Finding a Solution for Harsh Riding Sport Suspension (PR-1BE)

[Mercyadis]

Hello everyone. I've been a long user of this forum but never a poster. I need to change that today with a possible resolution to a problem that strangely only a few have with their sport suspenion on a C7. The HARSH ride.

I bought my 2012 A6 prestige with 20" wheels second hand and immediatly noticed a the harsh ride. I thought maybe all C7s rides this way until I road one of the dealer's loaners which was a 2016 premium plus 3.0tfsi. The loaner had exactly what I look for in a car's suspension. It was comfortable, soaks the terrible Texas roads and controls the car's roll well enough even though it had 20" wheels too. I don't care about handling that much to be honest. It is always a second or third priority after comfort.

So I went on a quest to remedy this issue. Of course, the dealer was the first useless step. I even contacted Audi's Headquarters in Germany where they just pointed me to Audi US. "Nothing is wrong with your car and you can't compare to a new car. If you like the new car suspension then our advice is to buy it. It would be much cheaper than to try to get the same suspension tune", they said.
Of course, I ignored them completely 😬.
It is the same car with the same platform. How can it be so different?!!! It was really puzzeling. All the part numbers were the same. The only thing I could not verify was the springs since there are littererly more than 10 springs with the same part number but different color codes. I ignored it and went on and changed every rubber part in the suspension ( bushings, mounts, bump stops) and all the struts were changed to the most comfortable strut I knew (Koni FSD). And changed my tires from Michelin PSS to the Contis DWS06 and guess what. Still harsh 😤. I mean it takes the small stuff well, better than before, but it does not soak any bump greater than 1 inche.

So to make a long story short. Now I have a great suspicion that the coil springs are the culprit. I read my PR code sticker in the tunk and found that the weight codes used for the car are PR-0JJ (front axle weight range 9) and PR-0YL (rear axle weight code 11). So the Springs I have installed from the factory are:
Rear 8K0511115HC
Front 8K0411105EE
When I checked the PR codes for sports suspension equiped A6s with the 3.0 TFSI and quattro in the UK, I found that they use softer springs [weight ranges 8 (PR-0JH) in front and 10 in the rear (PR-0YK)]. I also read a suspension tuning guide that confirms that the compression stiffness (springs) is too high which makes me more convinced that Audi changed the springs in their newer cars to softer ones.
So basically the softer springs I need to install are:
Rear 8K0511115HB
Front 8K0411105ED

I just need your help to validate this theory. Can anyone with a 2016/2017 prestige or premium plus with the 3.0TFSI engine please take a picture of their PR code sticker in the trunk under their matt?

Also, if you have an earlier model (2012+) with sport suspension and 20" wheels but feel that your car is very comfortable, I would appreciate your input too.

Your help is much appreciated.
Thanks
Sam

[ntsantos]

Subd. I have the same concerns with my 2012 A7 with sports suspension. I happy with it 80% of the time but the harsh roads do give me flashbacks of the lowered civic days. I thought about just getting Bilstein B6 shocks and maybe that would soften it up a bit. I've heard good reviews of them and since I'm hitting the 55k mark, it may not be a bad idea to replace them anyway. I like your theory too. Maybe a combination of both would provide a very nice but stable ride.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N915A using Tapatalk

[07S6]

I may still have my regular non-sport springs off my previous 2012 A6. I had replaced them with the sport springs.
They're slightly taller than the sport and give the suspension a bit more room to travel.

[Mercyadis]

I would not go with the B6. From what I've heard even the OE replacment B4 is a bit stiffer than stock. This is why I went with the FSD and it still didn't help much.
Just out of curiosity, what is your car's weight code?
Your car should be a bit heavier and would have an even stiffer spring.

[ntsantos]

I would not go with the B6. From what I've heard even the OE replacment B4 is a bit stiffer than stock. This is why I went with the FSD and it still didn't help much.
Just out of curiosity, what is your car's weight code?
Your car should be a bit heavier and would have an even stiffer spring.

I'll have to check on the weight code. I do know it weighs 4385lbs with me in it...lol.

[DB22]

I too have issues with the harsh ride in my 2014 with Sport/20's. I also believe that the springs are the culprit but my limited research revealed that the sport springs are a different length and should be changed with the shocks.
I was trying to find out the color coding on the springs and their load/stiffness ratings but again, I never found the relevant information. My front springs have 2 pink dots. Does anyone have this info or can share their dot colors with the year and suspension type?

[tenspeed]

Does anyone have this info or can share their dot colors with the year and suspension type?

2012 A7 20 inch sport suspension rear spring color dots

[VVG]

The whole thing with suspensions comes down to the relationship between the springs and the dampers (air suspension, notwithstanding). They need to be well balanced. The best stock performance street suspension I have ever experienced was on my e92 BMW M3. It was absolute perfection in term of the ride/handling balance. It was the first of my "fun" cars in years in which I didn't modify the suspension, and had no desire to.

Audi, unfortunately, has never been stellar in the handling department IMO. It has always been their achilles heel in terms of overall engineering. The suspensions feel both softer and yet clunkier than what I have experienced on either BMW M or with Porsche. More than the springs, it is the engineering of the dampers that makes a huge difference. Thats why a high-end company like Ohlins makes some phenomenal products that yield an incredible ride-handling balance.

