RS6 aftermarket suspension options

[ott]

With all those DRC threads lately, I looked what aftermarket offers for our cars, as it may be better solution, than continiously repair the DRC, especially if car is out of warranty.

I found two options:APR Motor Sport kit which uses Öhlins dampers for $3895

and LLTEK offers full set of Bilstein coilovers for $1888. This seems very reasonable option, Bilsteins are well known for good performance and durability.

Can anybody add to this list ?

Also, if somebody has replaced the DRC with aftermarket suspension, then comments are welcome !

[Mr Balsen]

KW are absolutely excellent. At least on the MTM RS6 ClubSport. One of the best chassis I drove. It was like glue on the road.

Cheers,
Frederic

[Bauer]

APR's kit is in fact a STaSIS kit that they sell.

http://www.stasisengineering.com/aud...uspension.html



STaSIS also sells the Alcon's for the RS6

http://www.stasisengineering.com/aud...c5_brakes.html



I have the Ohlins set up on my S4 and it is easily one of the best set up's out there. My wife likes the suspension in the S4 better then the RS6 and I am running 1200 rear and 850 front spring rate.

Once you drive a car with STaSIS Ohlins set up you will quickly see that it is money well spent. The adjustability of it is fantastic, with high speed(external damper) and low speed compression adjustments avialible. These are the same dampers that were used on the Champion RS6 race car, they also used the Alcon's

If you want infomation I highly recommend calling Jason @ STaSIS (707) 935 9700 x119. He knows the products VERY well... APR sales is not as up on them as STaSIS is.

[Aronis]

That's my next play if I can scrape together the 5 grand PLUS 1 more for new summer tires...

Spoke with Mitchell at http://www.speedtechnik.com/ who has lots of experience modifying RS6's, in fact guys like him make it far more likely that I would keep my RS6 after the lease since they are CAR GUYS who have done engine mods on many RS6 including TURBOs which would be my greatest concern after the warrantee or even WITH the extended warrantee as the Audi Mechanics are NOT CAR GUYS....

Mitchell is 37 and will be around for a long time to come LOL.

Norwalk CT.

The shock job takes about 7 hours so it' would be a drop off for two days change over and he stands behind his work for life!

His email is: mitch@speedtechnik.com

Mike

[minimad]

Originally posted by Bauer
APR's kit is in fact a STaSIS kit that they sell.

http://www.stasisengineering.com/aud...uspension.html



STaSIS also sells the Alcon's for the RS6

http://www.stasisengineering.com/aud...c5_brakes.html



I have the Ohlins set up on my S4 and it is easily one of the best set up's out there. My wife likes the suspension in the S4 better then the RS6 and I am running 1200 rear and 850 front spring rate.

Once you drive a car with STaSIS Ohlins set up you will quickly see that it is money well spent. The adjustability of it is fantastic, with high speed(external damper) and low speed compression adjustments avialible. These are the same dampers that were used on the Champion RS6 race car, they also used the Alcon's

If you want infomation I highly recommend calling Jason @ STaSIS (707) 935 9700 x119. He knows the products VERY well... APR sales is not as up on them as STaSIS is.

Bauer, after two time failure on my RS6 suspension within 18,000 km, I am serously considering to put this Ohlins kits, but someone gave me an opposite opinion. This guy works in a racing team, so he has a lot of experience with Ohlins stuff. He said the suspension system is very good, but has to be carefully monitored by monthly basis, mainly because the air pressure may go unstable due to various reasons. So he think Onlins is not for everyday use unless you have your own technician.
So I like to consult more comments with people especially who has Ohlins on their RS6. Does anyone has the Onlins on his/her RS6, and how about durability issue?

[Aronis]

I was considering the Bilstein PSS9's but heard that they are a bit harsh!

Who Knows! But that monitoring issue with the Ohlin's is a bit concerning!

What are used in the S4 or S6? Perhaps just changing to those would be much easier and less hassel.

Mike

[nene]

I can't believe it is so hard to find an aftermarket suspension. I don't mind spending the money for a good one, say DRC like without the hassle.

I know there is a local shop in Framingham, MA that is able to find the best suspension, without making the car too harsh. They don't build their own, however depending on customer's requests, they find the best combination.

