so im looking into doing some suspension mods. my goal is to lower ride height for performance and looks, and eliminate body roll as much as possible. i was looking at H&R sport springs for $219. the ecs site says they lower the car 1.7" in front and 1.6" in back. the H&R coilovers however, are obviously adjustable, cost $1100, and lower a little more in the front. my question is, what are the performance benefits of the coilovers? i'll never track my car, and the only other performance mod im considering is an APR chip, MAYBE some brakes. will i notice the difference between the two? i also plan sway bars, and while i'm a noob when it comes to suspension, i do understand that the thicker the better there. it seems like the H&R swaybar set is the standard around here. anything out there better? any recomendations based on my goals?

TIA

1. Don't cheap out on the suspension because the install will run your $300-$500. Might as well get the best setup you can afford.
2. Coilovers have perfectly matched spring/shock so you don't have to do the matching. Coilovers are height adjustable so you can have your car at stock height or you can slam it down so you're not stuck at one height.
3. Another sway bar alternative are the HSport sway bars.

get a set of coilovers and save yourself time, money and the fustration. no no to aftermarket springs with your oem shocks.

That's the biggest difference with springs alone versus a coilover setup.

Coilovers also will include shocks matched to the springs. Installing just springs alone on the factory shocks isn't a popular recommendation. The ride will be a bit bouncy, and degrade quickly over time as the factory shocks aren't well suited to the stiffer lower spring.

If you're going to pay for the installation, it's a wise decision to install new shocks with the lowering springs (or just get coilovers) at the same time. You'll save yourself some cash in the long run, and frustration with the ride.

Each modification you put on the car will have some huge benefits, especially the APR chip and suspension. Bigger brakes offer the advantage of repeated braking performance time after time with aggressive driving. You don't see this too often on the street, and certainly wouldn't be taking full advantage of the braking potential.

H-Sports are a hugely popular sway bar kit for the A4's. Check into them, you'll see nothing but a ton of happy people.

Please visit our website, or feel free to email us if you have questions.

You can order it through your local dealer and there is no welding needed for the install.
Simply undo 4 bolts, replace the bushings and the bar, and then rebolt.

its def. going to be coilovers and sway bars. any recomendations on which brand? aside from what one thinks about ride quality from a given coilover (which i'd love to hear about!), which brands are easiest to adjust?

STaSis MotorSport and TEIN SuperStreet Coilovers seem to be two of the most popular for adjustability and aggressive pricing.

Email me (click on my name) if you need info on ordering the RS4 bar at the best price.

Good luck!

that and the tein superstreets are attractively priced, plus both offer adjustable shock dampening; koni rebound, tein rebound and compression. h&r and vogtland are good choices also, but no dampening adjustabilty.

yes, all coilovers are height adjustable, now you have to figure what little extras are you willing to pay for.

easiest to adjust as in height, i'd say they're all similar, height adjusting procedures are basically the same for each manufacturer.

now remember, the affordable ones are particularly meant for regular street use/daily driving. maybe the occasional autox.

check you MikekiM@PureMS store purems.com, good prices and great customer service at your finger tips.

i personally have koni. they work for me.<ul><li><a href="http://www.purems.com/products/products.php/CA=1471">PUREMOTORSPORT</a></li></ul>

Vogtlands and KW have the easiest height adjusting.
The rear heights can be adjusted without taking the wheels off.

The fronts on the KONI coilovers are probably the hardest to adjust since the end of the spring is not ground flat, and there's not shim to separate the spring from the perch.

We feel the Vogtland coilovers on the B6/B7 chassis are an excellent value and option to consider. They're firm, yet very comfortable for daily driving.