Audi S3 Quattro Suspension

beefermackay

beefermackay

Registered User
Joined
Jan 4, 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Location
Aberdeen
Hi guys and gals,

Hope someone can help just bought a 1999 Audi S3 Quattro it has been lowered on coilovers and there is a knocking noise from the front so i put it to the garage and they said the anti roll bar links are missing and o/s steering arm is badly worn why would the links be missing ? will standard ones go on ? and what is a steering arm ?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Steering arm would be the "tie bar" or track rod end? both of these parts are to do with moving the wheel side to side,if they are badly worn and fail....you dont want to know lol the mechanic needs to be more descriptive,the roll bar probably has been removed due to the car been lowered to far and the roll bar fouling the body....standard or uprated roll bar will be best to go on and it would be best to raise the car up to a suitable height,hope this helps
 
Last edited:
I suspect the reason there was knocking in the first place is some of the cheaper coil over kits have the drop link mount lower down on the shocker and require shortened drop links... using std links brings the ARB too close to the lower arm and it hits...

not having a front ARB will affect the handling somewhat... make the S3 quite oversteery...

This is a couple of threads about this and one quite recently... Damian at DPM (site sponsor) can get the shortened drop links..

Steering arm is the bit from the steering rack to the track rod end...

<tuffty/>
 
Thanks, Any idea on costs ? thing is my car really doesnt seem that low ? if i was to raise the car back up could i just put a standard roll bar on sorry for all the questions.
 
when you put coilovers on the drop links are a bast*rd to get back on... so i imagine the plonker that put the coilovers on just left them off!!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: beefermackay
audi upgrades
Thanks Guys im sure my car isnt that low so ill try standard Arb links and see what happens, Also need to replace the front down pipe as is starting to blow at the flexi best place to buy a new one ? Is it possible to repair ?
 
you can buy flexi exhaust pipe off ebay in pretty much any bore you want for about 15-20 quid... so not really worth patching it up just put a fresh bit on :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: beefermackay
You no what's coming next don't ya !!! Anyone no what bore exhaust (Flexi) is on a 1999 S3 Quattro 1.8 T ?
 
beefermackay said:
Thanks Guys im sure my car isnt that low so ill try standard Arb links and see what happens, Also need to replace the front down pipe as is starting to blow at the flexi best place to buy a new one ? Is it possible to repair ?
Click to expand...

If its the OEM downpipe then best bet is to just buy a 3" aftermarket one.. OEM flexi is not the same as replacement ones you buy and the about of effort required to remove the OEM downpipe means you may as well replace it with a better one... if the flexi is going then tbh thats the best place to split the OEM dp in half to make it easier to remove..

XS Power sell a 3" DP for around 300 quid

<tuffty/>
 
No front ARB = more oversteer? Interesting.
 
The garage hasnt said the front Arb is missing just the Arb links is that possible ?
 
beefermackay said:
The garage hasnt said the front Arb is missing just the Arb links is that possible ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, they could have just not fitted the links and left the ARB flapping about... this I suspect then would be your knocking noise :)

<tuffty/>
 
Can someone have a look at the pic of my car and tell me if it looks overly low ie problems with Arb links rubbing ?
 
Do you know the make of the coilovers, there should be no issues with known brands, although there is one where the drop link bracket on the shocks seems to be set to low for standard links...
 
Fraid not no markings on it thinking about putting Jom coilovers on but only if the will work with standard Arb links and Arb if anyone has fitted Jom coilovers please give me some feed back.
 
beefermackay said:
Fraid not no markings on it thinking about putting Jom coilovers on but only if the will work with standard Arb links and Arb if anyone has fitted Jom coilovers please give me some feed back.
Click to expand...

you pay peanuts you get monkeys, £170? that's like £37 a corner and that £37 needs to be shared between a shock, spring and link, there's no quality control, cheap materials, crap seals..........

if you want a good set up you need to spend around £800 plus fitting in my opinion
 
audi upgrades
Problem is i dont think the car is worth putting £800 worth of suspension on it its a 1999 .
 
beefermackay said:
Problem is i dont think the car is worth putting £800 worth of suspension on it its a 1999 .
Click to expand...

the thing is you need to remember is it's an old £28,000 car, putting £170 suspension on it will cost you in the long run
 
colicabcadam said:
you pay peanuts you get monkeys, £170? that's like £37 a corner and that £37 needs to be shared between a shock, spring and link, there's no quality control, cheap materials, crap seals..........

if you want a good set up you need to spend around £800 plus fitting in my opinion
Click to expand...

£800 + fitting?! Why? There are more then capable kits from £450 - £500 upwards.
 
I agree, I would do it properly and buy a better kit. I believe there are suspension kits out there weitec, kw v1 which are meant to be really good and are a bit under that.
I would definitely advise against going cheap with the s3, having spent out on cheap coilovers which set me back 200 quid, then fitting on top I'm now after 3000 miles throwing them away and buying a decent set.
If I were to do it again I wouldn't bother with the cheap stuff do it properly and have the peace of mind that it will last the life of the car! Having to change your suspension every year or so will soon mount up and be a right pain over the coming years if you plan to keep the car!
 
