Better look at those rear Neuspeed sway bars and the axle right above them...
07-27-2002, 11:30 AM
#1
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Better look at those rear Neuspeed sway bars and the axle right above them...
Was under a friends A4 this morning setting his sway bar up for staggered (medium) setting from the "soft" he'd been running for the last year. While under the car I noticed a fairly deep (.010" deep x approx 3/16" wide) gouge in the axle directly above the sway bar arm tip on the left side. I went over to the right and saw another of the same depth/width in that axle. Neither were bad enough to replace or be concerned with but something tells me that gouge wouldn't have become any shallower had we left it.
We ended up dropping his sway bar from each end and with a die-grnder and a cut-off wheel removing a delta-shaped corner at a 45* angle on the bar where it was contacting/rubbing the arm.
The we put a little black paint on the sway bar crimped tang and in the scored axles, put his car back together (staggered his end-links), test drove it and couldn't make the bar rub the axle. We then measured his car from axle center-line to fender lip. He's 14 1/4" F and 14 5/8" rear with stock "sport" suspension (shocks/springs).
After I sent him on his way I pulled my car up on the lift to inspect mine. Mine had some tell-tale indication they had rubbed but not nearly as bad. In fact hadn't even rubbed thru the pant but had dulled/scratched the paint all the way around on both sides. So out comes the die-grinder again and same thing on both sides of my rear sway bar.
Now I measured my fender lip-to-axle distance and I'm 13 5/8"F and 13 7/8"R. My car is Audi "sport" springs purchased from the Audi dealer. But it's a higher rate spring with a lower ride height than the "sport" springs that come on the car when it's new from the factory. There's some discussion that these may be the european "sport" springs made by Eibach for "sport" suspension in europe opposed to the "minimum headlight requirement/DOT spec springs that ship from Audi with "sport" suspension. At any rate my "sport" suspesnion is markedly lower than a factory sport suspended car even tho it was ordered as a replacement set from Audi. Mine also have Bilstein sport shocks so I'm sprung/damped significantly stiffer/lower than my friends A4. Thats why I assume my car being even lower than his hadn't made the kind of groove in my axles that his have.
So all of you with a Neuspeed rear sway bar may wanna lay down under your rear tires and have a look-see as to "if" you may be slowly severing your driveshafts. And as in-tune as I am with my car I never heard this coming. Nor did he... nothing to indicate something was gouging/rubbing both rear axles.
Take a look... takes 15 seconds per side. Car doesnt have to be on a rack or jackstands to see it even if lowered. It's an easy see with a flashlight from the ground just behind each rear tire. You may just save yourself some money... or your bacon.
We ended up dropping his sway bar from each end and with a die-grnder and a cut-off wheel removing a delta-shaped corner at a 45* angle on the bar where it was contacting/rubbing the arm.
The we put a little black paint on the sway bar crimped tang and in the scored axles, put his car back together (staggered his end-links), test drove it and couldn't make the bar rub the axle. We then measured his car from axle center-line to fender lip. He's 14 1/4" F and 14 5/8" rear with stock "sport" suspension (shocks/springs).
After I sent him on his way I pulled my car up on the lift to inspect mine. Mine had some tell-tale indication they had rubbed but not nearly as bad. In fact hadn't even rubbed thru the pant but had dulled/scratched the paint all the way around on both sides. So out comes the die-grinder again and same thing on both sides of my rear sway bar.
Now I measured my fender lip-to-axle distance and I'm 13 5/8"F and 13 7/8"R. My car is Audi "sport" springs purchased from the Audi dealer. But it's a higher rate spring with a lower ride height than the "sport" springs that come on the car when it's new from the factory. There's some discussion that these may be the european "sport" springs made by Eibach for "sport" suspension in europe opposed to the "minimum headlight requirement/DOT spec springs that ship from Audi with "sport" suspension. At any rate my "sport" suspesnion is markedly lower than a factory sport suspended car even tho it was ordered as a replacement set from Audi. Mine also have Bilstein sport shocks so I'm sprung/damped significantly stiffer/lower than my friends A4. Thats why I assume my car being even lower than his hadn't made the kind of groove in my axles that his have.
So all of you with a Neuspeed rear sway bar may wanna lay down under your rear tires and have a look-see as to "if" you may be slowly severing your driveshafts. And as in-tune as I am with my car I never heard this coming. Nor did he... nothing to indicate something was gouging/rubbing both rear axles.
Take a look... takes 15 seconds per side. Car doesnt have to be on a rack or jackstands to see it even if lowered. It's an easy see with a flashlight from the ground just behind each rear tire. You may just save yourself some money... or your bacon.
07-27-2002, 12:02 PM
#3
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No marks on my drive shafts. Bar is set in the outmost (closest to the ends) of the bar.
2001 with stock sport springs, Neuspeed Bilsteins set at middle (stock) clip position.
If I set the bolts at the "inner" position it would potentially move the end of the bar closer to the drive shafts and I could see how it might hit it as you describe.
Vic
If I set the bolts at the "inner" position it would potentially move the end of the bar closer to the drive shafts and I could see how it might hit it as you describe.
Vic
07-27-2002, 12:21 PM
#6
AudiWorld Super User
Thread Starter
Here's the pic of the cut arm tip and you can see the scoring in the axle paper tag...
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/711/swaybar.jpg"></center><p>
like I said, mine had just barely scored my axles while his had gouged pretty seriously into his.
The end of the sway bar (directly below axle) has been cut at a 45* angle on top vs factory straight 90* on the bottom of the sway bar arm.
PS; As you can see in the pic, my end links are steel and from a 94-95 90Q, not the plastic POS french-made TRW that was introduced in 97. These are identical length/angle as stock except steel instead of plastic. Don't try the dealer on them as they'll order em and you'll get the superceeded plastic ones. These are ONLY available in a salvage yard.
like I said, mine had just barely scored my axles while his had gouged pretty seriously into his.
The end of the sway bar (directly below axle) has been cut at a 45* angle on top vs factory straight 90* on the bottom of the sway bar arm.
PS; As you can see in the pic, my end links are steel and from a 94-95 90Q, not the plastic POS french-made TRW that was introduced in 97. These are identical length/angle as stock except steel instead of plastic. Don't try the dealer on them as they'll order em and you'll get the superceeded plastic ones. These are ONLY available in a salvage yard.