Suspension!! Again!!

[tobyhann]

Hi there newbie

been reading loads of the suspension threads and confused on what to do!
I have a 69 plate saloon with non mag ride suspension! I live in Somerset and the roads are horrible, I hear lots of good things about the MSS sport kit but as hear a lot of conflicting saying it only works on mag ride! How does it ride? Any feed back from non mag ride owners please?
I like a stiff set up but I want bump compliance! I just don’t want if I hit a bump on the road to feel like the wheel is going through the arch!!!
The other option but mega money is to just go all in with the ohlins road and track! Any one fitted this set up?
Also been recommended the kW v3 kit! Thought?

Cheers

 

[Slowracer]

I read some reviews on the US forums that said the Ohlin's didn't work, they were not designed for an rs3 , but adapted from another platform.

The K's v3 have a solid rep.

The MSS should work ok but limited to the quality of your shocks.

If I had the fixed suspension I'd be going coil overs as you have No issue with the problem of mag ride deletes.

I'd also look at Bilstein, I have seen good reviews for rs3, a member here
Had them fitted

 

[arf @66]

If you want a firm ride then the mss is not for you.i have it on mine as i didnt want to go down the coilover route.i have the track springs and they are noticably softer than the standered ones.im going to change them at some point as its really just too soft a ride.

 

[tobyhann]

If you want a firm ride then the mss is not for you.i have it on mine as i didnt want to go down the coilover route.i have the track springs and they are noticably softer than the standered ones.im going to change them at some point as its really just too soft a ride.

I don’t mind softer as the wife would moan less! As long as it doesn’t take away from the handling I’ll be happy! Just all the rest of the advice Iv had from shops is they say they get harder when lowering!
I just want to get rid od the harshness on the **** bumpy roads! But still keep good handling!

 

[Slowracer]

I have the MSS springs and the ride quality is good, like one, in my case mag ride.

The MSS springs are progressive in the rear due to the helper spring and It makes them feel a bit soft on turn in, I'd prefer a linear spring like the OEM sharper turn in. Once you take up the slack, mid corner it feels nice and tight.

Most people have the fronts on lowest setting as they don't drop much. The more you lower the rear the stiffness will increase as you are increasing the pre load on the helper spring.

Replacing the springs I doubt that you will improve ride quality but you will not make it worse which is what lowering springs can do.

The reports I've had on the bilstein b16 is that they are firm but compliant. Being adjustable you can tweak them.

I've had a drive in a car with KW DDC and on the sports setting the handling was good but a stiff ride, it wouldn't pass the wife test. On the comfort setting the ride was good but it felt a little jiggly which I didn't like. You can also get the wireless kit which allows you to tweak, but an expensive and complex set up.

I would lean towards the bilstein b16, it's probably where I'll end up ifmi eventually go coil overs.

 

[arf @66]

I had the b16's on my previous 8p rs3.i felt it just ruined the ride completely.too crashy on the softer settings and too stiff on the harder settings.thats why i went with the mss on this car,because i really didnt want to go down the coilover route again.i just think there way too soft without magride though.ideally if i could get a stiffer adjustable damper to fit the mss kit then i would be able to live with it.i believe koni did an adjustable strut for the older model but carnt seem to find anything for the facelift.

 

[Ross_T_Boss]

If I hadn't got magride I would have been temped to fit coilovers to be honest but I am happy with magride and MSS Track. It's a good balance between daily and fast, and to be honest on reasonable B-roads you can really make pace without bottoming out or losing traction, that bit of compliance really helps.

The MSS springs are progressive in the rear due to the helper spring and It makes them feel a bit soft on turn in, I'd prefer a linear spring like the OEM sharper turn in. Once you take up the slack, mid corner it feels nice and tight.

For what it's worth fitting rear trailing arm bushes made a huge difference with this. Turn-in is another level now. I got used to fast corners = "turn-in, feel it load up, let off a bit of lock to hold the line and now she's good". It was weird but got used to it as it was predictable. However trailing arms = much less use of the steering wheel, still predicable put like a scalpel. Massively underrated suspension mod. Only minor road noise additionally on poor surfaces, first day i had em did 200 miles on motorway and it felt no different.

I used 034 spherical (picked up for £275), but you can get JXB sphericals for $200 and press them yourself of SuperPro/Powerflex race ones for alot less and most of the effect.

 

[Slowracer]

I had the b16's on my previous 8p rs3.i felt it just ruined the ride completely.too crashy on the softer settings and too stiff on the harder settings.thats why i went with the mss on this car,because i really didnt want to go down the coilover route again.i just think there way too soft without magride though.ideally if i could get a stiffer adjustable damper to fit the mss kit then i would be able to live with it.i believe koni did an adjustable strut for the older model but carnt seem to find anything for the facelift.

