hatmeow
Turbo is the only way....
- Joined
- Feb 29, 2008
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Guys, just wanted to share my experience of fitting the TT suspension arms to my FWD 2.0T A3.
The idea came from local trackday GTIs making this mod to make the front track wider. I checked and the A3 turns out to have arms with the same dimensions as the TT but the TT ones are Alloy instead of steel. Also the TT ones have adjustable camber . I decided to give it a try...
This is the BEFORE picture...notice that all the suspension bits seem to be in alloy except for the suspension arm. Also notice that the ball joint has 3 bolts with FIXED positions. This does not allow camber adjustments
Here are all the parts that are needed (there will be left and right sets of course) the TT front suspension arm and the lower ball joint.
If you compare the TT ball joint and the regular A3 one the TT ball joint is made of alloy with elongated holes for camber adjustment
Here is how the arms compare. The original ones are UGLY and Heavy!!
note that the mounting bracktes for the arms are totally different with different dimensions and bushings without holes on the TT (A3 on the left). These need to be taken out with a hydraulic press and swapped. Perfect fit!
After its all fitted, I have increased the camber by another 0.5deg and went for a test drive. The upgrade of the arms does not really make that much of a difference but the camber adjustment really did. In corners when I ususlly get wheelspins, they all but dissappear or are severely reduced. The whole front end feels more solid and "planted". Ride is somehow improved by a little bit (not sure why) without sacrificing control.
Its a lot of work to get camber adjustment in your A3 but I think it was totally worth it. Especially with my K04 intallation, wheelspin was all too common. Now its much more under control and I can bang on the throtle much earlier than before.
The idea came from local trackday GTIs making this mod to make the front track wider. I checked and the A3 turns out to have arms with the same dimensions as the TT but the TT ones are Alloy instead of steel. Also the TT ones have adjustable camber . I decided to give it a try...
This is the BEFORE picture...notice that all the suspension bits seem to be in alloy except for the suspension arm. Also notice that the ball joint has 3 bolts with FIXED positions. This does not allow camber adjustments
Here are all the parts that are needed (there will be left and right sets of course) the TT front suspension arm and the lower ball joint.
If you compare the TT ball joint and the regular A3 one the TT ball joint is made of alloy with elongated holes for camber adjustment
Here is how the arms compare. The original ones are UGLY and Heavy!!
note that the mounting bracktes for the arms are totally different with different dimensions and bushings without holes on the TT (A3 on the left). These need to be taken out with a hydraulic press and swapped. Perfect fit!
After its all fitted, I have increased the camber by another 0.5deg and went for a test drive. The upgrade of the arms does not really make that much of a difference but the camber adjustment really did. In corners when I ususlly get wheelspins, they all but dissappear or are severely reduced. The whole front end feels more solid and "planted". Ride is somehow improved by a little bit (not sure why) without sacrificing control.
Its a lot of work to get camber adjustment in your A3 but I think it was totally worth it. Especially with my K04 intallation, wheelspin was all too common. Now its much more under control and I can bang on the throtle much earlier than before.