Bilstein dampers with KW H.A.S.

[SteveYem]

I am considering a change to my suspension setup in the spring. I am currently on H&R Street Performance coilovers but looking for ride quality closer to stock, while having the ability to adjust ride height. My thought is to use a set of Bilstein B8 dampers with the KW Height Adjustable Spring kit which seems like it would satisfy my requirements, and it is relatively inexpensive versus off-the-shelf coilover kits ($512 for the struts + $795 for the KW H.A.S.) - however, I cannot recall seeing anyone on this forum having gone this route, which leads me to believe it's not preferable for some reason.

Can anyone offer insight as to pros and cons of this approach?

[jran76]

I think cost is the main concern. Most people would probably go the KW V1 (or similar) route for a same cost, and you get a system that is fully matched and ready to go. With that said, the KW HAS and Bilstein combo would probably work well together. The spring rates on the HAS aren't too aggressive (higher than stock in the front, lower in the rear). I don't know that anyone can say for sure which is better. I'm of the opinion that the V1 shocks are only OK. It terms of ride quality, I liked the Bilsteins better than the shocks on my ST coilovers (which is the same internals as the V1 shock).

My issue with the V1/ST setup is the rear springs. I thought they were too soft and too short for the S4. I'm pretty sure the HAS uses the same springs; when I was researching the issues on my ST's, the same spring part numbers came up on the V1, HAS, and ST kits. With that said, people seem reasonably happy with the HAS kit, and KW has obviously changed something.

[SteveYem]

I think cost is the main concern. Most people would probably go the KW V1 (or similar) route for a same cost, and you get a system that is fully matched and ready to go. With that said, the KW HAS and Bilstein combo would probably work well together. The spring rates on the HAS aren't too aggressive (higher than stock in the front, lower in the rear). I don't know that anyone can say for sure which is better. I'm of the opinion that the V1 shocks are only OK. It terms of ride quality, I liked the Bilsteins better than the shocks on my ST coilovers (which is the same internals as the V1 shock).

My issue with the V1/ST setup is the rear springs. I thought they were too soft and too short for the S4. I'm pretty sure the HAS uses the same springs; when I was researching the issues on my ST's, the same spring part numbers came up on the V1, HAS, and ST kits. With that said, people seem reasonably happy with the HAS kit, and KW has obviously changed something.

Thanks for the feedback. I see in your signature that you currently have Bilstein B8 sport shocks and H&R OE springs. Are you happy with that combination? I am wondering how much, if at all, the ride quality would diminish when lowering the ride height to be somewhere in between H&R Sport and H&R Super Sport spring height territory, considering that lowering the car more puts the dampers in a more compressed state to begin with.

[RLB6]

I have the KW H.A.S. with the OEM shocks and they ride very well will reduce body roll. Granted, I only have 8900 on the odometer but it feels good for the most part. I'm also considering moving to a set of B8 sport shock/struts because the OEM fronts do not react quick enough when encountering large dips in the road. I will occasionally rub when that happens.

[jran76]

Thanks for the feedback. I see in your signature that you currently have Bilstein B8 sport shocks and H&R OE springs. Are you happy with that combination? I am wondering how much, if at all, the ride quality would diminish when lowering the ride height to be somewhere in between H&R Sport and H&R Super Sport spring height territory, considering that lowering the car more puts the dampers in a more compressed state to begin with.

Hard to say as it's a function of spring rates and ride height. Spring rates are also hard to nail down on progressive springs (which H&R and KW both are). I'm very happy with the compromise of ride quality and performance on my current setup.

I don't know that I'd feel confident enough about a HAS/Bilstein setup to say anything beyond I think it would work well, and in general the Bilsteins should be a good match with most/any lowering springs. I'm just not sure where a good coilover moves beyond that (my experience with ST/KW on this platform was pretty awful, so maybe I'm the wrong person to ask).

Everyone's definition and interpretation of ride quality is very different, and the only way to really know would be to try it. That's an expensive endeavor if you end up not liking it.

[jran76]

I was reading through the Q5 forum, and someone was saying the HAS could not be used with the Bilstein B8's. No reason was given, but it might be worth checking Mops to see what he says (the person that posted this mentioned buying the shocks from Mops).

