S3 owners with lowering springs and mag-ride post your pics! I need help deciding!

[TheDude420]

I've owned my 2016 S3 for about 10 months now and I love it but I want to go lower. I'm on 034 Motorsport Dynamic Lowering Springs and I like the performance but the fender gap is still too big for me. The front fender gap is bigger than the rear and I don't like how that looks. I'm leaning toward EMD springs but I'm also considering MSS Sports. The difference in price is big but everything I've read about MSS from owners and people in the know has been good. EMD springs have good reviews but I've read a few bad ones as well. My S3 is my daily driver and I don't go to the track. H&R springs provide the biggest drop and I really like how they look but I've read a lot of negative comments about them being too harsh. I also considered getting APR's Roll-Control springs but I can barely find any reviews on them and they don't provide much of a drop. Emmaneule Design's website specifies their springs provide a 0.75" drop on mag-ride. This is confusing because that's the same drop 034 Motorsport springs provide unless there's something I'm not understanding. In some photos the EMD springs look great and provide the ideal look while in other photos they don't look that different from what I already have. What springs do you have and what is your experience with them?

P.S. I'm still new to the world of cars so I don't know all the correct terms and I don't know much about springs. I don't want go all out on looks and get bad performance or an uncomfortable ride either. What would you recommend as a middle-ground between performance and looks?

[rex_racer]

I would stay away from the MSS Kit offering. Their lowering amount is highly inconsistent. Some cars look low, others are nearly at stock height. Customer service has been incredibly poor lately as well. Why not consider a Ground Control kit. Height adjustable to what you want and you can ask for their recommendation on a softer spring rate that is more suited to a daily driver with some performance. The GC kit is also FAR easier to adjust.

Whatever you do, get the shocks calibrated afterwards.

[Gberg888]

Id completely read my review of the MSS springs and then decide... I have them and love them! I daily my car as well! In New England!

IDK what Rex is talking about with ride height on the MSS kit... its adjustable height so of course some will look higher and some lower... As for customer support, i got my MSS kit second hand and never got the adjustment wrench so I called their local support shop in my area... they mailed me a adjustment wrench free of charge. All I did was call and ask. Id say thats pretty darn good service.

And WTF is "getting the shocks calibrated"??? That is the 1st ive heard that even mentioned on here and Ive done a lot of research about which springs to get... not mentioned in any other thread ive seen...

Another Review:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ght=mss+spring

My Review:
https://www.audizine.com/forum/showt...ght=mss+spring

[TheDude420]

All of the photos I've seen of S3's with MSS springs don't look very low. They are adjustable though so I assume the owner adjusted them to their preferred height. Do you have or know where I can see an S3 with MSS springs at the lowest height possible? Is 1 inch the max drop they provide?

[Kevin quattro]

I'm on stock springs atm, but I'm with Gberg. Ill be purchasing mss springs soon. Everything I've read, and I've done my research, says these are THE springs to get. Firstly, if you're unhappy with the rake and height of the car on other springs, that will probably be the case with other similarly designed springs. With mss you can adjust them to whatever height you want. You can go way lower than emd springs if you want. Also, I've owned h&r sport springs before and they were harsh. I liked them for what they were, but I have a family now and cant be beating them up everytime we go out. I live in Michigan. The pothole state. Felt like the car was going to break whenever I hit a pot hole. I also own a stage 2 s3 and want great handling. These provide that too. Theyre brilliantly designed to combine comfort, looks, and performance. Outside of costing more than normal springs, but still less than coilovers and you keep magride, there is no downside from what I can tell. Again. I dont own them yet, but read the reviews and product descriptions. I think they're perfect for what you said you're looking for.

P.s. for a guy new to cars you have a shit ton of mods. Lol let us know what you decide to get!

[TheDude420]

Thanks for the info. I actually bought the car with most of the mods you see in my signature installed already from a guy here on Audizine. The only things I've done to it are the exhaust crackle and a few more OBDeleven mods since the car had some already. The only things left are the new springs and wheels. The Milltek tips and diffuser are going to be installed next week but I added those to my signature early.

[Gberg888]

All of the photos I've seen of S3's with MSS springs don't look very low. They are adjustable though so I assume the owner adjusted them to their preferred height. Do you have or know where I can see an S3 with MSS springs at the lowest height possible? Is 1 inch the max drop they provide?

I really need to figure out how to post pics since photobucket is like dealing with hair lice.

Anyways, I have the MSS Springs and my 18" winters are tucking a little tire in the rear. I had them installed, wanted them to settle so I havent played with ride height yet. Once my wheels go on in the spring (19x9.5) Ill adjust the height to get that ideal ride height and post some pics. I can tell you right now, the threaded spring mounts that the springs sit on (top in the front and bottom in the rear) have a lot of threads... probably 2-3 inches worth.

On another note, MSS Springs are a more performance oriented spring kit. They are not going on cars where people want to slam them to the ground. So that may also play into the height discrepancies you are seeing.

