Ride height

#1 12th May 2009, 10:32 PM

My 8 seems to sit a centimeter or so too high at the front. The suspension all feels tight and true, and the car has covered 180ish k. Is this a common fault and is it spring or shock related?

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Avus.

Conan_the_Librarian · #2 13th May 2009, 05:48 AM

Does (or has) the car tow?

Everything settles, sometimes more or less dependant on the use it's been put to.

#3 13th May 2009, 06:57 AM

Mine seems to be higher at teh front than teh back. I'll try and measure tyre to rim gap and post up.

I'm running QS 18's on mine.

#4 1st August 2010, 08:45 PM

I also have this problem,

http://i461.photobucket.com/albums/q...8/IMG_2679.jpg

never been a tower either.

Someone must have a solution?

#5 3rd August 2010, 02:08 PM

I have the same problem. Mine is A8 4.2 Quattro SPORT 1999, which should be 20 mm lower than the standard. The S8 has the same ride height. Rear seems to my eye be too low (or front too high). But I guess the front cannot become higher by itself(?), so I thought that the rear has just dropped since the car is driven 240 000 km.

I tried to fix this with a pair of brand new rear sport springs from Audi, but I got them today installed and the result is pretty much the same, maybe rear is not 1 cm higher. But to my eye the front is too high still (or rear too low).

I would'nt like to invest into a full suspension / spring kit, so all tips are very welcome to get the car nicely levelled!

What to do? I've seen many S8 that seems to be very nice and low, and don't really get why my A8 nose is so high?

Conan_the_Librarian · #6 5th August 2010, 08:35 PM

This is just a theory so don't laugh. If you have had you front arms changed and they have been torqued up without any load on then they will be preloaded. The bushes will have been pinched tight while the suspension is hanging in mid air. Once lowered to the ground the bushes act like springs and keep the front higher???? Maybe; just a theory.

#7 5th August 2010, 09:14 PM

I think that is a good theory, I have had front arms replaced. My car is at the garage now so I will see if they can untorque the arms with the car in the air and then torque with the car grounded. you can only ask!

#8 6th August 2010, 06:45 AM

Thats a good theory, but with such a heavy car like the A8 I don't believe it is true. Even they would pinch it tight in the air, after you drive a few miles the cars weight has to press it down. Cars weight is on the springs, so it has to be spring related?

I think it's strange the this car would have visually been so badly balanced when new. I've checked many Audis and some seem to be just fine, and some older cars seem to have the same "lazy ass" look.

I talked with a friend who knows a lot of cars and he said the only perfect solution is a tot after Market suspension kit.

That's too bad since I would like to keep the car as original as possible and there's nothing else wrong with the factory sport suspension.

Dezzy · #9 31st August 2010, 10:22 AM

Mine too, and has sport suspesion but just to throw a spanner in the works i suffer from heavy tyre wear on the inside edges of the front. When i had it checked with 4 way laser they found that i have too much camber, the only way to adjust camber is ride height and that means to cancel out the camber the car would need to sit heigher than it does now.

Ooh and the arms i replaced but did use the preloaded measurements when tightening them up. I don't think its possible to tighten them up with wheel on and on the ground. Not sure about the arms holding the car up, maybe i suppose if it were just guessed if this were the case i reckon they would wear quick due to the rubber bush being put under so much stress.

Don't know but won't be long and i'll be needing a pair of tyres for the front again.