Hey southturn Ill try to help you out here. Gotta rule out a few things first. Sorry if some questions are bit dumb.

GPM is really good at not supplying instructions. I love their parts and I have a few GPM parts on my 18ss but I had to rack my brain a bit to make sure the parts were installed correctly. Im assuming you didnt get any instructions?

If you still have the wraper make sure they sent you the right shock towers. Ive purchased parts for my car to later realize that they were for an older RS4 and the description was not clear.

How are your shocks fitting on the towers? If they are on you should be getting atleast a little ground clearance.

Also if you can take some pics and post them up so I can get a a better picture of what might be going on here. You can also PM me and I can give you my email address and you can send them there, its up to you.