Stasis Touring Suspension (pics inside!)

[B7A4Sport]

So I finally pulled the trigger on a new suspension, and while I vowed that coil-overs were the only route I would go, the folks at Stasis helped convince me of another option. This is my first real performance mod on the car, so bear with me if it's not a stand-out difference from stock (the next mod will be wheels, I just refused to do them first and 4x4 it while I saved up for a drop).

I had the Touring package setup installed earlier today, and I have to say it has FAR exceeded my expectations. The amount it lowered the car is PERFECT, the handling is VASTLY improved, and at the same time ride quality is MUCH better than stock. For the money, this is definitely an ideal setup for someone who won't need to adjust the ride height (which, in reality, is most of us) but still wants a serious upgrade in every aspect compared to the stock suspension.

All in all, this turned out to be an awesome experience, and the guys up at Stasis really did a fantastic job; from the customer service, to the quality yet timely install work...just in general their conduct is that of a truly great establishment. Special thanks to Jim, who set me up, and to Ford the installer. Great work guys, I will definitely be coming back!

Here's some looks at the very tasteful work done by Stasis:







They even let me play (just a tiny bit) in this!

[belinko]

Good to hear

Car looks good.

[BlowDro]

do you have any before and after pics? sorry im a noob too, but it dosent look low at all. looks like the factory sport suspension....

[TAMApttl]

How much? Link?

[4Rings3Liters]

Your car looks great. What did you get to do in the S5?

[Jim@STaSIS]

damn i with you had taken a few before pics! that thing had like a 9 finger gap! great working with you man, thanks again for choosing STaSIS!

we'll get some brakes, wheels, chip + exhaust on that thing and then you'll have the WHIP. and the BADGE. and a wicked fun car!

[autoverruckt]

Take a ground to fender measurement...and it'll prolly settle a bit more so remeasure later. What kind of Koni shocks are used for this set-up?

If you want a cheap mod that will really stand out, throw on some 12mm spacers in the rear. That will hold you over for a few months.

[QTC]

Looks great! Congrats

[B7A4Sport]

do you have any before and after pics? sorry im a noob too, but it dosent look low at all. looks like the factory sport suspension....

I think part of why it doesn't look low is the fact I have stock 17's that don't fill out the wheel wells yet. WHEN I get some 19's on there, I think it'll show a bit more. Also, it personally wasn't so much about slamming the car as it was about the performance upgrade aspect, which most certainly IS noticeable.

I will try to turn up some before pics, and if I can't of my actual car, I'll post some of any old regular stock non-sline I can find.

Jim can help us out on the Koni shock question better than I can!

Also, about the S5, I got to take it for a quick spin to see how a big brake kit feels. You actually may be able to rip/crumple up some pavement under the tires if you stomped hard enough! It's stunning what a difference pads, bigger rotors, and new lines/fluid make (not to mention it may've had new calipers too, not sure though).

[Sharkfin]

haha why didn't you just get coilovers....lol

[A4A4A4]

haha why didn't you just get coilovers....lol

probably because these are half the price

[Sharkfin]

approx. 700 vs. 998 for the SS coils ain't half

[A4A4A4]

Touring for $600
http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=247146

SS for $1271
http://www.stasisengineering.com/Cat...VID=201&PID=78

[Sharkfin]

the SS are actually 1000 from at least two other sponsored shops on here, your wrong

[A4A4A4]

Oh sorry he saved 40% not half, my bad. The point is he didn't need adjustable ride so he saved himself some coin.

[Sharkfin]

Understandable, but I just think you might as well go coilovers. I've already adjusted mine at least 5 times.

[A4A4A4]

Coilovers are definitely the better choice for most people, including me. But I believe for someone who is doing this more the performance aspect then the looks, doesnt need the adjustability, and can't seem to justify paying $1000 for a suspension upgrade, this is a great alternative to c/o's.

[B7A4Sport]

I was out grabbing some dinner and saw (edit)a non-sport suspension-equipped A4, so I decided to do a little photo recon. Also, nsmith, do you track your car? Or did you adjust it 5 different times for aesthetic purposes?

You can really tell how different the gap is w/ a side-by-side comparison (even in the dark). I think it's the perfect drop w/o all the hassle of adjusting, with no difference in overall performance:

S-line Sport Suspension:



Mine:

[A4A4A4]

The first pic is not an s-line, just a regular a4.

[viperdsa]

That first one does have the non-sport suspension.
Here's mine with sport suspension and it's no where near that high.


Did the car you took pics of have s-line badges? Cuz if I remember right there should be one on the side, and I don't see it.
All cars after 06 I think it is, come with the s-line body kit.