[eurotic]

I was reading through the Q5 forum, and someone was saying the HAS could not be used with the Bilstein B8's. No reason was given, but it might be worth checking Mops to see what he says (the person that posted this mentioned buying the shocks from Mops).

What I was told is that the HAS Springs rates were too high for the B8's as they were designed for the OE sport or prokit springs

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[ModItNow]

I've had KW HAS on my car with oem shocks for about 11,000 miles now. Went this route because I wanted to keep the ADS feature and my car was practically brand new. The ride quality is pretty good but I am planning down the road to install some Bilstein's as well. I think it would be a good combo. The HAS are not very stiff springs so the bilstein b8 should work great in my opinion. Definitely better than oem and I'm satisfied to keep it like this for a while.

I've had KW coilovers on other cars before and I agree with whomever posted earlier their shocks are not great. Right now the only coilovers I would switch too are pss10 but they are so damn expensive!!


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[DannyDeez]

The KW HAS don't fit over the bilstein shocks. Thats why nobody uses that combo.

[SteveYem]

I was reading through the Q5 forum, and someone was saying the HAS could not be used with the Bilstein B8's. No reason was given, but it might be worth checking Mops to see what he says (the person that posted this mentioned buying the shocks from Mops).

The KW HAS don't fit over the bilstein shocks. Thats why nobody uses that combo.

Ah, ok! I had a feeling there was a good reason that nobody was using this combination. Thanks for chiming in!

[DannyDeez]

Welcome. :) Steve, have you considered ST coilovers? I ran them on my B8.5 S5 and they were just as comfortable as stock, if not better. That was one of my biggest concerns when lowering that car, and I was steered away form the H&R coils for that very reason. For a daily driver the ST's really are a great coilover.

[SteveYem]

Welcome. :) Steve, have you considered ST coilovers? I ran them on my B8.5 S5 and they were just as comfortable as stock, if not better. That was one of my biggest concerns when lowering that car, and I was steered away form the H&R coils for that very reason. For a daily driver the ST's really are a great coilover.

I had not considered them, basically on the premise that they couldn't possibly be good for less than $1000. Maybe I should give them a look.

[DannyDeez]

I had not considered them, basically on the premise that they couldn't possibly be good for less than $1000. Maybe I should give them a look.

Yea I definitely wouldn't count them out. They're made by KW so not a bootleg coil by any means. If you don't track your car they are 100% perfect for daily driving. I'm really picky about my suspension (read: I hate sacrificing comfort for looks) and they really were exactly what I needed. Great price point and factory comfort IMO.
If you can find someone local who has them, it would be best if you could take a ride and see/feel for yourself.

[SteveYem]

Yea I definitely wouldn't count them out. They're made by KW so not a bootleg coil by any means. If you don't track your car they are 100% perfect for daily driving. I'm really picky about my suspension (read: I hate sacrificing comfort for looks) and they really were exactly what I needed. Great price point and factory comfort IMO.
If you can find someone local who has them, it would be best if you could take a ride and see/feel for yourself.

Thanks for the review. I have read some accounts of the rear springs being too short, making the rear end sit too low. I'm looking for around a half inch vertical clearance from tire to fender in the rear. Any idea whether it's possible with these springs?

[DannyDeez]

Welcome. I'd say so. My S5 had some room to go higher(or lower). I wasn't slammed by any means and definitely had some room in the rear. Here's some pics but it's hard to tell:

[jran76]

I had issues with the ST rear springs. The max height was pretty low (-1.5" to -1.75 at the highest setting). That wasn't a big deal for me, but could be for some. My rear springs also started making horrible noises after a year or so, and after trying a lot of fixes, I gave up as the problem got worse. There was someone else local to me that had the same noise issue with the rear springs recently (Grumpy on here).

In general, ST/KW make good stuff. The ST's are the same basic specs as the KW V1. For whatever reason, they sucked on the two cars I had personal experiences with, and the whole thing left a bad taste in regards to KW/ST. Both of us contacted KW with no resolution (no offer of Avant springs, or isolators, etc.). With that said, KW has changed something over the years, so maybe some people have better luck than me.