My cute little strawberry-colored hybrid is all grown up. This week I lastly completed putting in the reducing springs on my 2016 Audi A3 E-Tron each day driver and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve been driving lowered automobiles as my on a regular basis machines for about 15 years, and sitting just a bit bit decrease than manufacturing unit makes my coronary heart sing. A somewhat easy coil spring swap and a few cool wheels is all most automobiles must look their greatest. The aesthetic and dealing with advantages of reducing a automotive greater than outweigh the minor lower in consolation skilled with decrease and stiffer springs.
Is reducing your each day driver best for you? Let’s get in to it.
Putting in reducing springs is a fairly simple DIY activity if you happen to’re no less than reasonably useful with a wrench. The rear springs went in tremendous simply as soon as I discovered the correct methodology of disconnecting the decrease management arm, however the fronts fought me slightly extra. On this specific automotive it concerned extracting the entrance strut from the upright meeting, and with the intention to get the upright low sufficient to take away the strut from its clamp meant unbolting the ball joint, disconnecting the CV axle and swaybar, and frivolously rocking the hub whereas pushing downward. For some cause the driving force’s aspect took about two hours, however the passenger’s aspect took 20 minutes. Generally that’s the way it goes.
Lots of people are afraid of this model of McPherson strut spring compressor. When you deal with them proper and don’t stick your arms contained in the tensioned spring, you’re in all probability high-quality. I’ve by no means personally seen one fail, however there’s undoubtedly plenty of potential vitality sure up within the above picture and if poorly dealt with might shoot your eye out, child. I discover that utilizing an impression gun is the best method to deal with these items. Line them up appropriately on the spring and ship it, however ensure you’re making use of even ugga duggas to either side. As soon as the spring is compressed you’ll be able to take away the highest nut and slowly loosen the spring again to its full top. Pop the brand new spring on, re-install the strut high, and Robert’s your mom’s brother.
You probably have been following this suspension saga, which I one way or the other managed to stretch out into three separate blogs, you’ll know that I significantly fucked up after I completed the driving force’s aspect entrance nook. A $170 rebuilt caliper from NAPA put all the pieces proper once more, and the set up and bleeding course of was a complete breeze. As a substitute of working an influence bleeder or having my spouse push pedals all afternoon, I merely cracked the bleeder valve on the brand new caliper, topped up the first cylinder with contemporary Motul Resting Bitch Face from my stash and let gravity do the job for quarter-hour or so. Then I attached the one-person bleeder bottle to the valve and gave it a single pump on the pedal to verify all of the air had been launched. I used to be actually frightened about it, but it surely couldn’t have gone extra easily.
With that restore out of the way in which I used to be in a position to get the automotive again on 4 wheels for the primary time in three days, and with rear experience top matching the entrance for the primary time in a pair weeks. Oh child, that appears unbelievable!
There are tons of choices on the market on the planet, however I selected to go together with ECS Tuning’s twin price reducing springs for MQB chassis. Whereas they’re explicitly for Mk7 and MK8 Volkswagen GTI fitment, the A3 is kind of a GTI with fancy leather-based inside. The E-Tron is basically the identical automotive as a Euro-market plug-in hybrid Volkswagen GTE, and all the pieces appears to swap over with out a lot situation. These springs are a very good mix of consolation and sporty, and higher than that, they’re cheap and I’m a cheapskate.
After a number of days of driving this automotive on the brand new springs, I’ve undoubtedly made some concessions to consolation in favor of aesthetics. These springs make the automotive experience about 1.4 inches decrease than inventory, which implies that taller pace bumps trigger the automotive to scrape frivolously. Bumps and freeway growth joints are slightly harsher than earlier than, however I’ve undoubtedly pushed stiffer and worse automobiles on manufacturing unit suspension. If you’re coming from principally any sports activities automotive on inventory suspension, this may really feel related.
Driving a lowered automotive is a mindset factor. All the pieces is a trade-off, and inventory suspension dynamics are constructed for the bottom frequent denominator. Audi’s suspension engineers needed to construct a automotive that was as comfy as potential for as many individuals as potential, everywhere in the world. A experience top like this from the manufacturing unit would have been met with distaste from seniors who discover it tough to get out of the driving force’s seat, or normies who need a pillowy experience. In case your priorities, like mine, are aesthetics and dealing with, that is a simple commerce off. Magnificence is ache, as they are saying.
As a result of we’re in the depths of the winter doldrums, I gained’t have an actual alternative to check out the dealing with till I get the summer season wheel and tire bundle again on the automotive. Perhaps I’ll have the sway bar state of affairs discovered by then, too. I’ll remember to supply and replace as soon as I do.
