H&R vs ST coilovers and clunking

[jnadz]

I'm looking to get some coilovers and due to cost I'm looking at H&R or ST, but I've searched and there are a number of posts talking about clunking after installing both of them. Is this something that happens after installing any coils (due to improper installation or other worn parts), or do these brands have more problems than others. It does seem like maybe there's more complaints about the STs. Can anyone comment on the quality of one or both of these? I'd love to save a little money on the STs but I'm afraid of opening a can of worms and I'm definitely the type of person that will be driven crazy by a clunk.

[kzrsix]

jnadz..no clunking with my set of H&R's. I'm real happy with their quality and performance.
jjk

[DaveyDave424]

not sure if this is much help but i have a b7 a4 fwd 2.0t. i went from stock suspension to h&r springs paired with bilstein sport shocks. too stiff plus I heard clunking. biggest concern was super stiff ride. so i "upgraded" to stasis challenge series coilovers. ride was a little better, definitely nothing like stock. however i still heard clunking. so i then decided best option would be to get a set of true s-line suspension. ride comfort was achieved [which was my main goal] but i still hear clunking. Coincidence? same shop did all the work. then i read some places where they need to just lightly tighten all the parts, and when the car is lowered with its weight down, then fully tighten everything. i dont know if that would have made a difference or not. but i first didn't understand; how can they fully tighten if the car is sitting on the floor. then one day i was at an alignment shop and it hit me. the car can be lowered from the hoist to an alignment rack, where all 4 wheels are weighted and the car sits at it's true height, then from underneath tighten everything. clunking still drives me crazy till this day [been about 2 years] im finally fed up to where i plan on having a different shop look at it this week

[NYSpeedRacer]

ST/KW are sh*t. Save yourself the headache and $$$, go with H&R. I have the top of the line KW V3 and all I get is their top of the line sh*t warranty.


Sent telepathically

[flatsick]

clunking is with the KW's not the H&R's. ST's are pretty much KW so i wouldn't recommend them either.

[Mops@Nemesis]

H&R street coilovers for sure. I have seen next to no complaints. Plus, the ST's are kinda mushy.

[jnadz]

Thanks all... Im eliminating the STs from consideration... What's the ride quality like with the H&Rs? I am tracking the car and plan to continue about twice a year (fun hobby, not too serious), but when I'm not tracking I'd like to maintain a ride that's not too harsh. So, now im debating whether the adjustability of something like the billsteins is worth doubling the cost?

[Mops@Nemesis]

Ride is perfect. Not harsh at all but not mushy. I could go into much detail, but no need. These are 99% approved on the forum.

[YelloJello]

I think the consensus between B8 S4/S5 guys are Bilstein PSS10 / Stasis Ohlins > H&R Street Coilover > KW V1 / ST Coilover

Stasis Ohlins has a maintenance period to keep their warranty, but people haven't had problems without maintenance. Stasis can maintain a little higher ride height than Bilstein if you want closer to stock height.

I'm currently on KW V1 with no noise, and ride is fine, but I would like a little stiffer, so I may go PSS10. I think H&R Street is a little stiffer than KW V1 also.

[jnadz]

Will H&Rs give me a good increase in performance over stock and how much below billstein/ohlin? Just trying to figure out the cost/benefit of spending the extra... Ie will the H&Rs give me 90% of the performance upgrade for half the cost or is it really closer to half the performance upgrade? I'm thinking the former may be true but correct me if I'm wrong... Like many upgrades, you have to spend a lot more to squeak the last 10% of performance out... Is that true with coilovers?

[flyfishing]

I have clunking now on my KW. What causes the clunking? I hear it when I turn off my driveway onto the road.

Can the clunking be resolved?

[S5xy]

Just for the record, the Ohlins are much better than the Bilstein's!

[Got No Game]

The H&Rs give good performance, no noise and nice lowering. I am 100% happy with them and would recommend them.

[Mops@Nemesis]

Not sure if he still has but "marinse" had a like new set of H&R for $750. Good deal!


Sent from my iPhone

[zhford]

I know this post is 5 years old now but maybe this will help someone looking to solve the "clunking" issue.

Disclaimer: I'm not advertising this as "the" solution but definitely a possible problem to eliminate when trying to diagnose.


Summary to save you the reading: Check the upper strut mounts


A few years ago I picked up a B5 A4 that had been used and abused. The kid before me threw Racelands Ultimo coils on it to which I later found he also did a horrible job on the install. I lived within walking distance of my job at the time so I put maybe 25 miles on it per week. After about a month of hearing this terrible clunking noise and the front end bouncing like a GD covered wagon (which I blamed on the likely blown Racelands) I said enough is enough and decided on new coils. At the time I also had a bagged S5 in the garage that consumed most of my car budget so I wasn't looking to sink a lot of money into coils on my daily that I really just wanted to sit a little lower (OEM+ look). I also didn't demand perfection in the performance department in a DD. After a bit of research, I ended up going with ST. I had my reservations, but it seemed like a good bang for buck option with reasonable hope that they would be an improvement on the Racelands. A few days later my ECS box showed up and there they were. I spent the following weekend in the garage leisurely replacing each corner accompanied by the dog, a half case of Rolling Rock, and (old) Top Gear playing on the TV in background. (In hindsight I would have spent more time going over the car to make sure the previous owner didn't f&#* up anything else, but I didn't) I wrapped up my install, backed the car out, and I was off. Within the first 500ft I heard the same clunk and felt almost the exact same bounce. Needless to say, I was PISSED. It was little to no improvement and I was now out $800ish and a rare totally free weekend to spend in the garage. On Monday I called ST and described the issue. Their customer service was great to deal with, we went through a few things and determined that coils were probably fine and they were just softer than I was expecting (I think I had failed to accurately describe just how bouncy the front end was). After another week or two of bouncing down the road clunking away, I had enough and decided to rip the front corners apart again... this time paying attention to everything as I went. As soon as I got the first corner back out of the the car I saw it... the upper strut mount. The center of the mount had been shaved away opening it to about two to three times the size of the piston. Ordered new mounts, threw them in... problem solved. No more clunk, no more bounce.

Side note, I was actually impressed by the ST coils for the price. I can't say they'd be my first choice, but in my situation on a non slammed daily driver... they were pretty much perfect for less than $1000.

[ChaserBBS]

I daily drove my ST's for over a year with zero issues, if I can do it all over again, id buy them again and again.

[Sazexa]

I don't see why there is so much hate on the ST's lol, I've had them on for almost 4,000 miles now. The only abnormal noises I have now as compared to before is that at like 5 MPH/lower when moving over rough terrain parking lots I hear the suspension travel. But other than that I have no problems at all with my ST's.