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Thread: Completed: DIY DRC removal/swap with Koni Yellow Sports....

  1. #145
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    here's what I got out of the entire 8 pages:

    Please note these are not my findings but are the findings of everyone that have posted on this thread earlier, this is basically a summary I have put together with hopefully all the info needed by using all the contributors that have posted previously to this post:





    DRC REPLACEMENT

    Be advised:
    1) Without knowing your experience level, it is difficult to help determine if it's a DIY... It is a big, messy all-day DIY job to go from DRC to Koni's/oem springs. If you've never done strut-type suspension work on Audi's/VW's, find assistance or outsource. Compressing springs can be very dangerous if not done correctly. Plus, there are procedures like removing the upright pinch-bolt that can be a real bitch even with the right tools, techniques and experience.

    Tools required:

    complete set of metric wrenches and sockets
    torque wrench
    spring compressor
    hydraulic jack
    jack stands (if not using a lift)
    pry bar
    container to catch stinky DRC juice
    beer

    Tools desired:

    lift
    pneumatics (impact gun and wrench)
    paint pen to mark/index strut-spring components prior to disassembly for ease of reassembly alignment
    experienced helper
    Southern Comfort

    You can research this site for suspension procedural write-ups, but nothing will be step-wise exact to the RS6:

    http://www.audiworld.com/tech/wheel.html

    2) There is one perch height for the fronts and two for the rear----most set the rears on the lowest perch height.

    3) There is more rotational adjustability in the front than rears.

    4) There seems to be a non-linear dependency between the setting and firmness.... ie. Dampening set at the midway point on both fronts and rears is still very firm.----At least IMHO.

    5) The factory springs were retained
    6) Adjustable ride-height coilovers do have an advantage over this method. But, you can cut additional grooves into the Koni strut body to achieve the same results. If using the factory spring, the critical measurement is from the center of the bottom mounting eye to the bottom spring perch, that is where the 95% of the ride height is determined.
    7) The height is within 1/16" on each corner as before the swap
    8) This is a big job! Not necessarily difficult, but time consuming.
    9) First impressions:
    - The ride height is slightly lower than stock without tucking the wheels resulting in a slightly sportier look
    - No more unidentified suspension noises (USN's) from the DRC from normal driving conditions
    - Corners like a champ (car has H-bars) with good turn-in and very flat
    - Install cost me $425 at a local shop.

    10) Purchase the OEM strut mounts online.
    http://genuineaudiparts.com/parts/20...T%20SUSPENSION

    The Koni's product numbers are:

    Front: 82-2516sport
    Rear: 82-2526sport

    As for the DRC Lines:

    I completely removed all of the DRC lines (just like metal Brake lines) that go Front Right to Rear Left & Front Left to Rear Right. And un-bolted the to accumulators crossover valves from the front of the spare tire well. A few pounds savings and do you really ever intend to go back? If you have KWV3's I guarantee you won't. Not sure of the exact content of the fluid but seemed like pretty standard Hydraulic fluid, probably about 10w or something.

    THE BUSHES AND SWAY ARMS

    you could've done the upper arm bushes as well if they're shot or close to, in order to replace them you'll have to unbolt and lower(or twist it cca 30 degrees) the strut/spring assembly

    SETTING THE KONI SHOCKS:
    1 - I set the shocks to: Front - 1/2 turn from full soft rebound and stock Koni perch height and Rear - 1/4 turn from full soft rebound and low Koni perch height. Car sits level with a really nice consistent gap around all four tires. Love the ride quality so far and I don't hear any suspension noise at all.
    2 - The fronts have about 2.5 full turns of rebound dampening adjustability and the rears have about 1.25 turns... I set the fronts at 1 turn from softest, and rears at 0.5 turns from softest. Also, the Koni fronts have only one lower perch groove. However, Easy enough to cut a groove if ride height needs adjustment. The Koni rears have 3 grooves (approx 3/8" apart)... I chose the middle groove which yielded an oem rear ride height.
    3 - If I knew then, what I know now, I would've started at full soft on the rebound settings AND placed the rears on the lowest perch height.
    4 - Last weekend I decided to "tune" the new Koni's... Not that anything was wrong with the ride or compliance, but just wanted to ever so slightly soften the ride.
    5 - If you poke around on Koni's website, you'll find detailed instructions and info... As other's have said, push (compress) the rod all the way in until it bottoms. Then, rotate rotate using the appropriate allen wrench--- I think full soft is counter-clockwise until no more rotation, and full firm is clockwise with no more rotation.
    6 - -non-externally adjustable Koni's are adjusted prior to installation by completely compressing the damper and rotating the shaft until you feel it engage. I then back it all of the way off (soften) and then fully tighten (hardest), noting these positions. This gives me the full known range of settings. I have typically then set mine at the mid point, and left them like that for as long as I had the car, with great results - I love Koni's. For the RS6, I would be tempted due to weight and the general nature of the car, to set it at 3/4's hard. Good thing - these settings may be adjusted at a later time if the results are not desired or the shock has softened with use (typical). Bad thing - you have to disassemble the suspension and free the shock to do it.