Let's keep this thread going, as I plan to migrate to a different suspension eventually. I don't want to use the word "upgrade" here, as I am extremely happy with the DRC suspension. I just hope we can all come to some conclusion as to advantages and disadvantages of the different options on the market. Not really looking at a pissing contest as who is best. Instead looking for folks true experiences with what they have for aftermarket suspension, to help others make their decisions.

So, tell us what you got, and what you REALLY like and dislike about the setup. The devil's in the details.

Here's an example:
When I had the 2000 Audi S4, I swapped the stock suspension for H&R Street coilovers. I loved them for the first month. Handling was great, and ride quality and comfort only slightly harsh. Well, after about 1 month on them, they got really bad. It may be that the uneveness of the Northeast roads may have got to them. I try to avoid potholes, however the roads up in Boston and suburbs are not smooth as on a track. I ended up having to replace 3 out of the 4 coilovers, and the worst part was the wait due to backorder on the item. That was horrible.
Took me about 3 tries of playing with the car height to get them where I liked it. However, the change did not really make it any more of a comfortable ride. All in all, not worth the $1600 I spent on them. I am sure they are great for track use, just not for daily use. Once I put the stock suspension back, all the rattles on the car were gone. And I mean gone!!! Best $300 spent to get the suspension back to stock.


Thanks all.

[Aronis]

I am slowly piecing more inforation togeter from various sources.

I was suspicious at the onset about the probability of AIR being trapped in the shocks after the DRC fluid leaked out.

Apparently there is a VERY specific process to follow when the system leaks that much. This is NOT in the CD ROM manual from eBahn. And it is not in the RS6 Self Study Guide.

I am convinced the reason why my car's syspension was still too soft (even before the system drained again from the front shocks) was due to air trapped in the shocks. When I drove the car last Saturday the Front was definitely softer than the Rear where new shocks were installed. Since the Air trapped in the front is more compressible than the DRC Fluid the entire system was upset and toooooooooooo Soft.

This makes sense and I can't wait to get the rest of the techinical information together.

Bottom Line: I was right all four shocks should have been replaced with freshly charged shocks. And ASSSS it turns out they could have removed the four shocks and recharged them on the bench top and got the AIR OUT.

We shall see, but I think after a few more cars get properly fixed, they will have another course offered to the mechanics on how to properly READ THE MANUAL before properly repairing the car.

So all you RS6's with normal DRC systems can rest easy since they will know how to fix it....now it's just a matter of PARTS........

Mike

[jgun81]

I noticed some noise(sounds like something is loose) coming from underneath the car when I go over bumpy roads. Does this mean my DRC has problems?

If my DRC needs to be replaced, then I am going for Bilstein because I don't have warranty, and I would not want DRC again which seems to be troublesome.

[JAXRS6]

Originally posted by jgun81
I noticed some noise(sounds like something is loose) coming from underneath the car when I go over bumpy roads. Does this mean my DRC has problems?

That's how my symptoms started. However, although the rattles returned & had to be fixed again, mine never got to a stage where ride or handling were noticeably affected. My fixes occurred at about 32K mi (took a long time to diagnose, ultimately with AOA's help) and 50K mi (quick to fix because they knew the cause).

Below is a thread I started in Dec 04. I first describle the banging rattle(s), before most of us knew DRC was the problem. In the last post I give a loose description of how the hardest-to-diagnose rattle was caused by failure of a DRC component in the rear of my particular car. However I would caution that I have since re-read the Pure Protection extended service contract I bought from my dealer and noted that "shock absorbers" are exempted from even the best Platinum coverage, which I have. And now I wonder if the $1K DRC valve I've replaced twice under warranty will be considered part of the exempted "shock absorbers." Ya think?

http://www.rs6.com/forum/showthread....anging+rattles

[Bauer]

STaSIS has been using the Ohlins for over 5 years in their race cars and 3 years in street cars. Their failure rate is extremely low and especially on street cars. I have had mine on my S4 for almost 2 years trouble free(not the easiest use). Additionally, I believe STaSIS offers a lifetime warranty on them... which should help put your mind at ease. If you have questions call Jason.... If I were going to keep my RS6, they and Alcons would be going on the car with out a doubt.

