Audi S3 geometry settings

[John-H]

Hi,

I've got an Audi S3 8L Quattro (yr 2000). Can anyone give me the geometry settings - toe camber front and rear etc.?

Thanks.

 

[DJ_Troopa]

Scroll down and look at post 6 matey:

http://www.audi-sport.net/vb/showthread.php?56875-S3-Suspension-and-Set-up-Guide

 

[John-H]

Thanks for that. I had seen that thread but hadn't looked down far enough.

So from the printout the following would seem to be the settings:

Front toe per side: -0 deg 5 min to +0 deg 5 min (so about parallel)
Front camber per side: -1 deg 3 min to -0 deg 33 min
Rear toe per side: +0 deg 2 min to +0 deg 15 min (so very slight toe in)
Rear camber per side: -1 deg 18 min to -0 deg 38 min

If I'm reading that right.

I've just tried setting my rear toe but with the right hand side rear trailing arm set as far out as it will go, I get 3.5 mm difference at the rim to a parallel line whereas the other side will easily go parallel but for zero thrust I've had to set it the same - so I think my rear sub frame needs moving. Is that possible?

3.5 mm works out to +27.86 minutes toe in - way out! And that's better than it was and explains why my rear tyres are scrubbing.

 

[<tuffty/>]

Do you have adjustable rear tie bars?

<tuffty/>

 

[s3_kev]

whats your susspension setup?? arb's? springs? shocks, coilovers? adjustable arms? but with out looking you may have someting fitted incorrectly or somethings bent from impact of a cerb incerdent etc?

 

[John-H]

I've got standard suspension and have just replaced the rear tie rod end worn out ball joints with the bonded rubber replacements and also fitted Powerflex to the trailing arm pivot joints. I'm just about to measure the toe again after freeing off the front rack end adjusters which hadn't been turned for years by the look of it. The car drives straight with the steering wheel straight so there's no rear thrust - just an inability to achieve parallel toe on the driver's side rear.

I've not got adjustable tie rods at the rear.

The rear sub frame is held in on rubber bushes and I doubt there's much play in the centre tube to be able to shift the sub frame mutch, so I'm wondering if the rear arm is bent - and after changing all the joints too!

 

[John-H]

I got the front parallel (to less than 3 min) and the rear checks out at +25 min per side.

I'm using a tensioned thin wire strung across precise spacer blocks stuck to the rim and using a vernier to measure offset to calculate toe.

I'm not exactly on level ground when I do this so camber measurements are not reliable but I wouldn't have thought rear toe would be affected that much to cause such an error. I'll have to check it out on more level ground to be sure however.

 

[John-H]

I had a chance to set up again on some better level ground with the following results:

Front:
.................. Left ............ Right
Height = .... 354 ............ 350 .....(mm)
Camber = . -0° 56' ....... -0° 56' . (deg min)

Rear:
Height = ..... 358 .......... 353 ........(mm)
Camber = . -1° 36' ...... -2° 47' ... (deg min)

So it looks to me like it might not be the trailing arm that's bent but perhaps one of the bushes in the top rear RHS tie rod may be a bit soft and allowing too much camber as the most obvious thing but height and toe are also affected.

 

[VeVeX]

Are you 100% sure you havent lost a coil from a spring?

 

[<tuffty/>]

Are you 100% sure you havent lost a coil from a spring?

Seconded... broken rear coil (usually the little pigtail at either end of the spring) will increase the negative camber which in turn throws out rear toe...

<tuffty/>

 

[John-H]

Good suggestion and I thought for a moment I may have missed something so I just had a quick look. Both spring ends are intact and each side of the car look identical. I'll have a better look when it's not filthy wet and cold - I was only out for a couple of minutes looking through the wheel spokes and I'm shivering already!