the green amigo

Quick spec update - 2001 A6 2.7t fully stock w/Eibach pro-kit lowering springs(installed 80,000 miles ago) and newly installed Koni Yellow Sport Shocks

I"ll preface this post by stating that many months ago my shocks were toast and in need of replacement. Previous setup was Bilstein HD's with aforementioned springs but after 80,000 miles they were in need of replacement. After much deliberation I decided on Koni Yellow sport shocks to match with my eibach springs.

So I finally got around to installing them recently, also replacing upper control arms in the process and did a proper four wheel alignment and road force balanced the tires. First impression was positive, much smoother, quicker turn-in, handled the rough stuff wayyy better. However after a quick trip down the relatively smooth Garden State Parkway from NY to Atlantic City I noticed something was awry. The car has always had a slightly raked look ever since I first installed the eibach springs but since the recent shock install it has become even more pronounced, seems to sit at least a half inch lower in the front then before. This in turn means the car bottoms out on every little pothole and road undulation. Very odd considering the springs haven't changed. Also the ride is still much harsher than I expected, the first impression was great but has gone downhill ever since. I'm contemplating purchasing new springs and a full control arm overhaul kit but would like to hear some opinions. Do you think the springs have just suddenly sagged? Improper installation of shocks? Shocks set to a too firm or too soft setting? Other suspension malfunction? I'm all ears, thanks for any assistance.

Mario

the green amigo

Here's a few pics of the difference in height between the front and rear wheels. As you can see there is a substantial difference. Much more noticeable than before the shock install.

Checked the car up on the lift and didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Spoke to my mechanic and all he said is buy new springs and he'll install them, very helpful. Here's to hoping I can find slightly more insight in this forum.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

There are two height settings on the yellow konis. Use the lower one, not the stock one. You'll have to remove the rear shocksshocks and springs and move the spring perch Down. There's a split ring under the perch that you expand a few mm and move down to a lower slot. If that doesn't work just machine a lower slot.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Here is pic. The pic shows a ring about ⅓ of the way down from the top of the yellow body but doesn't show the second machined slot the ring can be moved to that was on the koni yellow sports I put on my 2K4.2A6.

the green amigo

Thanks sloop I was not aware of that, had the work done at an indy so wasn't all that familiar with the installation of these particular shocks. Now the question is would that be the cause of the front end sitting so low to the ground? I would assume that front and back were installed in the same fashion, same slot, so why such a difference in height? ... Im assuming a sagging spring, but won't know until I start tearing stuff apart. Time to get the hands dirty.

Secondly I'm not happy with the ride quality at all, tons of vibration and noise, so I'm looking into additional CA/TR work. Does a full kit sound like a better idea, such as a febi/bilstein? Or attempt to diagnose failing components one by one and replace with OEM pieces? Car is at 137K and I've only used oem pieces in the past.

SloopJohnB@mac.com

Front shocks on my 4.2 kit did not have two rings for diffo heights, just one. In particular, the new shocks left my 4.2 very close to if not slightly higher than the stock height. I should have measured the installed height of the spring/shock combination before I removed the original shocks to ensure the extended height of the new shocks was the same as that of the old, since the spring preload depends on the extended length of the shocks. In your case, it looks like the new shocks are simply shorter than the stock ones…it doesn't take much to change ride height and the increased preload won't do much for your ride, either.
The issue of bottoming out is problematic…shortened/compressed springs with increased preload shouldn't bottom out any more than your old shocks.
OTOH, the preload at shock extended length shouldn't affect ride height as long as the weight of the car further compresses the shock/spring combination.
It's a puzzlement.

What model koni shocks did you use? I used the 82-2516 for front and 82-2526 for rear. These are supposedly for audis with sport suspension and I would have guessed lower ride height, but it didn't work out that way for my 2K4.2A6…you can also measure the spring perch height from the bottom of the shock and compare. I did not notice much difference if any between my stock shocks and the new koni yellows. Still, the car rides tighter than with the old worn shocks at 107K miles.

It could very well be that new springs are the solution but the next time I change shocks (probably on my 02S6 it will be with Bilstein PSS9s adjustable coilovers. Expensive but probably the only way other than stock shocks to get it right.