Carlos Ramirez

Hi All
I am wanting to lower my car a bit to make the wheels fit correctly, and reduce some body roll. I have pretty much decided that Eibach's are probably the best bet. However I was told by a few sources that replacing shocks was not necessary. Which is contrary to what I have found here. Thus I am looking for feedback from others who have replaced springs but not shocks.

Jeff

Yes, replaced with Eibach Pro for 98 A4 2.8Q. The ride is good and they do firm up as cornering is increased. Beware of speed bumps and pot holes!!

Andy Hedin

To quote an article in European Car magazine (January 2000 issue, page 104) in a multi-part article called "Suspension Basics: Everything You Need to Know About Suspensions":

"The third point is that stiffer springs require stiffer dampers. If you put stiffer springs on your car and use the stock shocks or struts, both ride and handling will suffer. For a given deflection, stiffer springs store more energy. This means that more of the kinetic energy of the upward-moving unsprung mass will be stored by the spring in a shorter distance, before the damper has a chance to dissipate it. On rebound, energy will be released too fast for the damper to do much about it, and your car will bounce down the road like a pogo stick. On the other hand, stiffer springs that are properly damped will, in a way similar to reducing unsprung mass, return the wheel to the pavement faster. As with anything, there are limits: Springs that are too stiff will upset the car body excessively, causing the tires to leave the pavement over bumps."

OK....so based on this, I'd be extremely cautious about just changing the springs and leaving the stock shocks in place. Unless you know that the spring rate on the Eibah's is within the "operating range" of the stock shocks, I'd stay away from a spring-only swap. My $0.02....

I hope this helps.

Andy Hedin

Cary B

I agree if you can afford to do both, go for it. I did not get the sports package from Audi. I was used to driving a 98 Jetta GT. The new A4 was way to soft. It is 1 year old now and I have had the springs in for 8 months with no problems at all. The car is much more stable now and safer at speed. The stock shocks are made by Boge, and are not too bad. Someday I'll upgrade to Bilsteins. Money was the determining factor.

Leo

Doesn't there exist an Audi-approved Sport Lowering Spring made by Eibach? It's meant for the sport-suspension A4, to lower the car an additional 10mm for a total of 30mm below non-sport. No shock replacements are required.

Nick T.

I had Eibachs installed 3 yeras ago without replacing firmer shocks and I totally regreted. My car rode OK for a while (about 6 months or sumthin) but the shocks wore out very quickly. My car suffered from shaking &trembling over potholes and feel unstable over bumpy, wavy highway road. Two months ago, I decided that I must replace shocks, so I went with Bilstiens. Wow, It's amazing how much hadling and ride improved. My car now is very solid over bumps and very very stable on highways and corners. Bodyrolls now are almost gone. I am now addicted to driving my car cuz it is now much much more fun to drive than b4.

Anyway, I tested my old shocks after they are removed and found that almost no damping force left on them, especially on the rears.
Bottomline; if u can afford a set of new shocks, replace them the same time u change springs.

Oh! Forgot to tell u that Eibachs will sag down another .5 to 1 inch after a while. This might happen to your car as well.

Good luck & Happy New Year
Nick T.

Carlos Ramirez

Hi All
one thing I didn't mention was that supposely Eibach Pro Kit springs are rate progressive and made specifically for the stock shock. According to the guys over at Tirerack. However I think that real world experience speaks for itself. Thanks for everyone responding back.

Alpajamaz

I regret it, too damn bouncy... save $$$ for H&R coilovers...