLY helpful. I was thinking of getting RS5 Rotors but I think the ride will become too harsh and the roads around London are poor. Think I will stick with the 19s, spacers and lowered and think it will look great like yours...

 

[Donny_DJ]

Live near Heathrow
Correct s line and I replaced the shocks with oem sachs parts.

Hi Bobby, approx how much did the Eibach springs lower your car by? Is it very noticeable?

My understanding if you have an A5 S-Line, the suspension is likely to be the more common one 'Sports' 1BE (not the lower version 'S-Line' 1BV), and is already lower than a bog-standard A5 by approx 15-20mm all round so by fitting Eibachs you're only lowering the car by approx 5-10mm?
Does that sound about right?

Thanks in advance mate

 

[bobby singh]

From the ground to the arch I have the following measurements:

H&R's - Front & Rear - 655mm
Eibachs - Front - 666mm - Rear - 663mm

 

[Donny_DJ]

From the ground to the arch I have the following measurements:

H&R's - Front & Rear - 655mm
Eibachs - Front - 666mm - Rear - 663mm

Pics of yours Bobby?

 

[bobby singh]

Click on my build thread mate some on there

 

[holmefield]

right folks im looking @ lowering my A5 sportback 2013 Tdi..

I've read a few threads and it seems that the Eiback Pro kit only seems to lower the ride height by 5/10mm MAX over the standard S line springs, and some threads even state that theirs NO noticeable difference in drop over the standard S line springs ( very frustrating )

So will H&R springs produce a noticable drop? BUT STILL BE daily usable? and not rock hard knock your teeth out ?

Or will the Eibach Pro kit produce a even drop front and rear as some threads state the rear ends up lower than the front!!!!!

It seems a mine field????

 

[Donny_DJ]

It is a minefield mate

 

[holmefield]

Yer seems to be from what i've read..

Some state no difference in height drop, others state front sits slightly higher than rear when lowered!!

Some say drops ok all around, thats for the Eibach pro kit and H&R kit...

Im wondering weather its worth bothering with, im after a nice 15/20mm max drop but achiveing rhat as you've mentioned seems a mine field...

 

[Donny_DJ]

Yer seems to be from what i've read..

Some state no difference in height drop, others state front sits slightly higher than rear when lowered!!

Some say drops ok all around, thats for the Eibach pro kit and H&R kit...

Im wondering weather its worth bothering with, im after a nice 15/20mm max drop but achiveing rhat as you've mentioned seems a mine field...

Yours is an S-Line right so approximately 20mm lower than a bog standard A5 assuming you're on the more common 'Sports' 1BE suspension, rather than 'S-Line' 1BV (which is a further 10mm lower). Really important you find out which one you are - it will say on the sticker in the boot near the spare wheel. Therefore if you fit Eibachs you'll definitely see an improvement in ride quality as the standard setup is fairly poor. In terms of drop you'll prob get around between 5-10mm allround. I've just recently had Eibach Pros fitted to mine (1BE) and the rear has dropped nicely (-10mm) but the front is still a bit high (-5mm). I'm hoping it will settle over the next couple of weeks after i put a few hundred miles on them.
There are two types of H&R lowering springs avail for the A5, both give a firm ride as per my understanding but depends how much of a drop you want. I would've loved to have gone for the -35mm (advertised) versions but the roads around south london are fairly horrendous. If your budget stretches i've heard the KW Street Comfort coilover kit is great....

 

[Donny_DJ]

Some side by side before & afters on Eibach Pro kit (the car was only lowered on Thursday)....

 

[holmefield]

Cheers Donny_Dj yep mines an Sline, i'll check which suspension i have asap, yours looks spot on after the drop im after a similar drop, not to much a subtle amount...

I think the H&R mite to be a bit to much for a daily driver and family car, and i run big alloys ( 20" Rs5 rotors on very low offsets ) so as im moving on 21" alloys for next year the Eibach pro kit seems to be the best option..

Can i ask what you payed for the spring kit and where you got it from?

Cheers for all your help...

 

[holmefield]

Just checked and i have the 1BE springs ( boo ) so looks like i'd achive similar drop height as you Donny_Dj..

Mines a sportback so whether that would give a visually difference or not im unsure..

Im wondering whether a 5mm front and 10mm rear drop thou is worth the cost as i recon springs and fitting cost would total around £300..

I agree that the ride would be better but £250/£300 for 5mm & 10mm drop has got me thinking.

Theres H&R adjustable springs that work with your standard shocks and be adjusted upto 35mm drop ( pretty cool piece of kit ) but there £650!!! Ouch

 

[Donny_DJ]

Cheers Donny_Dj yep mines an Sline, i'll check which suspension i have asap, yours looks spot on after the drop im after a similar drop, not to much a subtle amount...

I think the H&R mite to be a bit to much for a daily driver and family car, and i run big alloys ( 20" Rs5 rotors on very low offsets ) so as im moving on 21" alloys for next year the Eibach pro kit seems to be the best option..

Can i ask what you payed for the spring kit and where you got it from?

Cheers for all your help...

Yeah by the sounds of it H&R could be a bit firm in your scenario. Wow you're going to 21s, brave guy . How do you find the ride now with the 20" RS5 Rotors outta interest?

I got mine lowered at TTS Roadsport in Bedford. Thing is I done it at the same time as a few other bits (remap, Milltek so they done me a package deal but I think all in the lowering would normally comes to around £500-550 (supply Eibach springs, lowering (labour) and alignment which is normally recommended).

Just checked and i have the 1BE springs ( boo ) so looks like i'd achive similar drop height as you Donny_Dj..

Mines a sportback so whether that would give a visually difference or not im unsure..

Im wondering whether a 5mm front and 10mm rear drop thou is worth the cost as i recon springs and fitting cost would total around £300..

I agree that the ride would be better but £250/£300 for 5mm & 10mm drop has got me thinking.

Theres H&R adjustable springs that work with your standard shocks and be adjusted upto 35mm drop ( pretty cool piece of kit ) but there £650!!! Ouch

I think the 5-10mm drop would be worth it (depends if it bugs you) but you could wait till you have the larger rims on then you can gauge it. Yeah the KW adjustable spring kit looks cool and would obv accommodate any wheel size.

 

[holmefield]

The 20" rotors ride fine bud, im running 245/35/20 continental tyres on the front and p-zeros on the rear.

The 35 series tyres cheet the ride height slightly and make the tyres sit 10mm more into the arches as really it should be on 30 series tyres i run 15mm up front for final E.T20 and 20mm rear for final E.T15. I have some 25mm spacers ready for the 21" alloys...

 

[holmefield]

as to the 21" alloys yep its a brave move going upto 21" but the arches on the A5s are massive and should, with the right tyre choice look fine, the spring drop would help with the over all look im gunna be going for...