Handling....

ilim

ilim

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As the s3 hasnt got the best handling.. planning to get coil-overs and FARB and RARB.. would these 2 together give better handling?



ilim
 
The short answer is yes.

The best of the mainstream coil overs are kW or Bilstein and again with each there are options in terms of price and adjustability.

ARBs will improve the handling and together with good coil overs will reduce understeer and soggy handling.
 
Is there anyway of retaining the original shocks (for the comfort) & fitting the F&R ARB.

I had lowered kit on the TDI & the ride was awful even on 18,s. I dont want that again on the S3.

I understand there has to be a compromise somewhere, but i suspect even the addition of ARB,s will improve it no end
 
audi upgrades
You certainly can fit just uprated ARBs but that's not going to completely cure the problems.

Maybe the best way is to simply fit the ARBs and see if that's sufficient before going to the cost of coil overs as well.

A decent set of coilovers such as the kW v3s will offer a good ride as well as much better handling but do need a bit if time tailoring the bump and rebound settings to your requirements.

Mine is pretty stiffly set up but still rides bumps etc well without bashing your fillings out.
 
Cheers for that. I admit the TDI only had springs fitted with genuine shocks so that will account for the ride. The KW3 seem like a fantastic set of shocks.
I can only imagine it then gets into an "OCD" type of effect where i cant leave them alone & will be constantly meddling & never happy.

Whats the concensus on the KW2 ?

My S3 nearly went across 2 lanes on the slip road last night when i hammered it :scared2:
 
The v2 would be a decent comprise if you don't want to spend much time setting it up.

If you want something you can either fiddle with or change as you alter other parts of the car then the v3 would be better.

I'd have to say that it took quite a bit of time to get it right on mine and I do tend to be a bit obsessive about it.
Now that the power has increased a lot more it's beginning to feel a bit squirmy again,so I can feel some more mods coming on.
 
See, now i knew you were going to say you meddled with it ..A LOT...


S3Alex said:
The v2 would be a decent comprise if you don't want to spend much time setting it up.

If you want something you can either fiddle with or change as you alter other parts of the car then the v3 would be better.

I'd have to say that it took quite a bit of time to get it right on mine and I do tend to be a bit obsessive about it.
Now that the power has increased a lot more it's beginning to feel a bit squirmy again,so I can feel some more mods coming on.
Click to expand...
 
Blackie said:
See, now i knew you were going to say you meddled with it ..A LOT...
Click to expand...

Well yes....but it's now handling as I like it even if it's beginning to get overtaken by power again.

Mine's not really the best example to go from as it's been modified beyond what most will stop at,but at Stg2+ that setup really does work well.

I need a bit more front end on mine plus a few other ideas but it does have around 500bhp to manage.

Getting back onto the summer tyres will help me but in your case,you may find the v2 is better.
 
I've got the H&R ARBs on mine but I don't know what the suspension kits you've mentioned would be like.

You need to decide really how much you want to do to the car,as you need decent suspension and brakes for Stg2+ but would be OK with lower priced solutions if you stay with less power.
 
Blackie said:
Cheers

I am only planning on staying @ St1 . I have just ordered some H&R ARB,s & an anti dive kit. I,ll fit those & see what happens
Click to expand...

I'd have thought that should work well and will save you shelling out for a suspension kit which you may not need,or worse,paying for a kit which isn't up to the job later on.

Hope it works out fine.

PS....I thought Stg 1 would be enough until the old modifying bug bit.
 
Blackie said:
Cheers

As they say "Power is nothing without control"
Click to expand...

Very true.

You can get a lot more out of a lower powered car with good handling and brakes,than an overpowered brute that can't stop or go around corners.
 
GNJ_Motorsport said:
If you don't think you would adjust the damping then KW V2 or V3 would be overkill. I'd go for something like the AP or Weitec Hicon GT coilovers and the H&R ARB's.

AP Coilover Suspension Kit S3 8P / S3 8P Sportback 2.0T FSi Quattro (01/07-) - GNJ Motorsport

H&R 24mm Front & 26mm Rear Anti Roll Bar Kit S3 8P / S3 8P Sportback 2.0T FSi Quattro (11/06-) - GNJ Motorsport
Click to expand...

I gave exactly that sort of advice above and suggested he starts with the ARBs first and sees if that alone provides what he's after before proceeding further.

It may be that a bit more roll stiffness does the job although that retains the coilovers as the next step.
 
arbs are way to go. i did them first with whiteline walk kit and was really impressed with oem suspension. then i added kw v3's and...do i have to say more :D
 
audi upgrades
S3Alex said:
I gave exactly that sort of advice above and suggested he starts with the ARBs first and sees if that alone provides what he's after before proceeding further.

It may be that a bit more roll stiffness does the job although that retains the coilovers as the next step.
Click to expand...

Yes spot on mate. I have H&R springs on our S3 at the moment as a stop gap until we fit coilovers and I find it still handles pretty well at Shark stage 3. In the summer I will be going down the coilover route with the H&R ARB's.
 
GNJ_Motorsport said:
Yes spot on mate. I have H&R springs on our S3 at the moment as a stop gap until we fit coilovers and I find it still handles pretty well at Shark stage 3. In the summer I will be going down the coilover route with the H&R ARB's.
Click to expand...
I had the ARBs and kW v3 suspension fitted as one job,and it did make a big difference.

What really rounded it off was fitting the Haldex controller,and together whilst they don't get rid of the understeer completely,it does remove most of it.
The only way of correcting it fully would be adjustable top mounts and probably stiffer front springs and increased damping to match,but the top mounts will probably remove a lot of the road-friendly nature that it still has.

I've had a road going race car before,and didn't really want to go down that route again.

It is getting a bit squirmy again now,as I said before,as the power and torque have gone up a lot since the last round of mods,but going back to the summer tyres may help.
 
Starting with just the ARBs is a good and lost cost option. I had Stage 2 and ARBs done in the same go and handling improved a lot with only a slight affect to the comfort. I got coilovers earlier this week and can absolutely fly round corners now but the ride is a lot firmer, which doesn't cause me a problem. But it is noticeably firmer. I haven't had any passengers since the mod but it will be interesting to see what they think.
 
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