Who knows some technical suspension stuff to help me out here...

B6 A4
#1

So I’m in the market for new suspension because I’d like to stance my car. As most anyone who reads my thread know that I’m avid Genuine Audi parts only if its not a JHM mod. With that said I would love to replace my 02 sport suspension but with a price tag from GAP of 2115.00 not including shipping. or from my local dealer no shipping but price matched with tax added. I was thinking I maybe have some better options with a set of coilovers. I am about 130k and my car is a bit bouncy and doesn’t stick to the road like it used to when I got it at 90k. So I’d love to feel a new set of 02 sports but would they really be any better than any of these options. I never track, launch or abuse my car, rarely i drive it with a bit of enthusiast and stil want it to perform properly and better than a new genuine 02 sport would, which my only issue is could be maybe a half inch lower at most. Also I dont want to drop it too much because I dont want to have to buy adjustable control arms. Which is another bonus of having stock suspension no shops can ever give me shift if I were to ever have issues with tire wear because stock suspension will not void warranty. and 02 is almost low enough and I think still looks really good.
Also I know this may sound weird but I’ll likely see if I can paint or powder coat any colors that don’t match my car like purple and yellow. So it looks custom and clean. So heres the info and prices i have on these setups from AZ and quick google for prices…

Bilstein PSS9 A4 (~$1995 from JHM): Linear rate springs. Front is 515# with 145# helper spring, Rear is 515#. Dampening is adjustable on car. Adjuster knob adjusts compression & rebound at the same time. Height adjustable on car, spring adjuster is located at the top of the spring.

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/dfe12dcd-6202-44a2-9ff2-e98e49becfce_zpseb048940.jpg


Vogtland (~$989): Progressive front spring and linear rate rear spring. Front has a working range of 500# (475#-525#) rear is 550#. These numbers are from Vogtland USA. Height adjustable on car, dampening is preset by factory (otherwise non-adjustable)

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/VotlandsuspensionJHM_zpsd9aaebd7.jpg

ARE THESE THE GT1’s???
GT1 from ACHTUNING if they are different than JHM carries are 899$,

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/a9c0b3eb-3271-4524-bb9c-d12f955f651c_zps05c308fe.jpg

STaSIS Street Sports (~$1000): Progressive Springs Front & Rear. Front have a working rate of 450# and the rears having a working rate of 440. Height adjustable on car, height adjuster is located at the bottom of the spring. Rebound adjustable only when shock is off the car. STaSIS has preset the rebound to work with spring rate. 1” CNC’d spacer for rear spring ride height is available for $75

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/a1013295-9aec-4bef-90e5-a6948b2b5bfb_zps8964f28a.jpg

KW V1 (4cyl-Q) – (~$1200) : Linear Front Spring and rear spring. Front is 580#, Rear is 470#. Height adjustable on car. Damping is NON-Adjustable

[b]KW V1 (4cyl-FWD) – (~$1200) : Linear Front Spring and rear spring. Front is 580#, Rear is 380#. Height adjustable on car. Damping is NON-Adjustable

KW V2 (4cyl-Q) – (~$1500): Linear Front Spring and rear spring. Front is 580#, Rear is 470#. Height adjustable on car. Rebound Adjustable only when uninstalled.

KW V2 (4cyl-FWD) – (~$1500): Linear Front Spring and rear spring. Front is 580#, Rear is 380#. Height adjustable on car. Rebound Adjustable only when uninstalled.

KW V3 (4cyl-Q) – (~$1750): Linear Front Spring and rear spring. Front is 580#, Rear is 470#. Height adjustable on car. Rebound Adjustable & compression adjustable on car with modification to car. Otherwise Rebound adjustable only when uninstalled, compression adjustable while installed.

KW V3 (4cyl-FWD) – (~$1750): Linear Front Spring and rear spring. Front is 580#, Rear is 380#. Height adjustable on car. Rebound Adjustable & compression adjustable on car with modification to car. Otherwise Rebound adjustable only when uninstalled, compression adjustable while installed.[/b]
V3

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/k3_zps4527be28.gif

#2

We actually have that Vogtland kit in stock and ready to ship! Normally you would have to wait a couple of weeks for it to come from Germany. It is a very solid kit and we have had great customer feedback. The PSS9s are also fantastic, but as you can see is more than twice the price.

