Hi,

I hate the way my A4 01 WS6 leans in corners, want more stability/planted feel, and to reduce body roll.
Prefer cornering ability to drag.

I don't want to lower it because of my WW air dam, and naff roads.

Parts I am considering are:

Shock tower brace,
PHB
Control arm
sway bars,(F+R)
SFC.

Or am I wasting my time, and need to go with shocks/springs? As stated, I dont want to ride any lower if possible.

Your recommendations please,
Thanks,
Paul.

 

Start with the sway bars and SFC's, you'll feel a pleasant differece. You'll actually wonder what the hell you were doing swerving all ove rthe place ... lol

 

First and foremost: shocks. If you don't want to lower, a set of Bilstein HD's might work, but I'm not sure what the spring rates are for a WS6. If the rates are too high, you can get Sam Strano to revalve a set to your needs.

After that, bigger swaybars will help a lot. There are a few options out there. I'm running the 1LE front bar (32mm) and stock rear (19mm) and it made a dramatic difference in body roll. I had a lot more confidence throwing my car around turns after I upgraded. There's also the 35/22 combo, which you can get from Strano or Hotchkis (Strano's is probably lighter, but since I own neither, I don't personally know this).

Skip the shock tower brace. Beefier panhard bar will help, too. I'd get an adjustable model, even if you're not lowered. If GM's build tolerances weren't great on your car, the rearend might not be centered properly. Also, you *might* decide to lower later on.

Regardless, I'd do one thing at a time and judge from there. Not only is this easier on your wallet, it gives you a chance to make sure you're heading in the right direction.

Just my $0.02.


-Mike

 

Yea i'm going to be putting in my BMR front and rear sways this week. When i went from stock to rod end LCA's and PHR i did notice a difference in handling....not so much body roll, but the car was a LOT more predictable. If your going for handling over drag.....and are thinking about LCA's and PHR (which i highly suggest) get rod ends. Pretty loud, but worth it in the end. ( I know this because i have driven cars with both poly and rod ends) Good luck with your mods!

 

O yea by the way....Chupr0kabra....your car is sick! Gota ask you....how do you like the springs/shocks? Hows the drop? I am considering going 1LE springs and Bilstein shocks....but I want your opinion on your setup. Thanks!

 

do 35/22 hollow sway bars and revalve HD's or Koni's and be done with it.
You will love the car again.

Ow and don't forget and poly or rod ended panhard...the less flex and rubber bounce here the better.

 

as far as the parts you listed, i've ranked them in order of importance (from high to low) as far as how much they should help your handling (at least the way i see it):

1) shocks...if you get the Koni SA's, you can do the front lower perch / rear hose mod with the stock springs to lower the car just a little (only around 3/4", which is enough to lower the center of gravity a tad and close in a bit of fender well gap, but keep it off the ground at the same time)...or if you're wanting to spend less $$$, get some Bilstein revalves.....both will be far above & beyond the stockers.

2) front/rear sway bars....i have the Hotchkis front/rear set because i got it thru a group purchase at a discount, and they work great....if you can't get these for a low enough price, go with Sam Strano's bars. the Hotchkis are hollow 36.5mm (1 7/16") front & 25.4mm (1") rear....Sam's are also hollow, and are 35mm/22mm front/rear, and are usually less expensive than the Hotchkis set.

3) adjustable panhard rod (poly/rod)....this will help to keep the rear wheels planted on the ground when cornering on a bumpy road instead of bouncing all over the place....and with it being adjustable, you can correct any off-center alignment of your (car's) rear end.

4) lower control arms (poly/rod or rod/rod).....get the poly/rod if you want to keep them as quiet as possible, while still using rod ends, or get the rod/rod if you want the maximum cornering performance (at the cost of noise transmission to the body)....i would not even consider poly/poly LCA's if you are really concerned with your car's cornering, as the bushings will bind on you and decrease your handling ability.

5) subframe connectors.....will stiffen the chassis a bit to minimize body flex, and should lessen any squeaks/rattles in the interior a bit, if installed correctly. i would personally get some bolt-in SFC's to try them first and see if you like them, and if so, then have them welded in permanently. if not, sell them to someone else.

6) shock tower brace....arguably not needed, depending on your driving style...if you're REALLY, REALLY aggressive (i'm talking almost Dukes-of-Hazzard-style or Smokey-and-the-Bandit-style aggressive), it may come in pretty handy....some people swear by them, others will dismiss them altogether. unless you're extremely concerned about a few pounds here & there, the way i see it, it won't hurt anything to have one, but don't stress over it if you don't get one, either. it's one of those things you'll just have to try for yourself, and if you don't think it helps enough to justify the cost, just sell it to someone else.

i would purchase the swaybars as a set vs buying them seperately to get the best price (as well as ensuring that they are matched to each other)....and there are also usually discounts on PHR/LCA packages, so it's beneficial to get those both at the same time as well.

 

Just keep in mind that more rear bar doesn't mean you will be more planted to the road. The more rear bar you have, the earlier your rear tires will break traction. Body roll can be a good thing. You want just a little more in the rear than in the front. I'm sure a 35/22 front/rear would satisfy you.

Springs can keep the body roll down too. SFC bearly do anything for body roll. PHB I don't think has much effect on body roll (others chime in), but its a great mod rod/rod end. LCA's have a lot of various opinions on here from different people. I don't use them but will probably get the 1LE bushings to put in my stock arms

 

You don't have sway bars?
I'll sell you my Genuine GM 32mm 1LE hollow front sway bar part number 26032907 $85.00 shipped.
Just buy Energy Suspension End Links and Bushings from WS6store.
Mike will give you good deal on them fo' sho'.

 

That's very true just like Sam explained it to me.
If you go with 32mm front than you should go with 19mm-22mm rear.

 

Body roll is not necessarily a bad thing.

On this platform, the more HP you have the softer the rear rate needs to be to put the power down.

The stiffer you make the ride, the more tire you need to hold the inertia.

The instability you feel may be as simple as a decent front end alignment and a decent tire with appropriate pressures.

 

Only two things dictate the amount of roll. The swaybars, and the springs. The shocks control the roll rate. And other things can kind of make the roll sticky (not smooth, like binding LCA's), but won't ultimately lessen the amount of it.

And Mitch is correct, bigger isn't always better. Sometimes it is, and I believe a big front bar is a huge benefit. However, HUGE rear bars (24mm +) are not. The front suspension shares nothing with the rear expect they are both under the same car.

 

Thanks for all your replys.

I will definately get some sway bars, and proberly PHR and LCA.
I would love springs/shocks, but am concerend about the clearance issues.

Kage, yea I guess I have got sway bars, though at times, it feels like they may have fell off!!

Many thanks,
Paul.