Suspension question...

[Carps]

I just got round to checking with the insurance company on suspension upgrades, and since they only want £40 extra it seems rude not to (especially as some people have likened it to an AllRoad recently [img]images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img])...

So, what are the recommendations ?

H&R height adjustables ?
Bilstein springs and dampers ?
Secondhand RS4 ?

I want to lose the roll and pitch, but don't want a go-kart rock hard set-up

TIA

[DavidT]

I have the H&R's you can read about them here

I have no experiences of the others though, sorry.

[Dippy]

I think you'll need more investigation then. Undoubtedly the H&Rs are the most popular (not just in the UK), and based on opinions they seem to be the best. They were recommended to me by Scott at AmD and that was enough for me to buy them.

For install and set-up of H&Rs it's at least £1K. There must be cheaper options (e.g. second hand RS4 suspension), but they may not be as good (certainly based on RobK's comments the H&Rs are better than RS4 stock).

However the reason I recommend you investigate further is your comment about the go-kart. Whilst the H&Rs do remove roll and pitch, and ALL the understeer, they are hard. In my car I can feel every imperfection in the road, and it positively crashes over the worst maintained roads.

I'm sure that David, who is much more 'suspension-minded' than me, can provide a similar report.

P.S. Your insurance company is taking the piss. Mine charged me precisely £0 for my suspension mod.

[Golich]

Carps

I had exactly the same dilemma as you until a couple of weeks ago.

I'd advise, where possible, to see if any of the lads/lasses on this site would be kind enough to offer you a spin in their car to establish the characteristics of the kit and then consider the condition of the roads you run around most.

Jim at Star Perfromance feels the H&R set up is just too hard. And recommends (I think) the Eibach comfort kit? (Give him a call - There's an article in Audi driver this month on a S4 he fitted such a kit)

I've fitted used RS4 suspension simply because I reckoned the stock kit on my S4 was goosed from 34K. (Now 56K - Particularly the rears)

Since I'm trying to save for a wide one. [img]images/graemlins/bowdown.gif[/img] I don't want to spend more than I have too. So the £470 for the RS4 suspension was a 'nice' alternative. Now that I've lived with the upgrade for about 3 weeks I'm delighted with the improvement. The car sits about 20mm lower, which is nice, and the reduction in roll and dive is considerably better than the stock S4. However, I'm sure there are better performing damper spring combos out there as advocated by the likes of Dippy et al.

What I mean by this is the RS4 setup is a little bouncy and of course understeers but to be honest that’s ok for me it's safe way for a car to handle. It's certainly not crashy and since it's Audi shocks i.e. same colour etc I haven't considered informing the insurance. It is certainly not a crap alternative and certainly not if you consider the price.

If your going to get someone to fit your suspension you want to determine if they have the non-Audi tool to deal with a seized bolt that pinches the two upper wishbone arms on the front.

If they don't, then your looking at heat to remove it, in which case, can they guarantee they won't damage the adjacent ball joints (2 per side) at a cost of £60 each plus additional labour to fit new wishbones!

I fitted them myself. And learned heaps about both bad dealer practice (i.e. heat) and poor Audi engineering seized bolts & ABS sensors.

[DavidT]

My experience with the H&R's is that they are not hugely worse than standard suspension. I'd say the ride is very similar to that of the new B6 S4, harder but acceptable, the handling is transformed, so well worth it.

When I changed from standard 45 series tyres to 40's I noticed a big difference in the ride though, much harder.

Anyone who wants to meet up to try my car is welcome to do so.

What wheels / tyres do you run Dippy ?

[Dippy]

I run the standard wheels/tyres. The main reason is that I find that alloys so easily get damaged (even from stone-chips) that it's a shame to invest in new ones.

However I have also had advice that the 225/45 profile is the best for handling, and I was worried that, as your experience shows, going for less tyre sidewall makes the ride harder and as I commented, I find the H&Rs hard enough already.

I am also in the minority in thinking that big wheels look bad. Some 18" wheels look OK, but IMO those on the B6 S4 look too big for the car. I'm quite happy with the stock 17" Avus wheels on my car, I just wish that they would stay in better condition (but not enough to pay for new ones).

[Prawn]

Have to say I agree with you on the wheels issue Dave.

In my case its more a case of wanting to keep the car looking as std as possible, ie the stealth approach.

[DavidT]

I'm running 235/40 tyres on standard wheels, not with 18's and I reckon they look pretty good. Theres a pic in my gallery

[SimonS4MTM]

I'm running 235/40 tyres on standard wheels, not with 18's and I reckon they look pretty good. Theres a pic in my gallery

Same on my car