Megan racing coilovers????

[FU5E]

I am currently looking to lower my 2013 A4.

My target budget is under $1000 so I'm open to debate and or better suggestions. I don't want a stiff crappy ride which is why I am leaning towards adjustable, I like the price of the Megan Racing coilovers and that they are adjustable. I am not looking to slam my ride, just eliminate wheel gap and firm things up a little. I previously had Koni coilovers on my B5 a4 and loved them. I am looking for the same ride and quality I got with those which were tunable. unfortunately Koni doesn't have a B8.5 kit. I have no experience with ST, Megan Racing, BCracing or Vogtland. I do see ECStuning is consistently selling out of the Megan Racing sets so I am hoping that is a good sign.

I live in Michigan and the roads suck so ride quality is my primary concern. If need be, I will be willing to spend more but would prefer to stay close to my budget.

[keiffr]

I’ve been on Solo-Werks for the past year and I have no complaints. Ride is similar to stock but of course you feel more of the road. Like you, I just wanted to get rid of the wheel gap. The price was right and they usually go on sale often. The last price I saw on ModBargains was $449.






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[vdubjetta02]

ST is made by KW, arguably one of the best coilover brands below $2,000. ST's are basically KW V.1's with a different coating and only a 5 year warranty. Which I have never even owned a car for 5 years so that worked perfect for me. The ride is the same as my OEM sport suspension but the car handles flatter around corners now. I have an aggressive driving style with cornering and am very happy with how they perform. I've also owned H&R, Koni and Kw on previous Audi's so I have a pretty good comparison.

*Solowerks seem to be more for show & comfort for DD, but not as performance oriented (Never owned them, never will.... just posting that from various other platforms and feedback from people who have gone from solo to something else in reviews I have read)

[Spawne32]

ST coilovers are the way to go, do not buy megan racing coilovers unless you own a 95 honda civic hatch

[z k]

I would say Megan Racing is ok for normal street driving. Expected life of the shocks are about 20k miles or 2-3 years. Megan Racing is made by BC (Bor Chuan) Racing. BC also manufacturers suspension for other aftermarket companies. http://www.bcec.com.tw/

I would avoid Megan Racing if you do track your car. I had a terrible experience with both Megan Racing and BC Racing coilovers on a previous car.

As others have mentioned ST makes good stuff at a budget.

[FU5E]

Thanks for the impute everyone.
I thought since they were more expensive than the ST coilovers they would be better. I plan to keep the car for a few years and only plan to do coilovers once. I probably will track the car for fun a couple times, so if I can only expect 20k miles on BC or Megan Racing, those are definitely not going to be my choice.

[vdubjetta02]

Thanks for the impute everyone.
I thought since they were more expensive than the ST coilovers they would be better. I plan to keep the car for a few years and only plan to do coilovers once. I probably will track the car for fun a couple times, so if I can only expect 20k miles on BC or Megan Racing, those are definitely not going to be my choice.

go with ST and you may want to contact Chris@fifteen52 ..... he gave me a stellar deal on mine

[SleeperCar]

I have had solo werks for about 2 years now, i used to love them, but they are wearing out now. Ive probably put close to 35k miles on them. Also, the shocks are getting noisy under load transfers, which i dont love either, and if I can hear it over my exhaust, thats a problem (to be fair, i havent ruled out my endlinks at this point either).

It is true in modding, buy nice or buy twice, and this mantra strikes me again! I couldnt recommend these coils in areas with bad weather.

[keiffr]

I have had solo werks for about 2 years now, i used to love them, but they are wearing out now. Ive probably put close to 35k miles on them. Also, the shocks are getting noisy under load transfers, which i dont love either, and if I can hear it over my exhaust, thats a problem (to be fair, i havent ruled out my endlinks at this point either).

It is true in modding, buy nice or buy twice, and this mantra strikes me again! I couldnt recommend these coils in areas with bad weather.

That sucks to hear that your Solowerks are (potentially) crapping out on you. Do you think it is attributed to bad weather only? I live in California (no snow, no salted roads) and friends of mine have been on Solowerks for years and put over 100K on them with no issues.

[SleeperCar]

That sucks to hear that your Solowerks are (potentially) crapping out on you. Do you think it is attributed to bad weather only? I live in California (no snow, no salted roads) and friends of mine have been on Solowerks for years and put over 100K on them with no issues.

It’s possible, I’m not sure until I look into it further.

I know the company gave me t9 boeshield to put on the threads, but the sound seems like it’s the actual shock....

[keiffr]

It’s possible, I’m not sure until I look into it further.

I know the company gave me t9 boeshield to put on the threads, but the sound seems like it’s the actual shock....

Thanks. That's good to know for the future. I know that Solo-Werks sells replacement rear shocks ($60) and rear springs ($50) on their website. I've been to their headquarters - pretty stand up guys and operation.