[muffinman]

Nah it actually was an S-line; I wouldn't have stopped to take the pic in the first place if it wasn't. I know there's no shot of the front bumper or lipped trunk lid, but you can take a look at the door blades. Also, the top 2 pics are the same car, then the bottom 2 are my car. Trust me, I know full well what an S-line is.

Only way you'd be correct is in the unlikely event that the above S-line has a non-sport suspension for some reason. The example car in the first 2 pics did seem to sit glaringly higher than other S-lines I've seen (more like my mine used to be), but I know what I saw from the exterior.

The first one has NON-Sline suspension - The 2008's *ALL* come with the S-Line EXTERIOR package, but NOT necessarily the S-Line Sport Suspension. I've seen 2008 A4's with and without sport suspension but they ALL have the S-line EXTERIOR. You should probably take those pictures down... misleading comparison

Either way, congrats on your purchase and upgrade I'm glad you're happy with their performance (Stasis makes quality products so I don't doubt you here) and that's all that matters.

However, it really is no lower than OEM Sport Suspension.. maybe it looks lower in person but I've had NON-Sport, OEM Sport, now coilovers and at best, that Stasis Touring Suspension is like 0.5-1cm lower than OEM Sport... I'm sure the Stasis kit vastly outperforms OEM suspension though

Also, from my experience and from what I've been told (I went from 17's --> 19's --> 19's --> 18's), the larger the rim, the *larger* the gap looks, not smaller. The thick sidewalls of the 17" tires fill out the wheel gaps better than 18's or 19's.

Glad you're finally jumping on the modding bandwagon

[autoverruckt]

FYI here is my car with 17's and 15mm spacers in the rear. I rubbed on bumps on highway with passengers so 12mm is my recommendation. Filling out the rear makes a huge aesthetic difference.


compared to:


Either way, the mod bug has bitten! Good luck to your future additions whatever they may be.

[Geoffafa]

damn i bet that suspension rides awesome!!! too bad its not low enough for what im lookiing for or else id jump on it

[A4A4A4]

Nah it actually was an S-line; I wouldn't have stopped to take the pic in the first place if it wasn't. I know there's no shot of the front bumper or lipped trunk lid, but you can take a look at the door blades. Also, the top 2 pics are the same car, then the bottom 2 are my car. Trust me, I know full well what an S-line is.

Only way you'd be correct is in the unlikely event that the above S-line has a non-sport suspension for some reason. The example car in the first 2 pics did seem to sit glaringly higher than other S-lines I've seen (more like my mine used to be), but I know what I saw from the exterior.

In 2008 they made something called special edition or SE, which had the sline exterior but no sport suspension, 18" wheels, or any other of the interior upgrades that sline gives. So it's not an sline and does not have sport suspension, however I see how you could have mistaken it for one because of the badging.

[AudiWxGuy]

Ride looks great, bro! Guys, you also have to take into consideration that camera's do not any drop justice. Those gaps always look bigger in pictures then in real life. I'm sure in person the drop looks great. Now, throw an RS4 Rear Sway Bar on there and you will really feel a difference in handling!!

[B7A4Sport]

Lol, of course I'd stop to pick an "S-line" looking car that doesn't actually have the sport oem sport suspension........thats what I get for doing this in a hurry! At least its a good comparison of how different it looks from regular stock suspension. Even after taking the pics, I looked at 'em and suspiciously thought "damn, that's a biiiiig gap....."

Muffinman hit it head-on - I was looking mostly for the performance aspects of the upgrade, not a slammed look. I personally hate when the curvature of the wheel well isn't aligned or "parallel" to the curvature of the wheel/tire. Also, I know I'm not gonna be tracking the car enough to justify the increased cost of coilovers. From what Jim said and other accounts I read, the ride quality is better than the coilovers for everyday street driving.

I also know that bigger wheels may amplify the gap, but I think that's only a worry with the non-sport stock suspension. Even 19s on sport shocks/springs look pretty good in pics I've run across.

The mod bug has indeed bitten, chip is next! Btw, am I the first one to post pics of how this setup looks since Stasis's deal got posted back in mid November??

[Great White]

Although I don't see much difference between your car and my s-line, I think you car looks great with the new mod.

[elwigglero]

Looks nice. Do the SS out perform the touring suspension? If ride height was not a consideration, which is the better suspension for spirited daily driving?

[B7A4Sport]

Looks nice. Do the SS out perform the touring suspension? If ride height was not a consideration, which is the better suspension for spirited daily driving?

