Yet another suspension thread...sorry!

[Audi Doodah]

Before I get flamed for starting another thread, I've been reading suspension threads all afternoon and haven't found an answer

At some point this year I will be looking to replace my springs and dampers on my Avant 1.9 TDi Sport. At 146k old they are no doubt past their best! Looking at OEM replacements comes in at approx £500-600 which is in the same bracket as aftermarket spring/shock sets but these are lower. Now I bought an Avant so I could fill the boot (fishing gear, diy/building waste etc) and it's a daily driver so I'm not after a floor hugging cruiser. A 30mm drop (10mm lower than my current sport setup) would be acceptable I feel. With this in mind, I went out and checked my current arch clearance (measured from the top of my 17" audi 5-spokes to the edge of the wheel arch). The results:

Front right - 125mm
Front left - 122mm
Rear right - 105mm
Rear left - 109mm

Now can accept some small differences between sides due to wear but 20mm max front to rear seems excessive!? I understand that the B6 A4 is front high but the difference I'm seeing is the same as the difference between standard and sport suspension. Not right, surely???

The front suspension arms don't look like they're original so I'm wondering if the wrong springs were fitted during this process. Not as unlikely as it sounds as a few weeks after buying the car I discovered it had the wrong size front brake discs on. They were too small!!!

 

[quattrojames]

A4's always seen lower at the rear than the front.

That difference is probably a combination of that, and age I expect. Are all four tyres the same as they'll sit differently too.

 

[crazy88]

Yeah, I don't think the difference seems too far out to be honest on what is standard for the a4.

 

[Audi Doodah]

Pirelli Pzeros all round. Fronts are new and rears are nearly new so a couple of mill difference there, max. I guess if the front springs were replaced along with the arms and the rears are still original then that could explain it!?

Suppose I won't find out until I upgrade

 

[crazy88]

Yeah, that's true. If the fronts are newer springs then that could explain why it's slightly higher than standard?

I agree about a 30mm drop for you though. I went 40, and it's quite low. Not as low as some on here, but i occasionally scrape, and i've been scraping in the snow recently as the two tyre tracks in the snow leave a nice car height mound in the middle

Having said that, i still love the 40mm drop.

 

[Audi Doodah]

Carving through snow can't be good for the mpg!?

Just reading Elsawin and found this little snippet:

"""Running gear modifications
If „suspension lowering kits“ and/or alloy wheels that have not been approved by Audi are used as accessories, the wheel positions can be altered so that the specified alignment is no longer maintained while driving.
Even if the axle geometry adjustment is correct with the vehicle stationary during wheel alignment, the changed vehicle height and wheel positions can cause the wheel suspension to move differently when driving.
Uneven wear is then unavoidable."""

Anyone experienced excessive tyre wear suspension mods or is just Audi scaremongering?

 

[crazy88]

You will need an alignment doing after you lower it. Is yours a quattro or fwd? If it's fwd (like mine) you'll probably just need a 2 wheel alignment as I don't think much can be done with the rear. If it's quattro you'll need a full 4 wheel alignment doing.

You'll need to wait a while before you do it to allow it all to settle. A good month or so should suffice.

 

[Audi Doodah]

Mine's a FWD too. Good info, ta!