Coilovers for the 8V

Steph67

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So we have a thread going about the foibles of the S3 handling, where the 2 main gripes seem to be understeer and bounce.

I can live with the understeer, and drive around it, but on a couple of occasions I've hit humps or dips at pace and had moments that were so a*se clenching that if I'd stopped and got out out afterwards I'd have taken the seat with me.

In fact, given a choice between taking a humpback bridge at speed and taking a cheese grater to my man bag, I'd have to have a bit of a think.....

.....before going looking for the cheese grater :D

I've got H&R springs fitted, and I like them, but they do nothing for the bounce problem, which seems to be related to damping (or the lack of). :3sadwalk:

I'm now in this car for at least the next 3 years (so can't just go and buy a Golf R :)) and having spent a fair few quid on mods already, I'd really like to find a way to improve the damping. I'm thinking about coilovers, and am looking to hear from anyone that's fitted these to their 8V, to see what's been tried, what works / doesn't work. Let's not restrict the chat to just the S3, input from any 8V related experience would be much appreciated.

From my research to date, there seems to be fairly limited options available for the 8V. I've found a few 'plug and play' kits that are height adjustable only (Bilstein B14s, Eibach Pro Street, H&R, ST) but I'd be gutted if I spent several hundred £s on a fixed rate damper kit that didn't improve the situation. Has anyone fitted any of these? Any feedback, good or bad?

There are the 3 KW variants, V1 with fixed damping, V2 with adjustable rebound and V3 that are fully adjustable (inc. camber). I'm thinking that the V3 option might be a step too far for road use (and they're pretty pricey) has anyone on here gone down the KW route?

I've found Bilstein B16s on Ebay for the 8V S3 (adjustable rebound) but can't find these for sale from any of the main Audi tuners, so I'd be nervous to go down this route without any review from somewhere. :think:

Is anyone aware of any other coilover options for the 8V? Anyone with previous experience of fitting coilovers to other models with an opinion on what would work best?

Apologies for the long winded opening post, over to everyone else now....... :D:D
 
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Confirmation from Awesome GTi, there are no Bilstein kits available for the S3 at present. KW offer a street comfort coilover kit on the 8P however have 'no intention of releasing one for the 8V at the moment'. The closest to the street comfort kit is variant 2 however this will still be more 'bagged' than OEM, which is ideally what I want.

Looking forward to more progress on this thread.
 
The Bilstein B16 Pss10 is available for the s3.
Part number 48-230063

I'm still considering getting those.
I was told it would be among the very best suspensions beside clubsport coilovers.


Kw has at least the variant 1 to offer for the S3.
A friend of mine has got it in his s3 sedan.

H&R also offers a monotube coil over suspension.
Another friend of mine uses this in his S3 3-door.
 
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The Bilstein B16 Pss10 is available for the s3.
Part number 48-230063

I'm still considering getting those.

Kw has at least the variant 1 to offer for the S3.
A friend of mine has got it in his s3 sedan.

H&R also offers a monotube coil over suspension.
Another friend of mine uses this in his S3 3-door.

Thanks for this. Do you know if the Bilstein B16s are for cars with or without mag ride, or is there a version for both?

I'd be really interested to hear what your friend thinks of the H&R coilovers, how do they behave over the humps / dips etc.? Do they cure the bounce problem?

Cheers :)
 
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There is a Bilstein b16 ride control.
It has adjustable dampers.
But I don't know whether it can be integrated into the s3's drive select.

As far as I know, non adjustable dampers can be used in a car with magnetic ride.

The one switching to kw coil overs originally had magnetic ride.
Kw offers a part to shut down the magnetic ride "connectors".
I think that is not mandatory.
He said the ride would be a little firmer than before but still comfortable enough for daily use.

The other switched from the regular suspension to H&R coil over.
He also added the H&R anti roll bars.
He said the car handles better and is a little firmer than before but is still not harsh.
But therefore the car would go through corners "like on train tracks" and that he would recommend it.