[z k]

That sucks to hear that your Solowerks are (potentially) crapping out on you. Do you think it is attributed to bad weather only? I live in California (no snow, no salted roads) and friends of mine have been on Solowerks for years and put over 100K on them with no issues.

No shock lasts 100k miles. That includes OEM shocks, Bilsteins and other high end shocks. They degrade over time. Chances are, the shock performance are greatly degraded, but since it happens slowly over time, they get used to it. Just because they aren't leaking or making noises doesn't mean it's ok.

[keiffr]

No shock lasts 100k miles. That includes OEM shocks, Bilsteins and other high end shocks. They degrade over time. Chances are, the shock performance are greatly degraded, but since it happens slowly over time, they get used to it. Just because they aren't leaking or making noises doesn't mean it's ok.

Got it! Thanks for the info! I see you are from the San Francisco Bay Area too!

[z k]

Thanks. That's good to know for the future. I know that Solo-Werks sells replacement rear shocks ($60) and rear springs ($50) on their website. I've been to their headquarters - pretty stand up guys and operation.

BC, Megan and others do the same thing. Their shocks are so cheap that they just send you new ones. I went through 2 sets replacement of Megan shocks and 1 set of BC replacement shocks. I was overheating them on track and they wore out much more quickly. I paid out of pocket for the replacements. Their warranty only covers the shocks if it's leaking. These shocks did not leak but they were done.

High end shocks you send it in for a rebuild. The cheap stuff is disposable.

[z k]

Got it! Thanks for the info! I see you are from the San Francisco Bay Area too!

Yes! Just joined this forum recently after I purchased a A4 as my daily driver. I am in San Francisco. Happy to see other SF people on this forum!

[bhvrdr]

I would point you to a kit like the B12 which includes a nice set of Bilstein dampers with matched springs in the $500 to $600 range before I went out and got budget coilovers. The BorChuann factory and im sure others like it are known for making tons and tons of "32 way", "16-way", etc etc adjustable coilovers that are very low quality. They make them for dozens and dozens of fly by night "brands." You can literally contact their factory and as long as you will order 100 units you can have your own "brand" of coilover made from them. Pick a color that hasnt already been used and boom... you're a coilover company. I would pick a company that has much more experience and a better reputation for quality as well as a longer warranty.

Mike

[SleeperCar]

I would point you to a kit like the B12 which includes a nice set of Bilstein dampers with matched springs in the $500 to $600 range before I went out and got budget coilovers. The BorChuann factory and im sure others like it are known for making tons and tons of "32 way", "16-way", etc etc adjustable coilovers that are very low quality. They make them for dozens and dozens of fly by night "brands." You can literally contact their factory and as long as you will order 100 units you can have your own "brand" of coilover made from them. Pick a color that hasnt already been used and boom... you're a coilover company. I would pick a company that has much more experience and a better reputation for quality as well as a longer warranty.

Mike

i couldnt agree more with this mentality, now of course budget is always a factor, but i fell into the trap of thinking $300 coilovers (i got hooked up for buying them at waterfest a few years back) would be of any comparison to $1500 coils with proper R&D and industry knowledge backing the brand.

my mistake is hopefully a lesson to others, BUY NICE OR BUY TWICE lol

[keiffr]

Yes! Just joined this forum recently after I purchased a A4 as my daily driver. I am in San Francisco. Happy to see other SF people on this forum!

Nice! I live in the East Bay but born and raised in the City! Welcome to Audizine! Maybe I'll see you around the Bay!

[z k]

I would point you to a kit like the B12 which includes a nice set of Bilstein dampers with matched springs in the $500 to $600 range before I went out and got budget coilovers. The BorChuann factory and im sure others like it are known for making tons and tons of "32 way", "16-way", etc etc adjustable coilovers that are very low quality. They make them for dozens and dozens of fly by night "brands." You can literally contact their factory and as long as you will order 100 units you can have your own "brand" of coilover made from them. Pick a color that hasnt already been used and boom... you're a coilover company. I would pick a company that has much more experience and a better reputation for quality as well as a longer warranty.

Mike

I thought once it'd be cool to have my own "ZK" brand of coilovers and market them online and at shows...

Anyway, there's a few contract manufacturers that make it for a lot of companies. BC is one, K Sport (aka D2), there is another one based in Korea that makes a few others. There's also a few companies in China that are doing this as well now. (I'd trust the Taiwan and Korean ones more than the Chinese at this point.)

Yes, the materials aren't expensive and they can copy suspension designs from lots of companies... the problem is, people don't want a pricey generic coilover - they want cheap. So when the main driver for a shock is price, then they need to make stuff that meets that price point and allow the resellers to make profit... which means cheap stuff that doesn't last long or perform as they should.