    The initial settings after install were:

    Fronts: 1 turn from full soft rebound and stock Koni perch height.
    Rears: 1/2 turn from full soft rebound and middle Koni perch height. (There are 3 lower perch heights)

    The new settings are:

    Fronts: 1/2 turn from full soft rebound and stock Koni perch height.
    Rears: 1/4 turn from full soft rebound and low Koni perch height. (There are 3 lower perch heights)

    Ride compliance is now perfect for my driving lifestyle!... The rear ride height dropped about 1/4" yeilding a "level chasis." The car now sits perfectly level!... No rake. Most of the rake was removed after swapping the DRC out, but it was still slightly high in the rear... Softening the rebound a bit and moving to the lower perch on the rears was worth the 4 hours!

    FAQ’s

    Your description of the rear perches is a bit confusing, how about stock height for the lowest, then each one up a 1/4" more raised.... Sorry, it is not only confusing, but hard to articulately describe... I could be wrong, but I think a stock RS6 with the DRC properly set-up, has a slight chasis rake... I prefer the car to sit level with a full belly of fuel---and the lowest rear perch height on the Koni's yeilds that on my car.

    What's your reasoning for a bit stiffer in the front, engine weight, nose diving I guess?
    The Koni's range of adjustability is different on the front than the rears.... 2 1/4 turns of adjustability on the fronts and only 1 1/8 turns on the rears. Also, to make it even more confusing, I do not think there is a linear dependence (ie. a half turn from full soft rebound might still be quite firm, but a half turn from full firm will likely feel no different than full firm)

    How compliant are the small bumps now? I know it's tough to describe, but all the 1" ruts and holes around town kill my back, so I've been thinking full soft just to be safe...
    Noticeably better after last weeks "tuning." I don't think you will go wrong at full soft front and rear.
    ADDITIONAL INFO:

    BTW, keep your receipt for the Koni's----they have lifetime free replacement to the original purchaser


    Another note, I never got the chance to stiffen mine up a turn, but since adding the Hotchkis sway bars, maybe no need. So much of the body roll was removed, and suspension really glides through uneven corners. The combination is excellent.

  2. #146
    Registered User lswing's Avatar
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    ^^^Mic drop...nice summary!
    Ace/Edge TC - Tozo Trans - MTM TCU - REVO/ME7 tune - Wagner IC's w/ Venair Hoses - Aux Radiator delete - Hotchkis Sways - Hawk HPS Pads - Koni Sport Struts - Scroll KO4 Turbos - Devil's Own WM - 421whp/452wtq on Mustang Dyno - http://www.audirssix.com

  3. #147
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    hell yea, thanks for the killer summary. probably what I will end up doing

  4. #148
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    Just did this to mine (Koni shocks with stock springs). The ride is smooth and handles pretty well. Definitely a good way to go if you don't need coil-overs.

