Front sport spring

I recently completed the swap from sports suspension back to standard suspension still with 17" wheels. The ride of the pot holed local roads has GREATLY improved. I now clear the local speed bumps for which my front votex spoiler is very happy. The only down side is fast cornering and sudden camber changes on roundabouts can now make the rear twitch.
 
A2Z said:
It also comes down to the condition or amount of wear that the suspension has endured. If a sport model's suspension has been renewed then it should drive lovely, as you say a tad firmer than the SE but fine.

In my opinion what affects the ride of the sport models more is the larger wheels (17") and therefore less tyre sidewall which greatly reduces comfort and making you feel every bump or imperfection in the road.

Added to this further is a lot of the earlier sport wheels were very soft and so liable to pot hole damage and becoming 'out of round' which a lot of owners are never aware of. This makes a huge difference!
Click to expand...
My favourable comments on the FSI Sport's ride In OEM spec are based on 17" wheels. Wouldn't be a Sport otherwise!
The spring, the damper, and the tyre are each single components, that together form the suspension assembly. They would, at the design stage, have been selected to be compatible with one another, and deliver the intended result.
Change one item in the assembly, and you change the characteristics of the whole, not always for the better. For example, change the wheel size (and so the tyre size) and the spring and damper are no longer correct The additional, undamped, compliance provided by the higher sidewall will reduce the force on the damped spring, and reduce suspension travel. So, you might get a softer ride, but it could be less controlled, as the undamped tyre is now providing more "suspension" So, maybe fit a softer spring, to regain the lost travel? Well, yes, but now the damper is going to be wrong ...
Mac.
 
carlston said:
Maybe these aren't the original springs. The standard front springs on the Audi A2 1.4 TDI without OSS have OEM part number 8Z0 411 105 AL.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately this is misleading. There is not a single standard front spring for the A2 TDI without OSS, but rather a range of different springs, depending on precisely what equipment was fitted at the time of the original build. The only certain way to confirm the springs fitted from new is to ask an Audi dealer.

6Q0 411 105 AD was indeed one of the spring types fitted to A2s with sport suspension:

suspension; shock absorbers; for vehicles with spo... Audi A2 (A2) 2002 year Audi EUROPA 411015

suspension<br/>shock absorbers<br/>for vehicles with sports suspension Audi A2 (A2) 2002 year Audi EUROPA 411015 spare parts
audi.7zap.com audi.7zap.com
 
Complete List of OEM front springs for the Audi A2

6Q0411105AC 2 red and 3 blue dots (Spidan 85703, Suplex 39205)
6Q0411105AD 3 red and 1 blue dots (Spidan 56634, Suplex 39174)
6Q0411105AE 3 red and 2 blue dots (Spidan 56631, Suplex 39171)
6Q0411105AF 4 red and 1 blue dots (Spidan 56632, Suplex 39172)
6Q0411105AL 2 red and 1 yellow dots
6Q0411105AM 2 red and 2 yellow dots
6Q0411105AN 2 red and 3 yellow dots
6Q0411105AP 3 red and 1 yellow dots
6Q0411105AR 4 red and 1 yellow dots
6Q0411105AS 1 red and 1 brown dots
6Q0411105AT 1 red and 2 brown dots
6Q0411105BA 1 red and 3 brown dots
6Q0411105BB 1 red and 4 brown dots

8Z0411105 4 grey and 1 green dots
8Z0411105A 4 grey and 2 green dots
8Z0411105AF 1 green and 3 silver dots
8Z0411105AG 2 green and 3 silver dots
8Z0411105AH 1 green and 4 silver dots (Spidan 56830, Suplex 03206)
8Z0411105AJ 1 blue and 1 silver dots (Spidan 56831, Suplex 03207)
8Z0411105AK 2 blue and 1 silver dots
8Z0411105AL 3 blue and 1 silver dots (Spidan 49515, Suplex 03170)
8Z0411105AM 4 blue and 1 silver dots (Spidan 49527, Suplex 03171)
8Z0411105AN 1 blue and 2 silver dots
8Z0411105B 3 green dots (Spidan 56832, Suplex 03205)
8Z0411105C 4 green dots

According to the online catalogue on gknautomotive.com, the standard ride height Audi A2 cars are covered by five front springs.

