# MK1 tt lowering springs



## chrissyronald (Jul 25, 2013)

Hi everyone

Have had my mk1 TT 180 for around 3 weeks now and loving every minute of it but would like to lower it to fill the arches as i feel that it lets it down.

Would love to get a set of coilies but cant justify it as its not being lowered for performance gains just to look a bit better.

Had a search about and seen a few options but would like to hear from people that have maybe lowered there TT's.

Seen AMAX 40mm lowering springs
APEX 40mm lowering springs

Now there is £40 of a difference but wondering if one set would be less harsh on our fab british roads than the other?
Also open to other brands etc etc

Thanks in advance for any help.

Chris


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

Hi

I believe Amax are made by Apex but that's not the problem.

The problem is if you lower you may need tie bars (£200) and you must do a full alignment afterwards or you will run into steering and tyre wear issues.

As long as you factor this in you are good to go I ran Apex for a year and the car sat great.


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## YELLOW_TT (Feb 25, 2004)

Not used them myself but Apex have a good rep on here


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## chrissyronald (Jul 25, 2013)

Thanks for the really quick replies guys!

Don't have a clue about fitting them but out of interest why would i need tie bars?
And could some one recomend somewhere in Glasgow that will do a good job on full wheel alignment.

cheers
chris


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## jamman (May 6, 2002)

chrissyronald said:


> Thanks for the really quick replies guys!
> 
> Don't have a clue about fitting them but out of interest why would i need tie bars?
> And could some one recomend somewhere in Glasgow that will do a good job on full wheel alignment.
> ...


As you go down (ohh er missus) the camber on the rear can go out by a mile and you will find yourself eating the inner edge of your rear tyres far too quick.

I'm sure a local will be along to advise of an Indy that will help.


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## tangapants (Oct 10, 2012)

chrissyronald said:


> Thanks for the really quick replies guys!
> 
> Don't have a clue about fitting them but out of interest why would i need tie bars?
> And could some one recomend somewhere in Glasgow that will do a good job on full wheel alignment.
> ...


Tie bars are needed to correct the camber you will probably get when lowering your car. it only affects the rear wheels and said above you will go through some tyres if your wheels look like this:


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## mk1f4n (Feb 2, 2010)

I have a brand new set of AMAX springs if your interested for £55 delivered, If you peel back the Amax label it does say Apex under it, and I was led to believe by the guy at Euro car parts that they are the same just packaged differentely, Not sure how true this is though.


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## J•RED (Feb 10, 2013)

Amax lower 40mm apex are 30mm as confirmed by an ECP product manager, they have it wrong on the Internet. That's if you're buying from ECP.

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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

FK is another brand who do lowering springs (for £70) but they are -35mm front and -40mm rear (on prefacelift "standard" suspension). As far as I know I'm the only guinea pig on here who has them :lol: The rake is described as "DTM Style".
Which suspension do you have ? because "sports" (facelift) suspension is already 20mm lower than standard and so the measurements quoted are 20mm less. IE -40mm springs will only lower a facelift car by 20mm.
Another factor not often mentioned is that you're not supposed to re-use certain bolts when refitting some components (such as tie bars) and it is also good practice to fit new bushes whilst you're at it. In the case of lowering springs and tie bars, these nuts, bolts and bushes can easily run into (and over) £90 from Audi stealers.
Some people who have fitted Apex/Amax with OEM shocks report a "bouncy" ride due to the long pistons, so if those shocks are old as well - they can be replaced with shorter uprated shocks. And a set of shocks all round start at £130 AT LEAST.
I came across some cheap tie bars from the States, ask me for a link by PM if interested.
If you haven't been put off yet, and you need any further info on the parts I've mentioned - ask here or PM me.

Are you FWD or Quattro ?


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

J•RED said:


> Amax lower 40mm apex are 30mm as confirmed by an ECP product manager, they have it wrong on the Internet. That's if you're buying from ECP.
> 
> Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


I was thinking about that recently when I noticed that Apex list some 30mm and some 40mm on their site - but then I looked closer and IIRC some were for the mk2 (30mm) ... tbh I cant be @rsed to look again but if anyone is curious - have a look on the Apex website.


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## kjgouldstone (Feb 6, 2011)

Amax are badged Apex they say 30mm drop on the box but look good on my 180.

I would not want to go any lower.

Only £60 from ECP with free delivery so a no brainier


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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

I'm running Amax springs on new oem Monroe dampers and the ride quality is brilliant. No harshness at all.

The only prob with going oem Monroe is that they're not as cheap as the FK dampers mullum has linked to. Monroe dampers all round will set you back £229. That's the cheapest I could find. So you could save yourself around £100 by going FK dampers. I reckon even with the FK route at £200-ish, plus tie bars around the same, you're looking at a minimum of £400 + 4 wheel alignment afterwards at the £100 region.


