Bump stops and lowering springs.

[Klajoklis]

Hey guys,

So, I bought a H&R spring set for my Audi a3 8l. I'm on stock shocks and all other stock suspension parts. To be honest, those parts are not that wor outn and I'm kind of confident that they won't break too fast. Anyways. I will be changing front strut bushings and rear spring bushing as well, just..Because. What about bump stops ? I was reading that I might be sitting on them, the rear especially. Should I upgrade those to shorter ones ? Or should I stay OEM ? I want my struts to last as long as they can :/

[E-bmw]

I don't know about your specific car but on many the installation of lowering springs can frequently cause more issues with shocks as the suspension travel is then moved further down the shock leading to the shocks bottoming out prematurely.

It is frequently the norm that lowering springs should be fitted with shocks also designed to work over the same range of travel.

[Kawasicki]

E-bmw said:

I don't know about your specific car but on many the installation of lowering springs can frequently cause more issues with shocks as the suspension travel is then moved further down the shock leading to the shocks bottoming out prematurely.

It is frequently the norm that lowering springs should be fitted with shocks also designed to work over the same range of travel.

The shocks don’t (or shouldn’t) bottom out. Normally the bump stops (spring aids) on the damper limit the bump travel.

[Klajoklis]

E-bmw said:

I don't know about your specific car but on many the installation of lowering springs can frequently cause more issues with shocks as the suspension travel is then moved further down the shock leading to the shocks bottoming out prematurely.

It is frequently the norm that lowering springs should be fitted with shocks also designed to work over the same range of travel.

Yeah, I know.. Manufacturers says that if you don't go lower than 40mm, stock shocks should hold. Point is, I know that it is going to be bottoming out more frequently than normal, but this is where bump stops kicks in and this is the reason I want to upgrade those, so that my shock wouldnt bottom out fully and, yeah, hold on longer, I guess.

[GreenV8S]

If you're hitting the bump stops or damper end stops while driving, your suspension is not working right and should be fixed.

[Kawasicki]

GreenV8S said:

If you're hitting the bump stops or damper end stops while driving, your suspension is not working right and should be fixed.

That’s why these days they are called spring aids, and they can be in contact in normal driving. They have a block length under very high forces, where they shouldn’t allow any more bump travel...and that’s where they take over the function of a travel limiter/bump stop.

Modern spring aids are used to tune ride and handling. They have a surprisingly massive effect on handling balance, so don’t underestimate their importance.

So what would I do?

I would order and fit new factory bump stop/spring aids front and rear, because that is probably what the company had fitted that developed the lowering springs, assuming that company is reputable.

[Klajoklis]

Kawasicki said:

That’s why these days they are called spring aids, and they can be in contact in normal driving. They have a block length under very high forces, where they shouldn’t allow any more bump travel...and that’s where they take over the function of a travel limiter/bump stop.

Modern spring aids are used to tune ride and handling. They have a surprisingly massive effect on handling balance, so don’t underestimate their importance.

So what would I do?

I would order and fit new factory bump stop/spring aids front and rear, because that is probably what the company had fitted that developed the lowering springs, assuming that company is reputable.

Okay, basically you are saying I should go with OEM healthy bump stops and shouldn't go aftermarket ? Because I'm agreeing with your opinion, even tho I'm going to harm my shock I want to harm them as less as I can, so OEM bumps should help me with that.