Coilovers are great because you may change your mind later, you may get different rims, you might move and have to raise/lower the car, they are all around a good idea IMO. I would never buy just springs anymore having had coilovers. If you are going to get a spring/shock set-up, get the H&R sport cup kit. Its not a bad ride...its not like you are going to be able to tell if you ran over a filtered or non-filtered cigarette, ya know?

 

i can get pictures later cuz im at school and they block most websites and forums (besides AF!!!) so this means i cant get on photobucket to get the other pics...my rims are 18x8 with a 225/40/18 tire. The ride isnt bad at all, its a little stiff but you can hug like crazy

 

H&R sports with OE sport shocks. Ride is a bit stiffer than stock but its not terrible and a little lower than stock sport(I had stock non sport before) the roads out here suck or else I'd have gone with race springs with Bilsteins. I wouldnt go any lower with the OE shocks. Tires are 225/40/18 on an 18x7.5 wheel.

 

1.3-1.5" Drop on H&R Sports and Bilstein struts

 

You can't lower and be soft. If you want to be soft then you need the extra travel to avoid bottoming out your suspension.

 

this is the closest i have to full body side shot of the car

 

hell yeah son. first off, we got the same exact OEM rims. my audi is a 98 and color silver but other than that your drop is the ideal drop i wanted. so u got h&r sport springs with bilstein shocks? what exactly did ya get? also, how is the ride? be honest. do you have to slow down every time you pull into a gas station or whatever etc..do you ever skid ur underside? do you get jolted a lot(especially uncomfortable ones)? im thinking of getting this but still debating. i mean since this supposedly drives good and is good quality whats the diference between these and coilovers? i mean coilovers cost a lot more, shouldn't you expect more.

 

I love the ride......it is as close to the stock ride you are going to get while having a decent drop. The ride over moderate road bumps is still acceptable even with the stiffer springs. You definitely want to avoid potholes and traveling over huge bumps at speed. I have never had to worry about bottoming out on anything as the car does not sit that low. You will however have to be careful pulling into parking spaces with the little concrete barrier. You will easily hang the front clip on that barrier and when you back out, you will probably damage the front clip.

Having the set-up for a year now....I am still happy I chose this set-up. I often wondered if I should have gotten race springs.....just to be a little more lower. From what I have read from others who have the race set-up, it rides more harsh and you will have to be careful about bottoming out.

I did consider coil-overs, but to be honest, my wife and daughter ride in my car often. I can handle a bouncier, harsher ride if driving on my own, but because they ride with me and we take my car on long trips on occasion, I decided against coil-overs. Coil-overs are great because you can set the suspension to exactly the height you want, whenever you want. If you read around, more often than not, people buy their coil-overs and just leave them set at their desired height for the life of the car. And lastly the price, I can see if I was tracking the car, or using it for rallying and needed to change the set-up of the car constantly, but I don't.

For the price, you'll get a decent drop that people notice (even those who don't have an A4 still ask me if my car has been lowered, so yes others will know) better handling, and retain as close to stock ride quality.

I hope my experience and photos help you decide. Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

ty so much. i love how ur ride looks. just wondering if your rear is higher than ur front by a lot. i can tell there is a slight imbalance but im sure all audi's do before coilovers/suspension kits. my ride has a bigger rear wheel gap than my front gap at stock. i know coilovers could fix it but is it noticable? and is it necessary? i mean is the rear supposed to sit slightly higher than the front? thanks again Obnox...you gave me a lot of healthy thinking to do.

 

The car sits about a half inch higher in the rear. When looking at the car from the side, it is noticeable if you stare at it long enough.