How can I improve my suspension with out sacrificing ground clearance?

[Teflon_synapses]

Hey guys,

Just like the title says, I am trying to upgrade my suspension without affecting the ride Hight. I don't a ton of skiing in the winter and don't want to turn the car into a snowplow.

I'm currently driving a 2001 A6 2.7t with the stock non-sport suspension. I run 18" tsw rims in the spring/summer and 16" stock rims in the fall/winter.

Appreciate the input,

TS

[A4 Quattro]

If you run coilovers, you can slam it in the summer and jack it back up to skyscraper for the winter.

[Scotmbb107]

Start with aftermarket Hotchkis sway bars. Get better handling no matter what the weather and it keeps your stock ride height. If thats not enough change your dampers but I would start with sway bars and they are the cheapest route to go.

LINK: And they are in CT!!

http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/s...1&autoModClar=

[Teflon_synapses]

Would upgrading to the S6 sway bars be worth it? Or would the difference be negligible, and I should just get hotchkis?

[ianwpb]

Sway bars are no joke.. My friend has a Toyota Yaris (yeah, I know, but it's okay cause he has a R33 Skyline) that has front and rear sways. Seriously, it feels awesome in the corners.

Sway bars and new control arms if your ball joints and bushings are worn will make a huge difference. Like someone else said, coilovers would be a great option seeing as you can raise it back up in winter and have it nice and low in the summer.

[Scotmbb107]

Would upgrading to the S6 sway bars be worth it? Or would the difference be negligible, and I should just get hotchkis?

I'm not sure what the diameter of the S6 sway bars are but I doubt they are as good as the hotchkis setup or H&R Sway bars plus they come with stronger bushings and hardware. Anyone selling S6 swaybars probably bought aftermarket ones as a replacement. Haha
Let me know if you need someone to install them. Kind of a pain to do without a lift and pole jacks. Usually wheels can't be hanging to install and doing this on the ground would suck IMO.

[ENDEE666]

NickyAsixx3six is selling his Hotchkis Sways. PM him.

Sways & Bilsteins will be big improvements.

[mikehawk666]

springs/strut combo, coilovers, and/or sway bars will make a world of change to your suspension.

[mithril]

If you run coilovers, you can slam it in the summer and jack it back up to skyscraper for the winter.

The highest any coilovers I've seen for the A6 will go is the same height at the OEM sport suspension. I scrape over some driveways and speed humps at Sport suspension height, coils will not fulfill what the OP wants if he wants to maintain the stock ride height. Besides, as the others have mentioned, upgraded sways will make a MUCH bigger difference in overall handling feel.

Would upgrading to the S6 sway bars be worth it? Or would the difference be negligible, and I should just get hotchkis?

Just go with the Hotchkis H-Sports. They are thicker and much lighter than the S6/Sport sways. The closest suspension upgrade I was able to come to stock height was an Eibach Pro Kit/Koni Yellow combo. That lowered the car by 30mm from stock non-sport height. I still have about a 2 finger gap in the wheel well and have never had an issue in deep snow. The drivablity improvement from stock sways with (worn) OEM dampers and springs to the H-Sport/Eibach/Koni combo was unbelievable. Basically it's OEM Sport+.

Bilstein HD's will also work with your stock springs and that would allow you to keep your current ride height. The downside is the Bilsteins and reputed to have a much harsher ride than the Koni's, which is the main reason I didn't go that route.

[CALL AAA]

If you figure out that you do want S6 bars, I have a set for sale.

[ben916]

If you figure out that you do want S6 bars, I have a set for sale.

And if you .... hey! wait a second! not gonna pig pile you...