Will sport shocks work with non sport springs?

[AlS6]

All OEM for B6.

Just curious if this will kill the shock prematurely. Thanks.

[schmally]

YES

[AlS6]

YES

Yes to my first or second question?

[Greedo]

Well I would assume they are used shocks, so prematurely shouldn't be your concern.

What should be your concern is WHY would you do the work of replacing the shock, BUT keep the non-sport springs and drive around 3' off the ground? Find some sport springs while you're at it.

[AlS6]

Well I would assume they are used shocks, so prematurely shouldn't be your concern.

What should be your concern is WHY would you do the work of replacing the shock, BUT keep the non-sport springs and drive around 3' off the ground? Find some sport springs while you're at it.

I don't want to lower the car so i prefer to be 3' off the ground.. The shocks are used but do not have lots of miles on them.. I would hate to throw these away though.

[SlickFix]

Find some sport springs while you're at it.

Agreed, putting sport shocks on non-sport springs is not going to give you an ideal ride. If they did, I would have done this long ago on my Avant!

[coowhip]

I have a set of sport springs available. I'm going a different direction with my setup.

[Peacob]

I don't want to lower the car so i prefer to be 3' off the ground.. The shocks are used but do not have lots of miles on them.. I would hate to throw these away though.

You do realize sport spring ride height isnt low at all right? Hell i drove around in Michigan winters with no issues of rubbing on Eibach Pro kit springs before going lower on coils.

[Charles.waite]

I've only ever scraped my USP front once on a driveway with a large rain gutter leading up to it that I didn't see. Sport ride height is not low. And I only drive in the Seattle city area, nine of those luxurious Eastside/suburb roads.

Why would you WANT that extra ride height? Just adds body roll...

[AlS6]

My car is non sport height and prefer to keep it that way and since i got these sport shocks I thought I'd throw them in there.. Would that also firm up the ride a bit?.. I want to keep the stock non sport ride height as I have a steep driveway... Either that or I could just fork up and get some Bils HD or Koni FSD but like I said these are low miles shocks and no leaks on them and I'd hate to dump them.

[Greedo]

They'll work, but will never preform as well as something aftermarket.

[Peacob]

My car is non sport height and prefer to keep it that way and since i got these sport shocks I thought I'd throw them in there.. Would that also firm up the ride a bit?.. I want to keep the stock non sport ride height as I have a steep driveway... Either that or I could just fork up and get some Bils HD or Koni FSD but like I said these are low miles shocks and no leaks on them and I'd hate to dump them.

majority of bone stock sedans on this planet sit lower than your car... so i dont know why the hell you wont just buy some sport springs and do it the right way while removing the struts. I dont care how steep your driveway is, i guarantee you will be able to get in and out of it without a single issue.

[stelvio]

If you want your car to have the off-roader status why did you buy an A4? No one's saying it should be slammed but this is like blasphemy on an Audi forum lol Just sayin' [and i've had oem 'sport' suspension and I couldn't scrape anything even if I tried].

[texasboy21]

The sport shocks are designed to work with sport springs, that are shorter than nonsport springs. Find some proper, nonsport shocks to run with your nonsport springs.

[Charles.waite]

I believe the sport shocks actaully have a shorter throw than the non-sport shocks, though I may be wrong. I'm not sure the shorter throw will actually work with the longer springs of the non-sport suspension...

[Peacob]

I believe the sport shocks actaully have a shorter throw than the non-sport shocks

You are correct. As for them working, yes they will, it just wont ride the way it was suppose to. Think of it like the exact opposite as using lowering springs on non-sport struts. Using a shorter spring on non-sport strut will essentially pre-load the strut further than it was meant to.

[AlfaDude]

AIS6,
I just put KONI Sport shocks on my stock non sport sprung 1.8 Avant with no issues. I did machine a new spring perch groove in the front shocks 5/8" lower than stock to give the car a little front rake. The ride is more firm than before, due most likely to the 170K miles on the stock shocks. I too didn't want to drop the car 1+" and have a harsher ride than what the stock springs offered. Besides my bike, this is my daily driver and commuter car and I like the ride.

