RS2 transformed

[scillyisles]

Got my RS2 back on Saturday after having major upgrades carried out namely
- full Audi big red brake upgrade kit consisting of new 993tt front calipers, 322mm front cross drilled discs, rear cross drilled discs etc)
- new brake bomb
- new Koni adjustables front and rear (yellow)
- new front blue quattro top mounts
- new front upper and lower wishbones (complete with new bushes)
- new tie rod ends
- new set of Pirelli Nero 225/45R17 94Y tyres
- full laser suspension setup

Car has been transformed and feels as good as new - very impressed. The whole package works very well together - new suspension/tyre setup makes the car much more pleasing to drive whilst the stopping power of the big brake upgrade kit is awesome.

[GlynRS2]

Sounds like a very thorough brake and suspension overhaul. I am planning much the same work over the next year.
How is the ride on the Koni dampers compared to the original dampers? I realise they are adjustable so it can depend on how you have got them set up, but just wondered what your first impression is? The reason I am asking is personally I would not want the ride to be any harsher just better controlled. I would imagine your car must feel really tight with everything working spot on.
Why did you replace the wishbones?
Everyone says the big red upgrade package is awesome, so I guess I will have to do it.

[robo]

Got my RS2 back on Saturday after having major upgrades carried out namely
- full Audi big red brake upgrade kit consisting of new 993tt front calipers, 322mm front cross drilled discs, rear cross drilled discs etc)
- new brake bomb
- new Koni adjustables front and rear (yellow)
- new front blue quattro top mounts
- new front upper and lower wishbones (complete with new bushes)
- new tie rod ends
- new set of Pirelli Nero 225/45R17 94Y tyres
- full laser suspension setup

Car has been transformed and feels as good as new - very impressed. The whole package works very well together - new suspension/tyre setup makes the car much more pleasing to drive whilst the stopping power of the big brake upgrade kit is awesome.

Wow.
It must hurt , £4-5k? at ones.
Rob

[scillyisles]

Hi Glyn
The ride on the Konis is much smoother than on the old dampers/top mounts which were very crashy on bumps. In essence, its a win win situation in that the ride is smoother on the straights over bumps but much more controlled and confidence inspiring around the bends. The old suspension (don't forget my car has only done 45K miles since new) was floaty and on corners would roll far too much which led to a very uneasy feeling when going around bends. The new suspension is light years better in that you don't get the excessive roll and can feel what the wheels/tyres are doing on the road. The steering is much tighter due to the new tie rod ends. Even the Audi dealer who did the work was amazed at the difference with the new setup. With regard to the front and lower wishbones it's cheaper (if an Audi dealer is doing the work) to buy a whole new wishbone complete with bushes rather than try and strip out and replace the bushes. I've taken the old wishbones and will put new powerflex bushes in.
The koni settings I told my dealer to use were 50% front and 60% rear but I think they changed them after speaking to their motorsport arm so I'm not sure what the final setttings are. It's very important to realign the suspension after doing this and I think they had to do it a number of times as the suspension settled quite a bit.
The big red upgrade is very good - given that my brake discs were suffering from the corrosion problem on the outer edges it made relative financial sense to upgrade to the Audi big brake kit.
Whilst my car was being upgraded my Audi dealer leant me a brand new A3 DSG S Line and my car feels just as new as that did.

[GlynRS2]

Wow.
It must hurt , £4-5k? at ones.
Rob

But cheaper than buying a new car - and the problem is they just don't anything quite like an RS2 anymore.

My RS2 is just over 78K miles now, and other than new front top mounts just before I bought it is still on all its original suspension.

The old suspension (don't forget my car has only done 45K miles since new) was floaty and on corners would roll far too much which led to a very uneasy feeling when going around bends.

That is pretty much what I experience and I was trying to weigh up wheteher just to replace the dampers with new OE ones or go for Koni adjustables. From what you say (and Alastair) the Koni route would seem a much better bet.
Thanks for the feedback

[DuncS3]

Hi chaps - for the uninitiated why do you have to upgrade to 'big reds' - Dont all the RS2s come with a Porsche brake setup?

Secondly just to add regarding Konis - I have these on my S3 and for Glen, the best advice with aftermarket suspension imo is to try before you buy - for the S3, the Koni kit is quite a bit harder than the standard dampers. Might be completely different for the RS but hey, you never know...

Dunc

[S2tuner]

Dunc, an RS2 has small reds as standard on 304x32 discs. a little under-braked for the standard engine performance, and actually scary underbraked for a chipped engine

HTH,

Mihnea

[scillyisles]

Hi chaps - for the uninitiated why do you have to upgrade to 'big reds' - Dont all the RS2s come with a Porsche brake setup?

Yes the RS2 as standard comes on Porsche brakes which were from the 968CS as I recall. However, braking systems have improved in ten years and I found by comparision to my M3 CSL that the RS2 brakes did not inspire confidence. They were also suffering quite badly from external brake disc rim corrosion (a common problem) Given that I needed new discs upgrading to the bigger discs (322mm as opposed to 304mm) with bigger 993 Turbo calipers made sense. I believe this option also allows me to purchase Porsche parts easier (and cheaper) from Porsche dealers rather than pay Audi dealer prices.

