How much ride quality will i lose upgrading my suspension???

[Craigybaby37_A3quattro]

ive been thinkin about upgrading my suspension to billies and h&r springs for a while now but ime affraid that when driving the car around normally and not cornering the car at any speed that it will feel like i am driving a go-kart??

ive a friend with a putno gt on a full gmax suspension kit shocks and springs an that feels like it has no give in it at all and picks out every single bump in the road.

Atm i have 18" rs6 wheels fitted to the car with 225/40/18 tyres fitted and it just feels like the car rolls about so much on the corners i fell like ime gunna fall out the car lol

 

[s3ollie]

i doubt you would be disappointed. they are firmer but they seem to cope well over the bumps and are pretty comfortable. all in all a lot more composed and planted.

 

[mbs3]

I agree with the above. I have R32 biliies with H&R springs which is slightly harder than the s3 billies.

Ride is smoother than before ( althougth my shocks did have 85k on them ) and it doesnt crash or bump like a slammed hot hatch. Just a bit stiffer and more progressive, with much better turn in/ handling.

It might be worth having a new set of bushes fitted all round, as they do tend to wear, which improves the ride too.

 

[Craigybaby37_A3quattro]

well thats what i wanted to hear that it wasnt like a go-kart i think ill be doing it in the new year and yea like u yea i may as well re-new all the bushes as i think they are on there way out as the cars now comin up for 70k so the shocks an bushes have had some wear done to them.

 

[danotto]

please dont compare your audi to a punto.lol. fiats have poo suspension as standard without putting halfords gmax springs on it,so if your putting bilsteins which are probably the best suspensions engineers in the business on a quality car,your car will be a whole lot better that the fiat.IMO

 

[Xedos]

Punto or A3; both hatch backs on pressed chassis'.

 

[voorhees]

Punto or A3; both hatch backs on pressed chassis'.

not having that sorry

 

[Xedos]

Owned both, Audi is more rigid but principles are same; monocoque chassis' they are not.

Opinion is probably more down to badge snobbery.

 

[voorhees]

Owned both, Audi is more rigid but principles are same; monocoque chassis' they are not.

Opinion is probably more down to badge snobbery.

Well if the Audi is more rigid then they aren't the same are they

as for badge snobbery yes your right I don't fancy being a c***o in a punto

 

[Xedos]

Well if the Audi is more rigid then they aren't the same are they

as for badge snobbery yes your right I don't fancy being a c***o in a punto

They are the same; in that they are not really sports cars and no matter what you buy for them, they will still be flawed. But thats okay to a point, as theyre not bought to be sports cars.

 

[rodenal]

I see your point if you're talking about in terms of design.

However a fiat punto is a horrible horrible little car inside and out that falls to bits (but i will admit fun to chuck about).

Wheras an A3 is a boring, boring little car that tends not to fall to bits so much lol

 

[Xedos]

Agreed! They serve a purpose, we buy them because we like them. Lets not kid ourselves that they'll ever be an F1 car

 

[rodenal]

Definately not, but you're right people buy them both because they like them and thats what matters.

Back to the original post, if your suspension is a few years old then upgrading to a decent combo will give a firmer, but ultimately more comfortable ride i'd say

 

[Ess_Three]

Owned both, Audi is more rigid but principles are same; monocoque chassis' they are not.

Opinion is probably more down to badge snobbery.

Not really the same from an engineering point of view..

Twist beam rear end vs multi link, fully independant rear end...and 2wd vs 4wd.

The same as in they both have a sheel shell and 4 wheels...from there on in, the way they respond, and the way you set them up, is different.

Apples and oranges, I'm afraid.

 

[Ess_Three]

ive been thinkin about upgrading my suspension to billies and h&r springs for a while now but ime affraid that when driving the car around normally and not cornering the car at any speed that it will feel like i am driving a go-kart??

ive a friend with a putno gt on a full gmax suspension kit shocks and springs an that feels like it has no give in it at all and picks out every single bump in the road.

Atm i have 18" rs6 wheels fitted to the car with 225/40/18 tyres fitted and it just feels like the car rolls about so much on the corners i fell like ime gunna fall out the car lol

In my experience of 18 years worth of changing suspension and setting cars up, you get what you pay for.

