New A7 owner, starting to look for mods

[Dutch_A6]

Hi guys, as the title states I just picked up a new to me 2012 A7 Prestige with the sport package etc. I had a A6 C6 but it was totaled about 2 weeks ago leading me to this beauty. I love the car and the look but I had done quite a bit to the old car and the mod bug won't be held at bay for long. I'm looking to see what is the best way to get about an 1 inch drop, springs or coilovers and if springs do I need to replace the shocks or will the stock ones last? If coilovers which way to go H&R or KW and if those are used does the car throw error codes since the adaptive suspension isn't stock anymore?

Finally I'm working on going through the threads to decide on which tuner to go with GIAC, APR or EPL. Seems each of them have been used successfully by someone. So any opinions would be welcome.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171102/665751d1895bc7b1cfa2cfec0edd4278.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171102/64c3025237ecf97df80ce81ce78a59b3.jpg

[07S6]

Hey - Congrats on the new ride! Looks like it's my car's twin..
No adaptive suspension on the A7 so nothing to worry about with codes. I've used Eibachs on the C6 A6 i had with stock shocks and never had an issue.
My A7 is stock sports suspension so i'm not altering it. Some wheel spacers are obviously in order as you've prob already gathered..
Good luck and enjoy!

[Chris@EPL]

Wait for our big Black Friday sale.

[Dutch_A6]

Hey - Congrats on the new ride! Looks like it's my car's twin..
No adaptive suspension on the A7 so nothing to worry about with codes. I've used Eibachs on the C6 A6 i had with stock shocks and never had an issue.
My A7 is stock sports suspension so i'm not altering it. Some wheel spacers are obviously in order as you've prob already gathered..
Good luck and enjoy!Thanks for the info, didn't know if the MMI driver settings would be affected with coilovers. I'm on sort suspension as well but it still seems like a drop may be needed. Wheels are being looked at now as I had a set on order when the accident occurred and they won't fit this 1.

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[Dutch_A6]

Wait for our big Black Friday sale.Thanks for the notice [emoji106]

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[durfA4]

So I went epl stage 2, eibach and bilsteins, sport steering wheel, RS7 sways(my car was not sport) RS7 rep grill and side skirts. Then I still wanted more so I bought a B5 S4 to do more.


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[Dutch_A6]

So I went epl stage 2, eibach and bilsteins, sport steering wheel, RS7 sways(my car was not sport) RS7 rep grill and side skirts. Then I still wanted more so I bought a B5 S4 to do more.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)How'd the car feel after the stage 2 and suspension changes?

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[yeuchau]

How'd the car feel after the stage 2 and suspension changes?

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Day and night differences.


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[Dutch_A6]

Day and night differences.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine (https://siteowners.tapatalk.com/byo/displayAndDownloadByoApp?rid=87676)Looks like I'm going to have to start saving up and figure out the best order in which to proceed.

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[durfA4]

I would say that the eibach and bilsteins setup is a great driver and cruiser ride height and firmness. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171103/4789172f9b60ec584ffd961c44e5fb1c.jpg


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[Dutch_A6]

I would say that the eibach and bilsteins setup is a great driver and cruiser ride height and firmness. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171103/4789172f9b60ec584ffd961c44e5fb1c.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)That looks pretty good [emoji106][emoji106]

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[dc2002]

Wait for our big Black Friday sale.

+1

[durfA4]

I am waiting for the dual pulley file and 183 pulley.

But seriously I bought a B5 S4 to modify. The 2.7 feels faster, but the C7 is smoother and more reliable. Simpler to make power, but after dual pulley and larger heat exchanger there are fewer options for the 3.0.


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[Dutch_A6]

I am waiting for the dual pulley file and 183 pulley.

But seriously I bought a B5 S4 to modify. The 2.7 feels faster, but the C7 is smoother and more reliable. Simpler to make power, but after dual pulley and larger heat exchanger there are fewer options for the 3.0.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Well if we wanted really big power a V8 is the way to go, I just want it to be faster and better looking than 90% of the cars on the road which the tune will do.

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[durfA4]

Go straight to stage 2, don’t bother with stage 1, the power increase is minimal


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[Dutch_A6]

Go straight to stage 2, don’t bother with stage 1, the power increase is minimal


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Appreciate the advice, not sure if I'm going to tune it this close to winter, was actually thinking suspension first but we'll see.

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[SlickMachine]

I just did my suspension swap. Went with the 1" drop Eibach springs and Bilstein struts and it makes a huge difference. I ran the eibach springs for about 3 weeks with the OEM struts and the front right blew the seal and leaked all over my garage floor, so that was it for trying to retrain OEM struts for me. Car had 50k miles at that point, for reference. When I did the strut swap, I noticed that the oems were very soft and it was extremely easy to compress the shaft into the shock body... The bilsteins were much firmer.
The end result- running drop springs with oem struts produced a 'springy' ride, which I didn't realize how much it sucked until I was forced to install the bilsteins which made a big difference- now it's very tight and feels much better.