[a4000]

APR

[XLR8 Erik]

Hey TheDude,

Feel free to shoot me a PM with any questions you may have about MSS. We have sold and installed countless sets across all applicable platforms and would be more than happy to help! We have every MSS Kit in stock ready for fast, free shipping in the Continental US! As GBergg mentioned, this is a performance oriented suspension setup that offers a smoother ride while improving the vehicles responsiveness and handling characteristics. With MSS you will see and feel a reduction in body roll along with virtually eliminating front end dive and rear squat. If you goal is to slam your S3, than MSS would not be for you, but if you are looking for a better ride quality and handling you can be sure MSS is the way to go!

[ralphie_43]

Anyone with Mag ride running H&R super sports?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[normcaldwell]

APR

Looks good! I'm looking for a very modest drop, and yours is what I have in mind.
What are your wheel size/offset and tire sizes?

[a4000]

Looks good! I'm looking for a very modest drop, and yours is what I have in mind.
What are your wheel size/offset and tire sizes?

19x8.5 et 40 245/35/19, I may go 255 next. Could also use a little spacer

[normcaldwell]

19x8.5 et 40 245/35/19, I may go 255 next. Could also use a little spacer

Good to know, thanks.
I'm running 18x9 ET40 with 255/35. Feels great. I have the 034 fixed camber mounts, so more negative camber than stock up front and rear.

[shaundarbie]

I also have the APR springs, perfect even drop IMO. But I'm not big on super low drops.

[TheDude420]

The easiest way I've found to upload photos is via imgur. I'm not looking for a slammed look but maybe a 1" drop or slightly more which is why I'd like to see people's pics. My 034 springs provide a 0.75" drop and honestly if the front fender gap wasn't bigger than the rear I could live with it.

[shaundarbie]

APR website says the drop is between 0.5 and 0.75", so maybe too mild for you. It may help that I have 19" black optic wheels and 245-35-19 tires, which have a little more sidewall than the factory 235s. I'll get you a pic...

[XLR8 Erik]

Here are two S3's with MSS kits. The first photo is just after install so the ride height ended up lower than what is shown.



The second is another S3 after break in time set lower on the adjustment side.



As mentioned above, there is some height adjustment available so you will see some height variances between vehicles as they may be set to different height for different reasons.

[TheDude420]

XLR8, do you have more pics of that white S3?

[Spinnetti]

Good to know, thanks.
I'm running 18x9 ET40 with 255/35. Feels great. I have the 034 fixed camber mounts, so more negative camber than stock up front and rear.

Same here, but ET30. No issues (034 springs) but getting some bushing noise. These cars don't have a ton of wheel travel to start with, so much lower than the usual 034/H&R/APR (I've run 034 and H&R) and you are crashing the stops with some frequency.

[normcaldwell]

Same here, but ET30. No issues (034 springs) but getting some bushing noise. These cars don't have a ton of wheel travel to start with, so much lower than the usual 034/H&R/APR (I've run 034 and H&R) and you are crashing the stops with some frequency.

I was going to ask you if you'd had any rubbing on the outside with the combo of 034 camber mounts, 034 springs, and the 18x9 ET30 with 255/35 setup.

I'm looking into the Neuspeed RS3 springs, as they are a mild lowering, but the front a bit more than the rear.
Front 18mm, Rear 13mm. The spring rates are not much different than the 034 springs for the S3. Front 330 lb/ft (034 is 310 lb/ft), Rear 390 lb/ft (034 is 400 lb/ft).

I have the 034 camber mounts, and their rear sway bar/end-links.

[Spinnetti]

I was going to ask you if you'd had any rubbing on the outside with the combo of 034 camber mounts, 034 springs, and the 18x9 ET30 with 255/35 setup.

I'm looking into the Neuspeed RS3 springs, as they are a mild lowering, but the front a bit more than the rear.
Front 18mm, Rear 13mm. The spring rates are not much different than the 034 springs for the S3. Front 330 lb/ft (034 is 310 lb/ft), Rear 390 lb/ft (034 is 400 lb/ft).

I have the 034 camber mounts, and their rear sway bar/end-links.

Good combo all around with plenty of room. Just had 4 large adults in it on our local bumpy roads (poor thing looked like it was crushed) and never bottomed out or rubbed. I could probably go up to 275 up front. I have all the 034 stuff pretty much, but still understeers too much. Just got an APR rear bar which will go in this weekend, and if that doesn't do it, I also got cable made up to move the battery to the trunk.

[rex_racer]

IDK what Rex is talking about with ride height on the MSS kit... its adjustable height so of course some will look higher and some lower...

And WTF is "getting the shocks calibrated"??? That is the 1st ive heard that even mentioned on here and Ive done a lot of research about which springs to get... not mentioned in any other thread ive seen...