If you are unhappy with your ride/handling balance, do a proper switch to some good coilovers. The Stasis Motorsport that I had on my B7 RS4, for instance, made the car literally feel like it was 600lbs lighter. The ride and handling were MUCH better. And that was with 800/1200 springs...which, again, speaks volumes for the design of the dampers.

[Mercyadis]

2012 A7 20 inch sport suspension rear spring color dots

According to ETKA, your spring is 8K0511115HD has a PR weight code 0YM which corresponds to a 12 range rating. It is even stiffer than a similar equipped A6. This is expected since the A7 is a bit heavier.

Do you have issues with ride quality too?

[Mercyadis]

The whole thing with suspensions comes down to the relationship between the springs and the dampers (air suspension, notwithstanding). They need to be well balanced. The best stock performance street suspension I have ever experienced was on my e92 BMW M3. It was absolute perfection in term of the ride/handling balance. It was the first of my "fun" cars in years in which I didn't modify the suspension, and had no desire to.

Audi, unfortunately, has never been stellar in the handling department IMO. It has always been their achilles heel in terms of overall engineering. The suspensions feel both softer and yet clunkier than what I have experienced on either BMW M or with Porsche. More than the springs, it is the engineering of the dampers that makes a huge difference. Thats why a high-end company like Ohlins makes some phenomenal products that yield an incredible ride-handling balance.

If you are unhappy with your ride/handling balance, do a proper switch to some good coilovers. The Stasis Motorsport that I had on my B7 RS4, for instance, made the car literally feel like it was 600lbs lighter. The ride and handling were MUCH better. And that was with 800/1200 springs...which, again, speaks volumes for the design of the dampers.

I would go that route if handling was a priority, but it isn't. Sure it is good to have a the car handles better, but not while compromising ride quality.

Would I have a better ride with coilovers? I've been considering the KW street comfort for a while, but I am leaving it as plan be since it is the expensive option.

[Mercyadis]

I too have issues with the harsh ride in my 2014 with Sport/20's. I also believe that the springs are the culprit but my limited research revealed that the sport springs are a different length and should be changed with the shocks.
I was trying to find out the color coding on the springs and their load/stiffness ratings but again, I never found the relevant information. My front springs have 2 pink dots. Does anyone have this info or can share their dot colors with the year and suspension type?

You and I are on the same boat my friend. According to ETKA, your springs with the 2 violet dots (same as mine) corresponds to springs 8k0411105EE (PR weight code 0JJ). But the spring length is not the whole story. The loaner I've driven had the same spring length but I am assuming it had softer springs.

We need someone with a similarly equipped A6 who feels his car is comfortable to help us with his PR code sticker. Apparently, only guys with ride issues are opening this thread. I might need to change the title attract these guys somehow.

[tenspeed]

According to ETKA, your spring is 8K0511115HD has a PR weight code 0YM which corresponds to a 12 range rating. It is even stiffer than a similar equipped A6. This is expected since the A7 is a bit heavier.

Do you have issues with ride quality too?

The Audi A7 is the best car I've ever owned. I have no complaints with the ride quality or the seats for that matter. I completed a ACNA NEQ Adirondack tour last weekend with many twisty sections up and down mountains and along streams. The A7 performed flawlessly - no under steer or over steer. The only time the suspension feels hasrh is when I'm on a concrete slab highway.

I have the 20" OEM summer performance tires - 35 PSI front / 32 PSI rear.

[DB22]

I agree that my car handles well and if I am driving aggressively then I appreciate the setup but If I'm taking a trip on the freeway or even around town then the ride is not commensurate with a luxury German sports sedan. Curiously, the roads in many parts of the EU are far superior to the US counterparts but the A6/7 in the EU gets adjustable suspension, we have to go to the S6/7 to get a ride that we should be getting. Adjustable suspension is getting common in this class of car and the A6/7 needs to keep up.

How often do people pull over .9 g's when cornering? Here in So Cal people slow down every time the brain needs to make a decision. 20's and sport suspension is a system not conducive to the straight line driving of the US or the built in speed bumps that the authorities put in a freeway.

[Mercyadis]

I agree that my car handles well and if I am driving aggressively then I appreciate the setup but If I'm taking a trip on the freeway or even around town then the ride is not commensurate with a luxury German sports sedan. Curiously, the roads in many parts of the EU are far superior to the US counterparts but the A6/7 in the EU gets adjustable suspension, we have to go to the S6/7 to get a ride that we should be getting. Adjustable suspension is getting common in this class of car and the A6/7 needs to keep up.

How often do people pull over .9 g's when cornering? Here in So Cal people slow down every time the brain needs to make a decision. 20's and sport suspension is a system not conducive to the straight line driving of the US or the built in speed bumps that the authorities put in a freeway.

I totally agree.

[VVG]

I would go that route if handling was a priority, but it isn't. Sure it is good to have a the car handles better, but not while compromising ride quality.

Would I have a better ride with coilovers? I've been considering the KW street comfort for a while, but I am leaving it as plan be since it is the expensive option.

You can have a better ride and better handling. Just costs $$$$. Also, people's perceptions differ on what constitutes a better ride. Like I said, Audi suspensions tend to be both softer and clunkier over road irregularities. Better suspensions tend to be just more supple. Also, don't forget the role that wheels and itres play. Heavier, larger wheels will also lead to a worse ride.

One thing I know for sure is that you seldom get the optimal result by simply changing out the springs.