Spidan Springs on a TDI with FSDs
- Thread starter timmus
- Start date
Maso
Member
Hi Tom,
I got tired from reading all the theeads abck and forth so i stopped at page of2,5.
I like what results you habe reached and feel like this is something i would lile to aim for as well.
I run at te moment with 16" wheels at summer and 15" during the winter.
Im interested in the FSD but dont wanna lower my car to much or so much that it starts to affect tire wear.
By the way i drive a 1.4TDI 90PS OSS.
So did i understand right that FSD wilö raise my car from its original height with 15mm?
That means that if i lower my car by 20mm front and back i will only end up have lowered my car by 5mm from what i have today and still have a pretty descent ride using the spidan on a set of FSD?
Please correct me if i got it wrong and please help me out in this jungle of lowering a A2.
I have read all the other lowering threads here at forum but starting to get seriously confused now cause i think i habe over read myself with info.
I got tired from reading all the theeads abck and forth so i stopped at page of2,5.
I like what results you habe reached and feel like this is something i would lile to aim for as well.
I run at te moment with 16" wheels at summer and 15" during the winter.
Im interested in the FSD but dont wanna lower my car to much or so much that it starts to affect tire wear.
By the way i drive a 1.4TDI 90PS OSS.
So did i understand right that FSD wilö raise my car from its original height with 15mm?
That means that if i lower my car by 20mm front and back i will only end up have lowered my car by 5mm from what i have today and still have a pretty descent ride using the spidan on a set of FSD?
Please correct me if i got it wrong and please help me out in this jungle of lowering a A2.
I have read all the other lowering threads here at forum but starting to get seriously confused now cause i think i habe over read myself with info.
timmus
A2OC Donor
Hi Maso,
Mostly, you've understood correctly.
The FSDs do lift the car by 15mm, but only at the front. The FSDs cause no noticeable change in height at the back.
So, you can use Spidan 49527 springs at the front to bring the car back down. The car will then sit slightly lower than standard height, but not so much that the tyres wear unevenly. As you suggest, maybe -5mm.
At the back, you can either use standard Audi springs (like I do) or use Spidan 49546. You can see a photo of my car in the very first post of this thread. I use the Audi springs simply because the rear springs in my car were only 1 year old when I changed my suspension setup. Spidan springs are generally more comfortable than Audi springs, but keeping the rear of the car firmer than the front helps the handling of the car by reducing understeer. Whether you choose Audi or Spidan springs at the back, the car will handle better and be more comfortable than the factory setup due to having FSDs. Both springs result in the same ride height as each other. I leave this decision to you, depending on your priorities.
So, in summary...
Front: Koni FSDs + Spidan 49527
Back: Koni FSDs + Spidan 49546 or the standard Audi springs for your car. Audi = even better handling, Spidan = even more comfort.
Normally, lowering a car is associated with a loss of comfort. However, this suspension setup is much, much more comfortable than what you have at the moment, even though it is ~5mm lower. But it's not just about comfort; the difference in handling is also huge. It is a complete upgrade.
I hope this helps.
Tom
Mostly, you've understood correctly.
The FSDs do lift the car by 15mm, but only at the front. The FSDs cause no noticeable change in height at the back.
So, you can use Spidan 49527 springs at the front to bring the car back down. The car will then sit slightly lower than standard height, but not so much that the tyres wear unevenly. As you suggest, maybe -5mm.
At the back, you can either use standard Audi springs (like I do) or use Spidan 49546. You can see a photo of my car in the very first post of this thread. I use the Audi springs simply because the rear springs in my car were only 1 year old when I changed my suspension setup. Spidan springs are generally more comfortable than Audi springs, but keeping the rear of the car firmer than the front helps the handling of the car by reducing understeer. Whether you choose Audi or Spidan springs at the back, the car will handle better and be more comfortable than the factory setup due to having FSDs. Both springs result in the same ride height as each other. I leave this decision to you, depending on your priorities.
So, in summary...
Front: Koni FSDs + Spidan 49527
Back: Koni FSDs + Spidan 49546 or the standard Audi springs for your car. Audi = even better handling, Spidan = even more comfort.
Normally, lowering a car is associated with a loss of comfort. However, this suspension setup is much, much more comfortable than what you have at the moment, even though it is ~5mm lower. But it's not just about comfort; the difference in handling is also huge. It is a complete upgrade.
I hope this helps.
Tom
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Maso
Member
Tom, very helpful and great summery, took a snappic of it. Thank tou very much.
On top of all this I have heard that the 1.2TDI is lower of them all A2's and that due to reduce the drag of air under it n loqer the consumption but i dont remember by how many mm. Do you buy any chance, cause that would be interesting height to reach for my 90ps TDI as well.
Maso
Member
Once again much abliged.
So dropping a TDI90 to a 1.2TDI wille at tyres? Does it eat for the 1.2TDI also or is the chassie different alligned on that one?
Conclusion than is to drop it like you ie -5mm i total to what i got today.
A new Q popped up; your A2 sits om 17" and they fill the arches nicely but so driving on 16" or maybe even 15" summertime will make it still look "high" due to that those sizes dont fill the rches as well.
Do you by any chance know what type of wheels are on this A2 in the pic below?
timmus
A2OC Donor
Yes, the 1.2TDI must have different geometry, as otherwise it would wear its tyres very unevenly. There's a lot about the 1.2TDI that's different to other A2s.