It's the development that takes the time...development costs money (I did a load of Development for Avo when they were building some custom struts for my Nova back in the mid 90s...and know how much it costs to set-up, assess, re-valve, set-up, re-test, etc) so in general terms, buying suspension - springs and dampers - from one of the major makers will follow a simple formula: the more you pay, the more development has gone into it, and the better it will be.
Not a simple case of buy the most expensive...but choose carefully from a few reputable makers and you will get a 'better' ride and far better suspension control when driving hard.

The likes of G-Max seem to just go a set amount harder, say 30% and leave it at that...not ideal

All of the 'cheap' suspension kits I've tried have been awful.

Although, I'm not a fan od suspension kits in genaral..I think you get better results buying dampers from damper specialists and springs from spring makers. But that's my view...

 

[jojo]

Bilsteins on my S3 is firmer than the standard set up, but the standard stuff is a bit soft for a sporting hatchback anyways, it still won't bounce about like a standard Mitsubishi Evo, or even be as hard as a standard Civic Type R. Most noticeable change with using uprated shocks is the damping though, you would be amazed at how much planted the car feels and how it applies the power to the road, or how the wheels are giving you grip whilst driving over rough surfaces, when the standard stuff struggles.

 

[Craigybaby37_A3quattro]

well thanks for all the input people and just to note i was in no way comparing any audi to a punto i purely used the punto as an example as like u say they may be a put of fun to track but they fall appart so much as my mates is.........anyways as we was my screen name is a bit deceiving as it says a3quattro but that was my old a3 but now i have a 2wd a3. ill hopefully be going down the billies shock an h&r spring with about a 30mm drop.

For the shocks do i want the B8 ones??

Anyone know any good priced uk suppliers ive had a search about but havin some trouble finding some???

 

[vanilla_ice]

I'm in the same boat as you regarding ride quality. I was looking at the Koni FSD and Eibach combination but I think the ride height would be an issue for me. So am now wondering how the FSD's and H&R or the B8's and Eibach springs would perform together.

Try www.motosportworld.co.uk - but you may need to search their site using part numbers.

If not I'm sure Damien from DPM will be able to help you.

If you go ahead make sure you give a write up:icon_thumright:


ICE

 

[Xedos]

In my experience of 18 years worth of changing suspension and setting cars up, you get what you pay for.

It's the development that takes the time...development costs money (I did a load of Development for Avo when they were building some custom struts for my Nova back in the mid 90s...and know how much it costs to set-up, assess, re-valve, set-up, re-test, etc) so in general terms, buying suspension - springs and dampers - from one of the major makers will follow a simple formula: the more you pay, the more development has gone into it, and the better it will be.
Not a simple case of buy the most expensive...but choose carefully from a few reputable makers and you will get a 'better' ride and far better suspension control when driving hard.

The likes of G-Max seem to just go a set amount harder, say 30% and leave it at that...not ideal

All of the 'cheap' suspension kits I've tried have been awful.

Although, I'm not a fan od suspension kits in genaral..I think you get better results buying dampers from damper specialists and springs from spring makers. But that's my view...

Put simply if you like; they are both eurobox hatches that arent real sports cars in the sense of the likes of a purpose built racing car. The money invested trying to make them like that is never really going to work.

 

[rodenal]

that's not the point tho.

After a few years the standard shocks and springs are knackered, and instead of replacing them with standard items some people like to upgrade them at this time to those which have since been proven to better suit the car.

They might never be overtly sporty but that doesnt mean owners cant improve them

 

[Ess_Three]

Put simply if you like; they are both eurobox hatches that arent real sports cars in the sense of the likes of a purpose built racing car. The money invested trying to make them like that is never really going to work.

They are both hatches...but completely different in the way they respond to suspension tuning by virtue of he different design and drive layouts.

Not real 'sports cars' no.

And certainly not racing cars...but racing cars are useless on the road. You don't want a racing car on the road...you want a road car, set up well....and the money you invest in that goal, pays off, I can assure you.

But you don't get the result buying cheap crap.