Any issues with AP Coilovers?!

[Compkiler]

I bought a set about 4 months ago and I've not been happy at all with the handling of the car since! I set the car up with about an inch gap all round, then started bottoming out on back roads. So I raised her up a bit more and then started hearing grating noises in the back when I had 2 passengers in the back. So I raised her some more. I noticed the car to be a bit more stiffer when raising the springs up.
Are there Coilovers supposed to be a performance package as they are not stiff at all and seem to have ruined the handling totally!! Even for someone who wanted there car extremely low, these are a bad option imo.
The reason I bought these was because I had an issue with my near side front spring rubbing on my top mount. Audi wanted 260 quid to replace 1 spring... I did some searching and I could have got all 4 for that!
My mate said go Coilovers, because you can adjust the height and you would have new dampeners too.
This seems to me like I've made a bad decision.

Anyone else made this decision or have any input on what I should do?

Kind regards

Simon

 

[hades-]

ap are normaly quite good

 

[smurfworth]

They aren't designed for performance mate, it says in the description it's 30% Uprated which is ideal for "fast road use".

Sounds like you need adjustable dampening coilovers tbh as your not finding it stiff enough for what you use it for.

Me personally I love them, but they are far from stiff which is good because it's a daily driver.

Mine is sat all but on the tyres so is much lower than what you are describing, with a full tank of fuel the rear tyres will tuck in the arch, sounds to me like you need to dial in a bit of negative camber to stop any rubbing.

It's all about tyre sizes, offsets, wheel widths, camber etc to get the right setup.

 

[simboti19]

Quite agree with smurfworth. Sounds like your tyres are the culprit. the camber and tyre width can change the way your car handles. I have APs on my A3 8P and run KW Inox 1 on my Bora. TBH I prefer the AP ride as compared to the KWs even though they are well rated. I find them stiffer than the APs.

 

[Nuttro]

AP's are normally very similar to the standard setup stiffness wise I've found on previous cars. As said they are a "fast road" setup rather than track so are softer than all-out track setup!

 

[Compkiler]

It would be handy to let someone here have a go in mine so they know what im talking about. though. They definately feel very soft and i dont feel 100% safe past 130mph... that cant be right

 

[leshkin]

They definately feel very soft and i dont feel 100% safe past 130mph... that cant be right

I think there's your problem with APs identified

 

[leeds2592]

I had AP's on my A3 and never had any problems. Wound as low as they would go with adjusters in and even with 4-5 people in the car, they were sound.

I've got a little suggestion though - don't go 130mph, especially on public roads!

 

[Compkiler]

I was was on 1/4 mile strip for God sake lol

 

[smurfworth]

I was was on 1/4 mile strip for God sake lol

Which is not on the road.. Therefore you are exceeding what the coilovers were designed for..

 

[Compkiler]

Seriously, wtf is the point in selling performance parts ie coilovers for a performance car yet give a worse ride and ***** handling compared to stock?
Sorry but if the cars top speed is xxx, then by putting a performance part on should make it better at xxx, not worse...

 

[Compkiler]

So you talk about tyre size, wheel size, camber, off sets etc etc... my car has the standard 18'' wheels and has the standard tyres on them. What should i be looking for in terms of set up as i have not got a clue?

 

[smurfworth]

Seriously, wtf is the point in selling performance parts ie coilovers for a performance car yet give a worse ride and ***** handling compared to stock?
Sorry but if the cars top speed is xxx, then by putting a performance part on should make it better at xxx, not worse...

The point is to create a budget set of suspension that is half decent and can be used on a "fast road" setup. 99% of people are happy with them! I agree however that they sometimes don't feel stiff enough! that's only one of the downsides just like you can't slam them to the floor. However, for a daily setup 99% of people don't want something so hard it shakes your fillings out just like other setups do that are ideally designed for track use.

If your not happy that the AP's are good enough for what you use them for, it certainly doesn't sound like they are.. Then get your wallet out and buy something that is adequate. The likes of KW or bilstien would be idea for what your looking for, I'd just advise you get some with adjustable dampening cus you'll still class them as too soft for what you want.

So you talk about tyre size, wheel size, camber, off sets etc etc... my car has the standard 18'' wheels and has the standard tyres on them. What should i be looking for in terms of set up as i have not got a clue?

Firstly, you need to know what your actually rubbing on in order to stop it.. Could be the shock.. Could be the arch whatever..