Question about coilovers
08-26-2001, 08:00 AM
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Question about coilovers
I heard that K&N coilovers were the way to go before any chipping. I do notice a good bit of body roll, but I actually like the way the car rides otherwise. 2 questions: Will the coilovers significanly lower the ride height? Will the coilovers significantly worsen the ride (ie. make the suspension a lot more stiff, and feel all road bumps)? I'd appreciate some advice. Thanks - Yan
08-26-2001, 08:16 AM
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Answers about coilovers
I think you mean H&R coilovers -- K&N doesn't make suspension parts for the S4. ;-)
I have H&R "street" coilovers. They are, IMHO, the best coilover choice when you want to preserve the S4's great ride qualities. They won't make the ride noticably harsher. They <i>will</i> make body movements more controlled and confidence-inspiring, reducing side-to-side roll as well as reducing front-to-back dive and squat.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/784/hr-coilovers.jpg">
An adjustable-height coilover suspension setup will let you choose the amount of lowering you wish to perform. With the H&R "streets", if I recall correctly, you can lower the car a total of just under an inch, to just over two inches. In the picture above, you can see the black perches underneath the spring are mounted on a threaded part of the shock body. By raising or lowering these perches (easy to do by yourself), you can adjust the ride height.
A fixed-height suspension, like the Intrax/Koni setup, will offer similar improvments in body motions, however the amount of lowering they will cause is predetermined and unchangable.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/784/lowered.jpg">
I chose to lower my car about 1.7" in the front and 1.1" in the rear, as shown above. I am careful when driving, and so far I have hit/scraped <i>nothing</i> with the car this low.
I agree that, if you plan to do lots of modding of your S4, suspension is definitely a good thing to do prior to chipping.
(By the way, I refer to these as the H&R "street" coilovers because that's a common name for this particular setup, to differentiate it from the H&R "ultra" coilovers, which use much stiffer springs and will very much affect the ride quality of the car.)
Good luck, feel free to email me if you have any other questions.
I have H&R "street" coilovers. They are, IMHO, the best coilover choice when you want to preserve the S4's great ride qualities. They won't make the ride noticably harsher. They <i>will</i> make body movements more controlled and confidence-inspiring, reducing side-to-side roll as well as reducing front-to-back dive and squat.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/784/hr-coilovers.jpg">
An adjustable-height coilover suspension setup will let you choose the amount of lowering you wish to perform. With the H&R "streets", if I recall correctly, you can lower the car a total of just under an inch, to just over two inches. In the picture above, you can see the black perches underneath the spring are mounted on a threaded part of the shock body. By raising or lowering these perches (easy to do by yourself), you can adjust the ride height.
A fixed-height suspension, like the Intrax/Koni setup, will offer similar improvments in body motions, however the amount of lowering they will cause is predetermined and unchangable.
<img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/784/lowered.jpg">
I chose to lower my car about 1.7" in the front and 1.1" in the rear, as shown above. I am careful when driving, and so far I have hit/scraped <i>nothing</i> with the car this low.
I agree that, if you plan to do lots of modding of your S4, suspension is definitely a good thing to do prior to chipping.
(By the way, I refer to these as the H&R "street" coilovers because that's a common name for this particular setup, to differentiate it from the H&R "ultra" coilovers, which use much stiffer springs and will very much affect the ride quality of the car.)
Good luck, feel free to email me if you have any other questions.
08-26-2001, 08:22 AM
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more answers...
i have h&r ultras. my car is significantly lower and stiffer. if you want to preserve the ride quality, i wouldn't recommend these. my car handles extremely well, but i feel every bump in the road.
08-26-2001, 08:46 AM
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I agree... I just got back from a 800 mile drive over twisting roads....
that I drove last year before I got the 19mm sway bar. I noticed the "day to day" differences around town with the sway bar instantly, but this was my first real road run with the sway bar. HUGE difference. Probably the best bang for the buck modification, imo.
Earnie
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08-26-2001, 09:51 AM
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Follow-up questions
What would be the reasons to go with a set of coilovers as opposed to sway bars. Do sway bars go on front and rear? What is the price difference you are talking about? I'm kinda new to this whole mod thing, so please use small words.
08-26-2001, 10:46 AM
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Follow-up answers
Coilovers or a spring/shock swap will remove that floaty feeling the car tends to have. That annoys the hell out of me, so I'm getting the Intrax/Koni setup. Plus, the car will have a lower center of gravity when it is lowered, so it should handle a little better just on that principle. As of right now, you just want to replace the rear sway bar (not the fornt). I have the 19mm model from Neuspeed and it works nicely. I feel more confident taking the car through twisties. I have heard from Eric at SPP that Intrax will be coming out with a full sway bar package for both front and rear. He claims the Intrax/Koni setup with the sway bar package will really make the car handle well. Just an FYI.
Coilovers are $1250 minimum plus a good piece of change for installation. Supreme Power Parts (SPP) has a group buy going on the Intrax/Koni setup (springs/shocks) for $699. The sway bar is around $200 plus no more than $60 to install.
Hope that helps.
Coilovers are $1250 minimum plus a good piece of change for installation. Supreme Power Parts (SPP) has a group buy going on the Intrax/Koni setup (springs/shocks) for $699. The sway bar is around $200 plus no more than $60 to install.
Hope that helps.
