ddillas

Current set up has become too stiff for my liking, looking for a softer ride.

For the past few years I have been running Vogtland Red Violet 40mm drop springs with Bilstein Sport cartridges up front and Boge shocks in the back. But now I'm looking to soften up the ride a bit. The standard thinking is a softer set of struts / shocks to soak up the little bumps in the road.

But which ones?

Thanks in advance for the ideas.

CRAZY_RUSSIAN

if you can find a set of Koni shocks, they are usually much softer. please do not run standard shocks with dropped springs. the shocks become useless.

Lago Blue

DD,

a) No idea what model you have but am guessing your primary concern is the front suspension, correct?

b) Before I begin, just a reminder to be sure to learn how to use, re-use and use again the "search" function here to research issues, particularly as there is so much good material in the archives to help you.

c) You may have more than one issue occurring concurrently, if not, in any case what follows is still a very good start and will serve to prevent problems developing or from being made worse. Does "become" in your first sentence mean you have noticed the ride quality has changed?

d) I have not used Vogtlands but do recall many dissatisfied users here on this forum unhappy until they switched to other springs. It is likely that these springs, being of inferior design, are too short and too stiff to -not- cause damage to your strut-mounts as well as the ride quality. You may be very happy with a set of original Audi sport springs which came on many cars from the factory, you will find the Audi spring colour-codes using "search", the models they came on and may you may also find a pair at the wreckers.

e) Be prepared to replace your strut-mounts with originals from the dealer, accept no substitutes. How much clearance is there under the cupped washers which sit atop each strut in the fender-wells?

f) You may have a set of the very nice yellow-bodied Bilsteins on the front, correct? If yes, they are well worth re-using and if installed correctly, are (IMHO) simply the best quality, best ride quality, & best guarantee for any money. However, it is imperative that you read about proper installation and perform the drain-hole mod to the bottom of each strut to prevent hydro-locking of the struts which can be a insidious gradual process that will certainly stiffen the ride and eventually ruin the Bilsteins.

g) I'm afraid I don't have time to link you to where you need to go to find this stuff just now, but this should give you direction towards some necessary improvements.

Happy hunting.

Luxus Panzer

If you use Bilsteins, do not neglect this....










Lest ye clunk