[s-cars] Couple rookie urS4 questions

[Taka Mizutani]

A few things can improve steering feel-
Unplug the Servotronic assist- there are lots of descriptions of this
procedure already and also in this thread.

Get a proper alignment- having the right toe settings will help.

If you want to put some money into it:

1. Getting lighter weight wheels and brake rotors will help improve ride
quality and steering feel, but this gets really expensive- two piece rotors
and hats will run well over $700.

2. Getting camber plates that allow for the addition of caster will improve
on-center feel, again at a pretty high price- the 2Bennett plates will let
you add caster, but they're very pricey.


As for improving the handling, there are a lot of things you can do:

1. 17" or 18" wheels with high-performance tires will help if you don't
already have them- watch the weight, though- too heavy of a wheel will
really hurt ride quality. I'd recommend 245/40 or 255/40 size tires on a 17"
wheel as a good compromise of weight, cost and performance. Also, watch your
brake clearances if you plan on doing a big brake upgrade or already have
one.

2. Stiffer springs and revalved shocks for said springs- this makes a big
difference in ride quality (the revalve) as well as traction overall.

3. Camber/caster plates as I mentioned above, will compensate for the
negative camber gain from the lowering while also getting postive caster.
Also with well-marked plates, it's easy to dial-in negative camber for the
track and dial it back out for the ride home.

4. Larger rear sway bar- the HSRB will work there, pretty any solution will
require custom reinforced mounting brackets and a custom bar- there is next
to nothing for a C4 car in terms of aftermarket bars.

5. Larger front sway bar- everyone keeps omitting this one, but a big front
bar will help reduce body roll, will make a huge difference, contrary to
what people think- ask an experienced stock-class autocrosser about this
one.

6. Weight reduction- if you're really nuts about it, lose the power seats in
the front, do Euro bumpers front and rear, get custom made carbon fiber hood
and trunklid, lose the sunroof and weld it shut, repaint the whole thing.

HTH,
Taka