arcS

really? didn't know that as they don't at least seem to mention it package descriptions, then again I didn't buy the car new..

the car feels and looks pretty high though, I'd hate to think that this is any sort of "sport" suspension.

need_TQM

I'm basing this from a May '08 press release about the car -- it could be wrong (using euro information that they changed for US prior to launch, etc.) but ...

"The CDC shock absorbers are joined with sporty springs, which lower the body by 20 mm (0.79 inches)."

I don't have ADS. The ADS cars I drove were Euro-spec (for the A4 driving experience) but they did feel/look to have the sport springs. Maybe the US spec models are different.

UmIsThisThingOn

I didn't know that... it makes my decision for S Line easier. I'd prefer (for now) to have factory lowering.
I'll eventually upgrade to Stasis to keep some semblance of Warranty - it being the future family car and all

dk1

I think 30 mm drop for S-line is in Europe. In US both S-line and ADS are 20 mm lower.

arcS

bumping this thread incase some one would happen to have more knowledge on the matter

ewill

My understanding is that the adjustability of the suspension with ADS is contained in/on the strut/shock unit, with just wires to an electric switch on the outside body of the strut/shock to control opening/closing of the external ancilliary valve. So there should be no problem replacing ADS suspension with coilovers - you'll just have a wiring harness left over to tuck away somewhere. I also suspect you'll have no problems off-loading the ADS struts/shocks. But personally, I'm with the views above and go for H&R sport springs with 35mm lowering over standard (and 15mm lower than ADS and S-line outside Europe) Since ADS is compatible with 30mm lowering in Europe, 35mm should cause no problems.

arcS

thanks for the input, I was just talking to someone from Audi maintenance, they said roughly the same but also mentioned that Xenon headlights seem to utilize some of the sensors associated with the ADS suspension. not sure if this is a problem or not, they are looking into it.

springs would get me half way where I'm going

Ryan1524

After much deliberation, primarily due to warranty self-preservation, I am getting my ADS car lowered on H&R OE Sport springs. I'll be picking it up after work today. I'll update you with my experiences with it soon after.

ADS has a decently low height, but it was still too high for me. Now all I need are some wheels, and I can drop the mod-bug for bit. (Yeah right)

This car is going to be the end of my bank account.

arcS

cool, looking forward to hearing/seeing how it goes with the springs. sadly my obsession with lowness is too strong to settle with springs, whether coilovers are worth all the trouble is a whole other question....

Next week when I have time I will test out what happens if the shocks are disconnected from the system, a fault code is not a problem but if it interferes with the sensors that are also utilized by the Xenons, then it might be trouble. should be interesting

Ryan1524

So after driving around for 200km post-install yesterday, I couldn't be happier with the springs. It lowered my car just right, just the right amount of space (or lack of) between the fender and the rubber. It looks great even with the lame 17" stock wheels.

I can notice the difference immediately. On all settings of the ADS, the car feels more sure-footed, planted, somehow. Not sure how to describe it. Any movement I make just feels more confident and precise. The odd thing is, it's not harsh at all. Some bumps that used to hurt felt much softer. As if the bump was attenuated by 50%. Magic material, this spring.