[stelvio]

Do you guys think that installing lowering springs ruin the car's handling or something? I seriously don't understand this fear of lowering the car with aftermarket lowering springs. I just got Tein S springs on Sport Shocks and the car dropped ~1" and there is still more than enough comfort available; enough to take my mother in the car without her even noticing an unpleasant drive. It just takes away from the bodyroll and drops the car where it should have been from factory.

[Charles.waite]

Do you guys think that installing lowering springs ruin the car's handling or something? I seriously don't understand this fear of lowering the car with aftermarket lowering springs. I just got Tein S springs on Sport Shocks and the car dropped ~1" and there is still more than enough comfort available; enough to take my mother in the car without her even noticing an unpleasant drive. It just takes away from the bodyroll and drops the car where it should have been from factory.

This. Though my old non-sport b7 WAS cushier, it rolled WAY more in the corners and I would deem its cornering abilities "unsafe" compared to my sport B6....

[stelvio]

This. Though my old non-sport b7 WAS cushier, it rolled WAY more in the corners and I would deem its cornering abilities "unsafe" compared to my sport B6....

x2!
I was on the highway once and the guy in front slammed the brakes or something stupid and I had to swerve around him to avoid pancaking him and the insane amount of bodyroll at ~60mph terrified me a whole lot more than the lack of attention from the car in front.

If you're worried about scraping stuff then maybe the Allroad is better for you with its adaptive suspension. You should climb driveways/parking lot entrances slowly and avoid pot-holes/etc. whether you're 2" off the ground or 6" in an effort to save your ball joints and other [expensive] steering/suspension components and alignment. Not trying to bash anyone here but the thought of favouring the non-sport suspension over a set-up with more rigidity is unfathomable in my mind, especially when comparing the benefits of a more sturdy vehicle. I guess just my $0.02 :)

[texasboy21]

Do you guys think that installing lowering springs ruin the car's handling or something? I seriously don't understand this fear of lowering the car with aftermarket lowering springs.

No there is not any fear that installing lowering springs will ruin the car's handling. My car has lowering springs installed (with matched shocks) and its handles very well IMO. The issue here is using mismatched shocks and springs. Will it make your car blow up? No. Is it ideal? Far from. Why not just get two components that work correctly in tandem?

[coowhip]

Doesn't even have to be aftermarket. OEM sport springs are the ideal in between setups. He already has the shocks. I have a set of springs, get some b5 perches and be done! You will have an even fender gap and an OEM suspension complete. You bought sport shocks for a reason, fulfill the rest of the setup.

[Murph]

OP: I put the OEM Sport Springs and dampers on my car and have never scraped. I know you're apprehensive about it but it's worth it. It's not slammed or really low but no longer has the big Gapina. Here's a couple of pics so you can see. I'm running 235/45/17 tires

[Peacob]

OP: I put the OEM Sport Springs and dampers on my car and have never scraped. I know you're apprehensive about it but it's worth it. It's not slammed or really low but no longer has the big Gapina. Here's a couple of pics so you can see. I'm running 245/35/17 tires

What murph said.


And to other previous posts... the reason he wont put lowering springs on is not because of ride quality, but because he's afraid of scraping.... There are plenty more factory sedans that sit lower than a sport suspension b6 a4... Hell, i'm pretty sure the chevy Volt sits noticeably lower than any a4 with sport suspension, so i dont know what the hell his worry is.

[stelvio]

And to other previous posts... the reason he wont put lowering springs on is not because of ride quality, but because he's afraid of scraping.... There are plenty more factory sedans that sit lower than a sport suspension b6 a4... Hell, i'm pretty sure the chevy Volt sits noticeably lower than any a4 with sport suspension, so i dont know what the hell his worry is.

You're so straight forward haha. Considering people on here have pretty much every suspension combination possible, we're only vouching for what we have/have lived with so hopefully the OP will make an informed decision and at least get the Sport Springs on his B6; it would be a shame for his B6. I cringe every time I see a B6 with massive wheel gap and on the 16" rims.

[Murph]

Also, if you're concerned about ride comfort, the sport setup is a tad firmer but certainly not buckboard like. When I ran 16's in the winter it was just about as soft and comfy as the non sport setup so if you're really concerned about ride comfort you can run the 16's with the sport suspension and have the best of both worlds.

[Greedo]

My car doesn't scrape.

[Sam091990]