Eibach lowering springs...a word of caution...
02-05-2002, 04:05 PM
#1
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Eibach lowering springs...a word of caution...
I've had the Eibach "pro-kit" lowering springs on my '00 A6 2.7T/6-speed for over a year now and have noticed a gradual but steady "settling" or additional lowering of my car.
Last December I contacted Eibach about this "continual" lowering of their sport springs. "D. C." in Eibach's technical support section (1-800-222-8811) said their springs "do not settle. They are tempered", but did ask me to send him some measurement info.
My springs bear Eibach # 08 00 & EW1558001VA for the front, and MQ/2 & EW1561002HA for the rears. "D. C." confirmed these are the right springs for my car. He stated that the advertised 30mm lowering dimension given for these springs carries a "tolerance" of 1/2" (thats 12.7mm) that Eibach considers "normal". So 30mm plus 12.7mm equals 42.7mm maximum "drop" to still be within Eibach's acceptable limits.
Well, the figures "D. C." asked me for show a "drop" on my car (from OEM/stock (non-PSK) height) of 49.2 mm for the right front and right rear, with 50.8 mm for the left front and 53.98 mm for the left rear.
This is over 1/4" to almost 1/2" (7/16" plus) MORE than Eibach (according to "D. C.") considers the maximum "drop" they (Eibach) consider within "tolerance".
Last ski season I could put my winter wheels/tires on by merely sliding the floor-jack under my car to the jacking points. At the end of that ski-season I had to drive the car up on a 1x board (thats 3/4" thick). At the start of this ski-season I had to drive the car up on TWO 1x boards!
The long and the short of all this "let the buyer beware"...but Eibach does NOT stand behind their products. It appears that if you have a "problem" with their product(s) you are on your own.
For those of you still awaiting the appearance of the Eibach "pro-kit" dampers Eibach told me they were "in shipment" from Germany to the US and, baring customs, etc. problems should be available very early in March, or sooner. They did offer me $50 "discount" on the dampers but would not give me a price. The best price I have seen (to date) for these dampers (part # 1562.840) is $499 plus shipping from shox.com. (1-619-444-9766). These units are made for Eibach by Sachs who made the OEM shocks for the 2.7T.
Outside of the excessive and continual lowering I felt the Eibach "pro-kit" lowering/sport springs performed quite well. They definately are "too much" for the stock/OEM (non-PSK) dampers and really need shocks with a valving closer to the rates of the spring to give the "best" performance. Those who have the Konis (properly adjusted first) report good things in concert with the Eibach springs. And who knows when Bilstein will have their sport-shock out for the 2.7T. I've had great success with the Bilstein Sport shocks on my A4 and would have put them on my A6 in an instant with the Eibach lowering springs.
So I have decided to buy a product that 1) has an excellect reputation and 2) is available in this country from a company that has earned a solid reputation for service and customer satisfaction. Statmosphere says that my ABT full sport-suspension will be at my door in a few days. Bob has had this suspension on his 2.7T and he and Pete gave me their driving impressions and experiences. Yeah, I know...they sell them, so what are they going to say? They are VERY aware of these forums and how quickly a customer's experience can "get around"...there are many reports of Stratmosphere going the extra mile to insure their customer is satified.
I'll report again when the ABT suspension goes on.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions...
Last December I contacted Eibach about this "continual" lowering of their sport springs. "D. C." in Eibach's technical support section (1-800-222-8811) said their springs "do not settle. They are tempered", but did ask me to send him some measurement info.
My springs bear Eibach # 08 00 & EW1558001VA for the front, and MQ/2 & EW1561002HA for the rears. "D. C." confirmed these are the right springs for my car. He stated that the advertised 30mm lowering dimension given for these springs carries a "tolerance" of 1/2" (thats 12.7mm) that Eibach considers "normal". So 30mm plus 12.7mm equals 42.7mm maximum "drop" to still be within Eibach's acceptable limits.
Well, the figures "D. C." asked me for show a "drop" on my car (from OEM/stock (non-PSK) height) of 49.2 mm for the right front and right rear, with 50.8 mm for the left front and 53.98 mm for the left rear.
This is over 1/4" to almost 1/2" (7/16" plus) MORE than Eibach (according to "D. C.") considers the maximum "drop" they (Eibach) consider within "tolerance".
Last ski season I could put my winter wheels/tires on by merely sliding the floor-jack under my car to the jacking points. At the end of that ski-season I had to drive the car up on a 1x board (thats 3/4" thick). At the start of this ski-season I had to drive the car up on TWO 1x boards!
The long and the short of all this "let the buyer beware"...but Eibach does NOT stand behind their products. It appears that if you have a "problem" with their product(s) you are on your own.
For those of you still awaiting the appearance of the Eibach "pro-kit" dampers Eibach told me they were "in shipment" from Germany to the US and, baring customs, etc. problems should be available very early in March, or sooner. They did offer me $50 "discount" on the dampers but would not give me a price. The best price I have seen (to date) for these dampers (part # 1562.840) is $499 plus shipping from shox.com. (1-619-444-9766). These units are made for Eibach by Sachs who made the OEM shocks for the 2.7T.
