When to replace suspension components?

[spex]

My 2006 A4 is approaching 90K miles. All original suspension components (non-sport suspension). Handling is still okay, but the car doesn't feel quite as "planted" as the 2014 S4 I drove recently.

Should I look at replacing springs/shocks? Control arms? Something else? Not sure what typical lifespan of suspension components looks like and would love some tips from experienced Audizine members.

[klrider44]

Mine is feeling kinda sloppy and I have 97k. I have h&r springs with koni shocks(although they are set way to soft, had them put on about 1,000 miles ago) I was thinking of doing adjustable upper control arms and both inner and outer tie rods

[klrider44]

Mine is feeling kinda sloppy and I have 97k. I have h&r springs with koni shocks(although they are set way to soft, had them put on about 1,000 miles ago) I was thinking of doing adjustable upper control arms and both inner and outer tie rods

I know one of my tie rods is bad. Waiting till the weather breaks though. Gonna get it all done when I get my coilivers installed. Should be feelin good after all is said and done though.

[Audibot]

It won't feel as planted as a newer S4. Those cars are lighter, wider, and designed to be sportier.

For your A4, if you haven't done it, the rear sway bar (either RS4, 034 Motorsport, or Hotchkiss) will really improve handling--it's immediately noticeable as soon as you take a curve. You could definitely upgrade the springs and struts if you want to lower the ride with a firmer feel. On a budget you could go with ST (IIRC, somewhere around $600-$700), otherwise, they price up to $2400 or so for the KW v3 (if you don't want an air setup).

At 90k I recall my control arms feeling ok; I'm almost at 140k now and probably should've replaced them a few thousand miles ago. Do an inspection, and if they look like the ball joints and/or bushings are worn, time to replace. And don't do one side at a time--they should be replaced in pairs. Are your tie rods and wheel bearings good?

Another area to check would be mounts. Improved engine, transmission, and rear differential mounts will give you more direct feedback at the risk a slightly more vibrations. 034 are popular upgrades for those, same with Apikol and now ECS too.

One other consideration is wheel/tire choice. I'm not sure what you run, but going to a wider tire (say, from 235 to 245) will increase handling, as well as what type of tire (all-season vs summer). Wheel-wise, if you lighten each corner with a lighter wheel, you will absolutely improve handling via reduction of unsprung weight. Brakes are another area you can potential save weight in, if you want to go down that rabbit hole.

[Audibot]

Mine is feeling kinda sloppy and I have 97k. I have h&r springs with koni shocks(although they are set way to soft, had them put on about 1,000 miles ago) I was thinking of doing adjustable upper control arms and both inner and outer tie rods

I know one of my tie rods is bad. Waiting till the weather breaks though. Gonna get it all done when I get my coilivers installed. Should be feelin good after all is said and done though.

I have the SPC adjustable control arms, and they've been great at doing their job. Got a nice compliment from an Audi tech after alignment, a few years ago.

For tie rods, I've gotten a good deal from FCP last year. I installed them and about a month later, took for an alignment. They said the outer one was already bad (it somehow had gotten knocked around), and FCP took care of me right then and there. They have some pretty good prices on other suspension pieces too!

And if you're doing your coilovers yourself, be careful. They all have to be torqued when it's at resting height. Also, think about loosening (lowering a bit) the rear subframe to get the rear springs out. Otherwise, you're in for a world of pain.

[Copen-cisco]

I'm at 104k and my left side upper control arms are done.. installing the SPC this weekend along with ST coilovers.

[DannyDeez]

It won't feel as planted as a newer S4. Those cars are lighter, wider, and designed to be sportier.

For your A4, if you haven't done it, the rear sway bar (either RS4, 034 Motorsport, or Hotchkiss) will really improve handling--it's immediately noticeable as soon as you take a curve. You could definitely upgrade the springs and struts if you want to lower the ride with a firmer feel. On a budget you could go with ST (IIRC, somewhere around $600-$700), otherwise, they price up to $2400 or so for the KW v3 (if you don't want an air setup).

At 90k I recall my control arms feeling ok; I'm almost at 140k now and probably should've replaced them a few thousand miles ago. Do an inspection, and if they look like the ball joints and/or bushings are worn, time to replace. And don't do one side at a time--they should be replaced in pairs. Are your tie rods and wheel bearings good?

