Audi S3 8V Coilover Suggestions

[onixiii]

Hey Audi People,

I've been doing more track days and autocross events over the summer and am looking to improve my cars handling. I've been shopping around for coilover kits and camber adjustable strut mounts but get mixed reviews. A local tuner suggested ST XTA's, but I'm wary of the twin tube design for track use. The other options are Bilsteins which are around the same cost but monotube design which should be better performance wise.

I was hoping to get suggestions from other's who also do the occasional track days for what'll give me the best bang for my buck.

Thanks in advance!

[Chaoscreature]

Onixiii,

You will get a lot of opinions on this, but I think you will be very pleased with something like the Bilstein B14 PSS kit, or the B16 PSS10 kit if you have money burning a hole in your pocket.
The additional shock settings are nice to have, but I think they can be a bit of a distraction for newer drivers. Most people just set them once and never touch the knobs again anyways.

Another great package is Koni Sports coupled with something like H&R Sports or Eibach springs. This combo won't break the bank and performs well, plus you get knobs to play with :)
I ran this package on my MK6 Jetta and could run circles around most Golf R's, although they had a nasty habit of getting back around me on the straights!

For Camber, you will need to talk to some other people here... but there aren't a ton of options. The 034 Sport Dynamic+ mounts look okay, as do the SuperPro mounts but I have heard that they both can be a bit clunky. There are also more traditional spherical bearing setups from Ground Control and Integrated Engineering.
I think ECS Tuning carries just about all the options here:
https://www.ecstuning.com/Volkswagen...n/Camber_Kits/


Whatever you do, I would highly recommend either RS3 control arm bushings or the new ones from Black Forest Industries:
https://blackforestindustries.com/pr...rubber-mk7-mqb
The front control arm bushing design does NOT hold the toe settings very well. These bushings will increase steering feel and give the car a bit more confidence.

Good luck and have fun!!!

[EROtero]

First off, make sure you read and understand all rules and regulations of SOLO racing. You can find the most up to date PDF rule book here:

https://www.scca.com/pages/solo-cars-and-rules

Each category has allowed modifications and this document clearly states what those are. For example, if you are currently at the "Street" category altering the suspension so that the alignment geometry is changed goes against the rules and will automatically bump you up to the "Street Touring" category. Its a good idea to understand what you can and cannot modify if you are planning on staying in a specific category.

With that said, I chose JRZ Suspension RSTwo Sport as it is one of few systems that allows for independent adjustment of compression and rebound. This is great for fine tuning at autocross or at the track. Other great systems are KW Suspension V3 & Clubsport, and the Bilstein equivalents. With the V3's you can use stock top mounts or replace with 034 or SuperPro camber mounts. Sachs, Racingline, and Ohlins also make great systems but the compression/rebound adjustment is married to a single knob and not independent. If you are serious about racing I would not look elsewhere.

OTOH, if your intentions are for just having fun once in a while you can use less expensive systems like the ST XTA (which is made by KW) pretty much they are the same as V2's but made out of steel instead of aluminum and come with camber adjustable top hats (note that this will bump you up to the "Street Touring" category automatically). These systems are a great option when comfort is a priority for daily driving with little to none NVH.

Hope this helps!

[onixiii]

Thank you for the info!

Based on all the feedback I think I'll get the Bilstein B14 coilovers with a couple of options for camber. Once I get a good setup going I'll definitely look into replacing the bushings with either RS3's or BlackForest.

The two camber options I have are either 034 (gives additional 1.4° of camber) or Euro Sport (additional 0.8° of camber). I'm not too familiar with what a good camber setting would be, do you guys have any experience with what works best for the S3? I'm the past I've had tons of uneven tire wear with the outside getting worn out with my stock setup.

[Chaoscreature]

Onixii,

You won't be disappointed with the B14 kit, although I doubt you would be disappointed with any of the options above! I used to AX with the PCA quite a bit, and there were lots of people running the B14 kits and putting down stupid fast lap times. It's humbling to be beaten (badly sometimes) by a superior driver in a vehicle that's theoretically much slower than your own. But that's what makes the sport fun!

Camber settings and tire selection go hand-in-hand a bit. Assuming you are running street tires (200+ treadware) and your stock camber is around -1 deg, then the Eurosport kit will probably get you into a happy compromise between acceptable tire wear on the street vs track.
I would recommend doing the control arm bushings at the same time. It will cost less to do it now since the suspension is already apart and you will need an alignment anyways. Just my 2 cents :)

EROtero,
Do you know anyone personally or have you ridden in a car with the ST XTA suspension? They look like a lot of kit for the money!
How do you like your JRZ suspension?

[EROtero]

Onixii,

Seems you are on the right track now. As for alignment settings, this is all driver preference. I would start with -2˚ of camber in front and -1.5˚camber rear with zero toe rear and ⅛" toe total combined in front. These are very conservative numbers and the car will drive well on the roads daily. Try this setup at autocross or track and adjust from there as needed. Caster is non adjustable on the MQB platform so don't worry about it.

Chaoscreature,

There are a few guys at my autocross region with the ST XTA and they ride very well. For the money you get a lot of performance. The downside is they are not serviceable and being made with steel they tend to rust if the coating is imperfect or scratched. I absolutely LOVE the JRZ's. The level of adjustment is really unparalleled. It's nice to do a lap, feel the car responding, and adjust on the fly in less than a minute, then go lap again. I also like the fact that I can select different spring configurations based on what track I will be visiting as the springs are linear rather than the progressive design. Also they are 100% serviceable. They are not cheap but worth every penny if you do track and autocross often enough.

[Chaoscreature]

zero toe rear and ⅛" toe total combined in front

Interesting, it seems like most people go with the opposite. I know I do.
I run zero toe front and +.10 deg combined in the rear of the A3. Like you said, alignment settings are mostly preference, but I am curious why you don't just run zero toe in the front as well? High speed stability?

Thanks for the info on the ST's and the review of the JRZ suspension
If you are changing out springs for specific tracks you are definitely more anal about chassis tuning than I am (and I consider myself semi-obsessive)! Do you own your own scales for corner balancing?

[EROtero]

Interesting, it seems like most people go with the opposite. I know I do.
I run zero toe front and +.10 deg combined in the rear of the A3. Like you said, alignment settings are mostly preference, but I am curious why you don't just run zero toe in the front as well? High speed stability?

Thanks for the info on the ST's and the review of the JRZ suspension
If you are changing out springs for specific tracks you are definitely more anal about chassis tuning than I am (and I consider myself semi-obsessive)! Do you own your own scales for corner balancing?

With -3˚ of camber and 9˚of caster (with Whiteline lower control arms) having zero toe in front gets really twitchy at higher speeds, so a little tiny bit of toe out helps keeps thing under control. And yes I have all the equipment I need to setup the suspension and alignment myself.