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

Fitted amax springs yesterday, delighted with them.

One thing I do recommend is getting rear wheel spacers, when the car is lower the wheels on the rear just don't fill the arches well.


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

t'mill said:


> I'm running Amax springs on new oem Monroe dampers and the ride quality is brilliant. No harshness at all.
> 
> The only prob with going oem Monroe is that they're not as cheap as the FK dampers mullum has linked to. Monroe dampers all round will set you back £229. That's the cheapest I could find. So you could save yourself around £100 by going FK dampers. I reckon even with the FK route at £200-ish, plus tie bars around the same, you're looking at a minimum of £400 + 4 wheel alignment afterwards at the £100 region.


your tt looks higher than the Brians ?



brian1978 said:


> Fitted amax springs yesterday, delighted with them.
> 
> One thing I do recommend is getting rear wheel spacers, when the car is lower the wheels on the rear just don't fill the arches well.


Brian your tt looks lower than tmills :-/am i seeing correct?.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

Basically it's a money pit.
Save your money for when things go wrong.
Like the thermostat. Or the voltage regulator. Or the dashpod. Or the cambelt needs replacing. Or, you get the idea ...
But if you've got plenty of cash and/or you're a nutter - welcome ! 3 bar grille, spacers, bling kit, QS valance, v6 spoiler, remap, here we come !


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## chrissyronald (Jul 25, 2013)

Wow there is actually so much to take into consideration I thought it was springs and fitting I had to worry about!

I have a 180hp Quattro version if that's any help as I cant pm yet as don't have the post count.


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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

Boost - are you comparing the pic of my TT in my sig? If so, that pic is prior to lowering.


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

to the op matey you will need tie bars as mentioned because the tyres wear from the inside like i found out the hard way but now have a set of forge tie bars set up with lots of new bushes fitted to the rear arms of these old cars and cost a fortune in the long haul


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

t'mill said:


> Boost - are you comparing the pic of my TT in my sig? If so, that pic is prior to lowering.


really? that seemed low enough as mine was double the height :-O 
now dropped down low and feeling all the flopping bumps lol


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## kevbeans (Jun 14, 2013)

I've done quite a bit of research on this over the last few weeks and t-mills set up seems perfect for general road use, all I need to do now is decide on spacers, either 10 front, 15 rear or 15 front, 20 rear.


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

boost22 said:


> your tt looks higher than the Brians ?


Quite possibly. My rear is quite light as I've removed all the badges and the dealers sticker :lol: oh and the spoiler, and the rear seats ..


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

kevbeans said:


> I've done quite a bit of research on this over the last few weeks and t-mills set up seems perfect for general road use, all I need to do now is decide on spacers, either 10 front, 15 rear or 15 front, 20 rear.


I'm sure his setup IS perfect for general road use, and if that's what you've decided will be right for you, cool. But that's not to say that other setups you've been told about aren't perfect for road use. 
I was going to suggest a spacer setup but I think I might just wait for you to do your research and let us all know what's perfect :lol:


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

mullum said:


> boost22 said:
> 
> 
> > your tt looks higher than the Brians ?
> ...


those badges must of been heavy lol nice wheels must have set you back a bit ? 
how much have you lowered as it looks nice  
your front wheel looks like its not straight though and your rear wheels look like they are ok :?


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

boost22 said:


> your front wheel looks like its not straight though and your rear wheels look like they are ok :?


Well spotted, the photo was taken before a recent 4 wheel alignment ;-)


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

mullum said:


> boost22 said:
> 
> 
> > your front wheel looks like its not straight though and your rear wheels look like they are ok :?
> ...


i did wonder what happened lol good to know i have eye for detail 

what are your wheel worth then if you dont mind me asking?
tell me your rear lights arent tinted


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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

I still need to take photos of mine now its lowered so I can show before and afternoon pics. I'm just waiting to see if the suspension settles anymore before I take photos.

This was when I'd just bought mine 12 months ago and got it home:










All original oem pre-facelift set-up.


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

t'mill said:


> I still need to take photos of mine now its lowered so I can show before and afternoon pics. I'm just waiting to see if the suspension settles anymore before I take photos.
> 
> This was when I'd just bought mine 12 months ago and got it home:
> 
> ...


nice  looks same height as mine lol when did you lower it?


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

boost22 said:


> what are your wheel worth then if you dont mind me asking?
> tell me your rear lights arent tinted


They were cheap. 
They aren't tinted. They're blackened :lol:

Boost you are thread hijacking and every time I reply to you I'm aiding and abetting !


