[Oddity4]

hey all...

wonder if someone here can help me on this one. my stock A4 with original springs and oem
eibach shocks dont feel right when going over small bumps and rough patches on the road. 205/
55 tires are new in front on 16inch original audi rims. back tires have about 30% thread.
i can feel the jarring shock even over a little bump even at slow speed. does this have to do with
bad suspension arms (which is unlikely, cos handling is otherwise good) or are there other
components in the suspension that is the culprit? the ride is just too hard for my liking. i cant
believe this is the kind of ride feel audi would have designed with their stock set up.

thanks guys

[A4orce]

Ride comfort is something very subjective, depends on your
preference/liking really. Many components affect the ride/handling of a
car; type of tyre & pressure,rims size, bushings, mountings, condition of
springs and shocks, etc. For a start, make sure the original springs
you're using is meant for the A4 and correct me if I'm wrong, but the OEM
shocks should either Bilstein, Sachs or Boge. Eibachs are aftermarket
sports shocks, so do check this out first.

[DavidT]

Eibach shocks are not OE. OE shocks are Sachs. Maybe your "standard"
setup is not as standard as you think. This is a 2nd hand car or brand
new?

[Phibes]

I have read that VAG uses a combination of harder springs with softer
shocks to give a good ride; usually manufacturers would use softer springs
and harder shocks to get a similar effect but offers less gain in
performance.. perhaps by putting in sport shocks you have realized this?

Options.. not much, change your shocks back to OE or OE ratings. You could
send them to AWL to get them rebuilt with a lower rating..

Too bad our shocks can't swap ;-( I like the harder, more stable ride, sure
hate the bumps .. but being more nimble maybe can avoid them better ;-) .


Peace

[Oddity4]

thanks guys

i made a mistake. the shocks ARE sachs Super Touring(which i am told is close to audi oem). i
changed them brand new. dave, my car is secondhand. i am beginning to suspect its the
bushings or the suspension arms. i have ruled out tires, and rim size. i dont mind a firm ride...its
the bone jarring jolts and thumps that irritates me.
phibes, when we next cross each other again at alex's, maybe u wanna try my ride and feel what i
mean?


cheers

[Phibes]

I thinkyou experience the same as what I do especially in the rear, the
suspension feels almost "Klunky" over even small bumps when travelling at a
bit of speed.. sure nest time we meet up lets compare.



Peace

[DavidT]

Odd,

Just out of interest, check out your rims on the inner side and see if
you can see a splatter of black gook/gunk.

[boggysv]

what will the goo/gunk indicate?

[JakeG]

DavidT meant that sometimes a little bit of grease sitting on the rims can
cause imbalance..

B4 you do anything else, do ask a mechanic to jack it up and check around
the rims. Also use a crowbar and lever around the arms to test for
freeplay. Sometimes (as in my car's case) it's harsh even if tracking is
fine.. traced the problem down to loose bushing (the fella who pumped out
my old rubber and replaced with OEM's didn't do it right..so it was
shimmying around the rod end).

BTW in addition to the ten-odd bits in the front, you also have your
engine/ transmission mountings and the front suspension subframe which
sits on another four bushings...check them out too.