Handling ....

[Deepsea]

In my quest for and S2 Avant I have now driven the grand number of two cars, and I must say I am somewhat underwhelmed by the feel of the steering and the handling.

I have been fortunate in owning several Ur Quattro's the last being a superb last of the line 20v, thus my thought behind buying an S2 Avant as this has basically got the same wonderful 5 cylinder engine and running gear in a more practical and usable family friendly body shape.

Unfortunately from my experience the S2 does not have anywhere near the sharp, precise and balanced steering feel and handling of the Ur Quattro, even my A4 Avant quattro sport has better handling and steering feel.

So what can be done / what are the recommendations to improve these car to what they should be ?

[prj]

Buy RS2.

[Greg_S]

The steering on the S2 has always been criticised for being a bit wooden. Changing suspension bushes and putting decent anti rollbars on makes a big difference though. Also more than likely the shocks are past their best and car could do with re aligning too.

[Error404]

Handling wise poly bushes make a massive difference to how precise the car feels. Make sure all wear and tear items are in top condition. It will never be an Evo, but with the right bits they can be made agile for a 1.5ton 20 year old beast.

I also resent my car for its lack of steering feel and weight. Since everything else is either new or uprated, the car is now too sharp for its lack of feedback through the wheel so I've been working on a solution to enerate proper steering feel and weight for several months now and should be testing a 2.6turn rack with a prototype modification in the next couple of weeks.
There is bright light at the end of the tunnel

[mcandmar]

You pretty much summed up the global press opinion of the S2 when it was launched, its no UR quattro. In fairness most of those opinions were based on the 3B with its servotronic steering which is just plain awfull.

The handling and feedback can be transformed with a few choice parts, alloy subframe mounts, and poly a-arm bushing will get you more feel and precision through the steering, then go to 17 or 18" rims if you need a more joined on feeling under load. A decent set of shocks and uprated roll bars will complete the transformation. I run all of the above inc a set of H&R springs and its a very capable car with no bad habits, understeer is all but eradicated unless you enter corners way too fast, but for most people they would find my car too firm and uncomfortable for daily driving. Like most Audis its at its best when you drive them at 9/10ths, if you start looking for the limit its just becomes a bit ragged and quite frankly you need to take the UR for a drive instead. Having said that it still makes me giggle when you throw it about in anger, estate cars shouldnt be able to do what it does.

[QuattroFever]

rear strut brace too. Someone done an oem front brace on the rear somewhere, looks pretty factory as well.

[s2driveruk]

rear suspension on the avant is actually pretty tidy and having had a drive in one, can confirm the bum end feels nicer than the coupe running on decent shocks and springs.

Having said that, as well setup S2 generally can be very good...a tired one can be like steering a boat!!!

[Jamo]

The s2 avant rear suspension was so good it's standard on the b5 and rs4

[Error404]

and everything since is very similar, dual wishbone set-up.
just a shame they couldn't fit the front multi-link set-up in on the front.

[Mcstiff]

I wonder why the urQ is so much better since it shares so much of the same design as the typ89.

[Rusty]

Weight and geometry perhaps. The URq and coupe are roughly the same but the Avant has the more modern rear end, as said above. The coupe is certainly more lively, if not as comfortable.

[Error404]

The geo is almost identical between the two, the UR is a decent chunk lighter which always helps, plus with the rear bulkhead "saloon" layout it has a stiffer chassis too.
I also have a hunch that he URq PAS pump has a lower flow rate than the later cars, giving a more direct feel to the steering, but i've not been able get hold of one to investigate. Internally, the steering racks are the same as the Type89 cars

[europeanme]

It sounds like you might have driven cars with slightly worn suspension...
I've changed mine completely, well except KW coilovers, new solid bushes, bearings, Bilstein shocks and uprated ARB's...it tramsforms the car..giving it tighter handling and cornering without making it too harsh over the bumps...

find one with it all done or just be prepared to go through everything under it....

good luck with your quest..

cheers
Mike

[Mcstiff]

Weight and geometry perhaps. The URq and coupe are roughly the same but the Avant has the more modern rear end, as said above. The coupe is certainly more lively, if not as comfortable.

I said Typ89 to exclude the B4 rear suspension

The pump could be interesting to play with.

[rs2315]

Buy RS2.

I did and I'm still underwhelmed by handling. Dead steering is my bugbear. The only thing left is to get the Bambridge steering arm upgrade, but I don't think it will make the steering pin sharp.

Wab once said to me the RS2 back end was pretty well sorted, but the front end suspension ,steering was a weak point in oe spec.

Brought up on light go kart like cars, and I think it's still in the blood.

Still love my RS2, something so special about it.

rs2315.