Everything in Audis has become softer

[Ti Kan]

Alexander van Gerbig wrote:
> Seems like as time goes by from late eighties to early nineties everything
> in Audis became softer.

While it is true that brake pedal and steering have become softer in
some recent Audis, in many cases it is only illusionary that the suspension
had become softer.  With each new generation of Audi, the chassis stiffness
is dramatically increased, allowing for the same stiffness or perhaps
stiffer suspensions to be employed without adversely affecting ride
quality.  Some associate a bone-jarring ride and crashing over bumps and
potholes with suspension firmness.  Well, in the newer Audis, and in
particular the S models, the suspensions are definitely set up stiffly,
but there are none of those ill behaviors.

I have the unique opportunity to have owned an '96 A4 2.8q and now
upgraded to a '01 S4 biturbo.  The S4 suspension is quite a bit stiffer
than the old A4, but despite the S4's 17" wheels and 45 aspect
tires, the S4 still manages to provide a velvety, but taut feeling,
ride.  Even the steering is quite a bit firmer feeling than the A4's.

I also have two older Audis in my stable, a '80 4000 with full-on
Eibach/Koni and thicker anti-roll bars front and back, etc., and a
'84 5000 turbo riding on Boge turbogas.  The S4's stock suspension
is probably just as stiff as either of them, but I wish these older
Audis could ride like the S4 or feel as well composed...  Driving the
4000 on uneven roads becomes an exercise in obstacle avoidance, to
keep from crashing over bumps and holes, and the ubiquitous nasty
dash/interior trim rattles.  Here again, one might conclude that the
S4 has softer suspension because of the great ride, but a few spirited
corners will prove otherwise.

And speaking of steering... Surprise. The S4's steering effort is only
slightly less than my old 5kt, but (thanks to the new Audis' virtual
axis steering and other advances in the steering system design) the
5kt's feel artificial in comparison, almost giving too much kickback.
I actually like the feel of the 4k with manual steering better than the
5kt, giving a whole lot of genuine feel rather than "almost-rubbery"
feel from the power steering system of the 5kt.  Here, again, the S4
provides excellent feel, yet there are no roughness to it and no need
to fight the wheel when the going gets fast.  Even in my old A4 where
the steering felt overboosted when I first bought it, I soon learned
that yes, the effort is always quite low, but inflating the tire pressures
to the high side of things dramatically improved its feel too, and it
had all the benefits of the Audi virtual axis system too.

Sometimes we lament about the past, but in reality the present may
actually be the superior...

-Ti
01 S4 2.7 biturbo quattro
84 5000S 2.1 turbo
80 4000 2.0
96 A4 2.8 quattro (sold but not forgotten)
-- 
    ///  Ti Kan                Vorsprung durch Technik
   ///   AMB Research Laboratories, Sunnyvale, CA. USA
  ///    ti at amb.org
 //////  http://www.ibiblio.org/tkan/
///