[minimad]

Originally posted by Bauer
STaSIS has been using the Ohlins for over 5 years in their race cars and 3 years in street cars. Their failure rate is extremely low and especially on street cars. I have had mine on my S4 for almost 2 years trouble free(not the easiest use). Additionally, I believe STaSIS offers a lifetime warranty on them... which should help put your mind at ease. If you have questions call Jason.... If I were going to keep my RS6, they and Alcons would be going on the car with out a doubt.

Thanks! Bauer, I will talk to Ohlins's agent in Taiwan immediately, if they offer thae same condition as STaSIS does, I am more than happy to put the fine product on my RS6.

[Aronis]

The first thing I noticed was a thump from the rear passenger side. This was teh first warning that something was wrong. It then took about two days to begin bouncing as the fluid leaked out.

Get it up on a lift now and look at the bottom of the shock to see if there is any wetness. The fluid is very thin like mineral oil.


Mike

Originally posted by jgun81
I noticed some noise(sounds like something is loose) coming from underneath the car when I go over bumpy roads. Does this mean my DRC has problems?

If my DRC needs to be replaced, then I am going for Bilstein because I don't have warranty, and I would not want DRC again which seems to be troublesome.

[Aronis]

Yes, Stasis does have excellent warrantee and remember the shocks in that set up are not connected, so you can loose ONE and not loose the other three.

But with the stock system if you loose one you loose the second if not fixed that day and that mile.

Mike

I'm trying to find out of Audi EOM parts from the S6 or S4 can be used. That should not be a problem since the Bilstein PSS9 KIT is the same part number for the A6, S6 and RS6, so I ASSUME that the part from an A6 or S6 would fit just fine. Perhaps the handle would not be as crisp with the DRC swapped for S6 shocks, but at least it would be an Audi part and maybe THEY would pay for the repair and maintain a warrantee for the balance of the lease period.

Mike

[LIRS6]

I noticed some noise(sounds like something is loose) coming from underneath the car when I go over bumpy roads. Does this mean my DRC has problems?

Some owners have identified loose bolts on the steering bracket - check yours out immediately

[Benman]

Originally posted by nene

Let's keep this thread going, as I plan to migrate to a different suspension eventually.

Thanks all.

Agreed. I also want to keep tabs on this thread.

Bauer, thanks for the Ohlins update!

Ben

[ott]

I would not use S6 original parts. S6 suspension feels much softer, so probably it's spring rates are different. I would not want to go softer, considering that RS6 is also appr. 50 kg., heavier than S6. Even if RS6 springs can be used with S6 shocks, there will be anyway the issue, that shocks don't match with spring rates.

So aftermarket is IMO only way to go. Good shop should be able to supply matched shock&spring combo. Assuming that S6 suspension will physically fit to RS6, there should be much more choice than PSS9 kit. I have very good experiences with Bilstein products in my previous cars, but for streetdriven car I don't care much about the adjustability of the coilover system, as I will never bother to make any adjustments. Well performing spring/shock combination will do for me.

I'm in the same boat with "minimad", warranty is expired, so when there will be problems with DRC, I will definetly consider all possibilites. Seems that in bigger markets like US, most cars are still under warranty and that's why there isn't much first hand experience yet.

[TaTaPiRaTa]

Hi Friends!

I have rattles like most of you described (rear right, sometimes front, on bumpy roads).

After reading all posts I think this is DRC failure as I had my all shocks replaced under warranty last year and drove only few thounsand km since then, so it is imposible it is shock malfunction. Techs do not find any reason for the rattles...

In this case what do you suggest shall I try to repair (not under warranty anymore) DRC changing the valves? like some of you mentioned (know the price?)
or
shall I go for other aftermatket solution if the other is the way to go which one would you choose for bumpy bad roads in Poland?
I woud prefer to have the car stable on turns but not too stiff, meaning sporty but reasonably stiff - I will not race this car...

If anybody can summarize all the posts regarding replacing of DRC -> this would help many of us, please?

Shall I go Ohlis, Bilstein or any other stuff?


BTW: I don't want to lower the suspension.