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[Dutch_A6]

I just did my suspension swap. Went with the 1" drop Eibach springs and Bilstein struts and it makes a huge difference. I ran the eibach springs for about 3 weeks with the OEM struts and the front right blew the seal and leaked all over my garage floor, so that was it for trying to retrain OEM struts for me. Car had 50k miles at that point, for reference. When I did the strut swap, I noticed that the oems were very soft and it was extremely easy to compress the shaft into the shock body... The bilsteins were much firmer.
The end result- running drop springs with oem struts produced a 'springy' ride, which I didn't realize how much it sucked until I was forced to install the bilsteins which made a big difference- now it's very tight and feels much better.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Audizine mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Would this be a better solution then doing H&R or KW coilovers?

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[SlickMachine]

Would this be a better solution then doing H&R or KW coilovers?

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That's for you to decide.
For me I needed a minimal drop and eibachs are known to be the most mild of all the kits in terms of actual lowering-they really are 1" lower. H&R 1" springs will be slightly lower. I didn't go with coilovers because 1: the added expense, 2 the drop was more than I could accept even at the highest adjustment setting and 3. I simply wouldn't use the adjustability feature and I live in Colorado where mag-chloride and salt would destroy the threads anyway.

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[Dutch_A6]

That's for you to decide.
For me I needed a minimal drop and eibachs are known to be the most mild of all the kits in terms of actual lowering-they really are 1" lower. H&R 1" springs will be slightly lower. I didn't go with coilovers because 1: the added expense, 2 the drop was more than I could accept even at the highest adjustment setting and 3. I simply wouldn't use the adjustability feature and I live in Colorado where mag-chloride and salt would destroy the threads anyway.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Audizine mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Good points, here in St Louis we can have some crappy winters as well, I may go the same way you did. My last ride had coilovers and I only touched the ride height only twice.

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[SlickMachine]

Good points, here in St Louis we can have some crappy winters as well, I may go the same way you did. My last ride had coilovers and I only touched the ride height only twice.

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Here's my car as it sits now. Drop is noticeable but not slammed. Perfect for me. My wheel offset is very aggressive so I couldn't go too low.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171103/536a8af4e7d93b5921210f20edcd3fab.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171103/11e2b2aa9e7b023442654cef13c37cec.jpg

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[Dutch_A6]

Here's my car as it sits now. Drop is noticeable but not slammed. Perfect for me. My wheel offset is very aggressive so I couldn't go too low.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171103/536a8af4e7d93b5921210f20edcd3fab.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171103/11e2b2aa9e7b023442654cef13c37cec.jpg

Sent from my SM-G950U using Audizine mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=87676)Looks slick, you use the springs and Bilstein shocks it coilovers? I like the copper look of the wheels with out black cars too[emoji106]

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[SlickMachine]

I did the springs from eibach, and the Bilstein B8 struts which are designed for lowered vehicles.

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[Dutch_A6]

Anyone familiar with this, looking at coilovers and it states "vehicles equipped with Electronic Damping Control will receive s system error code with coilover systems" do ours have that or is that only the air suspension equipped cars like the S7 etc?

[S4LIFE247]

Good points, here in St Louis we can have some crappy winters as well, I may go the same way you did. My last ride had coilovers and I only touched the ride height only twice.

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I went with the ST Suspension set up, highly recommend this product. The ride is firmer but not to stiff, the price is right and the build quality is solid. All instructions came with “KW” headings so you know their pedigree and can feel confident by their parent account’s reputation.


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[Dutch_A6]

I went with the ST Suspension set up, highly recommend this product. The ride is firmer but not to stiff, the price is right and the build quality is solid. All instructions came with “KW” headings so you know their pedigree and can feel confident by their parent account’s reputation.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI had ST coilovers on my last A6 and it was a great product, right now I'm trying to make sure I don't get codes thrown at me if I swap into a coilovers as my last ride started throwing them for mods I was doing and it drove me nuts.

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[S4LIFE247]

I had ST coilovers on my last A6 and it was a great product, right now I'm trying to make sure I don't get codes thrown at me if I swap into a coilovers as my last ride started throwing them for mods I was doing and it drove me nuts.

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I’ve had them on for about a month, no codes so far. Will let you know if that changes.


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[Dutch_A6]

I’ve had them on for about a month, no codes so far. Will let you know if that changes.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkGreat thanks!