Jake

#3

How low do you want to go?

#4

What about KW V1 or V2 if you want adjustable rebound. The Voglands look identical to the ST coilivers which are almost the same as KW V1 coilovers.

Bilstein kits have issues long-term. Stasis is a shitty company.

Go for linear rate springs if you can. Also the helper springs are just there to make sure there is never full slack in the main spring if you hit a big bump. It keeps the spring seated 100% of the time. They are normally compressed completely. On a “stanced” car, if you have to make use of the helper springs, you’ve got bigger issues than some noise from the spring popping loose.

I got my ST coilovers I had on my S4 from 91gl(primemotoring) for a good price. Only downside to them is if you want to get the rear really low you will have to buy some 7" Hyperco 650# springs for the rear. The front, however, you can drag the oil pan if you wanted to.

#5

I’m not trying to go really low or anything, my 02 sport almost sits low enough like I said, when tires are new there is maybe a half inch to a inch a most of gap that I want removed, and there is the smallest amount of rake that can barley even be seen unless you take a second look.

I truly believe you get what you pay for so I don’t see how ST will be any good seeing how they are so cheap aren’t they like 700$? or something? Which is why i’m questioning vogtlands they are just barley 1k.

Ride Quality is what I want most. I want it to be comfortable at all times. I live in the mountains so I have lots of twisties,and I wanted to add the RS4 sway bar to help with my lean and work with my suspension properly. Like I said I don’t want to go much lower because I don’t want to have ANY, issues with improper tire wear, NONE AT ALL. with my 02 sport I have not had any. So I was hoping with less than a inch more drop I wouldn’t have any problem. I think the tech said it was either my front or rear that didn’t have camber adjustment so if I needed control arms it would only be for one of the two I forget.

I heard Bilsteins are really nice so whats wrong with issues over long periods of time, don’t they have a lifetime warranty to the original purchaser? and why is STASIS shit? they are Audi’s tuner so it only make sense they are higher quality than Audi makes, and its Koni I thought they were good? I was only leaning toward Stasis because of the price difference I’d rather not spend 2k on suspension if I can get what I want for around 1k.

Whats the difference between linear and progressive, and I don’t understand what the #'s mean of spring rates???

if I’m choosing from linear that leaves me with Bilstein, and then KW, here is there info but I was confused with the info posted on AZ as it was saying it was for 4cyl? models did that mean only 1.8?

It seems to me like Bilstein are the way to go, or Vogtlands but you said Linear and those are progressive.

IMNUTS i know you have vogtland any chance you could tell me how they feel? I really need to have something comfortable and something that holds the car solid to the ground without moving the car around at the first hit of a bump.

Maybe I need to reconsider buying NEW genuine 02 sport again that my car came with from the factory. But then im stuck with the same ride height which kinda sucks because I want to stance and add some 18z’s with my BBS’s will look so clean.

#6

I’ll jump in here.

Difference between progressive and linear springs.

Some springs will be soft for the first 10% (im just throwing numbers other there) and then as you progress through the travel, the force required to compress the spring changes.

Knowing this now, linear means that the springs require the same amount of force to compress them through their entire travel.

#7

I’ve sat in b6’s with almost all those setups. Streetsports is the way to go, one of the only CO’s I’ve experienced that was actually comfortable.

Progressive is uncomfortable. Idk how people say some of those setups ride like stock. I think they just try to justify their purchase lol.

#8

Bingo

#9

KW V3’s will not work on our cars. The rear has the spring on the shock and will not fit.

#10

Sweet thats cool to hear, I think STASIS Streetsports is the way to go then,

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/a1013295-9aec-4bef-90e5-a6948b2b5bfb_zps8964f28a.jpg

I really want the Ohlines motorsport setup most anyways, I just can’t drop 3900 on suspension for an A4. Maybe if my car had JHM supercharger I would or if I could find a used set then I would. I kinda was hoping to go with STASIS because its kinda like im still using Audi parts because stasis is Audi in my mind so i feel like i’m closer to using a genuine part.

