Death by Suspension

[rogc]

Hi all,
I'm looking at KW V3, Billie B14 and Eibach R2 kits. What ARB upgrade do you guys recommend. I don't think I have SS+ on mine.
Any advice greatly received.

[coffey555]

I have the H&R ones on my car. Both front and back are adjustable.

Hotchkiss ones are very good as well but I think only the rear bar is adjustable if I remember rightly.

Only difference between the SS and SS+ arb's is the rear on on the + is slightly thicker, front bar is the same.

Ride quality of the KW V3's is good before I upgraded the ARB's, depends on what ride you are looking for. I did not like the high speed body roll with the stock arb's so fitted the H&R arb's at the expense of low speed ride comfort.

You could try increasing the low speed compression settings before changing the ARB's as Sar reports good things with his Ohlins and stock ARB setup below?

[rogc]

I like my low speed feel at the moment. High speed body roll is the issue. Are your H&R bars that stiff? Maybe I'll just renew my stock ARB and bushing? I didn't look at Ohlins, so I'll do that now.
I was under the impression that aftermarket suspension needs uprated ARB to stabilise the car. Apparently that doesn't seem the case. I did want to keep the car standard for resale value, but being 10 years old, technology has changed significantly so I don't mind upgrading, I just want to make the purchase once.
Would you do anything differently with your setup coffey555?

[coffey555]

Yes, it is a bit harsh around the bumpy streets of Edinburgh. Not enough for me to do anything about it as it gets better with speed but certainly worse than a stock DRC system.

And it does handle very well with the upgrades on a backroad as a decent trade off though.

If I were to do to it all again I was going to go SS+ with the latest spec DRC but after reading about Sar's setup below, I would go for the Ohlins route as it seems to be the best of all worlds. When the KW's need replacing in a few years I think I will fit Ohlins.

Depends on what mileage your car has on it, if it is low I would be tempted to keep the DRC and keep it all stock.

My one was been to the moon and back so resale value is out the window anyway!

[rogc]

I did DRC front shocks last year, so I'm presuming they are the latest spec!? The rears can't be far behind. Corroded pipes are a certainty so it's a cost/future-proofing exercise. The control valves are moon dust prices for what they are!
I think the rest is original.

As she's my daily runner, pro-activeness for me is the key.

The SS+ and DRC did cross my mind too. My view however is the standard DRC is a little dated. RS6's now run an ECU controlled system to adapt the suspension in line with 'driving style' (Motorway or lanes), I can't find anything suitable for ours yet.

Mine's done 65K and will be with me for atleast another two years.

[FaisalJ]

I'm on KW V3 too, with H&R ARBs. I've got the coilovers set 2 or 3 clicks from the softest settings, as the roads near me are horrendous. Even the speed humps have pot holes.

I'm very happy with the setup; comfort at low speed is good, and the car feels planted and stable at speed. I've taken the car on track a couple of times, and it's not rolling all over the Shop. Conversely, I'm frequently ferrying around family and nobody complains about the ride (they have done in previous cars I've had on coilovers, and in the RS before I softened the dampers.)

I've been for a short drive in a car on SS+ and the low speed comfort didn't seem much different from what I remember. My car had the coillies already fitted, so that's my only comparison in an RS4.

How soon are you planning to fit the new suspension? I wonder if it's worth getting to a meetup soon and hopping in other forum member's cars and sampling the suspension setups. I'm sure people won't mind. Probably a couple of hours from you mind; Midlands meet 20/03, Surrey meet 23/04.

[coffey555]

Do you know what settings your ARB's are on?

Good to know that the same set-up can be adjusted to improve the low speed ride, I will make some adjustments when I get back I think.

[rogc]

Hi FaisalJ,
Interesting that you're running the same setup as coffey555. I've been looking at the Eibach coilovers too, but they seem a little basic.

I have a steering joint on the way out so it'll be soon, although my mortgage has just come through so it may be a little longer away. I'm doing my research now and gathering friends advice so there's no mad panic when I need to get the bits.
Just out of interest, what tyres are you running on at the moment?

This month is a no go. Tempted for April. Not sure I'm working though. It would be nice to put some faces to names, that's for sure.

[rogc]

Do you know what settings your ARB's are on?

Good to know that the same set-up can be adjusted to improve the low speed ride, I will make some adjustments when I get back I think.

Definitely a leading setup

[coffey555]

My only concern is that by reducing the amount of low speed compression damping, the front of the car will dive more under heavy braking. A trait of the car with the engine so far out front but I have had more than a few 'interesting moments' with the back end doing its own thing in heavy braking zones, without making it any worse.

For what it is worth I am running PSS on my car in the summer and Vredestein Wintrac Xtreme during the colder months.

Ride is certainly softer on the winters which is to be expected given the extra movement in the sidewalls but still harsh at low speeds.

My ARB's are both on the harder settings but will trying running the softer compression settings to see what happens.

[FaisalJ]

I'm running 255/35/19 Goodyear Eagle F1s - soft tyre wall definitely helps with the ride.

I have another set of wheels with 255/30/20 Conti Sportcontact 5s, and whilst it rides firmer on that setup, I still think the ride is good all things considered.

No idea on the ARB setting I'm afraid...

[Stairs]

Got the car back today, thankfully I had a damper (shock absorber) go one bit of hose and a DRC valve, which from Audi would have cost over £1000 apparently.

All in it only came to that, so after the horror stories I have read on here I feel I came off rather well.

For the record, I am very happy with the service I got from Camspec, they have all the gear to look after DRC and certainly know what they are talking about.