I've been driving my 03' A4 for about 2 years now. My first upgrade was a Hotchkis front+rear swaybar. While the improvements were noticable, the body roll and general looseness of the original suspension irked me. I found a ton of great reviews for the Koni FSD shocks + Eibach pro-kit system; so with a pricetag under $850 i ordered them off tirerack and had them professionally installed.
http://www.tirerack.com/Suspinfo-12/Koni/FSD+Damper+Set+%2526+Springs.shtml The first thing I noticed was the new stance of my A4. The kit lowered the car about 40mm (1.5") - it looks WONDERFUL. Not slammed, but much more aggressive. There's also a slight rake (front end lower than back end?) that makes the car look meaner than before. One down-side noticed by my installer: the kit is an ugly gold color... Something i figured would not be a problem, so long as the car remains shiny side up. You can't see them from a casual look around the car.
Here are my first impressions from a drive out on some country roads - ESP off.
The body roll i spoke to earlier was almost completely gone (to my delight). I felt a difference the moment I stepped on the peddle - where before the car's front end would buck slightly, the car stayed level through acceleration. I felt the same sensation while braking.
Turns felt quite different than before - being a novice driver with a limited driving vocabulary - I'm finding it difficult to put this into words - but i'd say the turns felt safer at higher speeds. I was able to focus more on the line because i felt i was fighting with the car much less than before. So, i'm driving a bit faster, yet my knuckles aren't white, and I my heart-rate seemed much lower too! :)
One thing that did suprise me a bit was the understeer. There is less understeer, but now, when the car starts to understeer, it seems more immediate. Before i'd feel the understeer coming, but I no longer feel it slowly approaching, it's somewhat abrupt - something i'll have to get used to.
Traveling on the highway, the car seemed more stable, but bumps are just a bit more pronounced. Not as soft as the stock suspension, but not stiff or jolting by any means. When i hit a bump, i feel it, the car has a single, soft, yet pronounced, bounce, and I'm back to business grabbing the road - the way i would think it should be.
So, all in all, i'm very happy with the upgrade. I can't wait to get it on the track, and my daily drive to work is something I can look forward to even more.
Hope this helps! Drive safe everyone!
Milez
