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Couple of times, I've noticed that if I have to brake while cornering at reasonably high speed (feck, where did *he* come from) say 60ish that the back end feels floaty like it's just about to break free. Nothing a bit of opposite lock won't sort out, but it's still a bit disconcerting. It just seems a bit unpredictable.

Anyone had anything like this? The suspension seems sorted, otherwise. Brand new bilsteins.

Have you checked your tyre pressures?

Hmm, mine seems to have a little shimmy / tail wiggle which has made me think is there enough air in the rear tyres but always 40psi so no probs there. Mine is on PSS9s too, it didn't do it before but its not too big a deal provided you don't overreact.

mine did this yesterdat whilst giving it some beans on a slight curve...

I'd just been in a field, so thought perhaps tyres didnt have enough grip...

strange though (did nearly sh*t myself as was giving it some heave ho)

Have you checked all the links on the rear suspension? ie drop links etc?

drc ?

Glad to see I'm not alone in this.

It's not the DRC because it's in a pile in my garage. I checked all the suspension when I put the Bilsteins on and everything seemed to be OK.

It might just be a characteristic of the car. 2 tonnes is a lot to be throwing around. I had a similar experience in a Focus ST but at a much higher speed.

Thinking about it, it's logical. When you brake you transfer the weight to the front of the car which is already front heavy anyway. And when you're cornering the rear wants to go straight on.

I only mention it because it caught me by surprise each time and wondered if I'd got the suspension wrong. I might try stiffening it up a bit. I'm on 6 at the moment.

Brake imbalance? Have you had your brake fluid changed every two years, bled etc?
Does the MOT even check for brake imbalance?

I had my blake fluid changed less than a month ago. It's done the same before and after. Unelss Audi didn't change the fluid and just charged me for it (which wouldn't suprise me much, I'm sad to say). Does feel like a brake imbalance.

Or maybe I was just driving too fast for the conditions

It is fairly normal behaviour as the braking shifts weight onto the front and lightens the back - that is why you should not brake in a corner as it affects the balance. Unless you are doing something really fast and silly I doubt the back end would slide but it just feels unsettled. You can use this technique on a front wheel drive to get the back out on a corner (lift off oversteer). I use trail braking late into a corner on my 911 as it loads up the front to get more weight on it to reduce understeer, then power on at the apex.

I know DRC gets loads of bad press on here for obvious reasons - I only got mine back from Camberley yet again yesterday after the latest warranty replacement of both front units - but it is interesting that this thread highlights the downside of going the coilover route.

I suspect that in early testing, before DRC, the "light back end" was one of the symptoms that led them to the need for DRC - it is designed to precisely counteract this problem by shifting the load. When it works, it does it very well.

Having for years driven big fast SAAB's I love lift-off oversteer - in fact combined with healthy throttle lag it can be a phenomenal way of getting a heavy fronted car through bends quickly, but the only time I notice the RS doing this is when the DRC is shot.

Dave

I LOVE the idea behind DRC, but it's so damn unreliable for a daily driver that it just wasn't an option for me. Just my 2p of course.

After all, your not supposed to drive it when the DRC isn't working!

Absolutely agree on the unreliability, though to be fair, Camberley now turn round a DRC change in less than a day, and would probably do you a "While you wait" service if you really want! (and you could chat to Michelle for an hour or two... hmm )

My point however is that people have got all excited about coilovers, but now we are starting to see some of the downsides in terms of handling near the limits.

With DRC it's a case of "When she's good, she's very very good, but when she is bad, she is ......!"

Will be interesting to see what experience people have as their coilovers etc start to age as they inevitably will.

Dave (98,000 miles, and still on DRC!)

I hear you Dave. IMHO Coilovers are reliable, progressive and have consistent behaviour even at the limits on the track; DRC is unreliable and more importantly for me unsafe when it goes wrong.

And then I remember the days of "Sorry, you need a new central Valve @ ££££s", "sorry sir, the parts are on back order", "no sir, there's no common fault with the DRC".

Don't get me wrong, if they had offered to reinstall the "improved" DRC on my car (with a warranty) I would have tried it but I would have kept the KW just in case.