SUSPENSION

    I decided to run Eibach springs and Bilstein shocks on the A4.   All it took was a ride in another A4 with that setup to convince me I needed it as well. There really isn't too much to report on the suspension though. The car now handles like a champ, taking corners at increased speeds with minimized body roll. The ride quality is firmer than a factory sport suspension, but not harsh. For those of you worried about riding like a rock, this setup is far from that.
   The car now sits about 3/4" lower than the factory sport suspension, about 1.5" from the non-sport suspension. I left the perch setting at the default one it comes from the factory. There are grooves on the shock where you can adjust the ride height by moving a clip up or down the shock. For those with an Avant, you may want to try setting the rear perch down 1 from the default setting to achieve a balanced look. The car now handles and looks like it should have come. Coupled with larger wheels, the car has an "aggressive" appearance.
     If you would like the alignment specs, get them here.

BBS RX II 18 x 8.5

    After literally 6 months of shopping I finally decided on a wheel. I wanted something with a bit of a lip to it, and I also like the look of a multi-piece wheel with rivets. Another requirement was that it had to be big enough to clear big brakes as well. Price was also another objective. I didn't want to spend more than about $500 for each wheel. As it turns out, these ended up costing about $540 each. They looked good and met my requirements. The ride firms up a bit more with larger wheels, but, the handling is greatly improved. Turn in response is better, and I get better grip with the larger wheel, even in rain. The tires I used to run were 225/40/18 Bridgestone S-O2s. I have upgraded to 235/40/18 Bridgestone S-03s now. I can fit the larger tires because I have rolled the fenders. If you want details on that, go back to the main page.
      2 Piece Wheel - Weight in 18x8.5 is 26.34 lbs, 17 x 8 is 23.60, and 17x7.5 is 21.22
     Technology: Rim: rolling technique Center: counter pressure casting Connection: titanium bolts weight optimization
     Surface: Rim: diamond cutting, Center: brilliant silver finish

I debated over which brake to purchase for quite a while. I had weighed many kits, Alcon, Movit's Porsche kit, Brembo, Tarox, and probably others I can't think of. In the end I decided on the Brembo. This kit had some neat features I liked about it. First it wasn't nearly as expensive as an Alcon kit in a similar setup. Since price was a concern, I didn't want to spend 5000$ on a brake kit. The hats were designed to make the rotor "floating". The fasteners that hold the rotor together have some play in them. When the brakes get hot, they can expand evenly and pads can evenly clamp the rotor's surface. Another nice facet is that the caliper and hat are aluminum, so it is a big reduction in weight savings. I think the whole brake system for one wheel probably weighs less than just a stock A4 caliper. The caliper has 4 pistons and the cross-drilled rotors measure 328 x 28mm.

My Impressions

    Braking force is now spectacular. I ran these on the car for about a week before a track event. Track performance was stellar. Time and time again the car stopped without fade. While pedal travel did increase slightly, the feel did seem to firm up. Overall, I am very pleased with the kit. I could go bigger, but not without really digging deep in the wallet. The brakes also look good behind the wheels. They nicely filled up the space that used to be behind the wheel.
   The install of the kit was very easy. Removing the old brakes was pretty much straightforward. With them off, you could really see how puny the A4 splash shield is. That small shield is causing the issues with wet braking you read about on www.audiworld.com. Audi has done something to remedy the fix although. They are keeping the heat shield alone, but have a "kit" that is installed on the wheel liner, which acts sort of like a mudguard. It goes in front of the wheel, and it keeps less water from spraying up on the rotors. Some users report success with the kit while others have not. I have driven many Audis in my life, and none of them have experienced the wet braking delay like my A4 had. For whatever reason, some people report it and others do not.
   The new brakes went on without a hitch. The only thing I did not like was how close the SS brake line was to the wheel. I positioned it as best as I could, but I also used a tie strap to keep it from coming in contact with the wheel, just as a pre-cautionary measure.

Upgrades

     After a few track events and driving on the brakes on the street I began to notice cracks in the rotors. Cracks are common to cross-drilled rotors and are usually not of consequence. Although the cracks I had begun to see were from the rotor/hat bolt hole to other drilled holes in the rotor. My rotor was beginning to play connect the dots. I replaced one set and after awhile the same thing happened. These rotors are not cheap either, costing $600 for the pair from Brembo. That is when I decided to run slotted rotors instead. I called up Coleman Racing and they were able to make a custom rotor for me once I sent them a spare rotor I had. The price of slotted rotors from Coleman runs about $300 for the pair which is a lot more reasonable in comparison. The only extra effort involved is that you need to have the rotors turned to get an even surface (cost ~$30).   Here is a link for the specs of the rotor, which Coleman also has on file as well.
     Pads are the other things I've changed out. I've used the Brembo street pad and the Pagid blue pad on these. The street pad was great for the street because of the low noise, but had less bite than the Pagid blue. The Pagid blue pads were good for the track because they had better bite but would squeal on the street. After trying those I decided to try Kerr Friction brake pads. I got a set of their race pad and street pad. Street pad about the same as Brembo's but at a lower cost, and the Kerr friction works better than the Pagid blue on the track. Really good bite with very consistent braking feel. I ran a few track events on those now, but after my last event I think I am going to try a new compound. Kerr Friction offer an endurance race pad which is designed to operate at a higher temp and have longer pad life. My last event I chewed through a brand new set of their race pads in one weekend. They stopped great, just didn't have any material left on them. The other nice thing about the Kerr Friction are they are about half the cost of the pads from Brembo.