I installed H&R coilovers on my 2001 1.8T quattro over the weekend, but there seems to be something not quite right when I drive the car. Normal roads and minor bumps are no problem, but when I hit some big bumps the car makes some clunking noises. Do I need to cut/modify the stock bump stops? It feels like the car has no travel distance when it hits big bumps. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

double check all the bolts especially the 3 bolts in the engine bay you took off for the upper strut mount. also check your inner pad to see if it's loose. is the sound coming from front and rear?

 

I had to cut my bumpstops to solve this problem, how low did you go? I haven't really heard of many people talk about H&Rs hitting the bumpstops hard.

 

there's bump stops on our cars? i swear i've seen the front and rear end apart dozens of times and never noticed them lol

 

The sound is pretty much just in the front, so I'll check those bolts in the engine bay.

The car isn't that low...yet. I was waiting for the car to settle then planning on making adjustments. How much did you have to cut your bumpstops?

 

Did you tighten everything up with the suspension compressed to normal ride height?

 

I had the coilovers adjusted before I put them in so I guess not. Should the ride height matter when tightening everything up?

 

Yes.. you always need to adjust and tighten suspension components (especially the bushings) with the full weight of the car on them. If you dont, you 'pre-load' them and cause binding, which in turn causes rough riding and noise. I usually lower the car onto jackstands under the hub.

If you adjust the ride hieght later, you need to loosen and retighten the control arms, again, to prevent binding.

 

weird, we've done S4 spring installations on 2 cars and never had clunking problem. never had to do what Jim suggested either but it's worth a shot.

 

Thanks guys. I will try out these ideas and let you know how it goes.