anb957

I have a 99.0 A4 Avant 1.8TQM NONSport. I was told explicitly that the springs and shocks were original when I purchased it. Ride height appeared to be very high (as one would expect from a non-sport car). Anyway, last night I replaced all four shocks with Bilstein HD (the long version of the Bilstein Sport for use with stock height springs).

The rears stockers were identical in length to the Bilstein HD. I was surprised to find that the front stock shocks were over one inch SHORTER than the Bilstein HD's, suggesting that these may already have been sport shocks. However, I had to compress the hell out of the springs to get the strut cap off, and it was MUCH easier to put back with the longer Bilsteins. THis makes me think that the springs really are NONsport springs. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else had run into this same issue or whether someone has actually put sport struts on this car in the past, unbeknownst to the previous owner. The stockers all do say BOGE on them.

TwentyValveB5+S4

red = sport, black = non

anb957

Very interesting. So the factory nonsport shocks are shorter than the Bilstein HD's? Surely someone must have noticed this before. I wonder what effect this has on the performance of the shock/spring combo. I wonder if Mike at PureMS has any comment on this. He was very knowledgeable about these struts when I ordered.

WJM

well... shorter when the springs are compressed or uncompressed?

anb957

shorter with no springs at all (piston is shorter)