# Emmanuele Design (ED) springs fitment on A3 Quattro



## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

I recently became bored and wanted to try something new on the Ol' Ladys car. So I decided to swap out the [email protected] Progressive Sport Springs for the ED linear Springs. 

*Rear - [email protected] vs ED vs Stock *



*Front - ED vs [email protected] vs Stock *



*ED supplies a rear pad to be installed WITH the oem rubber upper pad on the rear springs to make things level. *



*After Photos -*





*Fender To Ground (FTG) measurements *

_Stock - _ ~27" Front and 27" Rear
_[email protected] Sports -_ ~26" Front and 25.5" Rear (.5" reverse rake)
_ED Linear -_ ~25.25" Front and 25.25" Rear (without rear pads, the rear was about .5" lower)

*Firmness (1-10)*

_Stock - 4
[email protected] - 7
ED - 6_

*Bounce (1-10)*

_Stock - 3
[email protected] - 6
ED - 4_

*Body Roll (1-10)*

_Stock - 7
[email protected] - 4
ED - 5_


As you see, the ED springs are a great option compared to the [email protected] Sports. I have owned, raced, and built real race cars, I don't want nor care for my wife's car to be a race car. My wife isn't trying to shave an extra second off a run to work or the mall. For these reasons, the ED springs really seem to fit the bill and IMO should have been the springs the car came with from factory!


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

Your car looks perfect, definitely looks much better than when it had the H&R.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

How do you like it? Are you going to recommend me to pull the trigger? :laugh:


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

VWNCC said:


> Your car looks perfect, definitely looks much better than when it had the H&R.
> 
> :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> How do you like it? Are you going to recommend me to pull the trigger? :laugh:


Thanks and Honestly, I would rather sell you my [email protected] sports that are now collecting dust... Haha!

I think you would be happy if you pulled the trigger and used the supplied riser pad.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

FLtrooper said:


> Thanks and Honestly, I would rather sell you my [email protected] sports that are now collecting dust... Haha!
> 
> I think you would be happy if you pulled the trigger and used the supplied riser pad.


I am considering importing Euro Eibach as well...do you mind reading that thread of mine and give your insights? I'd love to hear from someone who has built race car before


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

Forgot to ask...any noise with the ED springs?

How did they solve the noise issue? Did they just add some sort of cushion to the front springs?


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

VWNCC said:


> Forgot to ask...any noise with the ED springs?
> 
> How did they solve the noise issue? Did they just add some sort of cushion to the front springs?


The front springs had some type of rubber cushion on one of the upper springs. Personally I haven't had any issues with noise and hopefully never have an issue!


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

Do you think there is much risk with premature shock degradation?

Should we install bilstein b8 as well?


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

Do you notice much less squatting when accelerating and braking with the ED springs?


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

VWNCC said:


> Do you think there is much risk with premature shock degradation?
> 
> Should we install bilstein b8 as well?


Instead of the shock lasting 200k miles in stock form it might only last 150k with lowering springs. The B8's would compliment the springs well if your planning some track days or more spirtited driving.



VWNCC said:


> Do you notice much less squatting when accelerating and braking with the ED springs?


Haven't really pushed the limits too much on the street and with these tires but front to back and side to side body roll is slightly improved.

Just do it! You won't be disappoint if you use the rear pads!


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

So, the ED springs are not stiff, you say?... 

The car looks great, that is a good height for a daily driver and no reverse rake = win :thumbup:


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

FLtrooper said:


> Just do it! You won't be disappoint if you use the rear pads!


Any more pics of your beautiful car with ED springs (different angles, etc...)?


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## Zonian22 (Nov 15, 2010)

FLtrooper, if you don't mind me asking...where do you go to get your springs installed? I live in Miramar, FL. and I'm looking to get either some H&R Sport or ED springs installed on my S3. Thanks in advance.


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

Zonian22 said:


> FLtrooper, if you don't mind me asking...where do you go to get your springs installed? I live in Miramar, FL. and I'm looking to get either some H&R Sport or ED springs installed on my S3. Thanks in advance.


I do all my own work..


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## Zonian22 (Nov 15, 2010)

FLtrooper said:


> I do all my own work..


Nice! I also like to do my own work, as I've changed springs on my Acura ILX, but I'm not sure about working on my S3...seems to be a bit more complicated. I guess I'll have to find a decent shop to get my springs installed.


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

Zonian22 said:


> Nice! I also like to do my own work, as I've changed springs on my Acura ILX, but I'm not sure about working on my S3...seems to be a bit more complicated. I guess I'll have to find a decent shop to get my springs installed.


Make the drive and bring some imported ice cold beers and we can knock it out at my place!


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## Zonian22 (Nov 15, 2010)

FLtrooper said:


> Make the drive and bring some imported ice cold beers and we can knock it out at my place!


Wow, it's definitely super nice of you to offer your tools, time, and talents to assist a fellow forum member with the install. I'm still undecided on springs, but the information you've provided on another thread, along with other forum members are helping me decide....right now I'm leaning towards ED. Thanks again for the offer.


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

That's the best way to learn. I help a lot on the Xterra forum I'm on and some of those guys have become my best friends. 


