BigThistle

Installed and removed H&R street coil overs, disaster on the Avant because apparently the kit specified does not in fact take into account the need for heavy duty rear spring. Front was pretty low too and also helped kill the upper control arms. Lesson learned.

So playing it safe as stop gap installed Bilstein HD struts/shocks with stock springs from our friends at Tire Rack. Also installed new upper control arms and four wheel alignment. Work done by Audi Dealer.

Problems:

1/ Front ride height now excessive.

2/ Steering doesn't 'center', so if you're turning left then keeps going left. Scary on a u turn....


What's the problem and solution?

raj99

So to confirm, you now want to have a lower front ride vs. what you have today. The fact is that the only way to do this is via correct springs. The reason I went coil over was that I have the option to adjust my height on all 4 wheels, thereby getting the exact height I want and not having to be 100% dependent on the springs for actual ride height. What is the current gap you have on the front wheels vs. the rears?

As for the steering wheel not centering, I'd hazard a strong guess that this is attributable to when the springs were changed, since there are a lot of things 'touched' during the re-assembly: strut/mount/spring angles. Self centering is mainly provided by caster. Ok there might be some bush input, however its fairly minimal compared to what the caster should be providing. Also, check the steering rack bushings and see if they are in good shape.