# Lowering springs and a comfortable ride - Can you have both?



## fredsttmk1 (May 23, 2012)

I would like to modestly lower my recently purchased 2001 Audi TT Quattro 225 and retain the OEM ride quality. Can you guys recommend the best spring to achieve this? Eibach Pro, B&G, Tein, H&R? 

What would be the 'softest' spring with a nice mellow ride that lowers my car? 

Thank you very much!


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## TTC2k5 (May 23, 2008)

fredsttmk1 said:


> I would like to modestly lower my recently purchased 2001 Audi TT Quattro 225 and retain the OEM ride quality. Can you guys recommend the best spring to achieve this? Eibach Pro, B&G, Tein, H&R?
> 
> What would be the 'softest' spring with a nice mellow ride that lowers my car?
> 
> Thank you very much!


 You can with a spring/strut combo like eibach/bilstein. Mine is very comfy. If OEM is 10, mine is 8.5-9 and that's still comfy in my book. 

Edit: you cannot have very low and comfy. Just not gonna happen. Both eibach and H&R will lower about an inch. More than that, and comfy really drops off. But, you still can have good, but that is relative. You need to test drive someone's that's been lowered and then decide. 

cheers


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## Late__Apex (Dec 2, 2007)

TTC2k5 said:


> .... you cannot have very low and comfy. Just not gonna happen. Both eibach and H&R will lower about an inch. More than that, and comfy really drops off....


 Correct - too low and you start to get on the bump stops in the struts/shock and the spring rate goes through the roof.


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## mikegtimx (Apr 5, 2011)

the stru/spring combination its the lowest u can get and still have a decent comfy TT


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## fredsttmk1 (May 23, 2012)

*fredsttmk1*

Found a really nice write up on this from tunersdepot.com 

Audi TT Choosing the right ride height for your Audi TT suspension: 
How low should you go? 
Each type of lowering spring is designed to give your TT a certain level of lowering that will affect drivability. Generally speaking the lower the spring, the nicer the look and suspension performance improvement, BUT, at the expense of drivability on anything other than flat roads. For that reason, most lowering springs for your Audi TT can be put into 3 categories. 

OE Drop TT Springs: These types of lowering springs give a very marginal drop for your TT. Usually between 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches, these springs lower your TT the minimal amount possible. This gives a very marginal increase, with minimal impact on look and performance. These might be optimal if your TT has a situation where you are already pretty low, but could use the extra quarter to half inch of drop. Such situations include having unusually large wheels and/or tires, having shocks that already lower your vehicle to a certain degree, or having an unusually low body kit installed. 

They also are a good idea if you need to replace OE springs but don’t want to pay exorbitant dealer prices for factory TT parts. 

Examples: Audi TT H&R OE Sport Springs 

Standard Drop TT Springs: A lowering spring of this ride height is considered normal, dropping most vehicles about 1 inch to 1.5 inches depending on the exact car. This is the safe choice for your Audi TT, as these types of springs it will give you enough of a drop to give you a suspension upgrade without being too low to drive around comfortably and without having to take speed bumps and driveways at an angle to avoid scraping. The difference in appearance is also noticeably better than your TT’s stock ride height. 

Examples: Audi TT Eibach Pro-Kit Springs, Audi TT H&R Sport Springs, Audi TT Tein H. Tech Springs, Audi TT Tanabe Sustec NF210, Audi TT RSR Down Springs 

Race Drop TT Springs: This type of spring offers the most aggressive drop possible. Springs in this category drop most vehicles anywhere from 1.75 inches to 2.5 inches, and for some vehicles, even up to 3 inches. This type of suspension set up is only recommended for Audi TT owners who want an extreme drop and super low center of gravity, but at the expense of an adverse daily drive. Approaching steep driveways and large speed bumps at an angle (aka angling) may be required in order to prevent scraping the bottom of your TT. Additionally, a camber correction kit may be required if your tires are “butterflying” (showing positive camber as oppose to being perpendicular to the road). Examples: Audi TT Eibach Sport-Line Springs, Audi TT H&R Race Springs, Audi TT Tein S. Tech Springs, Audi TT Tanabe Sustec Gf210 and Df210 Springs, Audi TT RSR Race Springs 

