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Car: Audi | A4 | B5 | All Derivatives | All body styles

Eibach Sportline lowering springs

Eibach Pro Kit springs

The stock springs on a sport are a little on the soft side for my tastes however the damping is adequate. Suspension choice comes down to what you want from the car, for me this was a plush ride but with a sporting character.

The A4 is never going to be a sports car, no matter what suspension is fitted as it's no lightweight. For me it is a car that can soak up the miles but still provide some driving entertainment when the mood suits, and unfortunately the stock suspension falls short of the performance mark.

I selected a set of brand new OEM sport dampers and Eibach Pro kit springs based on some online research. The Eibach springs are not cheap, in fact they are some of the more expensive springs available but quality is seldom cheap. Fitting was straightforward in my case, although I've heard stories of the upper pinch bolt being seized (left). Its' also worth noting that a very sturdy spring compressor is required.

Also at this time I took the opportunity to replace all of the front control arms and track rod ends with new OEM parts. The car was at 52k and I could find no evidence in the service book of these being done.

Spending the best part of a Saturday fitting the suspension only to find the car is the same ride height as stock is very disappointing, if anything it was a little lower at the rear. After doing some more reading I uncovered stories of people being unhappy with the Pro Kit and returning the springs for a SportKit, which happened to be a very worthy replacement for the OEM springs. That will teach me to go out and buy things in a hurry without doing the research first...

I actually managed to get the springs off without damaging them, as luckily I had PVC tape wrapped on the spring compressors to avoid scraping the springs (which can lead to corrosion).

I managed to get a refund and exchange for the Sportline kit. The new springs are red, immediately distinguishable from the black Pro Kit. The Sportline kit also included a set of new OEM bump stops, which suggests the kit is altogether more serious than the OEM like Pro Kit. Once fitted the springs gave exactly the look I was after, and the ride was exceptional. For around 1.5" lower the ride was certainly near stock levels of comfort, and the car looked 100 times better.

© Mark Stewart, Tuesday 15th July 2003
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