So I just bought a new 2.0T A3 last week and was wondering if anyone recommended any reasonable suspension upgrades or modifications which I might consider getting right off the bat? It's not an S-Line so it's pretty basic I think.

Thanks,
Joe

 

check the noob thread at the top of the A3 page there is a ton of good info up there including stuff on suspension.

 

Thanks. I looked through the noob thread and although it spoke a lot about coil overs it didn't really offer any information on the different types of options available and what type of price vs. effort vs. return in performance they offer. For example it would be immensely helpful to me to know that if I changed out my factory shocks with >Brand X Model Y at $This price< that this would offer the greatest improvement in overall cornering for the dollar. Or the first thing to change on the car would be this.....

That was actually what I was asking about. Does anyone have any input along these lines or am I barking up the wrong tree?

 

Depends on your goals. Tell us what's important to you or your budget, and you'll find plenty of opinions and experience here. There's no perfect one-size-fits-all improvement, and almost all suspension mods have a downside.

 

Well.. first and foremost I don't want to lower the cars height. Second, I don't mind spending money I just want to know what the most important things to look at first are. What would be best to start with for let's say $1000.00?

 

rear sway bar...reduces a lot of the understeer and body roll. push it hard enough in a corner and the back feels like it wants to step out. neuspeed one is about $250.

 

If all you want to do is lower your car, there are plenty of ways to get that done within $1K. I'd ignore them though.

The most significant improvement to the handling of the car is you. Second are the tires. BTW, you can get the rear to step out with the S-Line. I've not driven a premium, but from posts I've read the premium is pretty soft, and not so easy to rotate.

Just my experience: I've had two modified Miatas, both with significant suspension revisions. Both were tracked and autocrossed. I love, simply LoVe the S-Line. It gets a bit floaty at 85 mph and above, but I can live with that.

 

Sport springs are cost effective, lower the center gravity of the car and improve handleing immediately, down side of sport springs after a while the stock shocks go bad (soft). Middle of the road is going with a cup kit which replaces the springs and shocks, most aggresive in pricing is going after coilovers wich are adjustable for height. To control the car from rolling one would upgrade the sway bars .

pricing can be found on all your tuner sites h&r tein, billstein, koni , ecs tuning has a bunch of stuff with good customer svc. google any if these and get the 411
also go to various audi forums and see if any group buys are on the above mentioned parts and you'll save on the price of the products and shiping
good luck

 

If you want to keep your base/premium ride height, your options are pretty limited. Most aftermarket suspension is S Line height, or lower. As mentioned above, a rear sway bar helps a lot, as do sticky uhp tires and lightweight wheels. Shocks such as Koni FSD's will keep the car flatter during agressive cornering and braking, without sacrifice of ride quality.

 

Yeah, not much you can do if you don't want to lower the height even a little. The coilovers, at their tallest setting, will still have a significant drop.

I would recommend going with the RSB since it will stiffen up the rear through a turn and not compromise any height or ride. The next best move would be to upgrade to some very nice high performance tires. After all, that is the most important thing you can do to affect the handling of a car.



Cheers!