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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

boost22 said:


> looks same height as mine lol when did you lower it?


About 4wks ago now. The mechanic said the new suspension may take 4-5wks to settle and lower a bit more. It's Prob not going to drop anymore so I'll take some pics soon for comparison. But I'd say it looks the same as Mullums.


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

mullum said:


> boost22 said:
> 
> 
> > what are your wheel worth then if you dont mind me asking?
> ...


oh crap sorry OP i didnt meant it promise 
i typed it quickly and ran to the next post lol 
same thing tinted blackened sprayed with tint spray lol


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

t'mill said:


> boost22 said:
> 
> 
> > looks same height as mine lol when did you lower it?
> ...


i got to show mine lowered as well and i think its too low maybe maybe not it was lowered around the same time and kept going lower and lower but now seems to have settled after adjusting the front higher and the rear do not do bugger all higher or lower :/

sorry again OP


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## J•RED (Feb 10, 2013)

This is lowered with the apex springs from ECP, -30mm on a post facelift 










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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

J•RED said:


> This is lowered with the apex springs from ECP, -30mm on a post facelift
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Looks well low, so should be -50mm on a prefacelift eh ?
I've often wondered about this but presumed it couldn't be right as no one else on here has said anything similar ..


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## J•RED (Feb 10, 2013)

Not entirely sure tbh there's no definitive answer from the spring manufacturers on what year of car they're manufactured them for, otherwise we'd know. ECP asked what year my car was and if its got sport suspension and they said these were the correct springs for my car so I just said ok I'll have them. I wish id taken some measurements before and after now :lol:

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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

That is blumin low for Apex springs  Have you got standard dampers on?


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

J•RED said:


> I wish id taken some measurements before and after now :lol:


Yeah me too, I had planned to but left it until the day of fitting and forgot.


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## J•RED (Feb 10, 2013)

t'mill said:


> That is blumin low for Apex springs  Have you got standard dampers on?


Yeah standard dampers, It could be the way Iv parked that's making it look lower than it actually is. This is a more even surface.










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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

Don't manufacturers rate spring drop on the TT from the prefacelift original height?

I just lowered mine using amax springs on a facelift car. the rear dropped I'd say 20-25 mm but had prefacelift springs on  but I'd say the front actually didn't drop at all. Allowing say 5mm to settle I'd say that's right for 30mm springs on a car lowered 25mm out of the box. This is what I aimed for, wanted perhaps a subtle drop but keeping the car close to oem, with just 5mm drop from oem I'm wondering if I even need tie bars.

I was getting uneven wear on the rear before I fixed the height as the car was too high


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## Garth (Feb 7, 2012)

Here's mine. -40mm Apex springs on fk high tech dampers, kw adjustable tie bars, 20mm rear and15mm front spacers. I replaced the front top mounts and both upper and lower rear spring pads with new. This will raise the suspension slightly as old spring pads will have compressed over time and can mean about 10mm difference.


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## pcrepairmandan (Jul 6, 2013)

I was going to get Amax for mine

will I be wanting Tie Bars ?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-MAX-Audi-TT ... 257f214c8e


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## Paulj100 (Mar 24, 2009)

Same here 40mm Alex springs. Very pleased with them . But as she sits now would like the front another 10mm lower to match the back :?


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

try ECP for Amax springs (and use a discount code). For tie bars, you could try switching the top bars for the lower ones which will give you at best a degree of adjustment. Otherwise search ebay for tie bars. Another, although not necessarily cheaper, option is camber adjusting tie bar bushes like the ones from Superpro. Again only a degree of adjustment per set - so two sets gets into tie bar money.


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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

pcrepairmandan said:


> I was going to get Amax for mine
> 
> will I be wanting Tie Bars ?
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-MAX-Audi-TT ... 257f214c8e


Look on Eurocarparts website for Amax springs. They should be cheaper than those in your link. Don't forget to use the forum discount code (if it works) for 25% off

Mullum beat me to it!


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

pcrepairmandan said:


> I was going to get Amax for mine
> 
> will I be wanting Tie Bars ?
> 
> http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-MAX-Audi-TT ... 257f214c8e


They are a bit cheaper than eurocarparts.com they seem to go up and down in price, I got them for £71 last week. They are 81 just now.

Some people fit tie bars. If you have a Prefacelift car then I recon defiantly, but on a facelift model I'm not sure as they don't actually lower you much. I just fitted them as spring replacements on a facelift due to a broken spring and need new rear tyres anyway, im going to leave it a few weeks see what the wear pattern is like.


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

t'mill said:


> pcrepairmandan said:
> 
> 
> > I was going to get Amax for mine
> ...


the Code won't work for lowering springs at the moment.  not sure if it ever does.


