Newbie questions

[Randy]

Hello all. Been looking at getting an S4 Avant to replace my ageing shogun which is becoming sooo tedious to drive and it shouldn't be long until I get my grubby mitts on one. I've been reading through the past posts and get the gist of most of the issues but have a few questions still.

Brakes - it seems like the standard setup is not up to much but what exactly are the issues? Is there any real reason to go for larger calipers or are the standard ones up to the job with good quality discs/pads and perhaps extra cooling? I've seen mention of EBC pads which I know are rubbish, personally I would try something like a pagid 29 on a heavy car like this, has anyone tried these, are they even available in the right sizes? What about discs, does anyone good like AP do a setup for the standard calipers?

Springs/dampers - I keep seeing H&R being mentioned so I assume these are the established choice but what other choices are there, any adjustable ones? On the H&R setup is there a choice of spring rate and does anyone know what the standard rates are for comparison and do they have adjustable spring platforms? I will go for a big rear ARB from the outset to reduce understeer but I'm sure it won't be long before I want decent shocks!

Tyres - What is the best one for fast road use?

Setup - can anyone advise a decent baseline setup to work from? I'll put some string around the car as soon as I get it and would be good to have a start point to work from.

Thanks in advance guys. Looking forward to getting my head around the car.

[Dippy]

Randy,

Whatever you do don't rely on just the information here. Above all you need to get a test drive (easier said than done but it makes all the difference to see and feel for yourself).

I think the main problem with the OEM brakes are the hard compound and the use of only 2 pistons. The stopping power is not impressive for such a car, especially considering its acceleration and mass. Audi put softer pads on the later models, but really it needs 4-pot calipers as a minimum. However I'm not that knowledgeable about the options so hopefully others will answer.

Suspension is also moot. I though the OEM was OK until I had H&R coilovers and was knocked out by the improvement. Definitely the best mod I had done. H&Rs are adjustible (to what degree I don't know), and come in various flavours. I think there are other good options too, but I think the H&R is by far the most popular (especially in the US).

I favour Michelin PS2s. You'll see lots of other opinions here so you'll just need to make your own choice.

[Randy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm surprised that Audi would get a calculation a simple as piston area wrong but then I've seen stranger things! Out of interest has anyone ever measured comparative disc temps with different setups? I found an article in the depths of the internet written by an American who reconed he was seeing some pretty monumental temps on the standard discs and that with Porsche calipers the temps were not much changed (no reason why they should be) so his opinion was that the discs weren't dissipating heat effectively. If I can find somebody who does good quality discs to fit in the standard calipers I'm quite happy to be a guinea pig with a pot of finest temp paint.

H&R does sound like the favourite choice for suspension. Are there any dealers around who run a demo car so I can try before I buy?

Thanks again and apologies to kick of here with all these questions. Hopefully it won't take me long to get a grip on these cars so I can be answering questions like these?!

[Nige_RS4]

Randy, if you're not doing any track days and don't want to spend the thick end of £1500 minimum, then an uprated disc and pad combo with some decent fluid can wield some good results. Try DBA 4000 discs and pagid fast road pads - they are a marked improvement over standard.

FYI, I went back to std calipers and fast road material on my S4 today and it's amazing how you get used to exceptionally good brakes - 6-pot brembos & floating discs ... soon to be going to new home, eh Simon