ROFL...
Yes I have "hacked" in the good sense a great front suspension setup, suggested by Mike Kim at puremotorsports (
www.purems.com).
400 lb Vogtland springs (standard 2.5" springs, 10" long)
Koni "aggresive valved" front shocks for an S4 (adjusted to 40% stiff)
Koni coilover sleeves
From what I've been able to gather, this setup is fairly equivalent to the Shine front setup. I've driven scirocco78's car, and it feels very similar. I actually prefer his car to mine, perhaps it's the custom-valved Shine Bilstein's, or a slightly different spring rate. Or perhaps it's his car's 300 lb weight advantage - manual tranny and no sunroof. But surely it's not the swaybars...
Getting the shocks machined to accept the sleeves was the worst part. Because of its shape, it was difficult to chuck the shock into a lathe and cut the groove perfect, unless you have just the right lathe and cutter. I was lucky and the machine shop I chose had adequate equipment - barely.
I might be trying 450 lbs springs before the next track day. It's a difficult decision - I really love the car the way it is. But it might be just a skoosh better with 450's... and this is exactly the reason I went with the coilover sleeves - so I could experiment w/o major hassle.
On the rear I have standard Passat Koni Yellows adjusted to 50% stiff, plus a pair of prototype Shine springs just like Bill's (scirocco78). I still don't quite understand how I scored them - sometimes it's better to be lucky than smart, I guess. :beer: I don't know what the rate is - the "push down the fender" test says they are
significantly stiffer than stock - Dick will publish rates when he gets his springs into production. I guarantee everyone that they will be worth the wait. The Shine springs transformed my car - it feels like a "flicky-flicky" autocrosser now. Simply amazing that a car this big can feel so nimble. :thumbup: :thumbup:
