John Song

There wwa some talk in a4 forum about H&R <br>coilovers and I didn't quite understood. <br>I looked up in a archive and it said <br>they are spring and shock assembled as one piece.<br>As far as I know, that is what MacPherson(sp?)<br>Strut is, named after a guy who developed it. Is<br>this same as coilovers or is this actaully <br>different?<br> <br>thanks,<br> john<br>

Steve S.

I do know about H&R coilovers...I got them on my A4.<p>On Sean's A4 Page/NorCal A4 Owners Club Page we describe what<br>a coilover is (very basically) and show some decent photos....check<br>it out at the link below.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<br>NorCal A4 Owners Club

Steve S.

The link is at:<p>http://www.jps.net/seang1/mtrsprt/mtrsprt.html<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<br>NorCal A4 Owners Club<p><ul><li><a href="http://www.jps.net/seang1/mtrsprt/mtrsprt.html">Motorsport One visit - Coilover tech session (with pics)</a></li></ul>

Jim Meyer

I think the term "coilover" is used to describe any suspension where the shock is placed through the center of a coil spring. My understanding is that a MacPherson strut is a kind of coilover suspension where the strut provides the load-bearing for the upper part of the suspension. If you look at a car with MacPherson struts you won't see any upper suspension links. The strut itself holds the wheel carrier assembly (usually called the upright) in place, and when the wheel pivots it pivots around the centerline of the strut (the outer part of the shock pivots on the main shaft). The MacPherson setup uses less parts (and hence is cheaper) since the strut provides damping of movement, physical location of the wheel (load bearing), and the steering axis.<br> Our A4s don't have MacPherson struts. They use a mulitlink arrangement. These links provide the load bearing and the steering (pivot) axis. The shock is left to only one job - damping. This is more expensive, but it allows the suspension designer to do a more ideal job. The steering geometry is not limited by where the upper part of the strut mounts to the body.<p>Jim Meyer<br>'98 2.8QMS<br>(Very freshly waxed, and boy am I happy I finally got around to doing it! The metallic effect of Tropic Green really looks great when it's very shiny!)<br>

ErikR

Great explanation

Type SH

I guess many people had done a great job explaining the coilover stuff. But I just like to add sometihng, people like to get coilovers is because they got height adjustable ones. when people race on tracks, the height and pressure adjustable suspension setup helps a lot in Auto-X. Besides, just lowering your car with lowering springs is not that great. It upsets the factory's suspension geometry. The car's shocks are designed for stock ones. Using, lets say H&R coilovers, you are basically garuanteed that you will get a decent ride and better handling since the shocks are designed for the springs, and vice-versa. HOwever, the only draw back of coilovers is the $$. It costs quite a bit.<p>~Prelude SH

Steve S.

$1169 at Tirerack....much better than what I paid last year

Type SH

What kind of coilovers are you talking about? $1169 (USD i assume) is pretty good deal if they are H&Rs! I got a Japanese car, so, I'm looking for other stuff like Tein and Buddy Club (they cost quite a bit in Vancouver). So 1169 for H&Rs?<p>Thanks.<p>~Prelude SH

Steve S.

I just checked it again on their website....<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM<p>P.S. Sure beats the $1500 I paid earlier....

Jim Meyer

My explanation of the MacPherson strut pivoting is a little vague. The actual upper pivot point is located where the strut mounts to the body. A "strut bearing" mounts to the body and accepts the strut's main shaft through it, and this bearing (obviously by its name) allows easy pivoting. The strut bearing is essentially a metal bearing encased in a large rubber piece, and this rubber wears out after a while. I've heard that it's usually recommended that the strut bearing be replaced any time the struts are replaced.<p>Jim