Eibach Pro-System Installation and Ramblings...long with pictures...
03-13-2005, 04:41 PM
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Eibach Pro-System Installation and Ramblings...long with pictures...
The Problem: 2001 2.7t Tiptronic with 55,000 miles and stock suspension. Drove like my 1968 Buick; very comfortable cruising in a straight line, but cornering resulted in severe body lean, hard braking resulted in big time nose dive, and suspension rebound after bumps resulted in multiple rebounds. You could get sea sick. In essence, the car was built as a luxury sedan and I'd used up the useful life of the shocks.
What I wanted: A daily driver sport sedan that would drive comfortably on New England roads with all the associated pot holes, frost heaves and other pavement irregularities we have.....and still have a suspension sporty enough to be able to throw the A6 into a two lane country road or on-ramp with the PhatNoise system blaring and what's left of my hair blowing in the wind.....without requiring a kidney belt.
The Solution: Eibach Pro-System kit consisting of matched shocks, springs and bump stops. Eibach stresses that this kit is a precisely matched set of suspension components. They note that the German magazine Auto Motor and Sport wrote: "The Eibach (Pro-System) wins with perfect tuning, secure driveability and dramatically improved handling...It was the only Suspension System in the test that offered surprisingly comfortable road manners."
The Details: You're looking at around $1,500 for the complete package, installation, and four wheel alignment. Eibach makes multiple Pro-System kits. Of particular interest for the 2001 2.7t is that the build date must be 11/2000 or later. Fortunately my build date is 11/2000. The kit part number is 1565.780 and Eibach specifies a front drop of 1.4 inches, and a rear drop of 1.3 inches from stock. This is pretty much right on the money. You can purchase the kit from multiple suppliers for less than $750. Installation should be 5 to 6 hours. Afterwards a four wheel alignment should be performed as it is likely the camber will be incorrect after lowering the car. I'd estimate the alignment to be $150 to $200 dollars.
The Result: I drove home with a big grin. The car is LOW....it looks much better. The lower center of gravity and suspension has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the ride. This is a different car with an emphasis on "sporty" Cornering is a point and shoot deal, no more body lean; the dive under heavy braking is gone, on ramps are a blast and the body rebound float on bumps has been replaced by a single rebound. Much better.
Ending Thoughts: I was very much surprised by how much lower 1.4 inches really is. It's a visible change and you notice it when you step in and out of the car. I'll have to be more careful about curbs and objects on the road. The mud flaps I was considering I think will be too low. The suspension truly changes the attitude of the car; it's a lot more fun. While the ride is considerably firmer, it is never harsh or abusive. The only somewhat negative experience would be at highway speeds you can experience "crisp" up and down motions over small road dips/waves...where you used to have more suspension travel and float over them. You notice them more now. It's not obnoxious, but on a road with a lot of dips, you're reminded of them. I probably need to look into re-aligning the headlights, the light beam seems lower, and I'm assuming they are. I know there is an auto level feature, but I don't think it can adjust for the ride height change. I'll have to do a little research on that. This modification gave the car the "attitude" I was looking for and I'm very happy with the change. I've had my wife in the car a few times with no mention of the ride....so it sounds like a winner to me.
3/30/2005 update: To complete the job had dealer do 4 wheel alighment and headlight alignment.
4 wheel Alignment: $109.95
Headlight Alignment: $47.50
Thanks to my fellow AW'ers for all your suspension tips and experiences, it was a big help in deciding what to do.
Here are some pictures...
Profile of the A6 before the Eibach installation....
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/1968_buick.jpg">
It seemed like this anyway....
Profile of the A6 before the Eibach installation....(honest)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/before_eibach.jpg">
Profile of the A6 after the Eibach installation....
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/img_0983.jpg">
Close up of the front wheel after the Eibach installation......