I'm going to ask them how they feel particularly about the bouncyness and how it improved.

Clarification: Those 2 friends I'm talking about are from a german 7R/S3 forum.
So I only know them from online conversations.
Guess I initially used the wrong term ;).
English is not my first language .
 
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There is a Bilstein b16 ride control.
It has adjustable dampers.
But I don't know whether it can be integrated into the s3's drive select.

As far as I know, non adjustable dampers can be used in a car with magnetic ride.

The one switching to kw coil overs originally had magnetic ride.
Kw offers a part to shut down the magnetic ride "connectors".
I think that is not mandatory.
He said the ride would be a little firmer than before but still comfortable enough for daily use.

The other switched from the regular suspension to H&R coil over.
He also added the H&R anti roll bars.
He said the car handles better and is a little firmer than before but is still not harsh.
But therefore the car would go through corners "like on train tracks" and that he would recommend it.

I'm going to ask them how they feel particularly about the bouncyness and how it improved.

Clarification: Those 2 friends I'm talking about are from a german 7R/S3 forum.
So I only know them from online conversations.
Guess I initially used the wrong term ;).
English is not my first language .


Thanks once again, this is really helpful.

There's nothing wrong with your English, I promise it's a lot better than my German! :D
 
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So we have a thread going about the foibles of the S3 handling, where the 2 main gripes seem to be understeer and bounce.....


There are the 3 KW variants, V1 with fixed damping, V2 with adjustable rebound and V3 that are fully adjustable (inc. camber). I'm thinking that the V3 option might be a step too far for road use (and they're pretty pricey) has anyone on here gone down the KW route?....


Apologies for the long winded opening post, over to everyone else now....... :D:D

As far as I know,and from my own experience with v3 suspension on the 8P model,the only camber adjustment you'll get is what's already available(or not if you know what I mean) from the TCAs etc.

You would likely find yourself needing ajustable topmounts,which are not compatible with the v3's upper mountings,and the extra expense of something compatible like kW Clubsports.

The v3 is a very good setup for road use,if you want all of the flexibility it offers,but it takes an age to find exactly the right combination of bump and rebound settings to get the best from it.
 
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I'm looking to fit B16s next month I'll be following this thread with interest .
Carnt take the bounce no more..love my car
 
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Exactly that is what I don't like about the kW v3.
There are way too many settings and ways of screwing the ride up.
To set it up properly you really need someone who knows what he's doing.

The Bilstein B16 is easier to handle.
It links compression with rebound so there is a certian amount of preset settings available.
All you have to do is do turn the little rotary button one klick.
The settings range from 1 to 9
1 beeing the hardest and stiffest setting 9 beeing the most comfortable and softest setting.
But since compression & rebound is linked to each other, you always get the ideal proportions.
 
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Also looking at Bilsteins. I've always heard good things about them.
I'm curious if anyone's also looked into options to correct the bad geometry (adjustable strut tops, aftermarket lower control arms, etc) when compared to the Golf R?
 
I'm looking to fit B16s next month I'll be following this thread with interest .
Carnt take the bounce no more..love my car


Also looking at Bilsteins. I've always heard good things about them.
I'm curious if anyone's also looked into options to correct the bad geometry (adjustable strut tops, aftermarket lower control arms, etc) when compared to the Golf R?

Where are you both thinking of buying from? There seem to be plenty of European and US sites selling the B16s, but not the more well known UK sites.

If anyone does go down the B16 route, it would be really good if you could post your settings?

Cheers all :)
 
I can't believe Awesome would be telling porkies. They rang Bilstein and told me there was no product available. I will call them tomorrow and ask to confirm again.
 
We have a few coilover kits available for the S3 so far, with more to come as the car gets older and modified more.

http://www.gnjmotorsport.com/search-by-car/audi/s3/s3-8v/coilovers/

A lot of it depends on what you want from the car. If someone just wanted to stiffen the handling up and get the exact drop they want looks wise for road use then there is nothing wrong with the AP kits that are developed by KW. The ST kits are that bit better and then you have the 3 KW kits.