Audi TT Lowering Spring Brand Comparison: 
H&R Springs vs Eibach vs Tein / Others 
Audi TT Eibach Lowering Springs: Eibach makes a very good spring. Managed by true performance enthusiasts, very well respected, and extremely well marketed, Eibach springs are perhaps the most popular springs available in North America. There are no problems in the quality department as they are a first class spring company, and unlike many springs, they are manufactured at top notch manufacturing facility in the United States. Eibach springs are generally the more aggressive performance type of spring, geared at TT owners looking for performance over comfort. Eibach spring rates tend to be a bit stiffer, so they offer a more responsive turn, but they could be a little more rough on the buttocks on bumpy streets. Compared to most other springs though, the ride is still relatively good, even on the more aggressive Sportline drops. 

Country of Origin: USA 

Audi TT H&R Lowering Springs: H&R is a world class suspension company. There should be no motorsport professional on Earth who has not heard of H&R. Produced in state of the art manufacturing facilities in Germany, H&R takes their suspension parts very seriously. Involved in most forms of professional racing, and the suspension company of choice by the world’s top automakers racing programs (Mercedes, BMW, etc), H&R is perhaps the best suspension company on Earth. Since they figure that career racers would prefer full coilover suspension setups, and that lowering springs are designed for people who may like performance but are more concerned with getting from point A to point B, H&R springs are designed primarily for a comfortable daily drive. Being a relatively soft spring, it handles bumpy roads much better than most other springs, but they lack the extra stiffness of springs like Eibach. 

Country of Origin: Germany 

Tein Audi TT Springs and Other Spring Companies: Tein is a rather unique case when it comes to springs. Though they are not very popular in their original home country (Japan), they have nonetheless done a phenomenal marketing job in the U.S. giving them a high level of popularity. Unfortunately though, their strength lay in their low end (the BASIC line) of full coilover systems, not in their lowering springs. However, this has not stopped people from thinking that the quality of their low end coilover systems is matched in their lowering springs. Despite being a rather average spring in terms of performance and drive comfort, people still buy them…even though their price is often even HIGHER than better quality H&R and Eibach springs. As for the other companies, they share similar qualities. Often they are they are produced as an afterthought of companies who are successful at another product (usually exhausts) and use their name to market average springs at high end prices. Oftentimes, they will outsource spring production to an outside company and not put the effort and R&D that companies like H&R and Eibach put into their springs. That is not to say that there are not some good springs out there, but they are far and few between and tend to be exorbitantly priced. 

Countries of Origin: Japan (rarely), but more likely China, Taiwan, South East Asia 



Audi TT Lowering Spring Installation FAQ 


Can I install your lowering springs onto my TT by myself? 
We highly recommend professional installation. Especially if you still have stock springs on your vehicle, special equipment may be needed to compress the springs during installation. Installation on most cars should run about $40-150.00 at a professional shop. 


Is there anything I should do after installing springs onto my Audi TT? 
Yes! As is the case when you change wheels, get new shocks, etc., we HIGHLY encourage you to get an alignment as the lowering springs will change the entire suspension characteristics of your vehicle. Additionally, it is rather easy to disrupt the alignment of your vehicle during installation. 


Will I need a camber kit after I install these lowering springs? 
Assuming the rest of your vehicle is stock, you should not need a camber kit if you are using standard or OE drop springs. For race springs, they MIGHT be required, but the best way to tell is to look at your tires. They should be at a near perpendicular angle to the road. If they are butterflying, that is, the tops leaning inward, and the bottoms leaning outward, then you should get a camber kit installed right away and get an alignment. 


I installed these springs and my car did not get lowered to the listed height… what gives? 
Please allow a month for your springs to “settle” into your vehicle. Until that time, you will not see the target height of the springs. Also, please keep in mind that the height change is meant for your OEM setup. If you have worn or aftermarket wheels, shocks, etc., the height may be different. In addition, if you travel with an unusually large amount of weight in the vehicle while driving, you will likewise experience a lower than expected drop. 