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## xbr80bx (Feb 2, 2007)

The real question is...

Who the **** is Emmanuele?


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

VWNCC said:


> Any more pics of your beautiful car with ED springs (different angles, etc...)?


If I take it out this weekend I will snap some photos!



Zonian22 said:


> Wow, it's definitely super nice of you to offer your tools, time, and talents to assist a fellow forum member with the install. I'm still undecided on springs, but the information you've provided on another thread, along with other forum members are helping me decide....right now I'm leaning towards ED. Thanks again for the offer.


No problem! Make sure to do your due diligence!



15whiteA3 said:


> That's the best way to learn. I help a lot on the Xterra forum I'm on and some of those guys have become my best friends.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yup! Never know when that extra Karma comes in handy!



xbr80bx said:


> The real question is...
> 
> Who the **** is Emmanuele?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's the big mystery!


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

FLtrooper said:


> If I take it out this weekend I will snap some photos!


Thanks!

Could you please include a picture of your car on your driveway ramp? I want to see how much clearance the ED springs gives.


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## 1998GTIVR6 (Nov 28, 2005)

FLtrooper,

So..you were bored and decided to just swap springs? You didn't like the H&R? my wife drive the A3 base model(2.0 quattro) and I hate the wheel gap and how soft the oem suspension is. I was looking at the H&R but now you got me thinking. H&R is a good company that makes good products.


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## illmatic41 (Aug 17, 2014)

FLtrooper, Nice review on the ED springs and giving out useful information to the forum. I know lowering springs will always put more wear on OE dampers, but do you think a 1.75 inch drop would wear much much faster on the stock dampers? That's a significantly larger drop than the H&R and Neuspeeds even though the EDs are linear, which we don't even know is better or not due to not knowing the spring rate. I know ED says their springs are properly matched to factory dampers, but I would take that as the S3 and A3 sports suspension dampers. Any thoughts on this?


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## FLtrooper (Jul 16, 2012)

VWNCC said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Could you please include a picture of your car on your driveway ramp? I want to see how much clearance the ED springs gives.


Please give me some time for additional photos, I have some other things going on at the moment. 



1998GTIVR6 said:


> FLtrooper,
> 
> So..you were bored and decided to just swap springs? You didn't like the H&R? my wife drive the A3 base model(2.0 quattro) and I hate the wheel gap and how soft the oem suspension is. I was looking at the H&R but now you got me thinking. H&R is a good company that makes good products.


Basically yes, I was in the same boat as you. I sold it to the wife with the Ol' "it will increase your safety"! Haha I have a nice set of H&R's for a good price!





illmatic41 said:


> FLtrooper, Nice review on the ED springs and giving out useful information to the forum. I know lowering springs will always put more wear on OE dampers, but do you think a 1.75 inch drop would wear much much faster on the stock dampers? That's a significantly larger drop than the H&R and Neuspeeds even though the EDs are linear, which we don't even know is better or not due to not knowing the spring rate. I know ED says their springs are properly matched to factory dampers, but I would take that as the S3 and A3 sports suspension dampers. Any thoughts on this?


Thanks and Well of course an aftermarket spring set could wear out a stock dampener quicker but I'm not sure at what rate.. The stock dampeners appear to be of decent quality so I assume it won't be an issue for atleast 100k miles!


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

FLtrooper said:


> Please give me some time for additional photos, I have some other things going on at the moment.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yo, any further comments after having the springs for a month now?


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

I have a set going on the wife's car on Tuesday morning. Can't wait, already got her 35et wheels so it should look perfect.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> I have a set going on the wife's car on Tuesday morning. Can't wait, already got her 35et wheels so it should look perfect.


Cool, please give us a review (especially vs. your B14).


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

VWNCC said:


> Cool, please give us a review (especially vs. your B14).


No problem, I will post up on Tuesday.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> No problem, I will post up on Tuesday.


Cool, thanks.

I am on the fence of either going with ED with stock shocks or the Bilstein B12.


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

So springs are on, and I think it rides really nice. I wouldn't spend the money on shocks. It rides in between my b14 kit and oem, so not as firm but not as soft. It looks awesome on her car too, I will post some pics here in a little. Her official comment on her ride home from work was it is a little bouncier than stock and you can feel the road better, so it sounds like she is happy with it.


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> So springs are on, and I think it rides really nice. I wouldn't spend the money on shocks. It rides in between my b14 kit and oem, so not as firm but not as soft. It looks awesome on her car too, I will post some pics here in a little. Her official comment on her ride home from work was it is a little bouncier than stock and you can feel the road better, so it sounds like she is happy with it.


Nice!

How would you rank ED against the B14 and stock in terms of bounciness and handling?

Also, if you could pick again for your own car, would you have gotten the ED springs or the B14?


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

Hers is softer than mine and I prefer the stiffer suspension so I would stick with what I have. We are at the same height though so the drop is nice. If comfort is more important then I would say ED, but if you want better handling I would say the b14 kit. Don't get me wrong though the b14 kit is pretty awesome too. 


