2.8 Q Body Roll/Wheels Question
 

Hi all-

I have used the audiworld site articles for a few small projects (economically replacing my blown Bose rear-deck woofers, wiring in an iPod) and found the articles very helpful. Thanks to all of you who contribute from your own experiences here.

I have a 99.5 2.8 QM (no sport pkg). It's got the OEM 5 spoke 16's and an aging set of Eagle RS-A's. I'm planning to keep the car for a while, but I don't plan to get the PES SC or anything along those lines. I used to own a BMW MZ3 and I really miss the crispness of the handling (especially the steering and cornering).

The concensus that I've come from reading on this site is that I should get larger wheels and more performance-sized tires. Whether to go 17" or 18" - I have no idea how to decide that.

On one hand, I really like the looks of the RS4 replicas (from either edgeracing or acstuning), but I also like the OEM S4 wheels, and those are quite a bit cheaper - around $600 off of ebay, for example, as opposed to $1k for the RS4 reps. The other thing to keep in mind is that I do live in Connecticut so something that bends easy (potholes) is not something I want.

People also seem to suggest upgrading the sway bars in the non-sport A4 to help the body roll. The body roll under hard cornering is definitely the most noticeable problem with my A4's handling.

But I don't think I want to get into lowering or costly suspension upgrades (coilovers or anything along those lines).

So, how have others solved the same problem? Does anyone have any suggestions for me? Are the two things I mentioned (wheels/tires + swaybar) the most economical way of improving the A4's handling/cornering?

Thanks
John

performance aside, 17s or 18s on non-sport susp. don't look pretty.

If you put 17s or 18s on non-sport...
 

You will have better handling and cornering as the tires won't give as much...but you will definitely want to upgrade the suspension. I put 17 Moda R6's on my 98 non-sport and the gap is horrendous. They look much better than the stock 5 spokes I had, but there is still much room for improvement. Check out my pic poster for gap reference. Good luck.

phil

depends what you mean by handling. Without susp. mods, body roll will just get worse.

I was pretty much referring to cornering...I my experience
 

I gained cornering ability in the fact that the tires on the stock wheels would give quite a bit whereas the new ones don't. My suspension still blows.

Coming from a 2.8 non-sport - get springs/shocks (or coilovers) and Swaybars first.
 

Click the sig.

You're starting by comparing the handling to an MZ3?
 

Whatever you decide to do with your car, you'll probably still miss the handling on the BMW. So let's start with that dose of reality.

New wheels and tires are a good start. Those goodyears are absolute crap, and are largely responsible for the poor handling. You could upgrade to a good set of Z rated performance rubber...however be careful...if you step away from the all season variety, you'll need new winter rubber as well. Given the fact that you're thinking about upgrading to 17/18" rims, perhaps this is a good opportunity to get summer only rubber, and use the 16's to mount winter tires? Your call. 17's are a nice compromise between performance and handling...and 18's are largely for cosmetics, with very small benefits in the way of handling. If you never intend to do anything with the suspension, don't bother with 18's, as you'll never really notice the performance increment over 17's with a floaty stock suspension.

Also realize that you'll never complete reap the benefits from 17's, unless you do something with your suspension. That mushy soft stock suspension will make your car handle like a Buick. Good tires will help, but ultimately, you'll still have that steering lag, and roll/dive. Based on your priorities, I would consider a used or new stock sport suspension. It offers very little in the way of trade offs in ride quality in trade for some decent handling. Combined with the 17" wheels, it should up a smile on your face...but don't compare this to the BMW!

what I meant was...
 

by putting on wider and stickier tires, you increase grip. So now, when cornering, your tires are still firmly planted to the road (no slipping/sliding), but the top portion of the car (body) wants to fly off due to stronger lateral forces which just causes additional body roll.

Absolutely...I was trying to say the same thing basically, you explained it much better though

I think the cheapest answer to your problem is a Neuspeed 19mm rear anti-sway bar