Sport Or Se Suspension?

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J4MMYz

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Okay, I guess theres quite a few posts about this as I have read a few, but I want a more up to date opinion now people are living with theirs.

I want to order an s line A3 in the foreseeable future but am having massive debates whether to get the SE suspension or Sport suspension, the A3 is on 18" alloys so my view is sport would be pretty uncomfortable, and here in Northamptonshire we don't have the best quality roads (where does?).

The only thing i'm bugged about with the SE suspension, is the ride height from front to back differences.. the front looks heavy so the wheel arch gap is small, but the back is raised in the air. I'm pretty sure the sport suspension does not have this...

So, if anyone could answer with what suspension they have on their S Line and their honest opinion that'd be great, I would be choosing the SE because I want a comfortable car (I have a 3 year old Ibiza with sport suspension and 17" wheels, ride is horrible IMHO) but I don't want much sacrifice of looks or handling, whats everyones opinions?

Thanks in advanced, hopefully this can help others out too!
 
You may be reopening a big can of worms!
First of all this is completely personal choice so don't listen to anyone who says you SHOULD select one over the other. Just test drive both set ups if you can and decide for yourself.
My own story is that I first read the reviews where the majority said go for SE for the best ride. I was only able to test drive the standard Sport suspension in S Line trim and I felt it was indeed too firm because yes, Herts roads are as bad as Northants! So I took it on faith that SE would be better and, for me, it is excellent. I do not feel that it has affected cornering or causes more roll, I think it is perfect. And the difference in ride height is only 1" and is entirely unnoticeable unless closely scrutinised by someone who knows what they are looking for. Anyway, comfort was more important that any perceived effect on looks. So I (and my wife and elderly parents) are extremely happy with the choice of SE. That's all I can say. We are all different.
 
I chose sport suspension in mine without driving the se but Tbh the sport doesn't bother me at all. Roads aren't brilliant round here but I can't say it's uncomfortable. Probably due to coming from a mk4 golf on coilovers so I could be dragged behind the Audi and be more comfortable.
Even after switching to 19" alloys I can't complain
 
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We chose SE for our upcoming saloon. Our test drive had the harder suspension. It was fine until we went on a country road and it was immediately apparent that we wanted the softer suspension. We want to go for comfort at our age!!
As far as the difference in appearance is concerned, bear in mind that you will spend longer riding in the car than looking at it.
Finally bear in mind that we are lucky to have a choice, it's not something you get in many new cars.
 
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sport here. Don't have a problem with it even on country roads (our other car is a Skoda Superb Elegance which has pretty compliant suspension). Having said that, I'd prefer a bit of tightness in the suspension rather than something wallowy. Also didn't try the SE, but was happy with the sport.
 
Well, I chose the SE suspension with 17" wheels on my Saloon Sport and I'm delighted with it. I'm lucky enough to also drive an R8 and the Saloon suspension is a real treat after the far stiffer suspension of the R8, yet handling is perfectly acceptable.
I drove an S3 saloon a couple of weeks ago and I must say the shaking on speed bumps and potholes convinced me I'd made the right choice.
 
I have the S-Line with 18" wheels and tested all combinations - 17" wheels with SE suspension, 18" with SE and 18" with Sport. For me the SE was the best compromise for comfort and handling so went with that. My wife and are delighted with it as it rides well on all road surfaces and yet doesn't roll on corners. I'm afraid that if a difference in ride height is important (and I've never even thought about or noticed it) then you are judging it on different criteria to me.
 
1. If you must have comfort in all conditions, standard. With this, gone are the harsh Audi suspensions of old. No one should be complaining here.

2. Sport. Still rides very well, most probably won't notice any degradation in ride quality versus standard, and you get a bit less roll through corners. A nice compromise.

You can probably play around with the drive settings on these two to alter their characteristics towards the other.

3. I test drove a Quattro with S-Line suspension and it was surprisingly alright. However, you do have to watch yourself over speed bumps a bit more than I like and when you do come up to a reasonable bump you do brace yourself.
 
arad85 said:
sport here. Don't have a problem with it even on country roads (our other car is a Skoda Superb Elegance which has pretty compliant suspension). Having said that, I'd prefer a bit of tightness in the suspension rather than something wallowy. Also didn't try the SE, but was happy with the sport.
Click to expand...