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## pcrepairmandan (Jul 6, 2013)

id like to get 30mm springs to be honest guys as I do thrash that car daily on the roads near me and they are SHITE! already got 20mm 15mm spacers. do you think id want tie bars at that drop ? :-*


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## Darren_d (Jun 20, 2013)

I tried it over a period of a month, didn't work once.

It does recognise the code on some parts, I think it won't ever work on lowering springs.


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

pcrepairmandan said:


> id like to get 30mm springs to be honest guys as I do thrash that car daily on the roads near me and they are SHITE! already got 20mm 15mm spacers. do you think id want tie bars at that drop ? :-*


I could be utterly wrong, but my amax springs only lowered my already 25mm lowered facelift car about 5mm, I'm sure they are 30mm lowering springs, even is they do say 40mm I think that's a mistake.


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## pcrepairmandan (Jul 6, 2013)

they may measure from some odd ball point on the car or want shorter shocks maybe to get that quoted amount?


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## brian1978 (Jul 10, 2013)

pcrepairmandan said:


> they may measure from some odd ball point on the car or want shorter shocks maybe to get that quoted amount?


Shocks don't "push" the springs any, so wouldnt affect the compression of the springs, they just dampen sudden impacts potholes etc.. you can push the rod on a shock absorber in with 1 finger. I'm sure someone said they emailed the company that makes a-max springs and they said they lower 30mm. Remember that's from the earlier mk1 tt, the later is already lowered 25mm. If you have a pre-facelift car just a little lower you could always put facelift springs on yours, check the dots on them, facelift springs have 5 gray spots front and I think 4 red on rear.


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## straut (Aug 31, 2011)

brian1978 said:


> t'mill said:
> 
> 
> > pcrepairmandan said:
> ...


Well it was me who started the cheap eurocarparts spring offer ages ago but with all the talk about adjustable tie bars and if they lowered 30 or 40 i went and sold them not wanting to have the expense of buying tie bars but now i dont realy care £60 for decent springs which if you talk to anyone who fitted them will say give a really good ride.

Lately any codes on ecp dont work on lowering springs but once in a while a code will work so keep on checking and then get on here to give the heads up so we can empty thier stocks again ha ha.
Steve


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## mullum (Sep 16, 2011)

It was almost a year ago staut - £56 a set delivered. Those were the days ! I bought a set just because they were so cheap, even though I had a set of Apex from awesome @£80. But then I bought some FK Highsport coilovers, but even those werent fitted - none of them were ! I sold the lot !
In the end I fitted FK high tech springs which cost me £51 a set.


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## boost22 (May 22, 2013)

t'mill said:


> That is blumin low for Apex springs  Have you got standard dampers on?


i'll have to agree with t'mill on this as my ones were lower than that as I couldn't see the tyre tops when I first had them fitted and they went lower after settling down  but i've now raised them a touch so the tyre sits just near to the arches.

i recall at the least 60-70mm gap on the front and rear from tyres to arches before lowering not that I measured them but from old pics of my car before the lowering procedure, so at least 65mm drop on the rear and 60 on the front as ive raised it a lot since scraping the gearbox several times on sleeping policemen and flat roads with inperfections and what a [smiley=bigcry.gif] it was.


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## aaron_tt (Sep 18, 2012)

Ok well I may aswell chip in with my photo comparison for whoever is interested in these AMAX/APEX springs as they do indeed say apex under the amax label, I got them on ECP when they were discounted to £56 delivered.

Heres my 2001 pre face-lift 180 quattro after being lowered on the amax springs and standard shocks:


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## t'mill (Jul 31, 2012)

Ok, as mentioned earlier in this thread, I've taken photos now I'm lowered. The photos might be of interest to anyone thinking about Amax/Apex springs.

Before and after shots:

Standard oem dampers and springs (pre-facelift)
















-40mm Amax springs on new oem Monroe dampers.


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## kjgouldstone (Feb 6, 2011)

Amax springs


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## TomQS (Aug 2, 2013)

Are there any springs which lower the QS? Mine could do with going down another 30mm but from what ive seen it's coilovers only?


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## pcrepairmandan (Jul 6, 2013)

Mine being a v6 there shouldn't be any pre face lift confusion? surly the springs would be different as the weight of the v6 is Huge?
looking to buy on Monday so any help guys or recommendations would be fantastic. I only want to go 30mm


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## pcrepairmandan (Jul 6, 2013)

Dudes I was just adding to this. I was going to buy these, but people say it drops 30mm.. ? that right? that's what I would prefer over 40mm

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/A-MAX-Audi-TT ... 257f214c8e


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