dxben

Storage? The RS4 is a DD for probably 70+% of the people here

IL RS4

About two weeks ago I traded in my 03 M3 for an RS4. I really liked the M3 but so far think that the RS is a better car. I had the SMG and drove it pretty hard, never had any problems with it in the 50,000 or so miles I put on it.

I've only got about 800 miles on the RS so I haven't been able to really explore the performance but it is definately a stronger motor. I thnk the M was a bit more nimble in the corners but that would be expected with the reduced weight.

All in all they are both great cars, I agree with you that the styling of the latest BMS's doesn't do much for me either and that helped me to make my decision.

HiRev

which DICE Audi do we choose? There is no RS4 mentioned and the A4/S4 are NA.

JoeyJoJoeJrShabadoo

I've had Ohlins on my B5 for nearly 2 years now, ~40k miles. They are fine. I'll inspect them when I replace my control arm bushings. The seals and seal guides in Ohlins automotive dampers derive from their motorcycle, ATV and snowmobile parts - Ohlins knows how to build a durable damper in punishing environments

Bauer

I kid, I kid.

Don@STaSIS

have it checked on our in-house shock dyno, needs a nitrogen charge, inspection or complete rebuild we have core Ohlins dampers on the shelf which we can send ahead of removal of the damper on the customer's car. The customer removes their unit, installs the unit we send and no down time while we inspect, repair, rebuild and test in-house.

Also note that the Ohlins dampers we use have seals designed for offroad use and rarely have maintenance issues. That being said we have Ohlins dampers out with customers for more than 3 years with tens of thousands of miles on them without issue or rebuild. The maintenance schedule does not need to be followed down to the last mile as we are using these in street applications, not full race applications, however inspecting any suspension component when the car is up in the air is highly recommended, how else would you find a leaky damper

Cheers!

Don@STaSIS

so keep that in mind when thinking about our Motor Sport suspension.

Most of the use for almost all of our Ohlins based suspension kits is street use, this goes for B5, B6, B7, C5, R32/TT, etc. The dampers we use are designed for multiple applications but as with much of this level of Ohlins offerings it is track oriented. We work with Ohlins to have the damper spec'd to our use and needs, these are not standard off the shelf Ohlins dampers. 12-15k miles oil interval changes are not required, especially considering these units are mainly street driven. I would always recommend regular inspection and a warm water or even cold water cleansing is good, this is good for any suspension component.

The Ohlins components do not "wear" quickly or require rebuilding on a schedule that is out of tune with the life of a street vehicle or an OE damper. A mild amount of oil degredation may occur with extended periods of use and on a street vehicle with rubber busings and mountings this will be amazingly hard to detect. We are not talking about exposing the damper to race conditions on a daily basis or weekly basis, nor are we talking about solid mounting points for all of the suspension components. Your control arm bushings will likely wear faster and show more signs of degredation with mileage than an Ohlins damper.

We have customers and employees here running these units into the 50k mile range without rebuild, repair or otherwise needing to remove the dampers, but to be honest we do not see folks running the Ohlins dampers on the Lotus frequently having the units rebuilt or having the oil changed, we actually have multiple Lotuses in the shop right now

Now a track only or spirited only car like a Lotus with an Ohlins setup you may in fact notice a minute difference, if you are really driving the car to it's absolute limits.

Now remember we are comparing the Ohlins based system to something that is not rebuildable whatsoever, cannot be adjusted at all and is not entirely geared towards track use. The Ohlins we design are a step up, some people may not want or need a step from the stock system. Though if you are looking for more out of your RS4 we can provide you with more and without compromise, you do not need to remove your Ohlins every 10k miles to have them rebuilt or have the oil changed, this is just not needed.

Cheers,

Don@STaSIS

as several folks have stated. We have folks with 40-50k miles running these without removal, rebuilding or otherwise needing any service. The Ohlins recommendation on some of their dampers in track/race use for changing oil is not needed for street with occasional track use applications. Any difference in behavoir due to oil degredation would be less apparent than having a control arm bushing wear over 15k miles.

We very rarely see any rebuilds or repairs on these dampers, I mean maybe 2-3 a year. It's really that infrequent.

Cheers!