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Just bought a nice Series 3 but it sits high in the rear, could be lowered already in the front but the springs don’t look aftermarket so might put some lows in the back and see what it does
Front springs are collapsed,not uncommon with SE cars. They carry the most weight with the same springs spec’d for 12A cars and as they age this condition is more noticeable. The cars always had a slight rake when new but collapsed springs exaggerate condition.
Replacing rear only springs to “lower” the back of car will change handling traits negatively.
Just noticed plates on car and car is not a US SE but a S3 European model. The spring condition is the same.
Last edited by GSLSEforme; Aug 2, 2019 at 03:51 AM.
That's a beautiful S3 and an exceptionally rare color. I agree with the above assessment on the front springs weakening and causing an exaggerated rake. This is not an uncommon thing to have happen. If you replace them I would consider replacing the rear springs as well. I would also love to see more pictures of the car!
Mazdatrix used to have a great table of spring rate comparison,
But I couldn't find it when I tried to repost it here. I went with Racing Beat all around about 20yrs back and it's been outstanding on the street. New, they will level ride height and lower the car about 3/4" all around, and have increased spring rate for better feel around the corners (*note that its hard to improve on cornering forces with springs, shocks, or sway bars as a lot depends on tires, first). Over that period of time, the RB springs will sag a bit more and soften up slightly, which provides what I think is the perfect look and feel.
If you go with new springs all around, buy new rubber spring seats all around and cut your existing rear bump stops by about 1" to 1-1/2" to prevent premature bottoming of the suspension and resulting rebound. Also, on the front struts, might be worth a few $hundred for new Upper Strut Mount Bearings, as you'll have those off of the struts at the same time, and they're a pain to do. Might as well bite the bullet and do it all at once.
, any pics of under the hood?