Five Front Springs

8Z0411105AH (Front springs for 1.4 diesel with OSS)
Length 338mm, Thickness 11.25mm
Spidan 56830, Suplex 03206

8Z0411105AJ (Front springs for 1.4 petrol with OSS)
Length 328mm, Thickness 11mm
Spidan 56831, Suplex 03207

8Z0411105AL (Front springs for 1.4 diesel without OSS and 1.6 petrol with or without OSS)
Length 338mm, Thickness 11.5mm
Spidan 49515, Suplex 03170

8Z0411105AM (Front springs for 1.4 petrol without OSS)
Length 330mm, Thickness 11.25mm
Spidan 49527, Suplex 03171

8Z0411105B (Front springs for 1.2 diesel)
Length 293mm, Thickness 11mm
Spidan 56832, Suplex 03205
 
Last edited:
steve_c said:
Unfortunately this is misleading. There is not a single standard front spring for the A2 TDI without OSS, but rather a range of different springs, depending on precisely what equipment was fitted at the time of the original build. The only certain way to confirm the springs fitted from new is to ask an Audi dealer.

6Q0 411 105 AD was indeed one of the spring types fitted to A2s with sport suspension:

suspension; shock absorbers; for vehicles with spo... Audi A2 (A2) 2002 year Audi EUROPA 411015

suspension<br/>shock absorbers<br/>for vehicles with sports suspension Audi A2 (A2) 2002 year Audi EUROPA 411015 spare parts
audi.7zap.com audi.7zap.com
Click to expand...
Many of the springs in the audi.7zap.com "sports suspension" link are standard springs. These include OEM part numbers:

8Z0411105AH
8Z0411105AJ
8Z0411105AL
8Z0411105AM
8Z0411105B

Fitting front springs with OEM part number 6Q0411105AD will increase the front ride height by 15mm compared to standard ride height springs, ie. 30mm higher than sports springs...assuming sports springs lower the ride height by 15mm compared to standard ride height springs.

6Q0411105AC
​
Fitting Position​
Front Axle​
​
Colour Coding​
Red (2x)​
​
​
Blue (3x)​
​
Thickness​
11,25 mm​
​
Length​
342 mm​
​
Outer diameter​
135 mm​
​
Weight​
1,60 kg​

6Q0 411 105 AC Coil spring, Suspension kit, Coil springs OEM VW, AUDI, SKODA, SEAT

Coil spring, Suspension kit, Coil springs in OEM quality with OE — number 6Q0411105AC from the leading manufacturers SACHS, MAPCO, TRW, FEBI BILSTEIN, DIEDERICHS, KYB to fit your VW, AUDI, SKODA, SEAT vehicle ❗ buy now online at low prices ❗
www.autodoc.co.uk www.autodoc.co.uk

6Q0411105AD
​
Fitting Position​
Front Axle​
​
Colour Coding​
Red (3x)​
​
​
Blue​
​
Thickness​
11,25 mm​
​
Length​
357 mm​
​
Outer diameter​
138 mm​
​
Weight​
1,50 kg​

6Q0 411 105 AD Coil spring, Suspension kit, Coil springs OEM VW, AUDI, SKODA, SEAT

Coil spring, Suspension kit, Coil springs in OEM quality with OE — number 6Q0411105AD from the leading manufacturers SACHS, MAPCO, TRW, FEBI BILSTEIN, KYB, SWAG to fit your VW, AUDI, SKODA, SEAT vehicle ❗ buy now online at low prices ❗
www.autodoc.co.uk www.autodoc.co.uk
 
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PlasticMac said:
My favourable comments on the FSI Sport's ride In OEM spec are based on 17" wheels. Wouldn't be a Sport otherwise!
The spring, the damper, and the tyre are each single components, that together form the suspension assembly. They would, at the design stage, have been selected to be compatible with one another, and deliver the intended result.
Change one item in the assembly, and you change the characteristics of the whole, not always for the better. For example, change the wheel size (and so the tyre size) and the spring and damper are no longer correct The additional, undamped, compliance provided by the higher sidewall will reduce the force on the damped spring, and reduce suspension travel. So, you might get a softer ride, but it could be less controlled, as the undamped tyre is now providing more "suspension" So, maybe fit a softer spring, to regain the lost travel? Well, yes, but now the damper is going to be wrong ...
Mac.
Click to expand...

