Mod nightmare: Conclusion

[lo-lyfe]

11:42 on Tuesday. Just got home about 15 mins ago having completed the spring install. Amazingly it went relatively easily. We attached the left and right control arms to both housing assemblies and had the front finished in three hours or so. The rear was a bit tricky. Had to drop the shock and use two jacks: one to raise the entire ear portion of the car and the other to raist the control arm. Ultimately, we ended up cutting the OEM spring (would not recommed this procedure as it tends to shoot out uncontrollably and can maim the unweary) and allowed it to dislodge on its own. Used a spring compressor to get the B&Gs mounted and I'd estimate that process took about 2 hours per axle.

Initial impressions: I'm looking at slightly less than a two-finger gap in the front and a bit more (around 2 fingers) in the rear. I expected the rear to sit lower than the front, as appears to often be the case with most springs, and it may still end up being so once the springs settle. However, I believe having the rear jacked up for most of the day redistrubted more of the car's weight to the front and allowed it to drop quickly. Whatever the case may be, I love the look. No regrets there.

As far as the driving experience is concerned, I expected the ride to be much harsher. I have 265-30-20s on 20x9 rims and really felt the stiffness on OEM springs. In fact, when the car was standing still the wheels were rather difficult to turn. I was amazed at how fluid the steering became after installing the B&Gs- almost too loose at slow speeds...maybe a tad unresponsive. However, the car does need to be aligned and my buddy noticed the bushings on the front anti-sway bar were worn. Not sure if that comes into play or not...
At higher speeds the car seems to sit down nicely and the steering is truly amazing. Very responsive with just the right amount of feedback and resistance. I love it.

The plan for tomorrow is to finally go into work after a 6-day hiatus and do some financial modeling (yay!) and then hit the car wash. Once my baby is cleaned and buffed I will take some pics and post them, weather permitting.

[305Supercharged]

Safe to say congrats :)?

[SinCityA6]

Sounds like a relatively happy ending to an otherwise frustrating series of mods. Congrats and look forward to seeing pictures.

[MainlandMig]

Awesome! cant wait for pics! im not sure if i heard of BG .. do they make coilovers? what shocks r u running ..if OEM which ones? ALSO when u snap some pics can u grab a tape measure and measure from ground to fender.. both front and back.. want to get a reference where they sit compared to OEM S LINE

[OmaHahn]

Fun isn't it?! I just installed H&R OE Springs on my car and these are a perfect fit! I love working on my cars, but read too many posts about installing springs/suspension components and just had a local performance shop do it for $250. It's the mild drop but it's just right and with my V6 weight in the front it's amazaingly perfect! The front and rear are exactly the same.

GET AN ALIGNMENT ASAP! I had my springs installed on Saturday and got an alignment yesterday - so I drove almost 3 days about 100 miles. The tire shop showed me the initial results and my alignment was off significantly! My poor new tires! It's absolutely amazing what just an alignement does for a car, I can tell a complete difference in the way it drives, handles, etc. By-the-way, am I crazy if I think the car is actually or "feels," quicker with a proper alignment?! With the tires angled incorrectly wouldn't that create friction or drag the car...??

[tenspeed]

With the tires angled incorrectly wouldn't that create friction or drag the car...??

If it had too much toe in, the car would track straight and the steering wheel would return to center after a turn. If there was toe out, the car would wander and the steering wheel has to be brought back to center.

[lo-lyfe]

Safe to say congrats :)?

Thanks! Whew, what a freakin relief. Had some serious doubts there for a while. Definitely worth the effort tho.

Sounds like a relatively happy ending to an otherwise frustrating series of mods. Congrats and look forward to seeing pictures.

Thank you. Have to put some late hours in at work and play catch-up so pics and measurements may not be available until the weekend.

Awesome! cant wait for pics! im not sure if i heard of BG .. do they make coilovers? what shocks r u running ..if OEM which ones? ALSO when u snap some pics can u grab a tape measure and measure from ground to fender.. both front and back.. want to get a reference where they sit compared to OEM S LINE

Check out http://www.b-gsuspension.com/. They do make coilovers but model-line availability is limited. Not sure if you'll find any for a late model A6; plenty of stuff for the A4s, however. I purchased the S2 Sport Springs from Grip Motorsports (http://www.gripmotorsports.com/pi~pn...ort-21722.html) for $189- Specify a 1.4" drop F&R although it seems like more. Pics and measurements coming.

GET AN ALIGNMENT ASAP

I realized I posted having 265/30/20s on the 20x9 45et rims. That is incorrect. I currently have 245/30/20s but had to order the wider 265s b/c too much of the out ring of the rim was exposed and I was afraid of bumping the edge over bumps and curbs. The 245s were stretched way too much on that wide of a wheel. That alignment will have to wait until either Friday or Saturday unless the tires arrive early and I can sneak out of the office to get them mounted.

[S4str]

Gripping and informative series...can't wait for the play-by-play and trials and tribulations of your next mod ;)