If you look around on the various forums and FB groups, you'll find that there are many users who complain that the front ride height got nowhere near the advertised drop, they were seeing a minimal change in lowering. The rear however had enough enough adjustment. Will was constantly swapping springs to try to get the drop to where it should be, in the end most of those users opted to sell their kits and purchase a coilover kit instead. Personally, I would not want springs that are softer than stock, given how the suspension setup etc.

Search around and you'll find more on shock calibration. Will is adamant that it does not need to be done. I was a firm believe in this as well. If you however look to the aftermarket, where it involves shocks as these, they highly stress recalibration any time ride height is changed. Recalibration is even in repair orders when you have suspension work done at Audi. I was able to have my shocks calibrated outside of the factory tool and could immediately feel the difference, the shocks operated much smoother, and controlled.

[strtsol1109]

Heres mine after about a month on neuspeed springs

IMG_1672.jpg

[TheDude420]

If you look around on the various forums and FB groups, you'll find that there are many users who complain that the front ride height got nowhere near the advertised drop, they were seeing a minimal change in lowering. The rear however had enough enough adjustment. Will was constantly swapping springs to try to get the drop to where it should be, in the end most of those users opted to sell their kits and purchase a coilover kit instead. Personally, I would not want springs that are softer than stock, given how the suspension setup etc.

Search around and you'll find more on shock calibration. Will is adamant that it does not need to be done. I was a firm believe in this as well. If you however look to the aftermarket, where it involves shocks as these, they highly stress recalibration any time ride height is changed. Recalibration is even in repair orders when you have suspension work done at Audi. I was able to have my shocks calibrated outside of the factory tool and could immediately feel the difference, the shocks operated much smoother, and controlled.

I can see what your saying which is why they sell the MSS Sport kit with track front.

[TheDude420]

Heres mine after about a month on neuspeed springs

IMG_1672.jpg

That looks great! How do you like them? Do you have pads installed? Also, do you have sideview pic? Now I'm also considering Neuspeed on top of EMD and MSS...

[B7OrangeA4]

IMG_2785.JPG

H&R super sport springs


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[normcaldwell]

Heres mine after about a month on neuspeed springs

IMG_1672.jpg

Looks good!
Are you using the extra pad on the rears?
What are your wheel and tire specs?

[TheContrarian]

I't take a car with some wheel gap and a suspension with adequate travel over a very low car that is hitting the bump stops and handles and rides like crap as a result.

[rex_racer]

I can see what your saying which is why they sell the MSS Sport kit with track front.

They do, but the drop on the Track kit was hitting what the Sport kit was advertised as in the first place.

Ride height adjustments are also a pain, most users have found it faster to drop the strut off the top mount, adjust and then reinstall. The adjuster is up in the strut tower.

[Kevin quattro]

APR

Those apr springs sit perfect. Beautiful. Hows the ride quality?

[ralphie_43]

IMG_2785.JPG

H&R super sport springs


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

With mag-ride correct?


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[Yoyigu_19s3]

My instagram yoyigu_19s3 ( mag ride , h&r sport springs )

[strtsol1109]

That looks great! How do you like them? Do you have pads installed? Also, do you have sideview pic? Now I'm also considering Neuspeed on top of EMD and MSS...

honestly i love them, perfect height. I have rear pads installed but not fronts. Heres a side shot!

IMG_1511.jpg

[strtsol1109]

Looks good!
Are you using the extra pad on the rears?
What are your wheel and tire specs?

yes rear pads, wheels are 19x9 +40 and tires are 245/35

[TheDude420]

BUMP.

I still haven't decided but I'm leaning toward the MSS Sports with track front. I thought I'd revive this in case anyone else is in the same boat or if anyone else has pics of their lowered ride.

[waddah]

this is my s3 with VWR springs and the springs aren't too harsh

[Spinnetti]

Bro, you need some wheel spacers! :)

[RGT03]

Bro, you need some wheel spacers! :)

What spec spacer and brand is everybody using? I remember back in the day that spacers were not safe. I guess the technology is better nowadays ?

[Spinnetti]

What spec spacer and brand is everybody using? I remember back in the day that spacers were not safe. I guess the technology is better nowadays ?

Well, you need billet machined hub-centric spacers with the right bolt pattern, not some "universal" cast thing; those are still dangerous. I have a set of (4) 15mm ones off ebay (there's no magic to these things) that I used on the stock wheels on my GLI, moved them to my bug when I crashed the GLI, then my S3 when I sold the bug, and now that I have the wheels I want on the S3 (18x9 ET30), those same spacers are on my R8 lol (though ideal for the R8 would be 10/20 rather than 15 at both ends). Plenty of posts and pics of different spacers with stockers. Here's on mine with the stock wheels and 15mm on both ends making the wheels effectively ET33
2018-06-25_16-32-42_730.jpg

[949]

this is my s3 with VWR springs and the springs aren't too harsh

whats the specs on these stock wheels?