Anyone with Eibach Pro Kit on an A3 that could chime in?

[JimS3]

So a while back I had a rear spring break on my A3 S-Line, and swapped the rear springs only for a pair or Eibach Pro Kit springs to get the car through an MOT, intending to fit the front springs from the kit within a few weeks.


I expected it to handle a bit odd with just the rear Eibach springs fitted, but it felt fine, barely different to stock.

So a few weeks later I have just fitted the front Eibach springs and a pair or Bilstein B4 shocks, new top mounts and dust covers and the handling is odd!!!

It’s definitely more comfortable and forgiving. It seems to sit about stock height, maybe even a bit higher.

Now the steering is vague with less feedback, it no longer feels as planted, a little more body roll. When you pitch in to a corner there a moment of roll and vagueness that’s quite unnerving, before it settles and then does go round ok.


Having changed both the front shocks and springs I don’t know which might be causing this? How have others found the Eibach Pro compared to S-Line?

 

[LEE69]

If you have removed the lower ball joint to fit the new front items, the tracking will be out. You'll be amazed what a tracking will sort out

 

[LEE69]

This is my SE with the pro kit

 

[JimS3]

Alignment shouldn’t have changed as nothing other than the pinch bolt was undone. Spring compressors and a bit of weight on the hub and the strut popped out.

LEE69, yours looks lower than mine on Eibach!

 

[dp_motley]

This is my SE with the pro kit View attachment 154399

Looks good Do you have a possibility to measure the distance between the wheel center and the fender? I'm curious because my A3 looked lower being lowered by 29 mm from 374 mm to 345 mm (wheel center to fender).

 

[ab1702]

I’d check you’ve got the right springs and shocks.
There are a few variations because of the different size engines being different weights and 3 door and 5 door cars so something might be wrong with what you’ve actually installed.
If you’ve got an s Line then with the new springs on it should be roughly about 5mm lower. I’ve got the same springs but still using standard shocks on a sportback s Line.

 

[dp_motley]

I’d check you’ve got the right springs and shocks.
There are a few variations because of the different size engines being different weights and 3 door and 5 door cars so something might be wrong with what you’ve actually installed.
If you’ve got an s Line then with the new springs on it should be roughly about 5mm lower. I’ve got the same springs but still using standard shocks on a sportback s Line.

I'm not on Eibachs. I asked because my car was lowered the same amount of mm but looked lower than on the most pictures of A3s with Eibach Pro Kit. That could be if pictures were taken at different angles, so I asked to share figures before and after, most important after, if anyone could share them. Perhaps I have to start a new thread and ask it specifically if I don't find an answer in this thread.

I'm considering Eibach Pro front springs and want to know possible end result. That Eibach states -30 mm from SE is fine, but what is the SE ride height anyway? I measured mine as 374 mm front and 372 mm rear on SE springs/shocks. The last measurements with the lowering springs were 343 mm on the front axle, much lower on the rear. So the 343 mm (+- a few mm) on the front is an important figure to me as I like this ride height. I would buy Eibach Pro springs if they offered similar ride height, but what I see on pictures looks higher. That's why I asked the figures. Figures don't lie, eyes do

 

[LEE69]

Looks good Do you have a possibility to measure the distance between the wheel center and the fender? I'm curious because my A3 looked lower being lowered by 29 mm from 374 mm to 345 mm (wheel center to fender).


My fronts are 345mm rear is 330mm

 

[JimS3]

Got the odd handling sorted. I removed the Bilstein shocks and went back to my original S-Line ones but retaining the Eibach pro springs, huge improvement!

Have since added a rear ARB from a Passat R36 too, it’s a great mod, dials out lots of understeer.

 

[dp_motley]

Got the odd handling sorted. I removed the Bilstein shocks and went back to my original S-Line ones but retaining the Eibach pro springs, huge improvement!

Have since added a rear ARB from a Passat R36 too, it’s a great mod, dials out lots of understeer.

What Bilstein shocks did you have? There are ones for vehicles with standard suspension and others for vehicles with sports suspension. Did you have the sports ones?

 

[JimS3]

They were part number 22-140012. They were recommended by a well known online retailer as a good alternative for S-Line shocks, but are actually listed for the Golf MK5/6 GTI.

I compared them to the original shocks, after compressing the Bilsteins the pistons pushed back fairly fast by themselves (gas assist?). The OEM shock pistons had to be pulled out and were blooming difficult to move. Seems like the rebound characteristics are totally different.

 

[ab1702]

They were part number 22-140012. They were recommended by a well known online retailer as a good alternative for S-Line shocks, but are actually listed for the Golf MK5/6 GTI.

I compared them to the original shocks, after compressing the Bilsteins the pistons pushed back fairly fast by themselves (gas assist?). The OEM shock pistons had to be pulled out and were blooming difficult to move. Seems like the rebound characteristics are totally different.

As I said further up you had the wrong shocks then, it is the b4’s that you wanted but the vw ones must be slightly different. They are all different for different sized engines and also 3 or 5door cars.
Like I said before I am running what you are running now with s Line shocks and Eibach Pro springs and it’s a good improvement over the standard s Line setup.

 

[JimS3]

The front weight on the Golf is very similar, and having driven a GTI MK6 Edition 35 there great handling cars, but there is obviously something different about how the suspension is setup. Just wish I hadn't been advised to purchase them! Glad to have sorted it now though.

If anyone want to give the Passat R36 rear ARB a go, the part number is 3C0511409E.
Picked mine up second hand on ebay for a good price.

 

[samuelh_888]

Who was the well known online retailer?