I currently have 17" wheels with 205/45 tyres. They do indeed fill the arches nicely. By using a smaller alloy, you'll use thicker tyres, to keep the total circumference the same. So, the arches remain just as filled with smaller wheels... except there's less metal and more rubber! I suppose this can make the arches look less 'filled', but the ride height won't change.
I have no idea who makes those alloys in the photo. Given how thin the tyres are, I think they must be 18", meaning I would never consider using them... even if I liked the design!
Tom
I currently have 17" wheels with 205/45 tyres. They do indeed fill the arches nicely. By using a smaller alloy, you'll use thicker tyres, to keep the total circumference the same. So, the arches remain just as filled with smaller wheels... except there's less metal and more rubber! I suppose this can make the arches look less 'filled', but the ride height won't change.
I have no idea who makes those alloys in the photo. Given how thin the tyres are, I think they must be 18", meaning I would never consider using them... even if I liked the design!
Tom
Maso
Member
Yes, the 1.2TDI must have different geometry, as otherwise it would wear its tyres very unevenly. There's a lot about the 1.2TDI that's different to other A2s.
I currently have 17" wheels with 205/45 tyres. They do indeed fill the arches nicely. By using a smaller alloy, you'll use thicker tyres, to keep the total circumference the same. So, the arches remain just as filled with smaller wheels... except there's less metal and more rubber! I suppose this can make the arches look less 'filled', but the ride height won't change.
I have no idea who makes those alloys in the photo. Given how thin the tyres are, I think they must be 18", meaning I would never consider using them... even if I liked the design!
Tom
I hear you Tom. Cheers.
The thing with me is that i use 16" today with tyre size 185/50R16 but i would like to maybe have wider 16" model alloy rim and if i change to this i will also want to change the tyre measurement to maybe 195 or 205/45R16 so for me there arch will not be as well filled in the end.
Will definetly change to Koni FSD one day and that goes as well for Spidan springs in front and about the rear i arill havent decided yet.
Still also undecided on whether i actually want or should go with 17" for that fancy look u get or if i should stick to stock for fuel effiency or just some wide 16".
Well ill leave myself some time to decide this since it is sure ill do any upgrades this summer anyhow due to that the A2 is my xtra car or the ome that wife use and i have a 205 GTI that i actually work more on as my little baby but of course improving all other rides in my carpark is always fun but not alaways a direct priority
Thanx Tom for all the feedback and time in my thousands of questions that never end.
You have given me some great material to work on for a while to come.
Always fun to chat here bout its potentials for improvements.
Alan
Maso
Member
I aswell love the design of that A2. They sit really well on the A2. I almost wanna say its the best A2 look according to my taste so far but like you said, it looks good but i would also wanna go for a max of 17" on the A2.
To bad though bout findingnoutnwhere they come from.
Will need to ask my friend GOOGLE and she what he can do for me
To bad though bout findingnoutnwhere they come from.
Will need to ask my friend GOOGLE and she what he can do for me
timmus
A2OC Donor
When my existing tyres wear out, I will change to 16" 7J wheels and will fit 205/50R16. These have almost the exact same circumference as my current 205/45R17, so my arches will remain nicely filled.
In the UK, we are lucky that we are allowed to play with the tyre size a bit, but other European countries can be quite strict. I'm not sure about Sweden.
Tom
In the UK, we are lucky that we are allowed to play with the tyre size a bit, but other European countries can be quite strict. I'm not sure about Sweden.
Tom
Maso
Member
Sweden have no laws so i can also play around with sizes. Great! I will also then aim for som 7" wide alloys in 16" and fit that tyre size. Perfectemundo Tom!!
Alan
Pompeydave
A2OC Donor
Hi all, I've just got a set of Spidan rear springs for my SE. They're the 49546 model. I'm replacing the upper and lower mounts at the same time, but I don't know if the original part numbers are correct for the Spidans. Anyone know which stops I should buy? Thanks...
timmus
A2OC Donor
The genuine Audi bits should do the trick just fine...
Pompeydave
A2OC Donor
Great stuff, thanks again Tom!
greywolfhound
Member
Hi tom looking at these Spidan spring specs ...I don’t get it hopefully you got some answers ? can shed light on my concerns 56831 is lower in thickness length and diameter..if the glass roof is heavier which it obviously is why would this be the case in theory I would have thought those figures would be transposed from standard to oss or am I missing something...thanks Paul
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The info is not shown but it could be the 'open sky' spring has less coils which would make it stiffer. The shorter length kind of supports that theory as a stiffer spring will compress less when fitted, making the static ride height similar to the lighter non OSS car.
Cheers Spike
Cheers Spike
greywolfhound
Member
Thanks spike I just didn’t want it harsh on the front Spidan have a reputation for comfort ...drove the recently purchased oss petrol today I can’t believe how nice to drive it is..its light on the steering nippy yes you haven’t got the torque of the diesel but it’s a joy quieter light and airy inside the cabin ..no aircon but I don't think I will miss it honestly sally never has it on in her car she prefers windows down ..I’m a convert you just have to rev it if you want it to get up and go ..but we won’t be using it for that just nice to potter around in being only 75bhp but with the alloy body it moves along ..thrilled it even smells new I suppose it should for now 14,200 miles