Audi TT Quattro Suspension Upgrades - Installing an H and R coilover kit on an Audi TT Quattro

1.The H&R kit comes complete with tuned shocks for the TT quattro, matched springs and wrenches to adjust the height. All the fixing hardware comes off the stock suspension. The 21mm adjustable rear sway bar is supplied with polyurethane bushings but also uses the stock hardware for mounting

2.The factory TT225Q suspension removed. Doesn't look nearly as sexy, does it?

3.The stock ride height shows the look and feel of a vehicle that was designed to perform and handle with the best. We'll be lowering the center of gravity to give it a more aggressive stance and sharper handling

4.Euro Sport's chief tech, Vik Kazanjian, is preparing for removal of the stock suspension

5.Proper lubrication eases removal and installation of suspension, especially if it's been on the car for a few years. It's worth doing it the night before if you drive an older car to ensure it has time to soak through the grime

6.You need to use a spring collapser before attempting to remove the suspension strut. This takes the tension out of the spring and makes it safer to remove the top mount. Doing this job without these clamps can be very dangerous

7.You'll need to exert some muscle to free the bottom of the strut from the lower suspension arm. It uses a pinch fit that clamps it tight

8.Once the stock front suspension is removed you need to replace the upper strut bushings. On the left is the factory part after 30,000 miles. You can see how age has compressed it, which causes play in the front suspension. On the right is a Sachs replacement bushing

9.Assembling the H&R coilover begins by winding down the spring platforms, then adding the upper strut bushing and bolting it all down. It's usually best to set the platforms somewhere in the middle as the starting point for your ride height setting

10.The professionals get the coilover to locate into the bottom arm by lowering the car on to a jack stand. This forces the arm up as the car comes down, and the strut slides into place. Without a lift you'll need a buff friend to help re-seat the bottom of the suspension in the carrier

11.Now we head around to the back of the TT where the factory springs and shocks will be replaced. We'll also take this opportunity to replace the rear sway bar

12.Partial removal of the inner fender lining is required to access the top bolt on the damper. You'll also disconnect the rear sway bar from the trailing arm. The trailing arm can then be lowered and the factory spring removed. The upper portion of the rubber seal nipple above the spring must be removed so H&R's adjustable mechanism can fit snugly on the exposed nipple

13.Here's the upper portion of the new H&R rear shock bolted into place. Don't attach the lower bolt until the spring is in place

14.The rear spring is installed and you can see the adjustable coilover perch as well - Euro Sport recommends initially setting the perch in the center position, as you see here

15.Here's the rear coilover kit installed. Again we used the jack stand to support the trailing arm as the car is lowered on the lift. This raises the arm so the bottom of the damper can be bolted into place

16.The stock sway bar alongside our thicker, adjustable 21mm H&R replacement

17.This illustrates how the thicker H&R sway bar has two mounting points that allow you to adjust the handling. The hole nearest the bushing makes the car very tight and responsive. The hole on the end makes the car "looser" so it oversteers more

18.To remove the stock sway bar you need to lower the rear muffler. You can do this by dropping it off the rear hanger, giving you plenty of room to work

19.H&R provides new bushings with the sway bar. These simply need to be clamped into the original brackets to secure the bar

20.Bolt the bar ends to the trailing arm using the stock links and the job is complete. Just hang the exhaust again and go play

21.Here's the car after each corner was measured to check the ride height. Even after this is done Euro Sport advises a few days of driving to settle the suspension. The springs can settle up to 0.5" so the car will need to be checked again