According to Stasis, there is little to no difference between the SS and Touring setup handling-wise, and ride quality from the Touring is actually better/more comfortable than the coilvers. I have no personal experience w/ coilovers to make a comparison, but I know the ride feels more comfortable than the mushy stock non-sport setup and offers extremely improved handling. When you hit a highway bump, instead of the suspension making a few up-and-down swimmy compressions, it comfortably blips once and continues on solid as a rock. Also, turn-in body roll is pretty much zero, and same for pitch when braking hard.

For spirited daily driving without the need to adjust ride height, you can get the same performance while saving some coin by going with the Touring setup - I highly recommend it!

[viperdsa]

This really makes me want to put on my shocks and springs.

[rnp614]

this makes me want to skip out on putting a rear sway on my sport shocks and just spring for the touring setup...hrmmmm

[AudiWxGuy]

Get both. The sway bar is only 115 bucks...It will make a massive difference.

[chaze]

According to Stasis, there is little to no difference between the SS and Touring setup handling-wise, and ride quality from the Touring is actually better/more comfortable than the coilvers. I have no personal experience w/ coilovers to make a comparison, but I know the ride feels more comfortable than the mushy stock non-sport setup and offers extremely improved handling. When you hit a highway bump, instead of the suspension making a few up-and-down swimmy compressions, it comfortably blips once and continues on solid as a rock. Also, turn-in body roll is pretty much zero, and same for pitch when braking hard.

For spirited daily driving without the need to adjust ride height, you can get the same performance while saving some coin by going with the Touring setup - I highly recommend it!

Thanks a lot for this post and photos, especially since I have the same wheels as you. Motivates me to do the same thing to my "skin deep" s-line with no suspension.

[B7A4Sport]

Thanks a lot for this post and photos, especially since I have the same wheels as you. Motivates me to do the same thing to my "skin deep" s-line with no suspension.

[rnp614]

If I dont care about drop at all, and handling is my main concern, is this suspension that big an upgrade from the sport suspension?

[B7A4Sport]

If I dont care about drop at all, and handling is my main concern, is this suspension that big an upgrade from the sport suspension?

I had the non-sport suspension before doing this, so I don't have a first-hand perspective on the upgrade over sport. What I can say, is while the stock sport is lower than non-sport, I'm not aware of any significant difference in handling/performance (I'm sure there's a little). What I also know is, compared to non-sport stock, it feels literally like a different car w/ this new setup.

The four things I no longer notice are: the obnoxious body roll upon turn-in, swimmy/slushy feelings after going over road lumps at higher speeds, the diving nose when braking hard, and then finally the aptly-described-by-Stasis-Jim "9 finger gap!"

I think STaSIS should definitely push this setup more on the forums; from their end, they seem to advertise the Touring shocks/springs just as much as the Street Sport coilovers. What they aren't accounting for is the fact other vendors, like Achtuning, are pushing the SS's as well, which is probably why it's perceived that the Touring is somewhat of a kept secret. Combine that with how many people seem to post about Street Sport setups, and you have them dominating the forums.

To me, rnp614, it sounds like you're the perfect candidate for the Touring suspension.

[Koby]

No need to apologize for the drop, I think it is damn near ideal. Slamming suspensions is the most overrated piece of tuning there is, it hurts performance (especially on bad roads), and starts to look embarrassing past a certain point.

[q-car]

I agree. A buddy and myself just installed this kit plus the RS4 sway on my 08 over the weekend and I must say it is just what I wanted, not slammed but an appropriate drop for daily driving over ok to rough roads (atlanta). It handles amazingly, far superior to stock and thankfully my stock 17"s look better now. Couldn't be happier.

[B7A4Sport]

I agree. A buddy and myself just installed this kit plus the RS4 sway on my 08 over the weekend and I must say it is just what I wanted, not slammed but an appropriate drop for daily driving over ok to rough roads (atlanta). It handles amazingly, far superior to stock and thankfully my stock 17"s look better now. Couldn't be happier.

Glad to hear it! STaSIS is a kick-ass company to work with, and hopefully more people will get this setup and post about it (since it seems most people have the Street Sport setup).

It's a great, cheaper alternative to coilovers - and trust me people, unless you really plan to track the car regularly or something, you do NOT need the adjustability of coilovers for another $600-$700!

[Jim@STaSIS]

outstanding! =)

I agree. A buddy and myself just installed this kit plus the RS4 sway on my 08 over the weekend and I must say it is just what I wanted, not slammed but an appropriate drop for daily driving over ok to rough roads (atlanta). It handles amazingly, far superior to stock and thankfully my stock 17"s look better now. Couldn't be happier.