Lowering Audi b5 A4

daylers

Wondering what's the best way to lower a b5 Audi A4...what's the pros and cons of lowering springs vs coilovers…..also what's the price of a good set of coilovers or springs…going for a 50-60 mm drop

tossy

Well first off if you are going that low i'd rule springs out straight away, springs are best used when dropping a car 10-15 mm where you can still use the original shocks. Any lower than that and you will need to replace the shocks with ones matched to the springs.

So.

Lower springs only - 15mm max always stick with known brands like H&R, koni etc this will leave a car like a B5 A4 sitting at a nice height with almost factory comfort and slightly improve handling by virtue of the fact there will be reduced body roll.

Lower springs and matched shocks will reduce the gap between the wheel and arch considerably and the car will look a lot tidier. The comfort levels will be reduced due to the slight stiffer shocks but not a whole lot and the handling will be up a notch again.

Coilovers again always stick with brands with a good rep and a motor racing pedigree like the brands mentioned above. You can set the height and in most cases you can also set the stiffness level of the shocks, handling is vastly improved and depending on the model/brand you choose comfort won't be as bad as some people would imagine. the lower you go however the more problems you encounter with rubbing etc but there are always work arounds.

Prices as a rough guide would be 300/500 for springs or matched springs and shocks and 800e + for a decent set of coilovers.

You need to decide which kind of 'low' you want and go from there i.e do you want it low for show or low for go.

daylers

tossy wrote: »

Well first off if you are going that low i'd rule springs out straight away, springs are best used when dropping a car 10-15 mm where you can still use the original shocks. Any lower than that and you will need to replace the shocks with ones matched to the springs.

So.

Lower springs only - 15mm max always stick with known brands like H&R, koni etc this will leave a car like a B5 A4 sitting at a nice height with almost factory comfort and slightly improve handling by virtue of the fact there will be reduced body roll.

Lower springs and matched shocks will reduce the gap between the wheel and arch considerably and the car will look a lot tidier. The comfort levels will be reduced due to the slight stiffer shocks but not a whole lot and the handling will be up a notch again.

Coilovers again always stick with brands with a good rep and a motor racing pedigree like the brands mentioned above. You can set the height and in most cases you can also set the stiffness level of the shocks, handling is vastly improved and depending on the model/brand you choose comfort won't be as bad as some people would imagine. the lower you go however the more problems you encounter with rubbing etc but there are always work arounds.

Prices as a rough guide would be 300/500 for springs or matched springs and shocks and 800e + for a decent set of coilovers.

You need to decide which kind of 'low' you want and go from there i.e do you want it low for show or low for go.

Would the likes of fk performance and jom coilovers just be less comfertable or what would the diffrence on price mean as I've seen some sets of coilovers for 300-400 euro…would cheaper coilovers just have a shorter life and less ajustabilty or would it just affect how the car rides a lot worse

tossy

daylers wrote: »

Would the likes of fk performance and jom coilovers just be less comfertable or what would the diffrence on price mean as I've seen some sets of coilovers for 300-400 euro…would cheaper coilovers just have a shorter life and less ajustabilty or would it just affect how the car rides a lot worse

FK coilovers and the like aren't worth the money, the most uncomfortable suspension upgrade i've ever witnessed on a car - completely ruined the driving characteristics and handling of the car, anyone who says the are an ok coilover has never been in a car with a decent set of coilovers or even springs fitted.

If you are on a budget of a few hundred euro then sit tight add another 100 or 2 over time and buy a decent set of springs and shocks.

ShaunieVW

I can echo this as someone who has had fks, JOMS and KWs if you want to slam a car and not give a feck about comfort the cheaper ones will do. However, at 60mm your not going mad so no point in losing comfort too. The KW's were unbelievable and the cheaper ones don't even deserve to be compared with them.

However, for a middle of the road coilover Id look at weitecs and APs