MeanMachine

Hello,

I have a low mileage 928 S4, the front right is noticeably lower than the front left. I was told by my friend who also own a 928 that the front springs have to replaced as they cannot be adjusted.

My car has the sport shock option from factory "Boge" M474 if I am not mistaken.

so would new front springs solve this ?

dr bob

S4 front suspension is height adjustable. Start with that before going after new springs. The original springs have colored paint marks that help identify them fore rate and free length. Your originals are likely tired and sagged just from age. You can wind them up higher, withing the range of the adjuster sleeves under the lower spring perches.

If your car really is higher on one side of the front than the other side, there should be a similar but opposite mismatch at the rear. In your description, the left rear should be higher than the right rear or the body is twisted. Get the car on a level floor and measure from floor to the suspension pads, much more accurate than an eyeball looking at tire to fender gaps.

Adjusting height is an iterative exercise, since the suspension is sticky. If you raise the car to adjust, it will take a while to settle to it's final position. Depending on how good the front bushings and shocks happen to be, that can take 75-100 miles of driving. Ride height changes affect front toe settings, so plan on a no-lifting alignment after you get the height where you want it.

Take a look at my S4 in the avatar picture. Its sitting at the bottom end of the factory allowable range, but still looks like it's ready for off-roading compared with many I've seen.

MeanMachine

All suspension ride height to my eyes are okay, except front right which sits lower than front left.

Captain_Slow

Interesting...My car also seems slightly lower on the right side (front and rear). I've been wondering if the 18 inch rims and low profile tires create an illusion. Here are a few pics. Does it seem lowered below factory spec?

FredR

18 inch wheels will accentuate any differences to the eye because the wheel rim is closer to the fender line thus visually more apparent.

Regards

fred

ammonman

The only way to know is to measure as Dr Bob indicated. There are specific reference points on the suspension to measure from. Be sure the fuel tank is full and all the tools, jack, and spare (or equivalent weight) is in the car. All else is guessing. On an S4 front should measure 180mm +/-20mm , rear should be 173mm +/-10mm with no more than 10mm difference side to side. You can go another 10mm down "for cars that have been driven for a period" (one of the many cryptic comments from the factory manual) on either axle but then the other end of the car must be set down into that bottom 10mm.

Front reference point


Rear reference point


Mike

Bill Ball

Unless you are an anorexic little person, there is no easy way to get to the front ride height reference point shown in the picture above with the car on the ground. So, I use the bottom of the bracket flange, laying a ruler against the backside from behind the front wheel, made visible with the aid of a flashlight. Add 10mm to get the ride height at the reference point. Shown below is 149mm (139 + 10mm) - a bit too low for the street, since corrected. Fortunately, the rear reference point is much more accessible, shown in the 3rd pic as 163mm.

jheis

I use a little extendable magnetic pick-up tool or extendable pointer. Just extend it from the floor to the measuring pad and then plop it down beside a ruler to get your measurement. Carry one in the glove box of both my cars.