  5. #149
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    I did my swap over last weekend. I also choose to replace my springs with H&R lowering springs and front upper and lower control arms.
    Current: 08 Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series, 08 Mercedes E63 AMG, 99 Mercedes C43 AMG, 02 Porsche 911 Turbo, 91 BMW 318IC (E30)
    Past: 03 Audi RS6, 01 Audi S4, 13 Audi S6, 99 BMW M3, 07 Audi RS4, 06 BMW M5, +

  6. #150
    Registered User Bigglezworth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 04rs6cdn View Post
    I too did the swap, but a word of caution the lower retaining washer is very close to the axle shaft when clipped on the lowest setting on the rear shocks. One of my clips popped out and caused the washer to rub on the shaft until it snapped. After I fixed it I checked the other side and noticed that it too could fail. So I tack welded a few spots below it to make sure this wont happen again. Maybe I got bad clips? I dont know. The design seems weird to me for those tiny clips that slide into the grooves and then have to hold all that weight.
    You didn't get bad clips. I believe you installed the rear mounting pearch 'upside down'. There is a groove/lip on one side of the perch that retains/traps the clip on the damper housing and can't allow it to lift out of the groove.
    '02 S6 Avant Silver - Pokey | Carbon Black/Ebony RS6 w/ stuff - darn quick | '03 Daytona Grey/Ebony RS6 w/ more stuff - quicker yet | '91 NSX CDN issue with 6spd & BBSC - quicker yet and then some | '87 Buick GNX OEM clone w/ lots of stuff - quickest hands down

  7. #151
    Registered User SensoRS6's Avatar
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    Where did you get the front mounts? 4.2Crew

  8. #152
    Registered User Bigglezworth's Avatar
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    An additional note to everything that has been provided in this thread over the months. Ensure you install the perch for the rears correctly. There is a notch that retains the shear clip and that notch is to face towards the ground.

    Photo showing the underside of the perch that is to face towards the ground
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Photo of the perch containing the shear clip on the body of the damper
    Click image for larger version. 

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    '02 S6 Avant Silver - Pokey | Carbon Black/Ebony RS6 w/ stuff - darn quick | '03 Daytona Grey/Ebony RS6 w/ more stuff - quicker yet | '91 NSX CDN issue with 6spd & BBSC - quicker yet and then some | '87 Buick GNX OEM clone w/ lots of stuff - quickest hands down

  9. #153
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    I'm pretty sure that my DRC committed suicide yesterday. First hint was a couple weeks ago when I started hearing clunks when rolling over the curb at the end of the driveway and it wasn't soaking up bumps anymore. It's fairly terrifying how unstable the chassis feels at speed. The car skitters sideways over large bumps and floats through dips. Luckily I decided to pick up a set of Konis to go with the new front control arm kit. This thread will be invaluable this weekend. Thanks.
    03 RS6 Avus/Ebony #905593 resurrected 6MT, 04 Avalanche Z71, 87 T-Bird Turbo Coupe (351W T5), 04 Aprilia RSVR Factory

  10. #154
    Registered User lswing's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bethridg View Post
    I'm pretty sure that my DRC committed suicide yesterday. First hint was a couple weeks ago when I started hearing clunks when rolling over the curb at the end of the driveway and it wasn't soaking up bumps anymore. It's fairly terrifying how unstable the chassis feels at speed. The car skitters sideways over large bumps and floats through dips. Luckily I decided to pick up a set of Konis to go with the new front control arm kit. This thread will be invaluable this weekend. Thanks.
    Exactly how mine felt...it was empty of oil when we pulled it. Good luck with the Koni's, really like them.
    Ace/Edge TC - Tozo Trans - MTM TCU - REVO/ME7 tune - Wagner IC's w/ Venair Hoses - Aux Radiator delete - Hotchkis Sways - Hawk HPS Pads - Koni Sport Struts - Scroll KO4 Turbos - Devil's Own WM - 421whp/452wtq on Mustang Dyno - http://www.audirssix.com

  11. #155
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    Anyone try and put air ride on a RS6 yet?

  12. #156
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    Last weekend I finally got around to re-adjusting the Konis after the initial install. Rear-end was squatting terribly and upon inspection there was some slight rubbing on the rear axle shafts from the spring perch (just removed some paint). Ended up raising the rear to the second lowest groove which produced a close to factory DRC ride height. I was unable to get the front any lower. I think it's the fresh/stiffer bushings in the 034 front control arm kit (properly preloaded). Overall, happy with the ride quality. A dialed in DRC is far superior but for a fraction of the cost these are more than an acceptable alternative.






