S2 front struts versus CQ ones

[Azman]

Hi guys,

The front struts on my CQ have been changed to the thicker S2 versions, this means that the legs have been changed, so my question is,

would you like some toast?
Perhaps a bagel?

No seriously now

Is the rear stuts the same as the S2 or are they thicker too, reason I ask is I was about to order some suspension and can't now due to the change in front strut..

Advice please.....

(sorry been watching Red Dwarf)

[Rusty]

EKTA lists the same strut for all 1991 coupe quattros.

[Azman]

So the front legs are thicker and the rears are all the same........

So my next question is, are the front legs off a Coupe E the same as the front legs of a CQ20?

[WabTheKing]

buy(borrow) a vernier caliper and measure them

[mcandmar]

Rears are the same, only the front strut/shocks are larger on an S2.

I think a coupe E may also be different, i know the front hub/wheelbearing is larger on 20v models.

What do you mean by front legs anyway?

[Azman]

the dit that the damper goes into that also attacthes the hub carrier

[mcandmar]

ahh ok, i'd call em a strut

Apart from the differnet shocks (to fit the wider strut) the only other difference i found was with the front upper spring perch which is about 5mm wider. The only reason i can see is to hold the S2 springs in place better which are, you guessed it, about 5mm wider.

Having said that i ran S2 springs in my CQ for over a year without any issues so i think it was another classic case of Audi over engineering the wheel for no good reason.

So what suspension bits are you buying? ..do tell

[panzerwagen]

Whoa! Let me wrap my puny brain around this one....

So it is true that the S2 struts are stronger and bigger that the CQ 20V ones?
And they will fit the CQ 20V hubs without any major drama?

[mcandmar]

Yep, shame i only discovered all this after buying a set of CQ20v shocks ....steering rack is also different on an S2 come to think of it, and the two bulkhead brace bars, strut brace, ok i'll stop

[Jamo]

I have some Rear S2 coupe struts up for grabs.

Dunno if they are stronger as the CQ and S2 use the same size rear shock thread.

Fronts on the S2 use thicker shocks M55 thread I think and the CQ is M52 IIRC

[Azman]

AR, well just going to put this one to bed for now aswell as anythoughts of suspension as I am going to have to buy a new loom

[NoNonsense]

I have some Rear S2 coupe struts up for grabs.

Dunno if they are stronger as the CQ and S2 use the same size rear shock thread.

Fronts on the S2 use thicker shocks M55 thread I think and the CQ is M52 IIRC

That sounds about right to me, Jamo. I think the 80 sedan/saloon share the same difference with the R/S2 saloon. For my front shocks, I cut the threaded section off of a CQ rear tube and welded it to my front strut tube to get the larger diameter.

Swaged neck:


Modified tube:


Don't mind the rust! They cleaned up nice!

[A1QSHIP]

I had thoutht about doing this myself. Good to know that it works. For the Bilstein shocks the damping values appears to be equal . This is according to other post listed on this site.http://www.s2forum.com/forum/showthr...ilstein+shocks
Joe, whose coil-over kit did you use and can you tell us what spring rates you are using?
Thanks, Chris

[NoNonsense]

I had thoutht about doing this myself. Good to know that it works. For the Bilstein shocks the damping values appears to be equal . This is according to other post listed on this site.http://www.s2forum.com/forum/showthr...ilstein+shocks
Joe, whose coil-over kit did you use and can you tell us what spring rates you are using?
Thanks, Chris

Hey Chris,
I'm using ground-control sleeves which I had to shorten...spring rates are between 500-600#/in. I don't quite remember at the moment as I've swapped them around a few times. The damping values may be equal but I have more peace of mind knowing that i am using a much larger diameter strut. It should help keep things cooler, too.
As for the modification I did, the physical forces at that point of the strut tube are strictly lateral, so I wasn't concerned about the welds not being strong enough. I wouldn't do that modification below the steering arm, though, because then there are not only lateral forces but also twisting/torque forces.

Here is what the final assembly looked like:


Hope that helps!

[A1QSHIP]

Joe, thanks for the info. I have a ground control kit for the audi 4000 that I will use to
make a coil over setup for a coupe. For starters, I will use 350# for the front and 400# for the rear since that is what was supplied. The price was right, just need to get into the garage and dig in.