I will also ask Bilstein tomorrow about their kits and see what others have in the pipeline. We will be fitting coilovers to our new saloon at some point. Probably KW's but not fully decided yet.

As I said above it all depends on the individuals needs and driving styles and whether the car will often see a track.
 
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I can't believe Awesome would be telling porkies. They rang Bilstein and told me there was no product available. I will call them tomorrow and ask to confirm again.

Hi Naughts

Couple of links for you

https://www.n2o-tuning.com/bilstein...-audi-s3-coupe-quattro-8v-bj-11-12-/a-290550/

http://www.tagmotorsports.com/bilstein-b16-pss10-performance-suspension-system-for-audi-8v-a3-s3

I also emailed bilsteinsuspensionstore.co.uk earlier today to see of they could source them, will call them to chase tomorrow and feed back.

Looks like a very decent bit of kit, wonder who'll be first to take the plunge....:)
 
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We have a few coilover kits available for the S3 so far, with more to come as the car gets older and modified more.

http://www.gnjmotorsport.com/search-by-car/audi/s3/s3-8v/coilovers/

A lot of it depends on what you want from the car. If someone just wanted to stiffen the handling up and get the exact drop they want looks wise for road use then there is nothing wrong with the AP kits that are developed by KW. The ST kits are that bit better and then you have the 3 KW kits.

I will also ask Bilstein tomorrow about their kits and see what others have in the pipeline. We will be fitting coilovers to our new saloon at some point. Probably KW's but not fully decided yet.

As I said above it all depends on the individuals needs and driving styles and whether the car will often see a track.

Nice new site! If you do go for the KW's please can I come for a ride? I'll get the S3 in for a Cobra non res and KW2's if they are not too aggressive.
 
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We have a few coilover kits available for the S3 so far, with more to come as the car gets older and modified more.

http://www.gnjmotorsport.com/search-by-car/audi/s3/s3-8v/coilovers/

A lot of it depends on what you want from the car. If someone just wanted to stiffen the handling up and get the exact drop they want looks wise for road use then there is nothing wrong with the AP kits that are developed by KW. The ST kits are that bit better and then you have the 3 KW kits.

I will also ask Bilstein tomorrow about their kits and see what others have in the pipeline. We will be fitting coilovers to our new saloon at some point. Probably KW's but not fully decided yet.

As I said above it all depends on the individuals needs and driving styles and whether the car will often see a track.

Evening Graeme

Drop me a PM if you can source the B16s?

Cheers
 
Hi Naughts

Couple of links for you

https://www.n2o-tuning.com/bilstein...-audi-s3-coupe-quattro-8v-bj-11-12-/a-290550/

http://www.tagmotorsports.com/bilstein-b16-pss10-performance-suspension-system-for-audi-8v-a3-s3

I also emailed bilsteinsuspensionstore.co.uk earlier today to see of they could source them, will call them to chase tomorrow and feed back.

Looks like a very decent bit of kit, wonder who'll be first to take the plunge....:)
Nice cheers buddy! Love the Billy's I have to say, they also have epic aftercare, which is also important to me if anything goes wrong. I have to wait for my proper S3 yet, so I bet I'll be beaten to it :keule:
 
As far as I know,and from my own experience with v3 suspension on the 8P model,the only camber adjustment you'll get is what's already available(or not if you know what I mean) from the TCAs etc.

You would likely find yourself needing ajustable topmounts,which are not compatible with the v3's upper mountings,and the extra expense of something compatible like kW Clubsports.

The v3 is a very good setup for road use,if you want all of the flexibility it offers,but it takes an age to find exactly the right combination of bump and rebound settings to get the best from it.


