Replacing the entire suspension system in one go?

MikeA3

MikeA3

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Right,

Just had my S3 looked at for a small knocking noise coming from the front and the mechanic reckons it's down to a worn front ARB (rather worringly it's known to be a common fault??).

As the front ARB needs to be replaced anyway & as my S3's covered just under 100K, I think it makes sense (albeit very expensive sense) to get the entire suspension replaced as the OEM parts will be pretty tired by now.

So - Using Chris's thread as a guide, i'm going for the following parts consiting of:

Bilstein B8 dampers

H&R -25mm Springs

Adjustable rear tie arms (I haven't decided which brand yet)

Front & Rear Neuspeed ARB's - I'm aiming for a 3mm difference so 22m front & 19mm rear but can't seem to find the rear 19mm bar anywhere???

Polybushes all round & maybe a new dogbone mount too.

As my maths currently put this lot at the thick end of £1400 (+ fitting on top so circa £1800 all in?) I want to get this right so - Is there anything I've missed off the list here?

Plus if anyone knows of any group buys or discounts they'd certainly come in handy.

Any help & advice would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

Mike
 
i think the R32 rear bar is 19mm and its a lot cheaper than the nuspeed one
 
I would also think twice about polybushes. I'm not a fan. Have them on the front arms of my S3.

I am in a similar position to you ATM, I have most of the parts just need to get the ARB's. Unfortunately some DIY in the house has got in the way!

Let us know how you get on.
 
colinra said:
I would also think twice about polybushes. I'm not a fan. Have them on the front arms of my S3.

I am in a similar position to you ATM, I have most of the parts just need to get the ARB's. Unfortunately some DIY in the house has got in the way!

Let us know how you get on.
Click to expand...

Thanks - that's a good tip - I'll have a look into different bushes & see what options I can come up with.

And if it's any consolation, houses & DIY always seem to get in the way of most things for me too.
 
Don't forget new front Top Mounts and rear Bump Stops when changing your suspension as they would be worth a change
 
Good on u Mike, be interested in another Epsom meet after the works done to see how flat and comfortable the set-up feels....supposed to be the best as you will be aware so i'd love to see how it feels.....tempted myself to get rid of the bounce as I've been driving a fair few decent country roads of late and though enjoyable as it is (decent tyres etc) the roll and bounce could be improved !!!

Good luck matey..
 
I'm getting Wietec springs and shocks fitted on Monday as well as new bushes and KW ARBs to my A3. A few things needed sorting so I'm using it as a chance to sort the handing out and lower all at the same time.
 
MikeA3 said:
Right,

Just had my S3 looked at for a small knocking noise coming from the front and the mechanic reckons it's down to a worn front ARB (rather worringly it's known to be a common fault??).

As the front ARB needs to be replaced anyway & as my S3's covered just under 100K, I think it makes sense (albeit very expensive sense) to get the entire suspension replaced as the OEM parts will be pretty tired by now.

So - Using Chris's thread as a guide, i'm going for the following parts consiting of:

Bilstein B8 dampers

H&R -25mm Springs

Adjustable rear tie arms (I haven't decided which brand yet)

Front & Rear Neuspeed ARB's - I'm aiming for a 3mm difference so 22m front & 19mm rear but can't seem to find the rear 19mm bar anywhere???

Polybushes all round & maybe a new dogbone mount too.

As my maths currently put this lot at the thick end of £1400 (+ fitting on top so circa £1800 all in?) I want to get this right so - Is there anything I've missed off the list here?

Plus if anyone knows of any group buys or discounts they'd certainly come in handy.

Any help & advice would be appreciated

Thanks in advance

Mike
Click to expand...

Nice setup! Similar as the one I have in the garage :respekt: I'm going for the Neuspeed adjustable lower tie bars (love Neuspeed), they're a bit cheaper too. Have you considered new droplinks front and rear as they connect the ARB's and have rubber parts that gets worn out too. Finally, the smaller ARB at the back? Any particular reason for that...since I read here that a larger one at the rear will help reduce understeer...Maybe I'm wrong?!
s3ollie said:
i think the R32 rear bar is 19mm and its a lot cheaper than the nuspeed one
Click to expand...

But aren't Neuspeed (or H&R, KW's etc) supposed to be stiffer than OEM's ?

jesters3 said:
Don't forget new front Top Mounts and rear Bump Stops when changing your suspension as they would be worth a change
Click to expand...

Top mounts as in bearings or the bump stop or the steel disc? Do you have links or pics, very interested in these parts too.
 
I'm in the process of doing all my suspension parts and bushes at the moment. Did all the rear end last night which took about 4 hours, which i didnt think was to bad. Hopefully i'll get the front end finished by tonight and let you guys know how the ride is etc. I'll get some pics up too. Its gona be a long day today I think
 
Dennis Moeller said:
Nice setup! Similar as the one I have in the garage :respekt: I'm going for the Neuspeed adjustable lower tie bars (love Neuspeed), they're a bit cheaper too. Have you considered new droplinks front and rear as they connect the ARB's and have rubber parts that gets worn out too. Finally, the smaller ARB at the back? Any particular reason for that...since I read here that a larger one at the rear will help reduce understeer...Maybe I'm wrong?!


But aren't Neuspeed (or H&R, KW's etc) supposed to be stiffer than OEM's ?



Top mounts as in bearings or the bump stop or the steel disc? Do you have links or pics, very interested in these parts too.
Click to expand...


Hes going for a 19mm rear arb. Thats 4mm over standard whereas on the front he will be increasing it by 2mm. I dont think you want to go massive on the rear as it will probably upset the balance and you might end up going backwards into a tree.
 
