new s4 owner. need advice

[shauns4]

I've recently picked up a prefacelift s4 avant.

firstly I'm looking into coilovers. the best ones I've seen so far are bc racing. anyone running these?
I've only just recently stumbled across bc racing but their kit looks really good. ideally I'm after a kit that will go low given the option but will retain ride quality and improve handling.


secondly after reading a few reviews I'm looking into upgrading the rear arb. will probably go for neuspeed. I've read that the front arb is fine.

is there anything worth while doing? control arms etc....?

thanks

 

[aragorn]

You cant go low and retain ride quality.

As you lower the car, you reduce the available suspension travel. That means you need to make the springs firmer and firmer as you lower the car, to stop it bottoming out.

This is the main reason i really dislike coilovers for road cars, they've given you adjustability, but done it in a way that doesnt actually work. They either make the springs firm enough that they dont bottom out with the adjustment set to the lowest setting, resulting in rock hard ride even when running at sensible heights, or they choose some middle of the road spring rate, retaining some road manners, which means it will bottom out if you try to "slam" it. Furthermore, rock hard suspension can actually reduce your outright grip when driving on real roads (as opposed to a race track) because the car will bounce/skip over uneven surfaces.

Personally, i find a decent well matched fixed kit like Bilsteins B12 is a far better proposition for a road car.

Front control arms, and all the bushes on the rear will without a doubt be shot, so i'd absolutely be sorting those out. Jason at All German does a kit for the rear end, and can also supply control arms, or you can go for uprated control arms from the likes of 034.

 

[shauns4]

bc racing don't adjust like your typical coilover. you can adjust the height and it doesn't compress the spring. it's the platform you adjust

 

[aragorn]

ok, but when you lower the car, you still reduce the available travel on the shock. The point at which the bumpstop makes contact is unchanged, you just end up sitting closer to it at rest.