I installed your springs into my Audi TT but I still want my car lower. Any suggestions? 
Usually, installing a set of aftermarket performance shocks such as Tokico can give you an extra 0.5inch of drop height after settling. Additionally, ground effects, especially lip kits can reduce the appearance of empty space beneath your vehicle giving the impression of being lower. Also, wheel size is another important consideration to take into effect when it comes to either lowering the vehicle or filling up the wheel well. 


Drivability and General FAQ 


How many springs come in this set? 
99.9% of the time, a set will come with 4 springs. Basically, aftermarket springs will contain the same amount of springs that your stock has. In SUPER rare occasions, ride height is handled by something other than springs (like the original Acura Integra for instance), so the set will only contain 2 springs. Unless noted though, almost all of our springs come with all 4 springs: 2 fronts and 2 rears. 


How will my Audi TT ride on these springs? 
As far as ride and performance, Eibach and H&R pretty much kick the crap out of most other spring brands out there, and clobber heated or ‘’cut’’ springs. Between the 2 though, H&R offers a softer smoother ride, while Eibach offers stiffer better performance. 


What do you mean ‘’cut’’ springs? 
DON’T DO IT! In the early days, people use to literally CUT their stock or aftermarket springs in order to get an extremely low drop, or to put it in the terms of the day, to “slam” their car. This is a horrible idea though as the ride will be bouncy, rough, and literally a pain in the you-know-what. Likewise, people also use to heat their springs (though torch might be more accurate term) for similar horrible effect. 


Are these springs progressive? And while we are at it, what does progressive mean anyway? 
Most springs nowadays are progressive. This means that the design of the spring is not equal throughout the length of it. Rather, some parts are smaller and closer coiled, and some are larger and farther coiled. This allows for the MAXIMUM absorption and rebound for the given spring length. If you see a set of springs and all 4 springs and space between coils are exactly identical, then it is probably not a progressive set of springs. 


Are these springs legal? 
Assuming that the rest of the suspension setup on your TT is either stock or not overly aggressive, then you should have no problems with the law. Though some areas have regulations regarding how low your TT could be to the ground, the springs we offer should not be enough to push you over the edge. To be safe though, please check with your local laws and measure the distance on the bottom of your vehicle before purchasing. 


How do I "angle" my Audi TT to avoid scraping my severely lowered TT? 
On the off chance that you are running extremely small wheels, have a super low body kit, or have 4 linebackers and a trunk full of lead in your car, you may sometimes find it necessary to ‘’angle’’ your car to avoid scraping on speedbumps and getting into driveways. Though you really should never let your TT get this low in the first place, the trick is to get one tire to touch the bump/driveway at a time, trying to change the seesaw point from the front to back sides of your car to the shorter left to right orientation. The motion involves turning one way to approach the obstacle at an angle, then turning the other way to clear the rest of your car, then straightening back out.


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## nilreb (Mar 17, 2012)

+ get the continental DW, it has soft walls 



fredsttmk1 said:


> Found a really nice write up on this from tunersdepot.com
> 
> 
> How do I "angle" my Audi TT to avoid scraping my severely lowered TT?
> On the off chance that you are running extremely small wheels, have a super low body kit, or have 4 linebackers and a trunk full of lead in your car, you may sometimes find it necessary to ‘’angle’’ your car to avoid scraping on speedbumps and getting into driveways. Though you really should never let your TT get this low in the first place, the trick is to get one tire to touch the bump/driveway at a time, trying to change the seesaw point from the front to back sides of your car to the shorter left to right orientation. The motion involves turning one way to approach the obstacle at an angle, then turning the other way to clear the rest of your car, then straightening back out.


 
I'd just ask a ricer.


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## 20v master (May 7, 2009)

nilreb said:


> I'd just ask a ricer.


 I was going to say, generic ricer reply is generic. :laugh:


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## Krissrock (Sep 10, 2005)

lowering springs and hydrolic shocks should deliver a softer ride than gas shocks...the "ride" comfort is more controlled by the shocks than the springs...


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