Whiteline WALK on S3

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volkskid

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I bought a used set and wanted to fix it up but the VAG mechanic I go to advised me against doing so. He opined this would be a very good mod on the GTI but not much for the S3, sell it off and save some money for tea/biscuits. lol He also mentioned that the WALK needs to be greased from time to time too.

Most chaps I know did the WALK together with other handling mods, ie arb, coilovers, etc, so they can't really provide an independent review on the WALK. Does the WALK really improve steering feel and handling on the S3 as claimed by Whiteline and any potential downside not disclosed?
 
I'd been looking into this some time ago and was torn on it. I think the FWD cars get a much greater benefit as they need to make every bit of possible traction through the driven wheels. I've been inclined to hold off this for now and am considering a rear ARB upgrade (adjustable) at a later stage. APS said I should get more bang for the buck from this.
 
I'll be having the Superpro WALK kit and TCA arms fitted to mine shortly.

I do have traction problems in 1st through to 4th but obviously the engine is a big part of that.

I've already had the ARBs and suspension done,plus a Haldex controller but will also be getting all of the bushes uprated as well as 18x9 wheels and R888 tyres so I'll report back when that's done.
 
Thanks Alex, intrigued to see how it goes. I've always found the OEM set up on the S3 is to understeery and as a result it sometimes feels a bit clumsy.

I've been warned that the more poly you add the less feel you get through the car as to where the limit of grip is. As I'm not the worlds greatest driver to be fair I like that feeling that limits have been reached and that I can read them. With your 888's that should give you all the grip you need so can't wait to see what you think of it when its done.

With the 19's at the front matters don't improve (unsprung weight I guess), but the Eibach sportline kit has helped a bit, so I'm hoping ARB will add to the mix. If you feel the WALK's really help I may invest as you clearly know what you're doing.
 
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Thanks very much!

Not sure I know that much,but I do try to pass some of it on!

The ARBs are probably the single biggest improvement followed by the shocks.

Poly bushes do improve feel from what I know of my previous cars but you get the trade off of more noise etc.

I do still have understeer but only when it's pushed really hard but that is a problem on a trackday but getting the power down is another.
 
I can give my view on a FWD Cabrio (not the most performance oriented model but ...) as these are the only suspension changes I've done so far (done on Monday) ... I can only describe the change as the steering feeling 'tighter' so the steering wheel itself feels 'heavier' as you turn and you get a more 'planted' feel on the road. I too will fit ARB as I think the Cabrio suffers a little too much body roll and having talked to AMD and APR both said ARBs would provide a greater improvement than any other suspension mod. I'm happy with my S Line setup otherwise.
 
warren_S3 said:
I'd been looking into this some time ago and was torn on it. I think the FWD cars get a much greater benefit as they need to make every bit of possible traction through the driven wheels. I've been inclined to hold off this for now and am considering a rear ARB upgrade (adjustable) at a later stage. APS said I should get more bang for the buck from this.
Click to expand...


Why just the rear ARB? Is it not recommended to do both Front and Rear ARB for more balance?
 
I'm led to believe that if you tighten up the rear of the car with a bit less roll it improves turn in and removes some of the understeery tendency of the car.

If you then add the front it can moderate the effects of the changes at the rear.

No personal experience on this, and I'll admit I wondered 'why no front' myself, but I'll add the rear and see how things improve.
 
From what I've heard if you set rear to stiff and front to soft gives the best results and less understeer. I'm quite looking forward to hear more reg the WALK as I have ARB bought the other day and now considering to fit them on their own or with the kit at the same time.
 
Y'alright Red!

Be intrigued to see how it goes mate. Get them fitted together as there is no point getting the car up in the air twice!

Can heartily recommend APS in Brackley (Northants) for suspension work, but AmD Surrey might be better for you locally. Also consider the Phirm as they can't be far from your neck of the woods.
 
volkskid said:
I bought a used set and wanted to fix it up but the VAG mechanic I go to advised me against doing so. He opined this would be a very good mod on the GTI but not much for the S3, sell it off and save some money for tea/biscuits. lol He also mentioned that the WALK needs to be greased from time to time too.

Most chaps I know did the WALK together with other handling mods, ie arb, coilovers, etc, so they can't really provide an independent review on the WALK. Does the WALK really improve steering feel and handling on the S3 as claimed by Whiteline and any potential downside not disclosed?
Click to expand...
To answer your question - I had the WALK installed prior to any other suspension mods on my S3. I can tell you it makes a huge difference. Steering is less vague, feels tighter and heavier. The car "bites" into a corner while previously it was a bit "woolly". In fact it made so much difference that when I drove out of the mechanics I nearly drove the car up the median strip LOL.
 
I had three items done on Monday - WALK, Carbonio and Quickshift ... of the three I noticed the positive effect of the WALK the most.
 
No idea what WALK is, i'm guessing something Anti Lift Kit?

Anyways, very very generally the stiffer the suspension or ARB on a axle the less grip.
So if you fit thicker ARB's on the rear then you can (again very very generally) expect to have slightly less grip on that axle, so the car will feel slightly more of a tendency to oversteer.

Obviously car dynamics is a massively complex thing and different cars, surfaces, tyres etc etc can have a MASSIVE impact but as a general rule of the thumb the stiffer the ARB on a axle the less grip to that axle.

It's also worth noting that if you try and reduce roll by using stiffer ARB's very often the negative of this will be the car will feel more twitchy over bumps, especially bumpy corners.

There is a point where if roll is THAT bad a thicker ARB will give a slight gain in grip, but as (in my limited experience) that does not seem to be the case with A3/S3's i would say that unless you are spending a fair bit of time on smooth tracks i would avoid fitting thicker ARB's.


Cheers
Mark
 
I saw a picture on another forum (I'll try to track it down) that showed GTI/A3 bushes, S3 bushes, and TT bushes side by side. All are made from rubber, the GTI/A3 having the most "void" in them, the TT's were solid, and the S3 fell in the middle. The Whiteline kit will be an upgrade on any of those cars, being solid and polyurethane (instead of rubber.) :thumbup:
 
i have both walk and arbs. but i did them at the same time. it was a huge improvement over stock setup. i was impressed, and my shocks and springs were stock at the time. for me those are the best mods i've done.
 
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