Outside of the excessive and continual lowering I felt the Eibach "pro-kit" lowering/sport springs performed quite well. They definately are "too much" for the stock/OEM (non-PSK) dampers and really need shocks with a valving closer to the rates of the spring to give the "best" performance. Those who have the Konis (properly adjusted first) report good things in concert with the Eibach springs. And who knows when Bilstein will have their sport-shock out for the 2.7T. I've had great success with the Bilstein Sport shocks on my A4 and would have put them on my A6 in an instant with the Eibach lowering springs.
So I have decided to buy a product that 1) has an excellect reputation and 2) is available in this country from a company that has earned a solid reputation for service and customer satisfaction. Statmosphere says that my ABT full sport-suspension will be at my door in a few days. Bob has had this suspension on his 2.7T and he and Pete gave me their driving impressions and experiences. Yeah, I know...they sell them, so what are they going to say? They are VERY aware of these forums and how quickly a customer's experience can "get around"...there are many reports of Stratmosphere going the extra mile to insure their customer is satified.
I'll report again when the ABT suspension goes on.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions...
02-05-2002, 04:30 PM
#2
Stratmosphere doesn't stand behind their products either. Forge nylon piston DVs were proven
to stick. Everyone was charged $25 a valve to upgrade to the other piston. Audiworld participants are their lifesblood and they aren't the only retailers out there. They do good PR, though.
02-05-2002, 05:53 PM
#5
Well Eibach is a well respected company IMO and I haven't heard of many problems with settling.
Do you think it could have been a function of shock wear as well? There are bad batches of every product. What was there position, they simply told you tough luck?
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02-05-2002, 07:48 PM
#8
There have been many posts here about those spings settling.
Most of the poster were still happy with their springs but, as I said, there have been many who have noticed a settling over time. As far as the ride height range that Eibach gives, this is because the springs are used on a bunch on A6 models. I had a set of these springs and the box said they could be used on any A6 quattro except for the Avant (and maybe the 4.2). The base model A6 2.8 is hundreds of pounds lighter than a decked out 2.7t Tip. The difference might be as large as 400 or more pounds, which is enough to make a measurable difference in ride height.
Audi makes several different springs for just the 2.7t with non-sport suspension. I believe that this is due to differences in weight from one 2.7t to another, based on tranny, sunroof, etc.
Audi makes several different springs for just the 2.7t with non-sport suspension. I believe that this is due to differences in weight from one 2.7t to another, based on tranny, sunroof, etc.
02-06-2002, 06:54 AM
#9
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According to Audi's figures, the A6 sedan/quattro/tip weighs just a bit more (11 lbs) than the
A6 2.7T/sedan/quattro/6-speed (which I have). I do not have nav, bose or esp, so I have (once again, according to Audi's figures) the lightest A6 sedan/quattro made for the US.
As I said in my original post, I was very happy with the initial "drop" provided by the Eibach lowering springs, and the spring's contribution to the ride has always been very good (IMO). The OEM dampers (again, IMO) are not up to their part of the "team" and need to be replaced. My extreme disapointment is Eibach's total unwillingness to accept the fact that (on my car) their product continued lowering to the current level which is substantially in excess of what they say is acceptable, even after stating that their springs "cannot settle" at all.
Yes, I've also read of others who say their springs continued to "settle" after install, but don't know if that "settlement" (which isn't supposed to happen per Eibach) is more than the 1/2" that Eibach says they can live with.
Correction: I finally found the 2000 MY data on Audi weights by model...the A6 2.8/sedan/quattro/5-speed manual (anyone ever see one?) weighed 121 lbs less than my car.
As I said in my original post, I was very happy with the initial "drop" provided by the Eibach lowering springs, and the spring's contribution to the ride has always been very good (IMO). The OEM dampers (again, IMO) are not up to their part of the "team" and need to be replaced. My extreme disapointment is Eibach's total unwillingness to accept the fact that (on my car) their product continued lowering to the current level which is substantially in excess of what they say is acceptable, even after stating that their springs "cannot settle" at all.
Yes, I've also read of others who say their springs continued to "settle" after install, but don't know if that "settlement" (which isn't supposed to happen per Eibach) is more than the 1/2" that Eibach says they can live with.
Correction: I finally found the 2000 MY data on Audi weights by model...the A6 2.8/sedan/quattro/5-speed manual (anyone ever see one?) weighed 121 lbs less than my car.
02-06-2002, 07:01 AM
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I had a whole "raft" of measurements that Eibach asked for, from the center-line of the hubs
up to the fender (after install and current), and my current and before measurements from the ground up to the fender-lip. All taken on a flat surface with the hand-brake off and the OEM wheels, pressures and tire-size. All were consistant to show a "drop" now of over 1/4" to over 7/16" MORE than the 42.7mm (30mm "advertised" drop plus Eibach's claim of 1/2" (12.7mm) additional acceptable "drop"), or a total "lowering" of 49.2mm to 53.98mm.
HTH
HTH