H&R sport vs. Audi sport

[.Mad Hatter.]

what is the height difference between stock sport suspension and h&r sport springs with say konis or bilsteins?

I know its minimal, but is there any height difference at all?

[sageleo]

not 100% sure but I wanna say 1/2". I think audi sport is 1" lower then stock, and H&R is 1.5" I believe.

[.Mad Hatter.]

ya according to H&R it looks like there is .65" diff. in the front and .5" in the rear.

i just wish the race springs werent so damn stiff, my daily drive might as well be through the forest the roads are so chewed.

[black00A4]

I have a set of H&R sports, waiting till the nicer weather to get them on tho. I opted for the sports because like you said the roads are horrible, and I still want some clearance under my car lol.

[.Mad Hatter.]

ya, im just worried that it wont look like any sort of a drop over the audi sport springs.

[onemoremile]

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/archives/shocks.html

The dampers have waaaaay more to do with ride quality than the springs. Fit a set of Konis and it will be a bit more plush. Fit some fancy dampers with soft high speed compression and medium hard low speed compression and it will handle great and take bumps just fine. It would be really nice if Koni's FSD dampers were available for our cars.

[.Mad Hatter.]

so race springs can be made comfortable with the right dampers?

[onemoremile]

Absolutely. Read the article. 800lb springs can be better over rough roads than 400lb springs if the dampers are tuned properly. Conversely, 200 pound spring can ride like a lumber wagon if the compression damping is overly stiff.

In my opinion, the race springs are too low for proper suspension geometry and the best setup is sport springs with an increased rate. I can tell you from experience that the Vogtland springs over Konis on the S4 rides better than my A4 on stock sport suspension. Mine feels harsh by comparison. Both cars have H-Sport bars, the same size wheels, both Avants, etc. so it is a pretty even comparison other than the engine and related weight.

[.Mad Hatter.]

vogtland sports?

man there are so many options. my car has OE sport suspension right now and i want it a little lower, but i dont plan on slamming it and i dont track it, so slightly increased performance and slightly lower are my only real goals.

[black00A4]

Where are you from in Canada? I have seen alot of pic's on here with sport springs and the drop looks fine. It looks like it slighlty lowers it and levels out the ride height.

[.Mad Hatter.]

im in pickering, about an hour east of you.

[onemoremile]

Vogtland sports on the S4. It is really low though. Probably about as low as most race springs. It sucks since it won't go through the local drive thru car wash. My car on the coilovers was the same way and scraped halfway through the one time I tried.

The largest performance difference will come from H-sport bars. I've run them with the coilovers and with stock sport suspension on my car. I just removed them a couple days ago due to bad end links front and rear and there is quite a difference. The car rides much smoother over our battered roads now since the suspension is truly independent. Turn in is sloppier and roll is much worse especially in transitions. That is all just common sense stuff though.

I would rather run my car around a race track with stock sport suspension and the bars than the coilovers and no bars. I don't know which combo is quicker but I know which is more predictable and confidence inspiring.

[black00A4]

What should be replaced when changing out the springs or shocks? I was thinking of purchasing new rubber strut mounts. Anything else you would recommend?

[Tiluleshpingen]

ya according to H&R it looks like there is .65" diff. in the front and .5" in the rear.

i just wish the race springs werent so damn stiff, my daily drive might as well be through the forest the roads are so chewed.

its not the springs that are stiff.its ur bilsteins

[.Mad Hatter.]

i dont have bilsteins, lol. im trying to figure out which combo i want.

so far it looks like vogtland sport+koni>h&r sport+koni>h&r race+koni

[Silverstreak98]

So Bilsteins make the ride stiffer, compared to Konis?

[hoganalley]

I'm in the same boat as unorthodoxA4. I think I've made up my mind to get Stasis Street Sports. I have the stock sport suspension and with 185k on them, they're almost done. I thought of Bilstein/H&R Sport, but I like the fact that coilovers let me put it where I want.

[.Mad Hatter.]

See, coilovers would be great, but Im not gonna lie, I would NEVER adjust them, Id set them and leave them. So unless I find a good used set, its not really worth it for me.

[hoganalley]

I agree....I'd probably never adjust them either, but it's the fact that you can make it what you want and the springs and shocks are matched......If shocks/springs are going to be $700, I'd rather pay 200-300 more and put it where I want.

[onemoremile]

So Bilsteins make the ride stiffer, compared to Konis?

Read the article I linked to and you'll be able to answer questions rather than ask them. The article will change the way you think about suspension.

[.Mad Hatter.]

I finally managed to read that article. Very interesting stuff. I do have one question though, regarding Koni coils. If I could find a used pair, it would probably be worth my while because I could have them rebuilt when the shocks wear out and if I didnt slam it I could still have a setup that performs well.

If buying new I still think the Koni/Vogtland setup is probably best based on what I am hearing now.