I’ve said that I would get this thread done before and I’m just starting to put it together.
I really want to get this started so that I actually finish posting all of the info and hopefully answer any questions for you guys.
I don’t have a lot of pictures of the install itself. That being said, Air Lift Performance’s website lets you download the instructions for free. https://www.airliftperformance.com/vehicle/audi-a6-2004-2011/
What I have in the car:
Air Lift Performance Struts and Bags
Accuair E-Level Rocker Switch w/ iLevel Controller (lets me use an Iphone/Ipod as the controller)
2 x Viair 400c Compressors
1 x Accuair 3 Gal Tank (adding a second tank soon)
My opinion and thoughts overall on the suspension:
I absolutely love it. The ride quality is phenomenal. Better than stock, never feels “floaty” gives me the option for a lot of clearance. These were the factors I really looked into. Air Lift Performance Struts have 23 way adjustable dampening, so there is a good amount of tweaking you can set up. I’ve left mine in the middle and I never find it too stiff.
For reference I did have a B6 S4 Avant on ST Coilovers. This S6 rides about as stiff as that car did.
I do not really roll that low and that was not my intention. Car looks good aired out obviously, but mostly I wanted to be able to drive on the crap roads we have here. Coilovers are great, but here… the roads are so shitty you will destroy your car way too fast. I have a 95 Mercedes E320 Wagon that I have dropped 4.5” static and trust me it sucks. Also it’s nice if I load up the car with a bunch of people I don’t have to worry about rubbing or other weird noises.
About the Accuair… I wish I could say that the iLevel is awesome. In theory it’s cool, wireless control of your air suspension is total scene points overload. I did it because I didn’t want to run wires through the car or have a visible controller. Problems are… It uses WiFi for communication. So there is the connection delay and sometimes… it just doesn’t want to connect. The android version crashes lots, and it really is useless. If you are using your phone, well now you have no data because the WiFI is on and connected to the iLevel. IMHO… get the touchpad. You will be much happier.
Few notes about suspension removal:
1. Rear. This is very annoying to do, and difficult without the proper spring compressor. That being said, it’s only gotta come out so follow the instructions as per the book. I used a “widowmaker” jack from the car to hold the control arms at their lowest point. In hindsight, I would just remove the lower ball joint and use a jack. BE CAREFUL when doing this.
2. Front. You CAN take the pinch bolt out… however if you live anywhere where there is salt on the roads, this is a task itself that can take hours to remove. There are threads about pinch bolt removal all over the place so I won’t go into detail. I just skipped touching mine and removed the control arm bolts at the back instead, there is plenty of room with ratcheting wrenches being your friend.
Notes about Running Lines:
Our chassis had optional air suspension in the wagons. So once you remove the plastic covers on the sides under the car you can sort of see channels. These channels is where I ran my lines, now in my set up my compressor and tank are all in my spare tire well. So the lines all originate from the rear of the car.
I ran the lines and kept them close to the brake lines. I used 3/8" lines but 1/4" works too, I really thought I would want “speed” in terms of lifting the car, but the line size isn’t much of a factor. Use either, just know that 1/4" is easier to install. And because I had E-Level I had to run wires too. I just followed the airlines.
When installing… make sure when using the PTC (push to connect) fittings that you use soapy water when inserting the air line into the fitting. This helps them seal properly.
Trunk Setup: (pics will follow)
I’m rather embarrassed to show how shitty I put this together… it was cobbled together and I never went back to finish this. This winter I will redo the setup.
What fits in the spare tire well: 2 compressors, 2 water traps, one 3 gallon tank, accuair ecu.
Again… I will post pics of this set up.
My plans for this winter is to add a second 3 gallon tank, but I will be mounting them both under the package tray at either side of the trunk. I feel like that will not compromise my trunk space too much and I can build something in the spare tire well to isolate the compressors better for noise suppression.
Level Sensors:
This was the hardest part of the install. Making this work took the most of my time and going back and forth to find the right set up.
I used brackets from Accuair for a B8 Sport Kit. The front was useless, but the rears worked great. I had to grind down the bracket to work, but it fit nicely on the sway bar bracket as per this pic:
https://i.imgur.com/q2pGsss.jpg
There is some indexing you have to do, and that is explained in the Accuair literature. I ended up indexing it 90 degrees.
For the attachment to the lower control arm, I simply drilled a hole into the control arm. All the linkages shown in the picture come with the kit. I zip tied the wire for the level sensor to the brake line.
more pics (sorry the car is filthy)
https://i.imgur.com/0jEYP71.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/x1es3wc.jpg
Front Level Sensor:
I tried using Accuair’s front sensor mount but it did not work, ended up breaking the arm of the level sensor because the control arms move.
So I came up with a different mount that works great. I used some stainless steel braces from Home Depot and painted them black. I had to drill holes for the sensors themselves but that was it.
The lower mount was connected to the bottom of the strut using a shaft/clamping collar (acklands grainger) and I drilled and tapped a threaded hole so that I could just attach the linkage right to the collar. I did this to keep the arm short on the linkage, annnnnd I didn’t want to drill into the aluminum control arm.
https://i.imgur.com/8SWSC3N.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/J0Ch1Bi.jpg
So far I’ve had a few leaks, but have been able to fix them quickly.
Pics of Car:
On Rotiform SPF 20x10et35 w/ 255/35r20 Tires
https://i.imgur.com/1yc8vxi.jpg
Rolling Shot:
https://i.imgur.com/Q2qJqFT.jpg
On Ispiri CSRD-1 19x10et42 (20mm spacers up front; 8mm rear)
https://i.imgur.com/UJWsh5f.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1edK5MT.jpg
Front Fitment:
https://i.imgur.com/WpGPNvq.jpg
Rear Fitment:
https://i.imgur.com/E4mpdXn.jpg
I will get around to adding trunk pics and if there are any questions please let me know, I’ll do my best to answer them.