Have you had DRS and switched? Please help.

[BLITZEN]

I'm reaching out to those who had the stock RS DRS suspension and switched to aftermarket, especially if you went to KWv3's. How does your new suspension compare to the old? Positives/Negatives?

My DRS is currently blown and I'm weighing fixing versus replacing it.

Thanks for sharing!

[DHall1]

Kwv3 is the best setup.

Second best is Konis with the stock rs springs

[lswing]

DRC...

And what happened to the H&R setup, good no? Yes the Konis have been rock solid and sporty.

[fukinavit]

Very subjective and has been covered extensively on here. You wont beat the stock DRC ride comfort but you can be lowered and firmer for a lot cheaper.

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"Very subjective and has been covered extensively"

Yes, the aftermarket options have been covered. What I haven't seen are any comments from people who've given up DRC. Are they happy or regretful? How does the ride of the KWs compare to DRC? Does the car still stay flat in a hard braking turn? If so, does it rattle like a Wrangler on a rough road? Etc.

[DHall1]

Yes I went with kwv3 on two of my cars.

Better than drc for me. All positive

The 3rd car has H&R as a test. Im putting kwv3 on it the next chance I get.

Thats all I know

Kwv3 is the best setup.

Second best is Konis with the stock rs springs

[fukinavit]

I only have the one RS6, it still has the factory DRC which had the recall done I think 4 years ago. Ive owned it for 2years and did test drive 3 others in the 6 months previous before settling on mine. All 3 were 03 us imported cars all had after market suspension. I honestly cant remember what setup they had but ps9 does ring a bell. Anyway, I do remember them being harsh and very comparative to my St coiled stg 3 A6. The DRC on my RS much smoother but still firm when pushed, even the wife enjoys the Ride(she hates the a6). I like the look and the price of aftermarket and who knows what ill do when my DRC shits the bed, I feel its wishfull thinking to honestly say the Ride is better with aftermarket but maybe needed to justify. END of the day its how deep your pockets are, what the roads are like around you and your intended use (these aren't track cars). I personally hope my DRC lasts a good while yet.

[Aronis]

I've had KWV3 for 5 years and 30 k miles. Did it myself in my garage. Great ride. Better handling. Lower stance. Would have done it sooner but only option when my DRC failed at 30 k miles was the Ohlin product which was $8000 at the time. KWv3 were $2400.

[hahnmgh63]

Had the DRC recall done 5yrs ago or so, drove the recalled suspension for about a week then ripped it out and installed KWV3's. Have it adjusted about 1.5" lower than stock. No regrets.

[Aronis]

Begin Rant.

Well I had my DRC replaced three times under warrantee before the "Recall" and I knew and stated publicly that the recalled system would also fail. And it did, at 13 months, after the warrantee on that recall was over.

I wanted Audi to simply install the shock from the S6 (was compatible with S6 2002 struts) but they said they "had to install the original factory DRC" due to some foolish rules (government rules? Who knows). I would have been perfectly happy with that set up and could have saved months of grief and the cost of the KWv3's. There is nothing magical about the 'aftermarket' coil overs, they just fill a need on about 1200 cars. Good marketing.

And to think people who got the new RS4 at time time scoffed at my suggestion that they refuse to take delivery of the car without having the dealer swap out the suspension with something known to be reliable. LOL, RS4 systems also failed. I had a good time watching my local mechanic work on a failed DRC on a RS4 for several months before they got it 'good enough.'

The dynamic ride control is a great concept but was never ready for public consumption. Instead of installing the "Mark II" DRC in our cars Audi should have offered the choice of a good coil over aftermarket system (who's manufacture would have warrantee by the way), and it would have saved Audi two or three thousand on each recalled car.

And only now Audi is using the electromagnetic dampers on the S3 as a start, while GM, Cadillac, and BMW have embraced this technology, and also FORD added it to the new Mustang 350 GT. God if it holds up in a Corvette and a Cadillac for more than 12 days after delivery, it must be pretty reliable.

End Rant.



Mike

That reminds me, I'll have my DRC accumulators removed from my car while it's in the shop. I can add that to my 308 target practice!

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Thanks for the replies. From what I've read so far, it sounds like ride is best with DRC followed by KWv3's. But reliability and cost are the negatives for DRC to the point that no amount of money can permanently fix it. So while I'd still love to hear other points of view, my plan is to have my RS towed on a flatbed to a dealer for a DRC repair estimate. If it turns out to be really significant (maybe >50% of KWs), I'll drive it to a performance shop to switch to the KWs, hoping they turn out to be close to equal in terms of performance and comfort. Thanks again for the help.

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My wife brought up a somewhat crazy question... If we go down the KW road and (by some miracle) in the future money becomes no object, and assuming we don't like the KW ride as much as the DRS, can the stock setup be put back in?

[Aronis]

Yes, of course, but you may have to replace all the parts with brand new items

The Accumulators can now be "recharged" at the local shop assuming they can get ahold of the special tool (if they are still in circulation around the Audi dealerships.) The struts can be reconditioned - i.e. refilled and pressurize in the shop to as long as the internals are not damaged by the current low fluid situation you have now. The connector to the side of the strut is VERY FRAGILE and can easily be broken off during disassembly. I had one snap with the slightest turn with a wrench when I was disassembling mine.

The worst case senario would be buying the entire system new. The accumulators were $1200 each when I priced it and the struts were $500 or so each. I am not sure you will have great luck finding the parts new, as the car's model year is outside the 10 year-got-to-have-parts-for-it US law. The connecting tubing should be fine from your current car and that tubing can all be left on the car should you remove and install aftermarket struts.

I have driven this car for nearly 14 years and the ride with the KWV3 set in the top 1/3 of the aggressive setting (recommended level from KW), has been fine for daily driving. The handling is so much better that you will never want to go back to the DRC. I have Hotchkiss sway bars front and rear as well.

You'll love it.

Mike