H&R Springs/Koni Upgrade on A4Q - Owners report

[Vaino Narma <narmav@ix.netcom.com>]

I have been silent on the list for a couple of months, new baby boy to
play with has kept me very busy!  I am back.

I got my A4Q back the shop (Euro-Tire)last week.  I had the H&R
Progressive Springs and the Koni Shocks installed, with a set of 4
Pirelli P7000 (225/50-16).  It took 3 months to get the Konis, everybody
had them on order, and Koni had problems with the fronts.  The manager
there also has a A4Q with the P7000s, he loves them, and he has access
to all the tires.

Initial Opinion
It looks lower then expected, it is supposed to drop the car 1.25 to
1.40 inches, it looks more like 2.0 inches.  I still have to measure it
against a unmodified A4Q.  First 50 miles were quite hard.  There was
little or no lean in the corners (Yes!), and the submarine dive on hard
braking is completely gone.  After the first 100 miles had passed, the
koni opened up a little, and driving is becoming joyful again.  It
fantastic in the corners, and now generates real Gs ;>.  The original
combination generated .70 on the corner, as read by my G-Analyst.  I
have not had a chance to test the new setup and the weather has not by
very good.  The tipsy feely and bumpy corners is also gone.  It was
replaced with a solid line through the corners.

My A4Q now feels very much like my fathers (73 and still cooking) 95.5
S6 avant did in its first couple of hundred miles.  I hope my A4Q
mellows as well as his S6 did.  At 12,000 miles, its a joy to take down
any road.

Other Notes
The noise that refused to go away on three visits to the dealer is now
gone from the front end.  I think one of the front shocks was faulty. 

Downside
I live in the NorthEast, I think the 2.0 inches are going to be hard to 
live with in the winter.  I will keep you all updated. 

1996 Audi A4Q silver/black Leather all options, no Bose.