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## illmatic41 (Aug 17, 2014)

15whiteA3 said:


> So springs are on, and I think it rides really nice. I wouldn't spend the money on shocks. It rides in between my b14 kit and oem, so not as firm but not as soft. It looks awesome on her car too, I will post some pics here in a little. Her official comment on her ride home from work was it is a little bouncier than stock and you can feel the road better, so it sounds like she is happy with it.


Thanks for the review and pics. A 1.75 inch is a pretty huge drop on the stock non-sport struts and will definitely wear them down faster. Looking at the oem part costs, the Sport Suspension/S3 struts(I believe they are the same part numbers) are more than double the costs of the non-sport struts, so I would assume the non-sports would fail much sooner. I believe the rear shocks are the same as the sports suspension, but I would think a Bilstein B8 strut setup would be ideal here.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

illmatic41 said:


> Thanks for the review and pics. A 1.75 inch is a pretty huge drop on the stock non-sport struts and will definitely wear them down faster. Looking at the oem part costs, the Sport Suspension/S3 struts(I believe they are the same part numbers) are more than double the costs of the non-sport struts, so I would assume the non-sports would fail much sooner. I believe the rear shocks are the same as the sports suspension, but I would think a Bilstein B8 strut setup would be ideal here.


The S3 strut that is more than double the cost is the magnetic ride strut. I have checked with my dealership regarding A3 and S3 non mag ride struts and the prices are very similar.

Otherwise, I fully agree with what you said...1.75" is a huge drop and I can't see it not causing the standard non-sport strut to fail quickly.

I have read on another forum that a Mk7 TDI owner who changed to VWR springs (linear) had his stock struts lose their effectiveness after ~30k miles. He then switched the Bilstein B8 and since has a much better ride. See Post 75 in the following link.

https://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=421746&page=5


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> Hers is softer than mine and I prefer the stiffer suspension so I would stick with what I have. We are at the same height though so the drop is nice. If comfort is more important then I would say ED, but if you want better handling I would say the b14 kit. Don't get me wrong though the b14 kit is pretty awesome too.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Thanks, but is her A3 with ED springs bouncier than yours with B14?


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

VWNCC said:


> Thanks, but is her A3 with ED springs bouncier than yours with B14?


Yes, but it's a softer rebound than mine. Not much difference for me but she noticed it on her drive home from work.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> Yes, but it's a softer rebound than mine. Not much difference for me but she noticed it on her drive home from work.


Thanks.

Would you say it is because it is underdamped?


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

Not really sure what it would be, but for the money you can't beat the ride quality. Are you going to track the car or is it a dd? I would say spend some money on sway bars now instead of shocks and have the best of both worlds.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> Not really sure what it would be, but for the money you can't beat the ride quality. Are you going to track the car or is it a dd? I would say spend some money on sway bars now instead of shocks and have the best of both worlds.


For me, it is a DD and will not be tracking at all. Comfort is important but so is bounciness. Probably like you, I'd rather have the car to be properly damped and stiffer than being bouncy. The stock bounciness, body roll, and visual are the reasons why I want to upgrade the suspension. I am pretty sure I probably won't go with the ED springs, but B14 seems to be overkill for me as you are suggesting as well. 

I am pretty much on the fence for the B12 (I have part number confirmation from Eibach Germany that the B12 is the Eibach prokit + Bilstein B8). The Bilstein B8 is already available in the US and the Eibach prokit will be available in the US in the next 2 months (according to Eibach US). I could also order the Eibach prokit internationally if I want it quicker, but I wonder if the B12 is also overkill for my need.


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## 15whiteA3 (Mar 1, 2015)

VWNCC said:


> For me, it is a DD and will not be tracking at all. Comfort is important but so is bounciness. Probably like you, I'd rather have the car to be properly damped and stiffer than being bouncy. The stock bounciness, body roll, and visual are the reasons why I want to upgrade the suspension. I am pretty sure I probably won't go with the ED springs, but B14 seems to be overkill for me as you are suggesting as well.
> 
> I am pretty much on the fence for the B12 (I have part number confirmation from Eibach Germany that the B12 is the Eibach prokit + Bilstein B8). The Bilstein B8 is already available in the US and the Eibach prokit will be available in the US in the next 2 months (according to Eibach US). I could also order the Eibach prokit internationally if I want it quicker, but I wonder if the B12 is also overkill for my need.


How much is the b12 kit? B14 kit is only $999 so it's not bad plus you can adjust the height to you liking. 

Where you located? Your welcome to go for a ride in either one with me if you were close to pa.


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## VWNCC (Jan 12, 2010)

15whiteA3 said:


> How much is the b12 kit? B14 kit is only $999 so it's not bad plus you can adjust the height to you liking.
> 
> Where you located? Your welcome to go for a ride in either one with me if you were close to pa.


B12 is about 700 US.

I am in Canada, so can't ride in your car  . B14 here is 1700 CAD. I could get the B12 for around 1200 CAD.

I am not concerned about the cost difference. I don't prefer B14 because of higher risk of corrosion vs. B12 and I will never adjust it because I don't want it too low. Also based on other cars, it seems like in general, B12 is a big softer vs. B14, so it may be better for me anyways. The only problem is that no one has any experience with it.


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