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/img_0984.jpg">
What I wanted: A daily driver sport sedan that would drive comfortably on New England roads with all the associated pot holes, frost heaves and other pavement irregularities we have.....and still have a suspension sporty enough to be able to throw the A6 into a two lane country road or on-ramp with the PhatNoise system blaring and what's left of my hair blowing in the wind.....without requiring a kidney belt.
The Solution: Eibach Pro-System kit consisting of matched shocks, springs and bump stops. Eibach stresses that this kit is a precisely matched set of suspension components. They note that the German magazine Auto Motor and Sport wrote: "The Eibach (Pro-System) wins with perfect tuning, secure driveability and dramatically improved handling...It was the only Suspension System in the test that offered surprisingly comfortable road manners."
The Details: You're looking at around $1,500 for the complete package, installation, and four wheel alignment. Eibach makes multiple Pro-System kits. Of particular interest for the 2001 2.7t is that the build date must be 11/2000 or later. Fortunately my build date is 11/2000. The kit part number is 1565.780 and Eibach specifies a front drop of 1.4 inches, and a rear drop of 1.3 inches from stock. This is pretty much right on the money. You can purchase the kit from multiple suppliers for less than $750. Installation should be 5 to 6 hours. Afterwards a four wheel alignment should be performed as it is likely the camber will be incorrect after lowering the car. I'd estimate the alignment to be $150 to $200 dollars.
The Result: I drove home with a big grin. The car is LOW....it looks much better. The lower center of gravity and suspension has resulted in a dramatic improvement in the ride. This is a different car with an emphasis on "sporty" Cornering is a point and shoot deal, no more body lean; the dive under heavy braking is gone, on ramps are a blast and the body rebound float on bumps has been replaced by a single rebound. Much better.
Ending Thoughts: I was very much surprised by how much lower 1.4 inches really is. It's a visible change and you notice it when you step in and out of the car. I'll have to be more careful about curbs and objects on the road. The mud flaps I was considering I think will be too low. The suspension truly changes the attitude of the car; it's a lot more fun. While the ride is considerably firmer, it is never harsh or abusive. The only somewhat negative experience would be at highway speeds you can experience "crisp" up and down motions over small road dips/waves...where you used to have more suspension travel and float over them. You notice them more now. It's not obnoxious, but on a road with a lot of dips, you're reminded of them. I probably need to look into re-aligning the headlights, the light beam seems lower, and I'm assuming they are. I know there is an auto level feature, but I don't think it can adjust for the ride height change. I'll have to do a little research on that. This modification gave the car the "attitude" I was looking for and I'm very happy with the change. I've had my wife in the car a few times with no mention of the ride....so it sounds like a winner to me.
3/30/2005 update: To complete the job had dealer do 4 wheel alighment and headlight alignment.
4 wheel Alignment: $109.95
Headlight Alignment: $47.50
Thanks to my fellow AW'ers for all your suspension tips and experiences, it was a big help in deciding what to do.
Here are some pictures...
Profile of the A6 before the Eibach installation....
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/1968_buick.jpg">
It seemed like this anyway....
Profile of the A6 before the Eibach installation....(honest)
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/before_eibach.jpg">
Profile of the A6 after the Eibach installation....
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/img_0983.jpg">
Close up of the front wheel after the Eibach installation......
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/81787/img_0984.jpg">
03-13-2005, 04:54 PM
#6
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It's my understanding that Audi changed suppliers....
so the parts/mounting are slightly different. So yes, the Audi parts before 11/00 are different than afterwards. At least that's what Eibach told me.
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03-13-2005, 06:10 PM
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Do a search on changing springs only first
Just make sure you to take a look at what people have to say first - I have read a lot of people complain that their struts can't handle it, and they end up having to install new ones in order to have the suspension they want.
Unless you are installing yourself (so install costs don't matter), I recommend doing both at once (not personal experience, I admit freely, but from what I have read on forums over the last year and a half).
ryan
Unless you are installing yourself (so install costs don't matter), I recommend doing both at once (not personal experience, I admit freely, but from what I have read on forums over the last year and a half).
ryan