Secondly just to add regarding Konis - I have these on my S3 and for Glen, the best advice with aftermarket suspension imo is to try before you buy - for the S3, the Koni kit is quite a bit harder than the standard dampers. Might be completely different for the RS but hey, you never know...

Dunc

The Konis I purchased were the 86-2086 SPD2 (front) and 8210-1160 Sport (rear). These are fully adjustable and can be set to from soft through to very hard - sounds like yours might have been set too hard (if they are adjustable ones). As I mentioned in my previous post, the dealer leant me a brand new A3 DSG with S Line to use whilst my RS2 was being upgraded. My RS2 now rides just as smoothly as the A3 did whilst having much more composure and speed on the twisty bits.

[DuncS3]

Cool - thanks for the explanation - were 'big reds' an option on the RS2? I recall reading something about another brake option.

A quick FYI - I also have the 'big red' 993 TT front brake setup on my S3 - Today I just ordered a new set of pads for £66 + VAT from www.type911.co.uk - pads and discs are very cheap there in comparison to a Porsche dealer also.

Dunc

[Pete_RS2]

What did Audi do with the rear brakes with the factory upgrade ? Did they just put the same size drilled discs & keep the same calipers ?

[scillyisles]

What did Audi do with the rear brakes with the factory upgrade ? Did they just put the same size drilled discs & keep the same calipers ?

Correct - the Audi big brake upgrade kit includes new rear drilled discs plus new brake pads. The existing brake calipers are retained.

[robo]

Sounds like a very thorough brake and suspension overhaul. I am planning much the same work over the next year.
How is the ride on the Koni dampers compared to the original dampers? I realise they are adjustable so it can depend on how you have got them set up, but just wondered what your first impression is? The reason I am asking is personally I would not want the ride to be any harsher just better controlled. I would imagine your car must feel really tight with everything working spot on.
Why did you replace the wishbones?
Everyone says the big red upgrade package is awesome, so I guess I will have to do it.

Hi Glyn
Are you coming to Garage meet? if yes you can see and try my suspension , I have konis and h&rs , also all new front bushes, top mounts, steering racks and alloy subframe bushes.
Rob

[AAH!]

I am planning much the same work over the next year.........Everyone says the big red upgrade package is awesome, so I guess I will have to do it.

Me too.

With 120k on the clock, it seems that only the top mounts have been replaced, so probably worth looking at all the suspension componenets! Also noisy rear breaks with a bit of corrosion, so may have to replace front AND rear callipers. Just a bit daunted by potential costs, on top of current boost issue resolution (and remap).

Robo it really sounds like you are doing everything on yours. Look forward to seeing it and hearing your tales at the garage meet.

Angus

[hiltron]

When I bought my car, 105000km, I replaced strut top bearings, great improvement. Then I put on new set of rubbish tyres. Felt great, but as I started pushing car more I felt it needed sharpening up. I then replaced shocks with Koni's set 50/60%. Felt better, less harsh, more controll. Then I put in Powerflex bushes, even better. Then I replaced ARB bushes with powerflex, even better. But at the end of the day my biggest problem was the tyres. At least I have replaced all other components, and I can say every bit helps to make the car feel crisp as new.
P.S.- Amongst all this I had my alignment done 3 times, of which the 3D lazer set-up was the worst. I found a guy who really knows his job and tweaks the computer reading slightly, on one of the older machines. The car feels awesome after leaving his alignment machine.

[alastairg]

Hi Glyn
The ride on the Konis is much smoother than on the old dampers/top mounts which were very crashy on bumps. In essence, its a win win situation in that the ride is smoother on the straights over bumps but much more controlled and confidence inspiring around the bends. The old suspension (don't forget my car has only done 45K miles since new) was floaty and on corners would roll far too much which led to a very uneasy feeling when going around bends. The new suspension is light years better in that you don't get the excessive roll and can feel what the wheels/tyres are doing on the road. The steering is much tighter due to the new tie rod ends. Even the Audi dealer who did the work was amazed at the difference with the new setup. With regard to the front and lower wishbones it's cheaper (if an Audi dealer is doing the work) to buy a whole new wishbone complete with bushes rather than try and strip out and replace the bushes. I've taken the old wishbones and will put new powerflex bushes in.
The koni settings I told my dealer to use were 50% front and 60% rear but I think they changed them after speaking to their motorsport arm so I'm not sure what the final setttings are. It's very important to realign the suspension after doing this and I think they had to do it a number of times as the suspension settled quite a bit.
The big red upgrade is very good - given that my brake discs were suffering from the corrosion problem on the outer edges it made relative financial sense to upgrade to the Audi big brake kit.
Whilst my car was being upgraded my Audi dealer leant me a brand new A3 DSG S Line and my car feels just as new as that did.

Koni settings as per AMD were rear 1/4 front 1 turn from softest. Not certain what the % turn translation is. This works for me as a ride/handling compromise at present. I might feel different if I did track sessions.
Big red is an option I may switch to in the future when faced with overhaul although I was trying to get an idea re direct porsche alternatives instead.