It's interesting you had this result. The guy I spoke to had the the b16s on a 8v sedan. He said that the standard mag ride suspension was a crashy ride quality while the b16s were firm but compliant and overall better ride.

I recently ordered the DSC sports controller which allows you to tune the mag ride shocks and makes active real time adjustment. Unfortunately they found a bug in the software so it's on hold until they can sort it out. It widely used in the Porsche community to good result, so I was keen to see what It would do in the rs3.

 

[Slowracer]

If I hadn't got magride I would have been temped to fit coilovers to be honest but I am happy with magride and MSS Track. It's a good balance between daily and fast, and to be honest on reasonable B-roads you can really make pace without bottoming out or losing traction, that bit of compliance really helps.

For what it's worth fitting rear trailing arm bushes made a huge difference with this. Turn-in is another level now. I got used to fast corners = "turn-in, feel it load up, let off a bit of lock to hold the line and now she's good". It was weird but got used to it as it was predictable. However trailing arms = much less use of the steering wheel, still predicable put like a scalpel. Massively underrated suspension mod. Only minor road noise additionally on poor surfaces, first day i had em did 200 miles on motorway and it felt no different.

I used 034 spherical (picked up for £275), but you can get JXB sphericals for $200 and press them yourself of SuperPro/Powerflex race ones for alot less and most of the effect.

Interesting, I'm surprised the rear would make so much difference. I'm sure the front end alignment would get all out of shape under load mid corner.

 

[arf @66]

Well i take back what i said about the bilstein b16.the old ones i had on my 8p were just plain bad.i needed to get the mss kit off as i found it just too soft without magride.i was going to try the bilstein b14 but there were none in stock anywere.so i bit the bullet and ordered a set of b16's.all i can say is what a difference they have made.got them on yesterday and made a few adjustments to get the ride height right,tried a couple of different settings on the damping and im impressed.i have the fronts set on 5 and the rear on 4 and the car drives near on like it did standered but better.a little firmer than standered but with better damping.im starting to like the car all over again.

 

[Slowracer]

Well i take back what i said about the bilstein b16.the old ones i had on my 8p were just plain bad.i needed to get the mss kit off as i found it just too soft without magride.i was going to try the bilstein b14 but there were none in stock anywere.so i bit the bullet and ordered a set of b16's.all i can say is what a difference they have made.got them on yesterday and made a few adjustments to get the ride height right,tried a couple of different settings on the damping and im impressed.i have the fronts set on 5 and the rear on 4 and the car drives near on like it did standered but better.a little firmer than standered but with better damping.im starting to like the car all over again.

This is good to hear and its consistent with the feedback from a another with the b16 setup.

 

[mangobay]

Can I ask if the Bilsteins make the car turn in any sharper and take some of the initial slack out of the steering please? It's the one disappointment for me with the RS3 having come from bmws and other better handling cars. Thanks

 

[arf @66]

Can I ask if the Bilsteins make the car turn in any sharper and take some of the initial slack out of the steering please? It's the one disappointment for me with the RS3 having come from bmws and other better handling cars. Thanks

Having just owned an m3 competition before this,i would say your gunna have to do a lot to the rs3 to make it turn in better than one of them.the bilsteins have made a big difference though.

 

[mangobay]

Thanks. Helpful to know. I came from a well sorted M4 too. I'm hoping some well set up coilovers could improve things.

 

[8YARWY]

Anyone here had Eibach Pro's ?

I've had them on 2 other cars and loved the ride quality of progressive springs. Seem like a good inexpensive option...

Yup nearly 2 years on them now.

No issues to report, car felt a lot better after fitting, ride wasn’t as crashy on pot holes / rough road, give more confidence when pushing on through the corners.
Coupled with the 034 rear bar makes for a nice mod.

Also allows the car to sit nicer and closes the arch gaps up a little.

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[8YARWY]

@T-1000 Thanks for the feedback and great to hear your impressions. Instinct is to stick with what I've had and know works well, but I sure don't see many running them on Audi forums surprisingly. Pretty sure I'll go this route - will look into the 034 bar as well!

I nearly opted for the MSS “holy grail” of springs, however I couldn’t see how they were worth the extra over the Eibach springs.


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[8YARWY]

That's exactly what I was wondering. I'd actually not be surprised in Eibach made their springs, as they supply loads of other suspension companies with springs to their own specifications. Thanks for your input

Part of the MSS is an Eibach spring.


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[Slowracer]

I tried the eibach pros and found them too soft. I didn't lie the initial turn in with the progressive rate spring but the rear bar would tighten that up.

A few have mentioned that bushing upgrade to rear and front trailing arms really sharpens the steering, but my only concern with this would be added NVH.

 

[8YARWY]

@T-1000 @Slowracer Either of you have mag ride out of curiosity?

Yup.
Recalibrated too.


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[Slowracer]

Same here. Magride and recalibrated on MSS springs