great, thanks for the input. i think i will go with the Eibach Pro-Kit at 480 bucks. i wish if someone knew about that place European Vision in Reseda. never heard of them, so i wanted to get any kind of user review or something.

 

Eddie-

I've had my Pro-kits on for about 2 months and they rock. They lowered it just the right amount, firms up the ride by about 20% and dramatically reduces body sway. The Sportline's 2" drop seems too extreme to me. I went to Temple City Auto Repair based on a tip on this forum. Henry does a good job. You can order the springs and bring them in or he'll order them for you. I had him order it for me and it was about $500 for everything (springs, installation, alignment). Don't forget to get a quote on alignment. Have you also considered installing a rear sway bar? Now I'm thinking I might take it to the next level and get that to cut understeer and drift the bad boy on hard corners.

 

ya thought about the rear sway bar as well.
thanks for your input on the Eibach pro-kit. now i'm just worried if i should get the whole enchilada -- Eibach Pro-System for $665 ...since peeps are saying after 20K miles the Eibach springs will wear the stock shocks down. hmmm.

 

Your stock shocks are likely Sachs Struts in front and Monroe (made in Elbonia or somewhere in E. Europe) Sensor-track in back. Lowering the car an inch or more shoves the piston up away from center that much and upsets the rebound-compression damping as well as increasing the energy the shock has to control (stiffer springs = more stored energy), and the speed at which it has to be controlled, all of which mean shorter shock life.

The Monroes also have shallow grooves carved in the piston rod that allow softer damping around center for a better ride at low speeds. Compress the shocks an inch and you are above that feature, meaning the ride gets harsher. Sport shocks feature a shorter piston rod to account for lower sport springs, as well as revised damping to handle the higher spring rates. That's why I always recommend a suspension package.

And since people who invest in a suspension are also usually the ones who invest in wheels and tires, I recommend height adjustable (coilovers) suspensions so that those aftermarket wheels and tires can be made to fit best. On an A3, a few millimeters of wheel offset can fit or not fit unless you can adjust the suspension a few millimeters or so to allow for the other changes.

 

wow, you know your stuff! thanks! i think i'll go with the whole suspension package -- just trying to figure which shop in LA i want to have it done at....

 

Eibach is notorious for lowering cars alot. Eibach springs usually have kits that lower the car 1" or more. Some, like JDM cars, more than 2". The S-Line kit is nice. Will you be driving the car daily? The S-Line is nice if you want a nice drivability...the Eibachs might create too much "bounce". Are you just going with the lowering springs. If you have the 18" coming, wait till you get the car to judge the amount. With the wheels, the eibachs, and the allready tighter suspension, you could get some tire rub with 4 people in the car. So, it all depends on what your going to do with the car.

 

anyone have pix of what the A3 looks like with eibachs?

 

I got H & R springs 400$ installed and its definatly a perfect height and the handling is night and day

http://s396.photobucket.com/albums/p...ent=a3sick.jpg

 

yeah, that's a great stance. nice pix.

 

Would you happen to have any more pix? THat is the exact stance I'm looking for. Not too low but it evens out the wheel gap.