gk1

I understand the tradeoffs of sporty/stiff suspensions vs. comfort but I also know it is possible to get it "right" and have a sporty ride that absorbs enough impact to not be considered too harsh (without ADS.)

Over the years I have gone through several Audi's model and I am looking for opinions on suspension feel...particularly how they handle poor road conditions for the purposes of this thread.

The best I can think of is a 1 to 10 rating system.

1 being horrible on poor roads (i.e. hardcore race suspension. Think full race Dodge Viper ACR), 10 being A8/Q7 air suspension in comfort mode.

My ratings...
I give the B5 S4 with 225/45/17 tires a 5. Good balance.

I give the B7 A4 sport with 235/40/18 a 3. (i.e. too stiff and too harsh for poor roads)(I bent 3 Ti package wheels on potholes.) However the handling was very good.

I give the C6 A6 standard with 245/40/18 a 7. Much more comfortable than the B7 A4 sport but it shows in worse handling.

I'm hopeful the B8 S4 with 255/35/19 comes in around 5 again considering the improvements in the suspension and chassis platform over ten years. On my short test drive it felt composed over road irregularities, but it is hard to tell.

Also anyone with real world seat time comparison of a full ADS S4 and a standard S4 would be greatly appreciated.

rktskicar

I would suggest that you take one out on a route of your choice and rate it yourself. I think if you have lots of nasty potholes, should just run the ADS. My only frame of reference for me is between my Stasis Tracksport B5 S4 600/700 suspension and this car. Let's just say that she bitched about B5 S4 ride, but has not on this car...

Bruce

gk1

That is good input. Thank you. It is an excellent frame of reference that a Tracksport B5 S4 received complaints but the stock B8 S4 does not. While I do like the idea of ADS I am not a fan of the price, the prestige package requirement, and potential repair costs (i.e. C5 RS6 Dynamic Ride Control DRC).

Also I'm not even sure ADS will absorb potholes any better than the standard suspension. I mean it is not like air suspension where the car is supported on the airbags with no coil springs. AFAIK the steel springs are identical between ADS and non-ADS. It is just the difference of adjustable valving dampers vs. fixed valving.

I can see how the stiffened valving of dynamic mode could improve cornering and handling over the standard suspension. The looser valving of the comfort mode in my mind would allow for a more smooth ride but at its limits, like when crashing into a pothole, it could only do so much.

Unfortunately even when dealers had stock there were very few if any ADS equipped cars for me to try. I did get to play with it at the Audi Driving Event on an A4, but it was on a racetrack and there was no way to check the pothole-worthiness.

At any rate, as much as I like ADS I've already committed to compromise that option. I'm just still looking for comparisons mostly just to satisfy my own curiosity.

DrGP

You will never be sure until you actually get the car. I doubt that a test drive will give you enough feedback to have you be certain about the ride and handling characteristics. Not sure someone else can tell you either. There is an QW forum member who bought his car for driving in NYC and is really unhappy with the ride quality even with 18" tires and Conti DWS all season tires. I can tell you from my personal experience that I thought the suspension on my B6 S4(same as the B7) was extremely more harsh with 18" wheels than the B8 with 19" wheels. Handling on the B8 is also much better with the sport dif. But you can tweak things by changing wheels tires and adjusting tire pressure and even adjusting the suspension.

gk1

True, in two replies though I've gotten pretty good feedback comparing older Audis to the B8. I could see the QW member begin upset...perhaps he came from some other brand or SUV.

I guess what I'm curious is for example if that same QW member had a full ADS equipped car would he be please or would it be about the same on poor NYC roads? Mind you this is all comfort-wise. I'm sure the handling will be fine and perhaps arguably a bit better with full ADS.

Another way to look at it would be is the ADS suspension more of a performance enhancement or a comfort enhancement? I know the settings, but is "comfort" more like "comfort cruise", so the car is not too twitchy for some people while cruising? i.e. "anti-dynamic" mode as opposed to a true "comfort" setting like the air suspensions.

I'm no suspension expert but I'm always interested in being educated. Without having completely different spring rates how can electronically modified damper valving allow the car to have improved comfort at the limit on poor road surfaces?

I know it is all subjective and I'm possibly having a difficult time conveying my thoughts. What's good for me may not be for you which is why I'm eliciting direct comparisons of previous owners.

I need to just keep reminding myself...if full ADS didn't exist I'd still want the car. :-)

Thanks for the feedback.

DrGP

He had an Allroad

rktskicar

Yes, seemed like a bit of a whiner to me DrGP.

Bruce

Steven Lin

This is all subjective, of course.

I drove a B5 S4 for 11 years. The stock suspension was too soft (too much dive and squat). I would have given it a 6. Upgrading to H&R Street coilovers improved to a 4.

I would rate my B8 S4 on stock 19" wheels without ADS also a 4.