Cheers Alex, always good to hear from someone that's properly serious about their mods. I've seen a some of your posts and like your car. A lot. :hi:

I'm thinking that it'd be much fannying about to get the balance right with V3s for an amatuer like me, I'd be nervous about not knowing enough to sort it out properly and ending up with something undriveable..... :yes:
 
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Cheers Alex, always good to hear from someone that's properly serious about their mods. I've seen a some of your posts and like your car. A lot. :hi:

I'm thinking that it'd be much fannying about to get the balance right with V3s for an amatuer like me, I'd be nervous about not knowing enough to sort it out and ending up with something undriveable..... :yes:


It is a PITA getting the setup right and frankly took me ages to do so.

The v1 or v2s are easier,and so are the Bilsteins.
 
I'm in touch with deemontwee ks I'm hoping early next month to be fitted ..
My only concern..I'm running 19s on 235.35
Rubber & there's not much room for a 30mil
Drop on the rear arches it looks close to me.
 

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I'm in touch with deemontwee ks I'm hoping early next month to be fitted ..
My only concern..I'm running 19s on 235.35
Rubber & there's not much room for a 30mil
Drop on the rear arches it looks close to me.

I think the drop range for these is 15mm - 30mm for the S3. I'm also running 235/35/19s, and currently have a 15mm drop on H&Rs, as per the pic below, and it could go lower. Should be fine I'm thinking :D

Imag0787
 
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Our friends across the pond are running Bilstein coils. They appear to be around 3000USD compared with H&R coils at around 1200USD. That's quite a difference given the reputation of H&R.

Do some searching on the fourtitude forums.
 
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So I asked my friends over at the german forum on their opinions about the bouncyness of the S3's OEM ride.

The one who got the H&R coil-overs fitted (switched from non-adjustable-dampers) said that he didn't feel that the ride was bouncy in particular. Maybe due to smoother roads in here in Germany?
Anyway, he also told me that he had the feeling that the OEM coil-overs behaved clumsy.
When he switched to the H&R the overall feeling of the ride improved, so he said.
The ride is now smoother and more harmonius. It is a little firmer but in no way unpleasent or less comfortable than the original coil overs.

The other friend of mine switched from the magnetic ride to kw v1.
He told me that he often felt a little less in control of the car while going fast on the Autobahn than he wanted to be due to the way the dampers worked.
He had that feeling especially in comfort-mode.
Since he switched to the kw v1 he was astonished how the car handles and rides and he said he is feeling more confident going fast on the Autobahn.

I mainly felt the "bouncyness" on one particular bump in the road I go over almost every week.
It is at the very end of a part of the Autobahn where there are no speed limits.
I went over that bump with around 180 Km/h (around 112 mph) and it felt like the dampers expanded too fast resulting in the car beeing levered out a bit.
Although the bouncing coil overs seem to be a little less of a problem here in Germany, I think the overall feeling of the car could benefit from an upgraded suspension.


So maybe the "bouncyness" is a mixture of badly setup coil-overs and british roads?
If so then I guess that new coil overs might be a solution to this problem.
 
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Our friends across the pond are running Bilstein coils. They appear to be around 3000USD compared with H&R coils at around 1200USD. That's quite a difference given the reputation of H&R.

Do some searching on the fourtitude forums.

B16s available from Germany for €1,370, and on US sites for $2,230, will be interesting to see what UK pricing is.:think:
 
I think the drop range for these is 15mm - 30mm for the S3. I'm also running 235/35/19s, and currently have a 15mm drop on H&Rs, as per the attached, and it could go lower. Should be fine I'm thinking :D

View attachment 55729
Wow that's only 15mil drop looks perfect an extra 15 could be to much I don't want to give the wrong image. .Got me thinking maybe bilstein dampeners & H&R springs
Could work!..
 
Just read ur post again u think 15-30 drop range ..l think 30-50 drop range ..not 100%
 
Wow that's only 15mil drop looks perfect an extra 15 could be to much I don't want to give the wrong image. .Got me thinking maybe bilstein dampeners & H&R springs
Could work!..