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/Stasisolinsmotorsportkit_zps27238b49.jpg

I am wondering though if its worth it to spend extra and buy the Ohlins SL kit, looks pretty sick and heard great reviews on it, 2500 though is really pushing it, I could do the street sports and JHM Porsche BBK ( WHICH I REALLY WANT) for not much more than that, what do you guys think???..

http://i1190.photobucket.com/albums/z457/A4QuattroV6/se111-s40-01-00_zpsa8599828.jpg

is there anything else anyone can recommend to replace when doing suspension or switching to coilovers? I plan on having them on by the time it warms up and I put on my Summer BBS wheels, and I dont want to have any issues with tire wear, or any other suspenion problems for changing things that could affect other things. I plan to do RS4 sway bar as well at the same time.

#11

Stasis is not Audi. Try not to think like that ;D

#12

^^ That.

#13

^x3 lol. I def wouldn’t justify it like that.

You’ve got to remember, the biggest thing with suspension is dialing it in. So one car to the next can vary greatly, just like opinion of how a car rides bc of that.

In addition, I know you’re kinda window shopping on what looks cool, but don’t forget, the b6/7 platform doesn’t have a true coil over in the rear. So all the pics of a c.o. In the rear isn’t an accurate representation. All the kits use a perch/spring + shock in the same configuration as stock does. So don’t go googly eyed over the pic difference.

The kW v3 is regarded as a very good kit in many platforms and should be heavily considered.

The Bilstein are supposed to be good, but fine tuning them can get a bit finicky to get just right from what I’ve heard.

I had h&r and loved em, but not adjustable damper and were a bit firm, but again, I loved them.

Also, while better is always “better”, there is no need to over-buy what you’re going to use them for. Even a new shock/spring combo might be a serious contender. A properly configured shock spring combo can be very good, you just don’t have the adjustability of a c.o. But it’s not like most people are ever adjusting their c.o. Given your miles and use, I’d say a nice sport shock+sport spring might be a good option, and then let you free up some cash for other mods!

#14

A stanced car is never going to ride nicely, no matter how expensive the setup you go with.

My S4 was at 24.25" ground to fender which is pretty low. Tires were tucked about 1/4" into the fenders. When I went back to stock, it rode and handled so much better. Stock springs are linear.

I think the reason that most of the spring only lowering kits, as well as the lower end coilover setups are progressive is because they give you a slightly softer ride on your average road with small cracks and such. Throw in big bumps and it gets bouncy. Progressive springs are downright scary unpredictable when you are pushing the car. The car rocks back and forth when you hit bumps. Unpredictable weight transfer will get your in trouble before you can make a correction.

Look into issues with a Bilsteins. I know two people personally that had issues with them over a couple years. Both were DD’s here in chicago. Both had issues with the adjustment knobs

#15

In that case why don’t you get some B5 front lower spring perches and just replace the shocks?

A few people have installed the B5 front lower spring perches and said that it lowered the front of the car about a half an inch. Which leveled out the rake from the front to the back. Then if you replace the shocks, with Bilsteins or Konis, that will definitely improve the handling while keeping the ride about as close to stock as possible. It is not such a glamorous solution like coilovers but it works, it is probably the cheapest solution so you can spend money on other cool stuff, and you don’t need adjustable front upper control arms to get the front camber back into spec.

I have found good enough is good enough most of the time.

Also if you have old cracked and torn suspension control arm bushings then this is a good time to address that too.

#16

The pictures are just for show, for eye candy because everyone likes to see stuff especially when they are talking about it to make things more interesting and for reference. I know the B6 doesn’t have the traditional coilover in the rear and I don’t care what the coil overs look like,. My only issue on looks was that I wouldn’t want a kit like the bilstiens with Yellow, or purple like the KW’s, Because I’ve spent a lot of time and money to have my color scheme of car and a theme of my denim blue. and plan to incorporate some red when I get RED 18z’s and red BBS center caps so I wanted some color to go with the flow so I would paint any kit I bought that had colors like purple or yellow that didn’t go with my scheme. Other than that I dont care what the kit looks like. Form follows function.

My main goal is this,

1- Comfort
I don’t want anything bouncy and uncomfortable. So maybe its worth spending what seems to be overpriced cost for a new genuine original suspension my car came with from the factory (02 sport) it does have its beits, like shops not being able to give me any problems if have tire wear because i’m still on factory suspension. And I wont ever have improper tire wear. It is low enough to look good, but not to be flawless and quite a bit aways from being stanced.

