branson

I have a 2001 atlas grey Allroad. we live in Sun Valley, Idaho where we get a great deal of snowfall during the winter months. we have just noticed that the rear of the car has been sliding out pretty dramatically and dangerously. we took the car in to a local tire supplier as requested by our dealer (125 miles away in boise) what we have noticed is that there is a massive build-up of snow and ice mixed with the sand and gravel of the road. add this to being up higher with the suspension and then the car lowering down at a higher speed and you get grinding on the tires!. there is such a build up from just the snow and ice, and no where for it to go. design flaw or ???. the dealer nor audi can give us an answer or a remedy.

mpm

Do you use snow tires? The OEM tires are a real compromise for the type of winter driving you face

GordonC

Set the suspension in manual mode - eliminate the height variations. Then the wheel well environment will be just like any ordinary car.

Choose level 2 manual mode for example - no ups or downs, your snow buildup will not be causing problems because it won't be able to harden in a thickness that causes interference when you reduce the wheel well clearance by dropping to level 1 - since you won't drop to level 1.

Think, man, think - you're smarter than the car! ;-)

Regards,
Gordon
'02 allroad Highland Green / Green, 6 speed +

ragtag

The car still outsmarts you in some cases...

In manual mode, the car will still lower itself automatically, it just won't raise itself back up again.

Audi made it this way to keep safety first. MAYBE the '02 Alroads work differently, but I don't think so. Set your AR to the highest setting in manual mode, exceed 25 MPH for a little while, and the car will lower itself to the next level down.

Milpitas2.7T

2002 have no manual mode, so now what is the solution??

GordonC

Come on guys, it's not that hard - 2002's don't need a manual mode either!

First off, he's talking highway driving. You really don't need position 4 at all. Seriously, you don't need position 3 either. End of those problems with auto-lowering overriding your choices - don't choose 3 or 4.

Position 2 is fine unless you need to exceed 70-some MPH where the car would lower to position 1. In 5 inches or more of snow, driving that fast would be a real bad idea anyway.

So, since I have to spell it out ;-) - 2001 allroads, choose manual mode position 2, and don't go over 70-some MPH. 2002 allroads, choose position 2, and don't go over 70-some MPH. Or in either year, choose position 1 (manual mode for '01s) and no raising or lowering happens.

What's so hard? :-D

Regards,
Gordon

branson

why should i pay $50+k for a car that is supposed to be an "allroad" vehicle, when i have to be extra special and limit my MPH because nobody thought about snow and ice build-up in the rear wheel wells? +even in manual mode, the car will lower at increased speeds. sounds like a safety issue. imagine travelling across a snowy long distance trip with a family in your car and have your tires blow out and wreck your car and possibly injure or kill a your wife or children?
no also don't get me wrong, we love this car and were the first to get one in the NW. unfortunately it has been in the shop 6 times with problems ranging from an exploding sunroof to the ride height sensor controls replaced twice (a short in the sensor box).
i love the car when nothing is wrong with it.

GordonC

"why should i pay $50+k for a car that is supposed to be an "allroad" vehicle, when i have to be extra special and limit my MPH because nobody thought about snow and ice build-up in the rear wheel wells?"

Are you serious? When road conditions are bad enough that there's heavy snow and crud build-up in the wheel wells, you can't stay below 70mph??? I don't know about your sense of safety, but I don't care what you're driving - it's not safe on a highway at over 70 mph if there's a few inches of snow/crud on the road. Period. It doesn't matter how much you paid. You need to rethink your understanding of 'allroad' if you feel off-road capability (ie high ground clearance) equates to high speed cruising in slush...

"+even in manual mode, the car will lower at increased speeds."

Only if you start out in level 3 or 4. If you start out in level 2, it won't auto-lower unless you're cruising above 70 mph. Again, if conditions are that bad, you just shouldn't be cruising above 70 mph. It ain't safe.

"sounds like a safety issue."

Sounds like someone looking for an excuse to justify a lawsuit? Common sense *should* prevail. The whole point of the suspension lowering at certain speeds is to improve stability as is required at those higher speeds - for safety. Maybe you're not smarter than the car... ;-)

Regards,
Gordon

branson

in ketchum, idaho we drive 25 to 55 miles an hour for about a 40 mile area. then you come down off a higher elevation (usually much more snow and ice in the upper altitudes) to the interstate.
IF YOU STILL HAVE SNOW AND ICE UNDER YOUR DAMN WHEEL WELLS AND YOU ARE NOW ON BARE PAVEMENT ON THE INTERSTATE, ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO DRIVE UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT OF 75MPH BECAUSE I'VE GOT SNOW AND ICE BUILT UP UNDER MY CAR WHEN I DON'T EVEN KNOW IT.

I AM NOT A LAWSUIT HAPPY ALLROAD OWNER. JUST A PISSED OFF OWNER THAT EXPECTS MORE OUT PROPER ENGINEERING.
WHO IN THE HELL DO YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE COMING OFF LIKE THAT? WHEN YOU REALLY DON'T EVEN KNOW THE ENTIRE SITUATION. ALL I WANTED WAS SOME ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO.

THANKS FOR THE DEMEANING ATTITUDE.
B

GordonC

"ALL I WANTED WAS SOME ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO"

I still don't see the crisis? Yes, I see now that you've bothered to actually explain your requirements that you need to have position 1 available for the dry interstate portion. So why don't you just start out in position 1? You still have 5.6 inches of ground clearance - isn't that enough for the higher elevation road? That's more than most cars, if still less than the SUVs out there. Unless there's only trucks and no cars up at that elevation, position 1 should still be viable. If you start in that position, then there will not be a problem with lowering onto snow/crud buildup when you reach the lower elevation.

I am an engineer - you described a problem, I described a perfectly viable solution (ie I gave you advice on what to do) which you seem to have completely ignored. The suspension does not have to change positions - just start out in the lower position. Please tell me what is wrong with that solution? Sorry for the "attitude", but don't make a mountain out of a molehill. Change your approach and eliminate the problem, don't start cursing Audi for poor engineering. No big deal.

I'm saying it's not a design flaw as you suggest or wonder. Every wheel well on every vehicle travelling in those conditions will pack with snow as you describe. It's only a problem for those very few vehicles on the road with adjustable ride height suspension systems. Just do what every other (non-adjustable) vehicle in those conditions does - keep the same ride height. If you think about the problem, it's not that tough. There are always benefits and compromises to every design. You've found one of the few compromises with the allroad's adjustable ride height suspension, but it's certainly not unexpected. Just work around it - fix it on position 1!

Regards and happy skiing,
Gordon