Yeah, the H&R springs are only 15mm lower than the standard springs, but with the bigger wheels & tyres the rolling radius goes up by 5mm, so the arch gap actually closes by 20mm, which fills them up nicely :cool:
 
Just read ur post again u think 15-30 drop range ..l think 30-50 drop range ..not 100%

Below is copied from sales blurb for part number 48-230063. I'm assuming that the 30-50 number is likely for a different A3 8V variant, most of which ride higher than the S3 (see ** below) but agree it's definitely something to confirm before taking the plunge.

BILSTEIN B16 PSS10 coilover
BILSTEIN B16 PSS10 coilovers

Vehicle data / Car data
Fits: Audi A3, 8V
Model: S3 Quattro
Axle loads. Up to 1070/1065 kg *
Lowering: 15-30 / 15-30 mm ** (in addition to S3 chassis)

Delivery period: see description
Note: DCC (if any) will be decommissioned once Gerecht

* Information on axle loads see vehicle registration under 7.1 -7.3
** The extent of lowering can vary depending on the application
 
Like you say 15-30 would be perfect any more I'm out something defo to look into .
I'm on the phone tomorrow also there's two sizes of bilstein they told me , have to meshure part of the car??
 
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Like you say 15-30 would be perfect any more I'm out something defo to look into .
I'm on the phone tomorrow also there's two sizes of bilstein they told me , have to meshure part of the car??

That will be the front strut diameter. If you have an S3 it is 55mm. Some of the smaller engined A3's have a front strut with a diameter of 50mm. Some also have torsion beam rear suspension. The S3 has independent rear suspension.
 
Looks like Awsome were right B16 kits arnt available till June some time fixed dampeners are available. .
 
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Does that mean that Bilstein is reworking the B16 version for the S3 ?
Or is there something wrong with the B16 dampers in general?
 
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Have spoken to a few people today, and a couple of them contacted Bilstein to clarify.

What I was told by each was that the B16s are a fairly recent release for the 8V S3, and are out and available in mainland Europe and the US, and were due for release in the UK in June. However, stock in now expected to be available in the UK at the end of April. Star Performance in Kirkaldy are comfortable that they can get me a set of these within 21 days.

What is less positive is the indicative UK pricing. Got a pair of prices, and the lowest was from Star at £1,297 + VAT, totalling £1,556.40. :wtf: :sadlike:

Eh, no!! :no:

It may be that I'm being quoted silly money, but Star get very decent reviews, and the reviews I've found say that their pricing is usually pretty competitive.

Let's look at the price in Germany. €1,370!!

If you buy them for delivery to the UK, it's €1,401. And they have them in stock (allegedly).

So, did I bite? Mibbes.......:D

Impulse took over (again) and delivery is expected within a fortnight. Scared the bejesus oot o' masel' again this morning heading over the Breich braes, so am really keen to do something to try to make this better. It's really affecting how I feel about this car.

Have now spent most of the cash I had specifically set aside while waiting for the folks at BCS to finalise their 8V exhaust offering. Sod's law says they'll now drop me a line saying that the development's done, and I'll end up hiding the Mastercard bill again, but I digress.... ;)

Still not sure if I've done the right thing, guess we'll find out soon enough though. :courage::courage:

Just need to find someone to fit them when they get here. Will have a set of H&Rs with about 1,000 miles use looking for a home shortly also.
 
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I'm going to order a set as soon as there available bit of a wait..
 
Have spoken to a few people today, and a couple of them contacted Bilstein to clarify.

What I was told by each was that the B16s are a fairly recent release for the 8V S3, and are out and available in mainland Europe and the US, and were due for release in the UK in June. However, stock in now expected to be available in the UK at the end of April. Star Performance in Kirkaldy are comfortable that they can get me a set of these within 21 days.