    03 RS6 Avus/Ebony #905593 resurrected 6MT, 04 Avalanche Z71, 87 T-Bird Turbo Coupe (351W T5), 04 Aprilia RSVR Factory

  13. #157
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    Quote Originally Posted by bethridg View Post
    Rear-end was squatting terribly and upon inspection there was some slight rubbing on the rear axle shafts from the spring perch (just removed some paint).
    The Koni's will all rub on the axle shaft yes. The height is established based upon the shaft thickness for the A6, which isn't as thick in diameter as those use on the RS6. It will eventually wear a small groove in to the bottom of the perch over time.

    Quote Originally Posted by bethridg View Post
    A dialed in DRC is far superior but for a fraction of the cost these are more than an acceptable alternative.
    DRC remains the best suspension on this car IMO. All of the coil overs don't perform as well all round. And why would they? They aren't dynamic which is why the DRC is so special. Comfort and performance all in one.
    '02 S6 Avant Silver - Pokey | Carbon Black/Ebony RS6 w/ stuff - darn quick | '03 Daytona Grey/Ebony RS6 w/ more stuff - quicker yet | '91 NSX CDN issue with 6spd & BBSC - quicker yet and then some | '87 Buick GNX OEM clone w/ lots of stuff - quickest hands down

  14. #158
    Registered User nistah's Avatar
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    DRC is on it's way out, It has become clear to me that repairing the DRC system is worthless

    Trying to decide if I should replace it with either of the following setups:


    Koni part #'s
    Front: 82-2516sport
    Rear: 82-2526sport
    and H&R lowering springs
    Cost all in for the Koni & H&R parts shipped is $845.00

    or I can get

    KW
    VARIANT 1 COIL-OVER
    Premium, Performance Street
    Sportive and harmonic with KW factory pre-set damping
    Optimally tuned for a sporty yet comfortable drive
    "inox-line" stainless steel technology (where applicable)
    FRONT AND REAR
    Ride Height: Threaded Adjustment
    Manufacturer Part #: 10210053
    Cost all in for the KW V1 parts shipped is $1148.92

    My initial thought is to spend the extra money on the KW V1 set up as they are made directly for the RS6 while the Koni's are made for A6 but do fit RS6 however I open to hearing informed opinions on each set up..... any helpful thoughts, insights and/or alternatives appreciated!
    Current: Black Pearl Metallic Effect/Ebony, RNS-E, Euro + pedals, oCarbon, Hotchkiss Front & Rear Sway Bars, Koni Yellow's

  15. #159
    Registered User Cmnair's Avatar
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    The car had KW V1s when I bought it. Didn't like the ride...toofloppy and bouncy over slight undulations on the road. Switched to Koni Yellows with stock springs and the ride is much better. No excessive rebound etc. Never experienced a properly functioning DRC though.
    2003 Audi RS6 Daytona/Silver, 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S, 2016 Golf R 6 MT, 2018 Porsche Macan GTS

  16. #160
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    KW V1 is junk, avoid it.
    Like mentioned, too bouncy. Not a "sporty" feel at all.
    Konis are decent.

  17. #161
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    Quote Originally Posted by nubcake View Post
    KW V1 is junk, avoid it.
    Like mentioned, too bouncy. Not a "sporty" feel at all.
    Konis are decent.
    I have to say I disagree with the quoted comment above. I went with the Koni/H&R Spring set up first and then moved to the coilovers (KW-V1). I was very happy with my decision when I made the swap. I took a 1200 mile drive with my family after installing the coilovers through the country roads of GA and NC and the car felt great.

    Suspension has a lot more to do with your individual style and taste at this level in my opinion. I have owned it all and on many different cars. Some are harsh based on design (track use vs. daily road use). All my opinion but thought I would share.
    Current: 08 Mercedes CLK63 AMG Black Series, 08 Mercedes E63 AMG, 99 Mercedes C43 AMG, 02 Porsche 911 Turbo, 91 BMW 318IC (E30)
    Past: 03 Audi RS6, 01 Audi S4, 13 Audi S6, 99 BMW M3, 07 Audi RS4, 06 BMW M5, +

  18. #162
    Registered User Cmnair's Avatar
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    Sorry the car was scary and unmanageable with the KW V1s. It was installed by the PO...maybe not matched well for the car?
    2003 Audi RS6 Daytona/Silver, 2012 Porsche 911 Turbo S, 2016 Golf R 6 MT, 2018 Porsche Macan GTS

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