Strut/shock questions

[tHatOne guY]

Few questions for you Veteran B6ers..

First, how did you determine your struts/shocks were worn out and in need of replacement? My B6 rides quite well but somewhat jarring at times but only on the worst of driving surfaces, expansion joints but other than that its quite smooth.. aside from the D@MN drive line vibration!

I went a head and picked up a set of FSDs and would like to know if the rear shocks really do raise the rear suspension? I've read a few threads about it and that seems to be the verdict but I'd like to know, how? Is the spring perch higher up on the shock body or what? Is this normal for all FSD sets or was it really just the early model sets?

At the advice of some different threads with the purchase of the FSDs I got the 034 rear sway and of course all new hardware and all new spring perches, strut mounts etc.

Ideally, I want to maintain the factory ride or maybe soften it just a little as I'm an old man now and use this Audi as my daily. So tell me whats up guys, thanks.

[jacobsen]

Any rebound/bounce after a bump would indicate struts/shocks aren't working right.

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[old guy]

For starters the B6 doesn't have struts. It has shocks and springs front and rear. A strut is an integral load bearing part of the suspension that integrates the upper control arms, shocks and springs into one unit.

I think the FSD's work better with the Avant than the sedan due to the weight distribution. Here's a few threads worth reading: Clicky click® - Clicky click2® As you can see the results are a bit mixed. I believe your question about changes in the ride height with high pressure gas shocks is answered in the first clicky.

[MISKIE]

Any rebound/bounce after a bump would indicate struts/shocks aren't working right.

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Looks like this is me. Also hearing a "hissing" sound (like bicycle pump) after bumps. Damn!


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[Let it snow]

I have FSD's on my 02 sport and my 05 non sport sedans and I think they are a great replacement for slightly better performance than OEM. I did not notice any height increase in the rear, however it did raise the front up on initial install. The front height settled down after a while. I believe this is because the FSD kit comes with new lower spring rubber isolators which take a bit of time to fully mate with the springs.

[tHatOne guY]

Alright, as usual I knew I could count on a few of you to give me a lil education. Thanks

[road_tripper]

I replaced the factory original shocks at over 200,000 miles. The new FSDs cornered a little bit better.

But where they really shine is on rough roads, especially if you drive on washboard dirt roads. The FSDs just soak up all bumps and the ride is phenomenal.

When I put them on my stock 3.0 suspension, no ride height changes were noticed.

I did have 2 problems though. One of the front shocks was too fat for the spring perch to slide down. had to send that back to Koni on my dime for replacement.

The second problem was one of the rear shocks got hot enough to melt the plastic seal around the piston, and slide down the outside of the shock. (photo below)

Again I had to pay shipping to get that rear shock warrantied. Mason at Koni suggested something was heating the shock, like the exhaust was too close. I didn't know how to tell him that was definitely not possible.

[jacobsen]

I went bilstein b8 and ride is stiff yet soft. No defects so far, 5k miles in.

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[KHARDa4]

I have FSD's on my 02 sport and my 05 non sport sedans and I think they are a great replacement for slightly better performance than OEM. I did not notice any height increase in the rear, however it did raise the front up on initial install. The front height settled down after a while. I believe this is because the FSD kit comes with new lower spring rubber isolators which take a bit of time to fully mate with the springs.

Funny I experienced the exact same thing on my fsd install, the front was slightly higher.

[tHatOne guY]

[QUOTE=road_tripper;11832516]I replaced the factory original shocks at over 200,000 miles. The new FSDs cornered a little bit better.

But where they really shine is on rough roads, especially if you drive on washboard dirt roads. The FSDs just soak up all bumps and the ride is phenomenal.

When I put them on my stock 3.0 suspension, no ride height changes were noticed.

I did have 2 problems though. One of the front shocks was too fat for the spring perch to slide down. had to send that back to Koni on my dime for replacement.

The second problem was one of the rear shocks got hot enough to melt the plastic seal around the piston, and slide down the outside of the shock. (photo below)

Again I had to pay shipping to get that rear shock warrantied. Mason at Koni suggested something was heating the shock, like the exhaust was too close. I didn't know how to tell him that was definitely not possible.


Over 200k, wow! I thought the shocks would have been gone long before then. The shocks on my car feel fine @ 137k but figured I could fine something a lil more forgiving without giving up too much of the handling at the same time.