The thing is, SE is not remotely wallowy. It's still firmer than most cars' normal suspension.
 
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cilurnum said:
You can probably play around with the drive settings on these two to alter their characteristics towards the other.

.
Click to expand...
I didn't know that drive select settings had any influence on suspension characteristics unless you have magnetic ride. I thought for an S-Line it just affected power steering assistance, accelerator and gearshift response. But maybe I'm wrong?
 
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Correct. Unless you have mag ride, Drive Select will not alter suspension settings.
 
snakehips said:
The thing is, SE is not remotely wallowy. It's still firmer than most cars' normal suspension.
Click to expand...
It's relative.... I personally wouldn't want to go less stiff than the sport - and I do occasionally drive single track country roads too. But then I do enjoy pushing it into corners whenever there is opportunity and sometimes wish I'd spec'd S-line suspension..
 
snakehips said:
The thing is, SE is not remotely wallowy. It's still firmer than most cars' normal suspension.
Click to expand...
Quite true. SE is compliant but you could never call it soft because body control is very good and it handles twisty roads very well.

I'm sure I remember one forum member intended to sell his A3 SE because he found the his A3's suspension too firm. He was going to swap it for a Golf SE.

Personally, I don't like the look of the S-Line with SE suspension. The body kit is too far off the ground and the gap between the big wheels and wheel arch top is too big. This is one of the reasons I didn't choose the S-Line. I also didn't like the black headlining and didn't want 18" wheels anyway.

I'm driving a Sport with SE suspension and 4,000 miles later, I don't have any regrets and my wife is very happy with the car.
 
This was a big issue for my wife and I when changing from our 2010 Sportback to the current model. Previous model was a 1.4 tfsi sport which we bought because at the time there was a free upgrade from SE to Sport trim. That gave us some welcome extras and the car looked great, sitting a little lower to the ground, but it was so uncomfortable on uneven roads. Cruising on the motorway was fine, but those bumpy roads...

So the new car is an S line with SE suspension. The low profile tyres counteract the softer suspension to a certain extent, but the ride is softer although not dramatically so. And at times, the bumps still do seem harsh! I do notice a bit of wallowing on bends so I don't throw it into my favourite corners with quite the same relish, but that might change as my confidence in the new car grows. As for ride height, the salesman thought it was noticeable, but I can't say that I notice it particularly. And yet one of the things I liked about the old car was the look of how well it sat on the road.
One thing worth noting about the S line is the road noise from the 18 inch wheels. I'm finding that a bit of a drawback.
 
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Interesting observation, Arad, because I test drove the new sports suspension and I thought it felt less harsh. However, my wife was so dead against having sports suspension again that we decided that se suspension was an absolute requirement.
 
wideboybloke said:
One thing worth noting about the S line is the road noise from the 18 inch wheels. I'm finding that a bit of a drawback.
Click to expand...

I believe that this is a result of the Continental tyres rather than the 18" wheels?
 
I have SE suspension of my 184 quattro Sport with 17" wheels and Dunlop Sport MAXX RT tyres and find it very comfortable and no problem with grip or 'wallowing'

I did test drive an S-Line on Sport suspension and personally found it too hard. My wife as the passenger agreed and also much prefers the SE set-up.
 
I have found that other tyres have a lower db rating, but I don't know how much difference that makes in practice. Since the car is brand new, it will be a while before I have to consider replacing tyres, but I might look for something quieter when the time comes. I have had Continentals on previous vehicles and found they perform well, but if there is a quieter alternative that performs equally well, I would certainly try them. Does anybody have any suggestions? My last A3 had Pirelli P6000's which other people slate, but they performed very well for me.
 
We have just this week taken delivery of an Sline with the Sline suspension. Coming from a 1 series with M Sport suspension and run flats on 18" rims it's like floating on air and 10 times quieter if you hit a pot hole so I can't see the sport being too hard, I actually find it a little 'bouncy' at times.
You really need to try and drive each one yourself to see what suits :)
 
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wideboybloke said:
I have found that other tyres have a lower db rating, but I don't know how much difference that makes in practice. Since the car is brand new, it will be a while before I have to consider replacing tyres, but I might look for something quieter when the time comes. I have had Continentals on previous vehicles and found they perform well, but if there is a quieter alternative that performs equally well, I would certainly try them. Does anybody have any suggestions? My last A3 had Pirelli P6000's which other people slate, but they performed very well for me.
Click to expand...