2.- Performance.
Like joe said progressive springs can be dangerous, I can understand that and I don’t want any unwanted bouncing especially when I’m hitting some twisty roads here in the mountains where 2 ft off the road and the drop is a few thousand feet down the side of a mountain.

Isn’t the point of buying a Stasis kit is because they have already been made to spec for our cars? How much adjustment can there be on a coilover kit to mess with? I am just going to set it on comfort and drive, I’m sure that its going to be just fine like that I am a daily driver and like I said I never launch, or drive hard, just some enthusiastic driving sometimes on some twisties or cruises with local Audi meets.

Jimmy,thats good idea but its not the front that needs to go lower, its the back that the rake is in, and needs maybe a half inch maybe three qtrs tops if i had to guess. And I already have the RS4 control arm kit from JHM for the front. I haven’t done any suspension changes to the rear last inspected it all looked good.

Maybe I should measure my fender to ground height.
Also I’m not sure what other mods you guys speak of, I have all of them except the BBK with LWR’s, and the DP’s with catback which I didn’t really plan on doing becasue I can’t be loud for certain reasons. not to jump topics in thread but I defintily can’t do catback but I was MAYBE thinking of doing DP’s if I could do the B6 S4 catback to give it enough flow to not have that weird sound the DP’s had which sounded like it was from not having enough flow out the back so if the B6S4 exhaust would free that up while still keeping it quiet then I would maybe do it. I can’t be loud at all. But Anyways Other than those 2 things I have all the JHM mods.

So anyways. I thought Street sports were the way to go since Miestah said they are comfortable and for the price that would leave my room for possibly JHM front 18z kit. which I think would look sick come summer stanced with my BBS’s to show off those HUGE calipers. Thanks for all the feedback guys I appreciate it.

#17

I think stasis naming convention might be screwing me up here… Is there a different kit called street comfort? Looking at the picture of the street sports they are a progressive spring, the car I rode in had linear spring. Generally a coilover setup with linear springs will be most comfortable, just less popular as you can’t go as low.

#18

KW does, http://www.modbargains.com/KW-Street-Coilovers-Audi-A4-B7.htm

#19

Ahh, those are the ones I was talking about. Literally ride like stock I was quite impressed. They aren’t popular on forums because for the price point you can get a more performance oriented coil. But I can safely say they are a “comfy” coilover solution. The streetsports are probably a rebranded KW V1 or Koni. Which would be alright… but will be stiffer than stock.

With progressive spring coils, the people who have problems are usually just going too low. You can’t defy the laws of physics lol. about 25" GTF and you will be ok. I had ST’s on my b6 a4, and right before I sold it I raised it up a bit and found it was actually not bad. It was pretty low before, looked cool but scraped on things and wasn’t the best daily driver for comfort.

If I could do it all over I would have saved a bit more and got the street comforts.

#20

I can see how those are probably very comfortable as they say they are made for comfort. I definitely am going to highly consider them they look pretty good, although I have to add in the price to powder coat or paint the springs and those purple things. But like you said most people for the price would buy something else, And I feel the same way, for that price I would maybe rather have the STASIS Ohlins SL, I heard they are pretty comfortable too. Also I’m not sure about other suspensions like Bilstien and KW, or Vogtlands, but Stasis are made specifically for Audi’s and that’s what I meant is not that they are Audi just that I associate them with ONLY for Audi and nothing else. I’m pretty sure STASIS doesn’t make products for any other cars. Like Bilstein and KW does. I learned the same thing when I bought my clutch using that clutch masters kit that fit a million other cars. Its far better to have a product even if its made for another model of Audi the application is far better than something made to fit a bunch of other cars or by a company that makes products for every make on the market. I’d rather use a dedicated company. Also one of the main reasons why I like JHM. Other than their products actually work and are high quality.

Any other thoughts on this KW comfort coilovers?

Here are the height adjustments and spring rates for that kit on the 3.0-
Lowering Spring Rate
front Rear Front Rear
0.8-1.6 0.8-1.6 457 457