Some questions regarding lowering

[fabric8]

I recently picked up a 2002 B6 Avant Quattro 1.8 5speed and am considering dropping it a little from it's non-sport suspension (I lower all my cars myself :) This is my 1st Audi though. I've read on the forums that with a mild drop, adjustable upper control arms shouldn't be needed. I've heard that the 2002 sport suspension runs lower than the later model sport suspensions, and this would be the drop I'd be looking for - nothing lower as my wife generally drives this car and it'd be the car we take on family road trips.

On cars with OEM sport suspensions including the 2002 models which have slightly lower ride heights, how does Audi address the camber in the front? I haven't seen any difference in part numbers for front upper control arms between sport and non-sport suspensions. If they're identical, wouldn't cars with OEM sport suspensions have increased negative camber? And wouldn't that lead to accelerated inner tire wear?

As a side note, I've got a B5.5 Passat with OEM VW sport springs which have a mild 1.2" drop (rebranded Eibach's IIRC) and my inner tread in the front tires get worn down much quicker than the rest of the tire even with an alignment, so I've got to rotate often. I'm not ready to invest in adjustable UCA for this car at this time since its my DD and I'm considering selling it for a TT225.

But I would consider adjustable UCA's on my A4 if that meant preventing uneven tire wear from lowering it.

Also, my goal would be to try and find a good used OEM sport suspension. But if I can't find it for a 1.8t Avant, I'm considering a spring/shock set if not coilovers. In my past cars, I've tried Neuspeeds and H&R sport springs with Bilsteins sport shocks and never liked the ride - it felt unnecessarily stiff yet high. My Weitec GT 60mm cupkit rode much better due to what I believed to be a matched set. This was on my MK4 GTI 1.8t though.

That said, what spring/shock combo would be as closely matched as possible giving a sporty comfortable ride? Eibach or H&R or Neuspeed sport springs with Bilsteins HD? Or Bisltein sports? Or Koni Yellow's? Or Koni FSD's?

Or am I just better off going with ST coilovers or FK coilovers? Which is stiffer?

My goal is to get to the OEM sport suspension ride height (maybe a tad lower) and get as comfortable ride out of it as possible with S4 18's. Not looking for track-like performance.

Yes, I've searched, but can't find definitive answers. TIA!

[spybox]

Have you looked into KW comfort coilovers? I think I am going to these for a mild lowering but solid suspension.

[elewsader]

I recently picked up a 2002 B6 Avant Quattro 1.8 5speed and am considering dropping it a little from it's non-sport suspension (I lower all my cars myself :) This is my 1st Audi though. I've read on the forums that with a mild drop, adjustable upper control arms shouldn't be needed. I've heard that the 2002 sport suspension runs lower than the later model sport suspensions, and this would be the drop I'd be looking for - nothing lower as my wife generally drives this car and it'd be the car we take on family road trips.

That is correct the 2002 sport suspension was the sought after OEM suspension many years ago, however due to the age, most of them are no longer a prime candidate for swapping.


On cars with OEM sport suspensions including the 2002 models which have slightly lower ride heights, how does Audi address the camber in the front? I haven't seen any difference in part numbers for front upper control arms between sport and non-sport suspensions. If they're identical, wouldn't cars with OEM sport suspensions have increased negative camber? And wouldn't that lead to accelerated inner tire wear?

Front camber adjustability is not possible on the B6/B7 platform, the only way is to replace with "adjustable upper C/A's", however the rears are a slightly different story <click here> (http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php/210830-DIY-B6-A4-Camber-Adjustment)


But I would consider adjustable UCA's on my A4 if that meant preventing uneven tire wear from lowering it.

The lowering goal that you're after doesn't sound like it will necessitate a need for the adjustable C/A's.


Also, my goal would be to try and find a good used OEM sport suspension. But if I can't find it for a 1.8t Avant, I'm considering a spring/shock set if not coilovers. In my past cars, I've tried Neuspeeds and H&R sport springs with Bilsteins sport shocks and never liked the ride - it felt unnecessarily stiff yet high. My Weitec GT 60mm cupkit rode much better due to what I believed to be a matched set. This was on my MK4 GTI 1.8t though.

This can be extremely subjective for people, so the only way to really tell is to find someone close by and get a feel for yourself, especially since the dynamics of this car are somewhat new to you.


That said, what spring/shock combo would be as closely matched as possible giving a sporty comfortable ride? Eibach or H&R or Neuspeed sport springs with Bilsteins HD? Or Bisltein sports? Or Koni Yellow's? Or Koni FSD's?

Most of these options are probably going to alter the feel of your Avant noticeably, you may want to drop a question like this in the model specific sub-forum related to more comparing these setups to stock since there will be more visibility in there.


Or am I just better off going with ST coilovers or FK coilovers? Which is stiffer?

Coil-over's are probably going to be your best bet, for the cost of either ST or FK, you'll be in the same range as the spring-strut-shock combo you've already mentioned. You probably can't go wrong with H&R/Koni Yellow (adjustable dampening), but it's going to be in the price territory as a set of Coil-overs which will be marginal in performance perception in your spirited driving, and road trips.


My goal is to get to the OEM sport suspension ride height (maybe a tad lower) and get as comfortable ride out of it as possible with S4 18's. Not looking for track-like performance.

FK's will drop you the least out of the coil-over group, which would be the closest to your goal.

If you're doing the work yourself, watch out for that pinch bolt...

[fabric8]

Thanks for the detailed reply!!! I recently mounted oem B6 S4 18" avus wheels which firmed up the ride over the stock 16's. We've taken it on 2 trips from norcal to socal in the last month and love the way it rides so I'm just going to leave it the way it is for now. When the oem shocks finally go, ill probably get a set of coilovers then if I cant find oem 2002 b6 1.8t avant sport springs.

Fwiw, I installed H&R coilovers last week on my bro-in-laws b6 S4 avant and those rode really nice! But I cant see spending that kind of money on our 11yr old car.