I have come from a GTi that had the same wheels as my Audi and I was running Michelin PS3's on that. They were way quieter than the Conti's I now have and I will definitely switch to them when it comes to a tyre change. But to be fair to the Conti's they have been excellent in every other way.
 
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wideboybloke said:
I have found that other tyres have a lower db rating, but I don't know how much difference that makes in practice. Since the car is brand new, it will be a while before I have to consider replacing tyres, but I might look for something quieter when the time comes. I have had Continentals on previous vehicles and found they perform well, but if there is a quieter alternative that performs equally well, I would certainly try them. Does anybody have any suggestions? My last A3 had Pirelli P6000's which other people slate, but they performed very well for me.
Click to expand...

I have Dunlop SP Sport Max on my current car, and they are the best i've had so far. No problem with grip but I think road noise is an all round problem with the thin tyres, what ever you have.
 
arad85 said:
It's relative.... I personally wouldn't want to go less stiff than the sport - and I do occasionally drive single track country roads too. But then I do enjoy pushing it into corners whenever there is opportunity and sometimes wish I'd spec'd S-line suspension..
Click to expand...

+1
 
leosayer1 said:
I'm sure I remember one forum member intended to sell his A3 SE because he found the his A3's suspension too firm. He was going to swap it for a Golf SE.
Click to expand...
I hope he does not mind - he actually swapped his A3 SE on 17 inch wheels for a Golf GT and finds it much better.

We also looked at a Golf SE. Without a back-to-back test drive it is difficult to say for sure, but I think the Golf was even more comfortable than my wife's A3 SE.

My wife had a Mk5 Golf and wanted something as comfortable for the rural roads we drive on. We both found the A3 sport suspension slightly firmer than my Golf GTD (and I have come to hate that suspension on our roads!)

As someone said above, the SE suspension is still firm. But soooo much more comfortable than my car. We rarely drive anywhere together in my car now. The A3 SE is just quieter and more comfortable.

Having said all that, I do find the GTD steering is more direct.
 
wideboybloke said:
One thing worth noting about the S line is the road noise from the 18 inch wheels. I'm finding that a bit of a drawback.
Click to expand...
As others have pointed out changing the tyres may make a big difference.

My GTD originally had Bridgestones on 17 inch alloys. We could not talk to each other in the car. When I wore out the front tyres I bought a full set of Goodyear Eagle AS2s - much better! I was able to turn the radio down!

The car is slightly quieter and more comfortable on my 16 inch winter tyres.
 
veeeight said:
Correct. Unless you have mag ride, Drive Select will not alter suspension settings.
Click to expand...

The drive select system alters throttle maps, steering and damping settings for different handling and the steering response is where you can level things. Magnetic ride is altogether more automatic.
 
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cilurnum said:
The drive select system alters throttle maps, steering and damping settings for different handling and the steering response is where you can level things. Magnetic ride is altogether more automatic.
Click to expand...
If your car is not fitted with mag ride - Drive Select will not alter suspension/damper settings.

Period.

Do not talk cross purposes and add confusion.
 
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Changing the drive settings of these cars is an awful lot more complex I'm afraid. Changing the steering map is not just a map that alters steering because it's a hydraulic system that ends up altering the handling of the car as a whole. Anything that is electronic and is active has a map to work with this setting and anything that doesn't reacts passively. Ditto throttle settings.

In dynamic mode the car will have less tendency to roll and there will be mappings for it specifically in thing like the ESP - balance tyre wear etc. The multi-link suspension will then have to react passively accordingly. In fact, you have to have multi-link suspension with these cars because they would be undriveable without it. Magnetic ride is obviously a fully active system and will need to work with every other mapping.

Granted I didn't word this right, and I know that can upset sensibilities, but with or without magnetic ride you're altering an awful lot more than you think, albeit passively. Nevertheless, yes, they will alter your suspension compliance and general handling.

It does make you think a bit about the sorts of reliability issues you could be in for with a modern car.
 
cilurnum said:
Changing the steering map is not just a map that alters steering because it's a hydraulic system
Click to expand...

It isn't a hydraulic system.


In dynamic mode the car will have less tendency to roll
Click to expand...

