In search of comfort - Koni FSD

humps

humps

A2OC Donor
Thanks to fellow member Schnelletrecker's very informative thread on suspension, I'm sold to the idea of Koni FSD + stock A2 springs is the answer to the harsh ride. I can't lower my car anyway as I only have 2cm clearence between the door and the high curb of where I park, so this is perfect!

Having better ride comfort AND improved handling too good to be true? I didn't believe it either, but seeing many reviews and also found out Lambo Gallardo's got FSD factory fitted, I started to believe. I read through many user reports from owners of 3-series, Mk5 GTI, A/S3 and Mini. With the Cooper S user story being most convincing.

I got a quick quote from http://www.fontain.co.uk/ who will do the installation + 4 wheel alignment for £325 inc. vat. But you'll have to source the FSDs as they don't sell them. I'm also interested to know any other reliable workshops suitable to do the installation.
 
Hi humps

Club member Robin from Stealth Racing has shown interest in doing a supply and fit package for the Koni FSD shocks. They have 5 A2's in the 'family' so have first hand experience in working on this model Audi. If its not too far to travel then I think they may be able to offer a better deal than Fontain.
If you'r interested, suggest you PM Robin for more info.
I'm really sold on these shocks myself so will be very interested in results of your installation.
http://www.stealthracing.co.uk/

Cheers Spike
 
Performance Dampers

As another alternative solution to the damping problem I am in discussion with Ben to offer a package of 4 Sachs Performance dampers available through the club discount scheme at a very competetive price.

Having just bought a TDI Sport myself I can only agree with the general comment on this site that the Quattro GmbH suspension on the Sport is fine for Autobahn/Motorway but absolutely crude anywhere else.

In the next two weeks we will fit the Sachs dampers to my car with 17" alloys to see how much improvement I can feel with the standard set-up. Then I intend to switch to 16" SE alloys and see how that rides.

Yes - I have a vested interest as my company is now the importer for Sachs Race Engineering (SRE) in the UK - and I certainly would not knock the Koni FSD which is a good product. However, don't underestimate the Sachs Performace product. SRE provided the race dampers for the Michael Schumacher's Ferarri F1 cars after all!

I will come back on this once I have run these on my own car and can honestly recommend them. In the meantime, if anybody is interested in any further information on the Sachs Performance product we have it posted on our website at www.racepads.co.uk.


Mike
 
hi all as spike says i will have a chat with vince and see what we can do after the holls as we are shut till new year
we are trying to get a good price for the kit+ installation + 4 wheel alignment +
it is not easy to get the front strut off on the drivers side as skipton can tell you when we did his springs for him.

cheers

ROBIN
 
robin said:
hi all as spike says i will have a chat with vince and see what we can do after the holls as we are shut till new year
we are trying to get a good price for the kit+ installation + 4 wheel alignment +
it is not easy to get the front strut off on the drivers side as skipton can tell you when we did his springs for him.

cheers

ROBIN
Click to expand...
That explains it! I tried to call stealth y'day and no one was there :) If things go right and I get a slice of the company bonus pie, the dampers are the first on my shopping list in the new year!
 
Koni FSDs installed at Stealth today!

So here is the story some of you have been waiting for! Below is my long-ish post/review of the FSDs. Thanks to forum member Schnelletrecker's inspired topic on suspension http://www.a2oc.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4727 I have decided to get myself a set of Koni FSD combined with stock springs and 16" SE wheels; installed by the good folks at Stealth Racing! The result is impressive!

We went for a quick test drive around the local roads. At first, it felt similar at walking pace, but the FSD comes alive during normal driving speed. Over rough surfaces like road cracks, manhole covers or potholes, the transmitted shock to the cabin is much reduced and most importantly subdued! Gone is the harsh, metal hitting on metal sound and feel. New is a kind of subtle, controlled vibration. The car feels much more civilised, much more compliant! The benefits of these advanced dampers are more obvious when driving on the motorway. At cruising speed, it glides over the roughness on the road, transmitting a subtle vibration and a low frequency noise telling me there was a bit of roughness; where I was previously told about every millimeter of the surface through harsh sound and steering wheel vibration. This is nice! It makes less noise as well! Double nice! Does it make the steering numb? At little bit may be. But I'm not complaining, certainly not when it handles the tarmac expansion gaps so much better than before. After an 80 miles drive back home, I can equate the motorway vibrations of old vs new dampers to big square waves vs smaller, smoother sine waves. It reminded me of my recent ride in a E90 330i. Definitely a grin on my face :)

Arrived back to London, driving on familiar roads and speed humps. I can now drive over the speed humps with at least 5-7mph faster and still won't hit the bumpstop at the end of the suspension. One stretch of road is full of uneven high and low humps; I usually (comically) stand on my feet like a Darka rider when on my Vespa. The old suspension would flow and bounce and there was enough rolling around to make me sea sick, even in an A2! This is now much more controlled, especially the rolling!