Thanks for the info so far guys, I'm in the process of tracking down all the little bits and bobs that have been mentioned like the top mounts & rear bump stops, I'm presuming it's best just to replace these with OEM items?

I've also had a look for the Neuspeed rear tie arms which were mentioned but they seem to be hard to track down in the uk and well over £350 (which is over £100 more than the equivalent forge ones) so I think i may pass on those although I'm about a month or so away from this so you never know what will happen.

I'll update my original list in a few days although I'm not sure if i'm allowed to post prices of some of the items?

The only other thing I forgot to add to my original list was a 4wd wheel alignment - does anyone know how much that would normally set you back?

Thanks again & watch this space

Mike
 
If you get it all fitted by a garage then they should do the 4 wheel alignment etc when they fit the kits etc. I know Midland VW did for my A3 on Monday, they also lobbed in some top mounts F.O.C which was pretty cool.

T
 
A3Tom said:
If you get it all fitted by a garage then they should do the 4 wheel alignment etc when they fit the kits etc. I know Midland VW did for my A3 on Monday, they also lobbed in some top mounts F.O.C which was pretty cool.

T
Click to expand...

and how's the weitec stuff?
 
bantam1 said:
and how's the weitec stuff?
Click to expand...


It all seems great so far. It drives really nice, add to that the new KW ARB's and its just awesome. The rides not too choppy at all, firm enough without being too harsh.

Total transformation over the stock 1.8TS suspension, I'm very happy with it.
 
Just a quick update,

I've been looking into bushes (no sniggering at the back!) & have been reading about the DEFCON bush kit which seem to be very good quality items - does anyone have any experience of these at all?

I've also had a bit more of a look into the rear R32 ARB that some of you have mentioned (thanks for that by the way).

Part of me thinks that I shouldn't be trying to "cut corners" here and get Neuspeed ARB's front & back but after looking into it a bit more, the rear R32 ARB looks like it would do the job nicely (being 19mm just like the Neuspeed TT item) and it would certainly be a cheaper alternative but about £100. But... I'm wondering if it's sensible to have different ARB's front and rear - Any Ideas?


Mike
 
MikeA3 said:
Just a quick update,

I've been looking into bushes (no sniggering at the back!) & have been reading about the DEFCON bush kit which seem to be very good quality items - does anyone have any experience of these at all?

I've also had a bit more of a look into the rear R32 ARB that some of you have mentioned (thanks for that by the way).

Part of me thinks that I shouldn't be trying to "cut corners" here and get Neuspeed ARB's front & back but after looking into it a bit more, the rear R32 ARB looks like it would do the job nicely (being 19mm just like the Neuspeed TT item) and it would certainly be a cheaper alternative but about £100. But... I'm wondering if it's sensible to have different ARB's front and rear - Any Ideas?


Mike
Click to expand...

your car has a different size front and rear so you should be good. 21mm up front and 19mm at the rear would be a way to do it. That's what I'm going to put on my car after easter. That way you will stiffen up the front less than the rear and therefore create less understeer compared to OEM. Neuspeed bar should be stiffer than R32 bar, at least that's what I think. Think the R32 are hollow as the Neu's are solid...but that I don't know for sure...
 
MikeA3 said:
Just a quick update,

I've been looking into bushes (no sniggering at the back!) & have been reading about the DEFCON bush kit which seem to be very good quality items - does anyone have any experience of these at all?

I've also had a bit more of a look into the rear R32 ARB that some of you have mentioned (thanks for that by the way).

Part of me thinks that I shouldn't be trying to "cut corners" here and get Neuspeed ARB's front & back but after looking into it a bit more, the rear R32 ARB looks like it would do the job nicely (being 19mm just like the Neuspeed TT item) and it would certainly be a cheaper alternative but about £100. But... I'm wondering if it's sensible to have different ARB's front and rear - Any Ideas?


Mike
Click to expand...

The Neuspeed front and rear arb setup has been tried, testing and recommended.
 
MintyS3 said:
The Neuspeed front and rear arb setup has been tried, testing and recommended.
Click to expand...

Very tue Minty,

I've been giving it some more thought over the weekend and think that in the grand scheme of things another £100 for the rear neuspeed ARB isn't going to make much difference cost wise.

Plus I'd be safe in the knowledge that both ARB's would have exactly the same "properties" (if that makes sense) and that's what I'm aiming for with it.

Part of me keeps thinking that spending nearly 2k on new suspension seems a bit pointless on a car that's probably worth 6 at best, but then I remind myself that it was a 26K+ car when new, it's bought and paid for & i've no plans to sell it.

So, time to start ordering all the bits :)
 
Yeh Im hoping to keep my car for the foreseeable future so Im not bothered about uprating the parts.

When you drive the standard chassis hard it becomes very obvious which areas need improved.
 
MikeA3 said:
Very tue Minty,

I've been giving it some more thought over the weekend and think that in the grand scheme of things another £100 for the rear neuspeed ARB isn't going to make much difference cost wise.

Plus I'd be safe in the knowledge that both ARB's would have exactly the same "properties" (if that makes sense) and that's what I'm aiming for with it.

Part of me keeps thinking that spending nearly 2k on new suspension seems a bit pointless on a car that's probably worth 6 at best, but then I remind myself that it was a 26K+ car when new, it's bought and paid for & i've no plans to sell it.

So, time to start ordering all the bits :)
Click to expand...

Curious to know how it all went...Experiences? Did you purchase hte tie bars..and which brand if so?
 
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