Agreed, Ideally you buy the best you can, but the OP does not think its worth putting an expensive kit on, so its up to him...
What he needs to do his get a pic of the coilles he has got on and we can advise accordingly
he could have KWs for all we know and the previous owner was to lazy/forgot about the drop links..
 
s3dave said:
What another £170 if it lasts 2 years?
Click to expand...

another £170 plus fitting and inconvenience, when the seals go on the shocks and they leak every single ml of fluid in them, failed MOT, odd tyre wear, terrible handling

have a look at the following google searches

jom coilovers knocking - Google Search
jom coilovers problems - Google Search

but yea, if you fancy wasting your time and you do not mind your car sounding like it has a tool box under the car full of spanners then go ahead

Reesy said:
£800 + fitting?! Why? There are more then capable kits from £450 - £500 upwards.
Click to expand...

i'd only go with bilstein, h & r, eibach, kw or koni, all of which hang around the £800+ mark
 
colicabcadam said:
but yea, if you do not mind your car sounding like it has a tool box under the car full of spanners then go ahead and buy a diesel
Click to expand...

Edited for truth.

I personally wouldn't spend £170 on coilies, but if you are desperate for them, that might be the only option. I plan to buy my suspension parts over a few months to share the cost, and will be getting a kit around £500.
 
To be honest the price you pay these days makes little difference. Most of the companys outsource manufacturing to the same factory's in third world countries !

I had a £1800 set of tein coilovers on one of my Jap cars and they were crap, I had to rebuild them about 4 times in teh space of 6 months as they kept blowing seals even though they were valved for UK use.

I then had a set of Ohlins coilovers on one of my Evo's, they were awesome but were they worth the £2700 asking price ? I would say yes If I had been using the car as a race car but for a road car thats a ridiculous price !

I had "hot tuning" coilovers on my Corrado and I have to say they were really good. I also had a set of Raceland ones on my Golf years ago and again they were excellent especially for the £160ish they cost me !

If you can afford expensive ones then go for it but the point I am making is dont expect miracles from them just because they are dear shocks.

Having had experience with both coilovers, spring kits, uprated dampers etc on various cars my suggestion would be save your money. Dont get coilovers at all. Spend the cash on a good set of springs and uprated shocks instead and they will not only last you longer but you will have a much more comfortable ride.

I am just planning to lower my S3 very slightly with some good quality springs as I like the ride as it is just now, and being honest I dont feel it sits overly high either so I am in no rush to make any changes.
 
I think im going to go for standard shocks and springs as from what standard S3's ive seen they still look good. Just waiting for a price back but i suspect standard will be as expensive as a Mid range set up coilovers or shocks springs.
 
Westy said:
It doesn't have to be coilovers! I've got a KW kit that cost just short of £600 but I fitted it myself.

Ideally the op will also need a 4 wheel alignment what it's all fitted which is another £100.
Click to expand...

I bought the same kw kit from Damian at dpmperformance and it's excellent. It's low enough and rigid enough to provide aesthetics and much improved handling but retains the comfort for everyday driving. I didn't pay much more than £400 I recall.

However, fitting and alignment is up to you but remember the affect on camber. You are likely to need tie bars too to ensure car wheel are planted and avoiding unusual tyre wear.

Also, at this stage, bushes and spacers are another nice touch.
 
you can always go oem on the shocks and then get decent lowering springs....
 
beefermackay said:
I think im going to go for standard shocks and springs as from what standard S3's ive seen they still look good. Just waiting for a price back but i suspect standard will be as expensive as a Mid range set up coilovers or shocks springs.
Click to expand...

Depends where you get them from. I'm sure when one of my rear shocks was leaking Audi wanted £300ish to supply and fit both the rear shocks!
 
Can't go wrong with a set of Bilstein B8's and a set of H&R, Eibach or Apex springs...

<tuffty/>
 
<tuffty/> said:
Can't go wrong with a set of Bilstein B8's and a set of H&R, Eibach or Apex springs...

<tuffty/>
Click to expand...

As Tufty says Bilstein B8s and Eibach are the way to go, remember buy cheap buy twice, as another poster says the S3 was a £28,000 car and you should fit good kit which is not always cheap kit. Worth it in the long tern, and makes selling easier IMHO

Nige
 
sportquattro said:
As Tufty says Bilstein B8s and Eibach are the way to go, remember buy cheap buy twice, as another poster says the S3 was a £28,000 car and you should fit good kit which is not always cheap kit. Worth it in the long tern, and makes selling easier IMHO

Nige
Click to expand...

I agree but almost every kit or most combination will be significantly better than standard.

My dampers were almost twice the size of standard and of far better build quality.

It's a question of cost benefit and inclination whilst taking into account your intentions with a 10 year old car.
 
Hi try these
ive just fitted these and they have a 3 year warranty.
they cured my knocking noise, dont bother spending loads unless you want a track day car.
the front are not an easy fit, but for 165 free delievery there worth it.
eBay - The UK's Online Marketplacegood luck with the car
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

D
S3 and A3 Quattro suspension
Replies
4
Views
911
doublem_1
D
J
Quattro suspension.
Replies
10
Views
1K
DPM
DPM
S
S3/Quattro Rear Suspension Torque Specs???
Replies
13
Views
9K
warren9022
warren9022
ceS3r
Audi S3 Suspension question
Replies
2
Views
817
VeVeX
V
Welly
S3 Quattro & TT Quattro suspension - Are they identical?
Replies
32
Views
6K
jojo
jojo
Top
Back