As for performance related feedback, I'm afraid you'll have to wait. I haven't had the time to give it a good thrashing yet. But so far, I feel it is as sharp as before and much less roll. I'm sure cornering over bumpy surface will be much more assured.

Last but not least, a big thank you to the good folks at Stealth Racing. Forum member Robin and other A2 owner colleagues at Steal did a great job today! To start, it was very reassuring to arrive at Stealth seeing 3 other A2s at their car park! These guys are PROS and they actually care about your car and their work. My car was completely taken care of and my rusted wheel hub is still fine, unlike the cowboys at the dealer who broke it last time! I totally recommend Stealth!

So I'm very happy as you can tell, but there is still one more thing. The girl friend test...
 
Hi Humps
A great result. I think a set of FSD's will be going to the top of my shopping list. Wish Stealth had a branch up north though
Thanks also to Schnelletreker for bringing this new technology damper to our attention

Cheers Spike
 
spike said:
Hi Humps
A great result. I think a set of FSD's will be going to the top of my shopping list. Wish Stealth had a branch up north though
Thanks also to Schnelletreker for bringing this new technology damper to our attention

Cheers Spike
Click to expand...

we are not that far and you get a good test drive on the way back humps was on his way back by about 1230
plus we do nice coffee and tea
cheers
robin
 
robin,
i have just had a look on your site and have a few questions about the revo sps.

Is this a remap device? if so is it available for a TDI 90?

Cheers.
 
if you go to revos web page they say yes but only have a 75 on there
when we do a remap we have to take the ecu out as it can not be maped it the car
cheers
Robin

ps you have pm
 
The Stealth guys are good - I'll vouch for them.

If you're thinking of a remap, give them a go.

Cheers,

Mike
 
And judging from my test drive in Robin's remaped 1.4tdi today, I would say give them a call! I'm sure Robin or Vince at Stealth can sort something for you! I wish I had a tdi too! BTW Robin, thanks for the test drive today, I'll blame you if I swap for a diesel in the future!

And I couldn't resist giving the my FSDs another outing tonite. Just came back from a quick dash down the deserted streets at night in the financial district of London. The car DEFINITELY corners flatter. It also feels more stable during the turns. Bumpy corners where it used to dart around like a go-kart, my car now turns, stays flat and grip the road better. It is still fun to drive, a civilised kind of fun rather than go-kart fun.
 
Our FSD's arrived yesterday and should be fitted on Tuesday. Really looking forward to trying them now!
 
FSD's were finally fitted on Friday last week. My initial feelings on the way home were that the harsh edge to the ride had gone and that some bad road repairs were much smoother than before.

Yesterday my partner took the A2 to Salisbury and felt that overall the ride over normal road irregularities is about 40-50% improved! The harshness has gone, there is less pitching and bobbing on the open road and the overall feel is one of more 'sophistication' and refinement to the ride. Sharp ridges and bumps still come through, but these are at least 20% better. We haven't come across anything yet that might have induced the old metal-on-metal crash from the front - I know of one place where I am going tonight that might test this.

Overall, it's still not perfect but this was money well spent!
 
GrayB said:
...Yesterday my partner took the A2 to Salisbury and felt that overall the ride over normal road irregularities is about 40-50% improved! ...
Click to expand...

Nice to hear you seeing the improvement. Yes, the bumps don't magically go away and it has to be said it is still a firm ride. But I think if it goes softer, the car will lose the new found dynamics, which has to be said, I'm rather enjoying at the moment!

Have you tried the motorway yet? I thought the comfort advantage was most obvious at speed (effectively turning most ripples to >7hz, opening the second valve in the FSD). This has a side effect of quieter motorway cruising!

GrayB said:
...We haven't come across anything yet that might have induced the old metal-on-metal crash from the front - I know of one place where I am going tonight that might test this.
Click to expand...

I drove through 2 speed bumps that used to create that effect at 20mph. One would do that even at 15mph. Now it doesn't and I can drive over them at 20mph no problem. In fact, I can now drive over most near by speed bumps at least 5-7mph faster and still maintain a reasonable ride!
 
I suddenly remembered a comment from a colleague who was looking to buy an A2 who eventually bought a 147. He said the A2's great except the ride, you can feel it if you run over a 5p (the smallest british coin for the non-british)! Now with the FSD, I think you'll need at least a pound coin :)
 
Bought my FSD's from Europerformance.co.uk. Price was £349 delivered and they came in 2 days flat!

Had the garage next door to my office fit them - haven't had the bill yet, but I think it was about 3 or 4 hours judging by the time the car disappeared from my parking space.

Incidentally, I went down a side road in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday, where there is a dip in the road followed by a hump - which always made the old suspension do the 'metal on metal' bang if you went any faster than 15mph. With the FSDs I went over at just over 20mph, gritting my teeth and everything clenched - and guess what? Just a cushioned rise and fall of the car! Wonderful!!!!
 
Hi GrayB
As you say, Europerformance were the cheapest but when I got round to buying, their price had increased to £400 incl postage (List is about £455 plus postage)

Cheers Spike
 
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