Suspension ?

B6 A4
#1

I got my 140k service a few weeks ago and the shop said that my front control arms are about to be in need of replacement. I’m planning on getting that fixed up in the spring then, and was wondering if I should just go ahead and replace the struts/shocks as well. By the time I get around to replacing them, I’ll probably be close to ~150k miles, and as far as I know, the entire suspension is original (bought used at 50k mi).

I have the factory, non-sport suspension now, but would like something a little sportier. I do mostly highway driving, and don’t track my car, so coil-overs are overkill for what I need, as well as out of the price range I’m looking at, especially since I’m planning on replacing all the front control arms and tie-rod ends since the bushings are nearly dead.

I was thinking of getting a spring and shock combo, so that I get a slightly lower stance and better handling from the lower ride height. I’m just not sure what would be a good option. Would it be better to get a set with shocks/springs together, or get them separate? I realize getting them separate gives me more options, but I mainly need something that isn’t really harsh as PA roads can be brutal sometimes, but I don’t want it to be as soft of a ride as it is now, because it takes away from the experience when trying to push it hard on the few chances I do have with spirited driving.

So, I’m hoping some folks here can offer some opinions and possibly help me out with what to get. I’m not rushed for time, as I said, this is likely 2-3 months out as I’ll be doing it at the end of winter or beginning of spring. No need to replace everything and get the new components covered with road salt through the winter. TIA :slight_smile:

#2

Yea, your definitly overdue if they haven’t been changed yet. It really depends on your budget.
If your doing control arms I know JHM has a sale right now and I noticed their complete control arm kits were a really good deal. I think the 034 Density are like $380? or something for the full kit. Another thing to consider with your spring and shock combo is your ride height, springs are obviously not adjustable so if you maybe planned to get wheels coilovers might be something to consider. If you can a sway bar kit is a pretty big bang for buck upgrade when it comes to how the car handles. Hope this helps, Im sure some technical guys on here will chime in, their are some very knowledgeable guys on this forum.

#3

It is definitely time to change your control arms, with all the sales that are on at the moment you should be able to pick up a good deal.

I have changed all my control arms, shocks, springs and rear sway bar and honestly the car handle so well (from what I remember)

I went with the Febi complete control arm kit from Pure MS and I got the Bilstein shocks and H&R springs combo from ECS along with a RS4 rear sway bar.

Check out my thread http://audirevolution.net/forum/index.php?topic=150.0 and a couple of pics down you will see all that I installed and the resulting ride height.

#4

I would do the control arms and then get a nice set of springs and then the shocks. You really don’t need to go over kill. The A4 really isn’t in need of coil overs. I feel that a sway bar upgrade and close to OEM shocks and springs have made a world of difference on the car.

#5

As others have said, you’re probably well overdue for a fair bit of parts.

To add, if you get “sport springs” make sure to get shocks that match. Having shocks that aren’t designed for a certain spring rate will make the car handle poorly and be very bouncy. This isn’t difficult to match up, just don’t do sport springs with oem shocks is the main point.

Also think about bushings beyond control arms that you’ll be replacing. Such as the strut mount bushing, inner and outer tie rods (def do these!) and other points that are probably at or well boast their engineered life. If you plan on keeping this car for another year+, I think it’ll be money WELL spent and will completely rejuvenate the car.

The sway bar option is also a great cheap addition. For Audi’s (with their nose heavy tendency) I suggest only getting a rear sway bar as it will liven up the rear end and take out some of the understeer.

#6

Another thing to check out is axles, my cv joints just kicked the can pretty recently. I just did those, control arms, tie rods, coilovers. Feels like a brand new car!

#7

[quote=“A43Go6MTQ,post:2,topic:2982”]
I’m not to worried about ride height. I still have the stock 16" wheels on my car, and until I could get a full set (4+spare) of 17"/18" wheels and tires, I’ll keep them. Odds are, I won’t have any issues with ride height or rubbing as I don’t plan on going that low, or having really big/wide tires on my car.

[quote=“Lout_Jnr,post:3,topic:2982”]
Sounds like you got what I was planning on getting. What do you think of the Bilstein/H&R combo? I may get the upgraded front/rear H&R sways as well to go with it, depending on how much it will be total and how much $$ I have at the time. Did you replace the mounts for the struts/shocks when you put the new suspension stuff in as well?

Yeah, I realize that mis-matched shocks/springs can cause issues, that’s why I was looking at a matched set if possible. I also planned on slowly going through and replacing common wear items as I can. I think that after the suspension stuff gets done, the next item up will be new brakes/rotors/fluid flush, and from there, I’ll find something else. Thanks for the help folks, and if you have any other suggestions on stuff that should be replaced at the same time, I’d welcome the suggestions. I’d rather replace a bunch at once and not have to worry about it then have to rip a bunch of the same things apart multiple times to replace something.