Just got these springs installed. First off, car looks amazing. lower center of mass and stiffer springs (along with the sway bars im installing) will drastically improve handling on the track i'm sure.

However, in city driving this thing is so bumpy now. I'm really unhappy with it, and am looking to make a change [soon]. I need some advice of what setups work well for this car. MY IDEAL SITUATION: LOWERED RIDE HEIGHT WITH AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE FEEL TO OEM. This car is a daily driver FIRST, and a track car SECOND so I would place comfort over performance I suppose. I realize lowering the car is going to be more bumpy, but I'm really not excited to leave the car like this.

So any input would really help this suspension newb.

Should I find a set of adjustable shock absorbers to pair with these H&R springs?

Should I ditch these springs completely and find an adjustable/non-adjustable coilover set? Can adjustable sets attain OEM comfy feel?

Or is this setup as comfy as aftermarket suspensions get? AWE does claim that these springs don't have the "harse ride" of other springs and that these are "comfortable" and "a superb ride".

 

Sport springs along with a larger sway bar are going to really impact ride quality as you can tell.

What size wheels and tires do you normally run? I see in your signature that you have aftermarket 18's, are these your every day wheels?

It might be an option that you switch to a 17 or 16 inch daily driver wheel and only use your 18's for track use. Having a bigger side wall will help dampen some of the harshness.

Also the installation of a sport shock. Sport shocks will take away a lot of the "bounce" when you have a spring that drops the car pretty low. OEM Audi suspension is too soft for a sport spring.

If you need pricing or quotes on wheels or suspension let me know via PM and I'll be happy to point you in the right direction or offer more advice.

Jason

 

Thanks for the reply.

Yes these are my daily wheels. They are 245/40/18 tires.

I really like the suggestion of going back to my OEM wheels (17) and the all-season tires I use for winter. I could just use those all the time and pull this set out only for the track. Thats my favorite answer because its no cost to me! And I also dont use up as much tread on those super sports which cost a ****-ton. I'll try this out soon.

With aftermarket shock absorbers and these springs could I come close to the comfyness of OEM?

How about with coilovers?

Basically I want to be at this height and have as comfy a ride as possible (i realize that this will probably still be more bumpy than OEM, but i want to get as close as i can).

 

Also, I was originally going to go with Stasis (just springs and rear sway)because they promise to maintain ride comfort while achieving a low ride height.

In their install instructions they cut down the bumpstop. Is this common practice? Does this benefit comfort? I have no idea if the shop did this on my car. Next time I take the wheels off i can guestimate the size and see if they did.

 

Koni or Bilstein are both great aftermarket shocks that will eliminate the "bounciness" and provide a firmer "tuned" ride.

Unfortunately with a stiff sway bar and lowering springs it's going to be hard to get factory ride quality. While you can get close with some coilovers and different shocks it will never be quite like OEM shocks and springs. This is something you'll have to either learn to adapt to or go back to stock.

It's definitely not uncommon to cut the bump stops as doing this provides the shock to not "bottom out" as easily since you are adjusting the range of motion when you install a lowering spring.

I hope this helps!

Jason

 

Looks like your Koni shocks will be my saving grace. I like that they are adjustable. Is it easy to adjust (just remove the tire and turn a ****) or is it much more involved?

I noticed tons of budget (ST, Highsport, Silverline, KW) coilover sets on your website all <$900. Can you recommend any particular brand for my needs? I might just ditch the whole idea of springs and shocks if I can get a comfortable coilover set.

 

Actually to adjust the shocks you need to remove them from the vehicle. They adjust by turning the shock body.

ST makes a quality suspension (it's what we have installed on our B8 A4 and B8 S4). The ride is pretty comfortable (even on 18's) - slightly bouncy over big dips or over passes but it still feels controlled. We also have our B8 A4 slammed (below is a pic for reference). If it were to be raised up a bit it would ride very close to S-line suspension which is very tolerable but still gives you a sport feel.



From what I have heard about FK's (HighSport/Silverline) they are designed for ride comfort. Meaning it allows you to lower your vehicle with out sacrificing too much ride quality. This type of coilover wouldn't be the best to use on the track but it could still be used for light track duty. You would probably notice that the spring rates and dampening are too soft for aggressive track use.

The more you lean towards a track inspired suspension the stiffer the ride is going to be. Also it depends on your personal taste. I'm used to riding in lowered cars/race cars so my opinion of what a "harsh" ride is might be different than yours since my tolerance for a stiff ride might be higher, but you might feel differently.

I would say ST's would be your best bet if you decide to go with a coilover suspension, they are manufactured by KW who makes high quality track suspension (essentially ST's are the same as KW V1's just different colors).

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Jason

 

Lots of good info, thanks. Yes I have heard of ST's and also Vogtland. I'm worried about these because they are galvanized steel instead of stainless. I do live pretty close to the coast and i've been told in that case stainless steel is the way to go. I also see snow every year and I'm guessing the salt mixture they put on the roads isn't good for galvanized steel either. Opinions on this anyone?

I'll look more into FKs. These may suit me best for a daily driver with light track duty.

Right now the car is ok in the city. But on bumpy highways its pretty miserable to drive (nobody wants to drive with me anymore, lol). I cant even imagine how bad this would be with 4 adults and a loaded trunk.

I'll contact Koni and Bilstein and see what they say about pairing a shock to the H&R springs. Koni is adjustable so I feel like I should be able to get as good a match between spring and shock as with coilovers. If I'm not satisfied with what I hear from these vendors then I'll likely go for coilovers.

 

Some pics btw, I like the look thats for sure. Just need to work on that bouncey rebound.

 

Plenty of our employees run coilovers that are not stainless and we go through some pretty harsh winters. They have held up fine. Basically what you need to do is coat the threads in anti-seize. This will protect them from the elements if you ever have to adjust them.

Jason