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Audi TTs are neat cars but everything can be improved, so we've fitted H&R coilovers and a rear sway bar.



Here I am dealing with yet another project I swore wouldn't happen. The'02 Audi TT 225 quattro ALMS bit me. And it bit me hard. I've got the bug and got it bad. After all, it's more fun than my previous '88 GTi 16v - well, only a li'l bit, but I have big plans for the coupe. My first target was the suspension. Without hesitation, I knew it had to be addressed. The car didn't handle the way I like it, so the stock parts had to go.

Of course, I was tempted to leave it alone at first. After all, the stock suspension felt great, but only to a point. It was when I started to push the car into corners that I realized things weren't quite right. I began to worry, and then an incident on a local, sweeping on-ramp outside LA convinced me that coilovers would be the best solution to my ride and performance requirements.

When it came to upgrading a fine German sports machine like the TT225, only H&R performance suspension components would do. They're the grandaddy of aftermarket suspension, and for smooth daily driving I opted for the standard coilover units rather than the race-spec parts. However, they're still more than capable when it comes to spirited canyon or autocross handling. We now feel it has the kind of lightning response we imagine the Audi engineers intended for the TT.

We opted for coilovers because they're focused and single-minded. However, they're also expensive, so H&R also offers Cup Kits that are built to a similarly high caliber but at a lower price.

If you choose coilovers we'd encourage you to set up the suspension properly. After all, the height of your vehicle may actually harm the handling. We all know that if a car sits too high it may roll around excessively. But by the same token, if you run coilovers too low you'll look cool but your neck and back may require treatment. And the handling will be comprised as the car slams onto its bump stops in every corner.

Suspension is always a compromise, but coilovers allow you to achieve the sort of compromise that suits your driving habits. So experiment with ride height until you get it set just right.

We also took the time to install H&R's 21mm diameter adjustable rear sway bar. The company offers a front bar as well but we went for the rear only because it makes the rear end turn more quickly. Not everybody likes that style of driving but we prefer the way it turns in canyons and when we autocross the car. The downside is that the rear end can get quite lively, but with the quattro transmission you only need plant your right foot and it simply pulls itself straight.

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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

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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