I've gone the full stiff/lowered/rear roll bar route but have 205/45 17s.
Initially the ride was really stiff, but a few hundred miles in and its now not bad at all. I agree, the sport will have been designed to have the 40 profile tyre and the spring to work with it. However the tyres dependent on pressure and sidewall strength (std vs XL) can compensate for - in my case - a firm spring and damper setting. I do notice that when running the rears at 28psi on fast tight bends the rear felt a little unstable and soggy. Where up at 34 psi they are much happier (and immediately saw a 2 mpg improvement on my commute!) The only time I have ground the car was on Sunday, a local spot has a rather huge dip where you can park to walk the dogs - to be fair I think Ive bottomed my other cars there as well.....
 
carlston said:
Many of the springs in the audi.7zap.com "sports suspension" link are standard springs. These include OEM part numbers:

8Z0411105AH
8Z0411105AJ
8Z0411105AL
8Z0411105AM
8Z0411105B

Fitting front springs with OEM part number 6Q0411105AD will increase the front ride height by 15mm compared to standard ride height springs, ie. 30mm higher than sports springs...assuming sports springs lower the ride height by 15mm compared to standard ride height springs.
Click to expand...

You've spent a lot of time compiling all this information but seem to lack a fundamental understanding of how a spring works.

The degree of compression experienced by any spring is dependent on the load which it is supporting. Thus it's quite possible to use the same spring on a 1.4i SE and a TDI Sport, since the latter weighs more and compresses the spring further.

Far from raising the height of his A2 by 15mm over standard height springs, the 6Q0411105AD springs actually drop @Chiefmechanic 's FSI down to exactly the right height for sports suspension and are clearly correct.

Audi put a lot of time and effort into determining the best spring for any particular A2, and their recommendations certainly make a good starting point for any rebuild.
 
steve_c said:
You've spent a lot of time compiling all this information but seem to lack a fundamental understanding of how a spring works.

The degree of compression experienced by any spring is dependent on the load which it is supporting. Thus it's quite possible to use the same spring on a 1.4i SE and a TDI Sport, since the latter weighs more and compresses the spring further.

Far from raising the height of his A2 by 15mm over standard height springs, the 6Q0411105AD springs actually drop @Chiefmechanic 's FSI down to exactly the right height for sports suspension and are clearly correct.

Audi put a lot of time and effort into determining the best spring for any particular A2, and their recommendations certainly make a good starting point for any rebuild.
Click to expand...

"Audi put a lot of time and effort into determining the best spring for any particular A2"
Here here!
Mac.
 
steve_c said:
The degree of compression experienced by any spring is dependent on the load which it is supporting. Thus it's quite possible to use the same spring on a 1.4i SE and a TDI Sport, since the latter weighs more and compresses the spring further.
Click to expand...
Fitting a soft front spring from a 1.4 petrol with OSS to a 1.4 diesel without OSS won't give you sports suspension. The ride height will drop, but you then have a soft ride that might be prone to bottoming. However, on a car like the Audi A2 that is not only light but originally quite stiffly sprung, you might get away with this lowering and softening of the ride.

steve_c said:
Audi put a lot of time and effort into determining the best spring for any particular A2, and their recommendations certainly make a good starting point for any rebuild.
Click to expand...
We don't know if the OP's car came with 6Q0411105AD front springs out of the factory. Many owners find sports springs too hard, and will have changed them to something softer.

There is no such thing as a best spring. We are all individuals and have our own preferences. Ride and handling is very subjective. Over the years Audi and other manufacturers have been known to soften the ride of their cars. Take the Audi A1 for example, the latest model rides softer than the previous model. If the Audi A2 was still in production, I expect the ride would have now been softened too. With modern electronic safety aids such as Electronic Stability Program a softer ride can be achieved safely.
 
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