No it doesn't if the car has conventional springs and dampers (ie: no mag-ride)


and there will be mappings for it specifically in thing like the ESP
Click to expand...

Again, no it doesn't.

You are spouting utter rubbish again.

Drive Select does not facilitate integrated ECU re-mapping availability in the A3.

Stop trolling.
(I can only think it must be trolling as your posts are packed with fallacies)
 
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These are NOT separate systems and they MUST function as a whole.
 
No matter how many times you say it, it won't make it true.

One ECU may use the outputs of another as inputs, but this does not make it an integrated system.
 
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Each system communicates over a canbus and each knows what state the other is in and will act accordingly. Trust me, there are code exceptions all over the place depending on what state another vehicle subsystem is in and these are developed over drive cycles and millions of customer miles.

However, I simply can't go any further because then I'll have to probably explain cause and effect.

One ECU may use the outputs of another as inputs, but this does not make it an integrated system.
Click to expand...

Muse on that for a while.
 
I have the CAN bus message katalog in front of me, so I do know exactly what messages are transmitted ......

.... And which functions have interaction and which don't.

And clearly you have no clue as to what integration truly means.
 
Guys, i have edited this thread. Please can you just try to get along. If i have to come back on his thread i will be giving out some warnings so please keep to the topic.
 
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I'll probably regret my choice of S line suspension but I reckon coming from a 320d MSport with 19" wheels (35 profile run flats) it's going to be too soft! :undwech:
 
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I test drove A3's with all 3 suspensions, and decided with keeping the standard sports suspension on my (2 weeks to go on Monday......really cannot wait!!!!) S line. I found the S line a little to firm and was a little worried with ordering that set up as I have an 18 month little man to transport around and thought he might suffer with a little travel sickness due to the slight harshness of the ride. Found the sport to be perfect both in comfort and both control and feedback. The SE was great to but I just felt a little disconnected from the car and ride but as people have mentioned.....we are all different so if you can take nice long test drives in all 3 suspension set ups and then make your decision.

Prior to ordering my A3 I viewed a lot of comments and was really put off with the sports due to the amount of people and reviews and even more put off on the S Line. So I am glad I managed some nice long test drives as it really changed my expectations of the type of ride I thought the 3 different set ups would give. The biggest was the S Line I found it nowhere near as harsh as people made out.

I even booked a number of test drives in the same vehicles just to really get a good feel and understanding for them which I think if I had not, I would of trusted both the feedback on the forum and the reviews from magazines and websites and gone with the SE which would not of been a bad thing but it would of not been the perfect choice for me and lucky I test drove and made the perfect choice. So roll on Monday 8th September Papa's coming to get yeah!!! And ride you home..............sounds a little pervey that, but totally not mean't in that pervey way......you folks know what I mean. Just cannot wait to get the keys and take her for a drive. It's gonna be a long 2 weeks thankfully I got 2 nice work trips abroad so that will keep me busy and take my thoughts away from the A3......wishful thinking.

So my point is test drive and make the correct decision for yourself and then you will not be disappointed. It's a lot of cash you will be parting with.

Enjoy the Bank Holiday weekend everyone
 
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I opted for SE on my S Line and have been very happy with it having now covered over 20k and many long runs. It is my first Audi but find it a lot less exhausting than my other cars on long journeys. Someone was commenting on the wheel arch gap. I would say its more noticeable on the front than back. If i was being totally honest I would like the front a tiny bit lower but I would take comfort over looks though. Like others I dont find the ride soft when cornering. When do you ever get a chance to really push it anyway with our roads and all the speed cameras!
 
CaesarBob said:
I'll probably regret my choice of S line suspension but I reckon coming from a 320d MSport with 19" wheels (35 profile run flats) it's going to be too soft! :undwech:
Click to expand...

I don't think you will regret it Bob, we have just come from a 1 series on 18's with run flats and M-Sport Suspension, it really is like floating on air in comparison. The only negative I have about it is the front can be a little 'bouncy' maybe due to the engine placement and weight distribution? im not sure :uhm:
 
Thanks for the reassurance, although I'm not really worried. Just start to question myself sometimes when you read other peoples ideas.

Have had a few lowered cars in my time (nothing to extreme) so reckon I can cope with anything straight from the factory! :racer:
 
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