highaltitude

I’m wondering if anyone with experience with both can comment on how the KW V1 ride quality compares to that offered by the stock sports suspension? I’m not interested in slamming the car but after I get the 19” V708s I may want to drop it ½” vs. the stock sports suspension ride height and I really don’t want to degrade my ride quality vs. the OEM sports suspension on 18s. I will consider KW V2 with adj rebound if necessary but I’d like to save the money if it’s not necessary.

Appreciate any and all input.

iflywoe

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-Sport-Springs

you may not have to install coils. this might help.

highaltitude

Thanks iflywoe. I found that thread and read it carefully but after going from 18s to 19s and then dropping 1/2" I'm still concerned that I can achieve the ride quality I'm looking to preserve with just springs alone.

ItsDubC

I upsized to 19s and am riding on H&R OE Sport springs, which is the most conservative drop offered by H&R. I've retained the OEM sport shocks.

The ride quality compared to full sport suspension on 19s is interesting. It seems as tho the ride over small road imperfections is smoother w/ the H&R OE Sports, but larger road imperfections such as dips introduce a bit of residual bounciness. So the ride isn't worse per se, it's just different.

I fully intended on getting KW V1s in the beginning but at less than $300 and being able to DIY the install to save on installation cost, it was worth giving the OE Sports a chance before determining whether I needed to go w/ a full-on coilover setup that I knew I would never adjust the height of.

I'm satisfied w/ my setup now but that being said, the modbug may bite in the future and I may give the V1s or H&R coils a chance.

Another thing to note is that my decision to be set on KW V1s over other brands may have been misled. The reason many choose KW for B8 A4 application is because KW has different part #s for each A4 configuration (ie, 3.2, FrontTrak 2.0T, Quattro 2.0T, etc). This suggests that KW has deemed it necessary to manufacture coilovers that are specific to each configuration whereas H&R for example has one coilover setup that applies to many B8 A4 configurations, which had me believing that H&R was cutting corners. However, there has been a discussion that suggests that despite the different part #s for KW coilovers for the B8 A4, all of them are actually the same physically. If this is indeed the case, then much of the reason why I considered KWs initially over H&Rs becomes a moot point. I don't think anyone has bought two sets of KWs meant for different A4 configurations to definitively say whether this is true or not tho.

highaltitude

Thanks for the input ItsDubC. You make some good points. Like you I won't likely change my ride height once it's set but I'm more than happy to pay a few hundred more for the adj rebound V2s if it means I can preserve the ride quality I have now. I've search over on AZ for answers to this question but can't find any direct comparison of dropped V1 or V2 ride quality vs. stock sports suspension. Maybe this calls for a new thread...

dirtysoil

I have had the V1's for 7 months now, and can honestly say that the ride quality is very close to the OEM sport suspension. I can barely tell the difference when it comes to comfort. The V1's are head and shoulders above the OEM sport suspension in terms of performance.

ItsDubC

I'm curious as to whether the V2s (or V3s if not) can provide the drop while actually improving ride quality over OEM sport suspension.

highaltitude

Yes, I'd be happy with matching OEM sports package ride quality but if it could actually be improved then sign me up.

ItsDubC

Clear out some space in your inbox/outbox my man, I'm trying to respond to your PM

highaltitude

I just cleared all but 7 messages out last week . Anyway now I have no messages in my PM folder. Thanks for the help.