[Davy Jordi]

hello guys and gals,

so, i found myself longing for a sedan again (or at least a position in which i feel like i'm driving a sedan) and so i purchased the h&r lowering springs and had them installed on my car, butttttt it still feels too top heavy for me and not anything resembling a hot hatch/sedan/wagon, so i was wondering if there were any more aggressive lowering springs available or if my options at this point are limited to coilovers which i've found in past vehicles to not be terribly focused on daily drivability, so i've shied away from those...

i only ask because i was nearly fed up with the handling and had my car appraised by an audi dealership wanting to get into an s4, and mannnnn, five months after ownership with an original msrp of over 53k and they offered me 35k for the vehicle. painfully bad! so i went on over to carmax and bam! they offered me 36k for the vehicle.

so i'm stuck with the vehicle only because i can't stomach such a large depreciation hit.

tips for making it feel more hatchback-y?

[billnchristy]

Cut the roof off? It’s not a car.

[Davy Jordi]

Originally Posted by billnchristy

Cut the roof off? It’s not a car.

i'm well aware, that's why i'm soliciting advice on how to make it drive *more* like a car. the lowering springs did help, but not quite enough.

any more snarky remarks to make bill?

[connerry330i]

Originally Posted by Davy Jordi

depreciation hit.

tips for making it feel more hatchback-y?

Bruv, you may just need to try to appreciate it for what it is. It's not a hot hatch/sedan/wagon; it's a crossover trying to do its best with the center of gravity being in the wrong direction (up). For what it is, it does a pretty decent job, it just ain't ever gonna be an S4; that's not its job.

That said, maybe springs aren't the (only) answer. Maybe it's anti-roll bars. Maybe it's better bump stops. Maybe it's a Haldex controller. Maybe it's PS4's. Maybe it IS coilovers. Hell, maybe you just need an alignment from a good shop. Yours has the Adaptive dampers, no? If so check with Dinan and see if their Shockware software will work; I HATED my 17 340i with the Track package for months till I got that done and then...I didn't LOVE it but our relationship improved substantially, enough so that I halted potentially expensive divorce proceedings.

Honestly though, I know it sucks to feel this way, but now you know that the alternative is gonna cost so much out of pocket it's really not worth it. I'd try to reset my mindset. Step back, focus on what it does right (which is a lot...really!) and then see where you can make incremental yet impactful improvements. This might not be the car that requires big, bold statements. You might just need to breathe on a it a lil bit and then it's sorted right out.

I'm looking into a few of the aforementioned mods shortly; if I find something out worth half a damn, I'll definitely let you know.

[hooligan_G01]

If you want lower than H&R, I would expect coilovers are your only option.

X1/X2 folks seem really happy with KW.

Are you sure it's ride height that is issue? You still using the OEM shocks/struts?

[Davy Jordi]

thanks for the productive responses, guys, and for the ton of suggestions connerry340i !

i don't have the adaptive dampers, i have the traditional setup.

i'll be looking into all of these options, but i might, as connerry pointed out, just appreciate the vehicle for what it is and then trade it in later down the line in about three or so years and get myself back into the compact luxury sports sedan segment. i know the new s4 is only a few years away, so i might wait for that and hope that audi doesn't bloat it up to meet who knows what regulations the way the 3 series and the c-class have ballooned.

again, many thanks and stay safe!

[hooligan_G01]

Well, you liked it well enough to buy it, so I wouldn't give up on tweaking it to better suit you a little more. It's your money, though.

[rice_rocket88]

I wonder if going with wider tires and more aggressive offset wheels might help you out with the feel? I'm running 255 width winter tires with low offset so it's much wider than stock. It certainly corners better if that's the sedan feel you're going for. The stock setup actually does corner very well, maybe it's just the top heavy lean you don't like. Do you hit corners that hard though? You could certainly put in some 15mm spacers in the rear just to see how it affects your "feel" at $100 give or take it's an easy trial. You could also get a set for the front. I put 10mm in front and 15mm in back for the stock setup. Although I wouldn't say it was a massive improvement vs look more, it did improve. Tires would certainly make more of a difference.

[Tarekith]

Are you already running 20" wheels?

[Davy Jordi]

yeah, it's definitely the top heaviness that bugs me. it does corner well enough, but the high center of gravity bugs the hell out of me and thus the lowering springs which do help some, but not enough. i am considering coilovers but i'm just not sure that will help considerably without making my ride quality horrible. tires could definitely help, but i think you've hit the nail on the head in that it's not the cornering nor the grip but where the weight is and how i'm trying to lower that weight because it's just shy of being sedan height. it's parked next to my sister's lexus is 350 in my garage and her car and mine aren't that different in height. i don't know if i'd be able to lower mine any more, though, without it looking slammed and i want to avoid that look.

and yep, i'm running the 20" wheels. i had the 19s but i didn't like the way that they filled out the wheel wells or rather how they didn't fill out the wheel wells, so i purchased the OEM 20" wheels from a member here.

[//TMT]

Those 20's are pretty heavy. You might be surprised how reducing the unsprung weight might change things. Personally, I'd have gone 18's on mine if they were available OEM.

[Davy Jordi]

they are heavy, indeed, but i think rice_rocket hit the nail on the head in that the issue has more to do with the higher center of gravity that i'm just not accustomed to coming from a world of luxury sports sedans. i'm sure i'll grow used to the vehicle and then eventually trade it in to only return to the luxury sports sedan segment.

[seaton463]

I'd take a strong look at some the larger rear sway bar options that are available for the JCW clubman/countryman. That will help with some the dive and cause the vehicle to corner flatter more like your previous sedans.