Coilover Options

[djmika]

The Competition suspension is definitely more settled and composed and, as I said above, the younger me would have purchased the Competition model in a heart beat. My older self no longer likes to feel every blemish in the road surface, so the Competition model was a bit too firm for my current taste. During my test drive I could feel every expansion crack in the highway in the Competition model. I then took the exact same route in my DRC RS5 and the same expansion cracks were imperceptible in comfort and auto. The one I drove was new and right off the dealer's lot, so perhaps the shocks had been adjusted some on the one you drove...? Anyway, I have nothing against the Competition suspension. I think it was well done and the right choice for anyone who wants the most aggressive handling from an RS5.

Right. There's no way to know whether someone adjusted the suspension. It's pretty strange to find a 1-plus year old car like the one I drove with only 750 miles on it. Maybe a dealer car, maybe someone with lots of options. Either way...

My experience is opposite. I feel absolutely everything in my car. I run in Auto most of the time but Comfort isn't a ton better in this regard. You talk about expansion joints... I even feel small imperfections going 15 MPH down my own street. I run 285/30R20 PS4S which are at least better than the PSS I had on my B8.5 S4 in terms of ride comfort. The Comp car I drove was still on the Pirelli 275s. I run around 36 PSI cold and on that car, tire pressure was up close to 50. So, I doubt what I felt was tires.

I am running ABT HAS. Not sure if you've done anything to your suspension Dan99. KW (and ABT) have less isolation than stock on all of their setups. And I think it's possible this is a significant part of the difference. Are you stock Dan? It's been so long that I don't really remember how much different my car felt after I put the MSS HAS which preceded the ABT HAS I have now. I was also distracted by how poorly the MSS spring rates worked with the sport dampers and may not have been paying as close attention to the nuances.

The Comp coilovers do have similar isolation to the stock setup. One of the major draws for me. This detail may get overlooked but I think it's important. If I'm right, it would be interesting to hear from someone running the newer 034 lowering springs. They'd preserve all of the factory parts except the springs and according to 034, are specifically designed to work with sport suspension. Ultimately, I think anything in conjunction with the stock dampers is just a Band-Aid.

[Dan99]

Right. There's no way to know whether someone adjusted the suspension. It's pretty strange to find a 1-plus year old car like the one I drove with only 750 miles on it. Maybe a dealer car, maybe someone with lots of options. Either way...

My experience is opposite. I feel absolutely everything in my car. I run in Auto most of the time but Comfort isn't a ton better in this regard. You talk about expansion joints... I even feel small imperfections going 15 MPH down my own street. I run 285/30R20 PS4S which are at least better than the PSS I had on my B8.5 S4 in terms of ride comfort. The Comp car I drove was still on the Pirelli 275s. I run around 36 PSI cold and on that car, tire pressure was up close to 50. So, I doubt what I felt was tires.

I am running ABT HAS. Not sure if you've done anything to your suspension Dan99. KW (and ABT) have less isolation than stock on all of their setups. And I think it's possible this is a significant part of the difference. Are you stock Dan? It's been so long that I don't really remember how much different my car felt after I put the MSS HAS which preceded the ABT HAS I have now. I was also distracted by how poorly the MSS spring rates worked with the sport dampers and may not have been paying as close attention to the nuances.

The Comp coilovers do have similar isolation to the stock setup. One of the major draws for me. This detail may get overlooked but I think it's important. If I'm right, it would be interesting to hear from someone running the newer 034 lowering springs. They'd preserve all of the factory parts except the springs and according to 034, are specifically designed to work with sport suspension. Ultimately, I think anything in conjunction with the stock dampers is just a Band-Aid.

My RS5 SB is stock. I put a strut brace on it when I first got it, but it made the car understeer so I took it off. I use Dynamic on the track, Comfort with a carload of people or on really bad roads, and Auto for daily driving. The ride quality is noticeably different with each Drive Select setting (Comfort/Auto/Dynamic). I use the same size Michelin PS4S in the summer and PA4 in the winter - 270/30R20.

If your car has ABT HAS, that would explain why you feel all the cracks in the road and I don't. You have stiffer third party springs that are more firm.

What is it you are trying to achieve with changing springs - ride height, firmness, handling, comfort? I would start there. For example, if you just want the car to sit lower you have different options than if you track the car and want to impact the handling in a specific way. Or, perhaps comfort has become more of a priority. We all want something different from our cars, what is it you hope to achieve? Use that as a starting point.