[A4] Strut vs. Cartridge Replacement Options

[thejimrose]

that person obviously has no experience with audi suspensions. i would step
away from the garage monkeys slowly.. and as aaron said, find a good german
mechanic. well, they don't HAVE to be german, but should specialise
in getman cars. ;-)

the b5 uses a coil spring over the shock [i think it's correctly referred to
as a strut?] body which is secured by a lower plate / perch welded to the
shock/strut body and a top plate that attaches to the end of the shock/stut
rod. the stock and sport setups have identical mounting arrangements altho
the dampers and springs are differently rated [stiffer].

pics from mine [was stock non sport]:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/thejimrose/album/576460762336984259/photo/294928803526480868/17

your best bet if you want a minor upgrade would be to get a set of stock
sport springs and shocks. i've also heard folks have good luck with
slightyly stiffer shocks [like bilstein HD ] on the sport springs. using
stiffer dampers on the stock springs will just make it ride harsh with no
improvement in roll / dive / squat [the spring suspends the car, the shock
just dampens it's motion].

hth,
jim