Perhaps I'm far too wimpy, but I would never replace my shocks, brakes or discs with aftermarket equipment until after the first 4 years/50K miles were up, largely because there's too much expensive stuff under there that could break, and if it does I'd like Audi to pay for it.

I guess voiding your suspension/brake system warranty doesn't bother most of you?

Not trying to be Mr. AoA here, just curious...

 

I'll leave it to them. And some things are worth worrying about to me-- engine/turbo for example-- This is why I'm not chipping. But shocks/brakes/exhaust? Not concerned. I bought this car to enjoy its sporting nature, and while its got enough HP to keep me happy, cheap Monroe shocks aren't gonna cut it for 50K miles.

Not a flame, just my thoughts.

 

Well I'd love to get chipped as I hear all these "chip friendly dealers" etc but my main worry is if something does go wrong it's going to cost me - big.

Sure I'd love the Stoptechs and Bilsteins, exhaust etc but I just don't know.

 

I worry about this stuff too. Peter had his installed by the dealer. Any warranty issues come up? Seems like I vaguly remember someone saying something about the Bilsteins being AoA approved? LOTR? JPC? Or am I making this up.

I'm thinking along the same lines as Evan right now. I won't risk the engine warranty just yet, but shocks seem like a pretty mild risk. If I were to swallow a valve, no way they can blame it on shocks!

 

It's apparently a rare relationship as far as Audi dealers go, but one that I truly appreciate.

 

No flame taken or meant, either. I'm concerned enough about the cost of springs, control arms, the ABS system, etc. that I intend to keep things stock, as my stock shocks haven't gone out yet (7100 miles and counting...)

 

What he said.

 

At less than 4000 miles you could press mine together manually.

 

...perform to the level I want it to vs. preserving the warranty. If something breaks and it's clearly not related to my mods, I'll press it and I'm pretty confident they'll cover it. IF it's questionable, I'll pay for it. No biggie.

 

and not high pressure gas. I'm not trying to defend the stock shocks, just clarify a little about how they work. I seriously doubt the stockers lose any significant (bump) damping in low mileage...they just didn't have much to start with...by design.

Remember that shocks are velocity driven. No velocity = no damping. Also, bump damping is usually way less than rebound damping, for lots of reasons. Any low pressure or non-gas shock should be able to be closed by hand, albeit slowly.

There is a school of thought that says because high-pressure gas shocks always have an upward (rebound) force due to the high pressure, they actually INCREASE body roll during turn in. Here's the rational:

Stiff rebound control usually retards raising of the inside suspension during rapid turn in (velocity sensitive remember) and therefore helps limit body roll during the transient turn in period, so the car feels 'quicker'. The high pressure gas directly counteracts this by trying to raise the unloaded inside. Curious, huh? High-pressure gas shock makers usually avoid this topic. Of course, low-pressure gas shock makers don't.

Some 'inertia valved' gas shocks have VERY stiff low velocity rebound control, and only moderate bump and rebound control at higher velocities, so they affect turn in, but not impact bumps ('outies').

Going over 'innies' (potholes) the stiffer rebound keeps the wheel from dropping into the hole and the resultant large bump force when it reaches the far side. Soft ride over small bumps, but good roll control and good control over large bumps. Not perfect, but effective.

OEM 'Sport' suspensions usually have significantly increased rebound damping, and slighlty increased bump damping, or the ride over small irregularities would be unacceptable. Aftermarket shocks usually have slightly stiffer bump and greatly stiffer rebound control(damping)for the same reasons.

Did you ever notice that single adjustable shocks adjust rebound only? It's the more important of the two. Double adjustables are rare and costly.

I fully endorse aftermarket shocks if you want to change the ride/handling. I'd only buy top brand names (Eibach, Bilstein, Koni, Sachs, Penske, Carrera, etc.) Some are private-labelled, but produced to their own specs. What's important, IMO, is that the damping be specific for the application.

My $.02.