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[jrp916]

I just did my suspension swap. Went with the 1" drop Eibach springs and Bilstein struts and it makes a huge difference. I ran the eibach springs for about 3 weeks with the OEM struts and the front right blew the seal and leaked all over my garage floor, so that was it for trying to retrain OEM struts for me. Car had 50k miles at that point, for reference. When I did the strut swap, I noticed that the oems were very soft and it was extremely easy to compress the shaft into the shock body... The bilsteins were much firmer.
The end result- running drop springs with oem struts produced a 'springy' ride, which I didn't realize how much it sucked until I was forced to install the bilsteins which made a big difference- now it's very tight and feels much better.

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Hey did you come from sport suspension? Wondering when you tested your old struts if they were sport or non-sport. I’m contemplating installing Bilstein b4 sport struts when I do my eibach swap. Mostly because it sounds like the suspension stiffness of the eibach is close to the oem sport suspension, so they might be a good match and I’ll save some cash.


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[SlickMachine]

Hey did you come from sport suspension? Wondering when you tested your old struts if they were sport or non-sport. I’m contemplating installing Bilstein b4 sport struts when I do my eibach swap. Mostly because it sounds like the suspension stiffness of the eibach is close to the oem sport suspension, so they might be a good match and I’ll save some cash.


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I had non-sport suspension

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[jrp916]

I had non-sport suspension

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Thanks. So how do you feel about the eibach springs after having them for awhile? How is the ride/comfort for a dd? Since they are a progressive design do they seems to isolate the minor road bumps? I’d imagine freeway is still smooth?


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[sd761]

Here’s my 16’a7 on st x coilovers love it. Rides great no issues.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180514/b959db584892b40fd4f951804e8ad92a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180514/1551f6c38bb8b86eae8aa407acee778b.jpg


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[Dutch_A6]

Here’s my 16’a7 on st x coilovers love it. Rides great no issues.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180514/b959db584892b40fd4f951804e8ad92a.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180514/1551f6c38bb8b86eae8aa407acee778b.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkWhat size wheels are you on? And what tire size and offset? I'm trying to figure out the best way to lower mine.

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[SlickMachine]

Thanks. So how do you feel about the eibach springs after having them for awhile? How is the ride/comfort for a dd? Since they are a progressive design do they seems to isolate the minor road bumps? I’d imagine freeway is still smooth?


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It's been a year that I've had them on... I have gotten used to the ride and it doesn't bother me at all. I never felt like the A7 had a plush ride to begin with so I didn't mind firming it up a bit more.
Some of the larger bumps can be jarring and I definitely am dodging manhole covers and things like that on my daily drive to work, when I know they are coming. Pretty much every bump is amplified, small or large, but it's worth it. Highway driving is not as bad as city driving in that regard, and obviously the car feels way better.
In summary: if you are worried about the ride- the benefits and the look out weigh the harsher ride. Definitely do struts while you're at it or it won't be right.

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[sd761]

What size wheels are you on? And what tire size and offset? I'm trying to figure out the best way to lower mine.

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21x10.5 et 32

Rides great looks better. st coils great price like that you can control height versus springs and has complete kit so if you put springs on you most likely will blow shocks as they are meant for your oem springs. Plus no bounce


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[Dutch_A6]

21x10.5 et 32

Rides great looks better. st coils great price like that you can control height versus springs and has complete kit so if you put springs on you most likely will blow shocks as they are meant for your oem springs. Plus no bounce


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI'm on 20x10 et 33 on 275/35. I really don't want any rubbing issues as I had to deal with that on my last A6 and I couldn't carry a full car without it rubbing. Plus there's a parking garage I have to deal with every day and I'm not sure I can drop it. Air ride is still on the table for that reason alone unless I can figure out different parking options.

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[sd761]

I'm on 20x10 et 33 on 275/35. I really don't want any rubbing issues as I had to deal with that on my last A6 and I couldn't carry a full car without it rubbing. Plus there's a parking garage I have to deal with every day and I'm not sure I can drop it. Air ride is still on the table for that reason alone unless I can figure out different parking options.

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I hear ya. Well I would exclude the springs then bc you have no control. Coils you can adjust vs air you can I guess adjust in the go but I’m an old guy (42) with two small kids and I wouldn’t want a compressor in my trunk etc etc... but understand the concern. I guess it’s just something I accept being lowered I love but will it rub once and in a while maybe but I can live with that or just slightly raise it .... every situation is different. Keep us posted. .


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[Dutch_A6]

I hear ya. Well I would exclude the springs then bc you have no control. Coils you can adjust vs air you can I guess adjust in the go but I’m an old guy (42) with two small kids and I wouldn’t want a compressor in my trunk etc etc... but understand the concern. I guess it’s just something I accept being lowered I love but will it rub once and in a while maybe but I can live with that or just slightly raise it .... every situation is different. Keep us posted. .


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI'm almost in the same boat, 39 with 1 kid so the idea of giving up the trunk space doesn't appeal to me but the idea of air ride is really appealing when it comes to the adjustability.

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