Another area to check would be mounts. Improved engine, transmission, and rear differential mounts will give you more direct feedback at the risk a slightly more vibrations. 034 are popular upgrades for those, same with Apikol and now ECS too.

One other consideration is wheel/tire choice. I'm not sure what you run, but going to a wider tire (say, from 235 to 245) will increase handling, as well as what type of tire (all-season vs summer). Wheel-wise, if you lighten each corner with a lighter wheel, you will absolutely improve handling via reduction of unsprung weight. Brakes are another area you can potential save weight in, if you want to go down that rabbit hole.

Id have to disagree. My B7 A4 feels wayyy more connected to the road than my 2013 S5 did. The B8s are less of a sporty design and more of a comfort/luxury over the B7

[spex]

Some great advice here. Thanks all. I've been looking at the Eibach Pro springs with Bilstein Sport shocks (1" lowered ride height and improved handling without getting too harsh like some of the more aggressive coilover kits).

Quick follow-up: how can I tell if control arms vs tie rods, vs springs/struts need replacement? Are there handling characteristics unique to each component or is that a visual inspection kind of thing?

[dalmation53]

Id have to disagree. My B7 A4 feels wayyy more connected to the road than my 2013 S5 did. The B8s are less of a sporty design and more of a comfort/luxury over the B7

i have to agree with you. i rode in the S5 too and did not feel it as sporty s my B7 and i was wondering and that time i was on stock suspension I wasn't even lowered..

[JayDog747]

You can't compare your 9 yo 90K mile A4 to a brand new S4. They're two different cars. You can make your car handle better by doing a complete front end refresh. New control arms, end links, swaybar bushings, inner and outer tie rods. Especially if you want to lower it. For the rear, I would replace the upper control arm bushings and the outer hub bushing. These help keep the rear in alignment while crusing. Move up to a bigger rear sway bar. New rear diff mount and front snub mount. Look into wider wheels and tires. Check the control arm bushings for any cracks or splits when stressed. Remove the tie rod from the knuckle, if the inner tie rod cannot support the weight of the outer, then consider replacing both. You may want to look at Koni instead of Bilstein. That way you can dial in the stiffness you want.

DannyDeez, Dalmation; The B8 now has the same dimensions that our A6/2.7t's had. While they were good cars to drive, it didn't have that Jack Rabbitty feel that the B7 has. The wife had a 3.2 B7 6mt that was fun to drive. But when you shove a V8 up a B7's ass, then it's a phuking blast to drive.

[B72011]

I am wondering--if I moved from the sport springs I currently have to some other lowering springs--which ones would likely drop the car an additional 1/2" over the sport springs. I want to drop it just a bit more than it currently sits with the sport springs.
Would the Eibach or HR's or Tein drop an additional 1/2" or would it be a full inch drop more?
I spend a lot of time in the mtns and need some clearance for snow.

[butro]

My 07 A4 Quattro is having some clunkiness from the rear going over speed bumps and larger road bumps. I put 19" RS4 replicas on last week and while the wheels were off I noticed my rear struts were shot. So time to replace. What would give me a good inch drop over stock? I don't want the 2" drop I find everywhere.

[Audibot]

My 07 A4 Quattro is having some clunkiness from the rear going over speed bumps and larger road bumps. I put 19" RS4 replicas on last week and while the wheels were off I noticed my rear struts were shot. So time to replace. What would give me a good inch drop over stock? I don't want the 2" drop I find everywhere.

Depends on your budget. Replacing the struts themselves won't really get you anything (unless it's a funky design)--you'll need to replace the springs (which, if you didn't know, is a PITA on these cars). If decide you need to drop though, your decent options range from the lower end ST coilovers (usually $600-$700 IIRC), Koni, H&Rs (~$1200), to Bilstein (~$1700-$1800) to KW V1/2/3 ($1800-$2400), to air ride ($2400-$4k+) to Ohlins (think these are usually up around $4k). Don't go cheap like JOM b/c the springs will rust out on you.

I've personally ridden with the H&Rs before. While comfortable, the rear felt a little bit lower than I liked. You could use a suspension spacer if necessary though (some guy on AZ sold me a set--it'd raise you up if it were too low). Can't speak of the others.