What is less positive is the indicative UK pricing. Got a pair of prices, and the lowest was from Star at £1,297 + VAT, totalling £1,556.40. :wtf: :sadlike:

Eh, no!! :no:

It may be that I'm being quoted silly money, but Star get very decent reviews, and the reviews I've found say that their pricing is usually pretty competitive.

Let's look at the price in Germany. €1,370!!

If you buy them for delivery to the UK, it's €1,401. And they have them in stock (allegedly).

So, did I bite? Mibbes.......:D

Impulse took over (again) and delivery is expected within a fortnight. Scared the bejesus oot o' masel' again this morning heading over the Breich braes, so am really keen to do something to try to make this better. It's really affecting how I feel about this car.

Have now spent most of the cash I had specifically set aside while waiting for the folks at BCS to finalise their 8V exhaust offering. Sod's law says they'll now drop me a line saying that the development's done, and I'll end up hiding the Mastercard bill again, but I digress.... ;)

Still not sure if I've done the right thing, guess we'll find out soon enough though. :courage::courage:

Just need to find someone to fit them when they get here. Will have a set of H&Rs with about 1,000 miles use looking for a home shortly also.

Unfortunately with the way the Euro is at the moment, UK companies are struggling to match some prices available from Germany. A lot of suppliers have acted on this and altered the UK RRP's but as yet not all have so you've grabbed a bargain there :)

Just a bit risky if you get an issue with them as you'll have to go through the dealer in Germany.

Looking forward to seeing what you make of them. I've decided to try a set of the new Eibach Sportlines on our saloon before going for coilovers. Should have them on in a couple of weeks. I'll start a progress thread on ours tomorrow.
 
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Have spoken to a few people today, and a couple of them contacted Bilstein to clarify.

What I was told by each was that the B16s are a fairly recent release for the 8V S3, and are out and available in mainland Europe and the US, and were due for release in the UK in June. However, stock in now expected to be available in the UK at the end of April. Star Performance in Kirkaldy are comfortable that they can get me a set of these within 21 days.

What is less positive is the indicative UK pricing. Got a pair of prices, and the lowest was from Star at £1,297 + VAT, totalling £1,556.40. :wtf: :sadlike:

Eh, no!! :no:

It may be that I'm being quoted silly money, but Star get very decent reviews, and the reviews I've found say that their pricing is usually pretty competitive.

Let's look at the price in Germany. €1,370!!

If you buy them for delivery to the UK, it's €1,401. And they have them in stock (allegedly).

So, did I bite? Mibbes.......:D

Impulse took over (again) and delivery is expected within a fortnight. Scared the bejesus oot o' masel' again this morning heading over the Breich braes, so am really keen to do something to try to make this better. It's really affecting how I feel about this car.

Have now spent most of the cash I had specifically set aside while waiting for the folks at BCS to finalise their 8V exhaust offering. Sod's law says they'll now drop me a line saying that the development's done, and I'll end up hiding the Mastercard bill again, but I digress.... ;)

Still not sure if I've done the right thing, guess we'll find out soon enough though. :courage::courage:

Just need to find someone to fit them when they get here. Will have a set of H&Rs with about 1,000 miles use looking for a home shortly also.
What H&R's you got fella? If they're suitable I'll have them off you.
 
Unfortunately with the way the Euro is at the moment, UK companies are struggling to match some prices available from Germany. A lot of suppliers have acted on this and altered the UK RRP's but as yet not all have so you've grabbed a bargain there :)

Just a bit risky if you get an issue with them as you'll have to go through the dealer in Germany.

Looking forward to seeing what you make of them. I've decided to try a set of the new Eibach Sportlines on our saloon before going for coilovers. Should have them on in a couple of weeks. I'll start a progress thread on ours tomorrow.

A very fair point.

Agree there's always a risk with going overseas, but even after Paypal do the currency conversion / commission theft, it'll still be £hundreds cheaper than the UK price I was quoted. Looked like it was worth a wee gamble. :p

Just gotta hope that they do a proper job now, will feed back how they perform / settings etc. once they're on.
 
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