Could you corner balance a car if only the front was height adjustable?
 

I ask this question here because the knowledge base on corner balancing is quite vast, but it is for my fellow Audi A8 owners on another forum. A big suspension upgrade is to install H&R coilovers, however only the fronts are height adjustable. Can/should they be corner balancing, or is setting the ride height all they need to be worried about?

Colby

There is a little handicap in that idea, but if exact ride height is not your primary concern, then it will balance. If your car is straight arrow, it should even come out close on the ride height.

Now, some are gonna say, "Milt, how many cars have you corner balanced?" That would be a point of contention. I'm going on general supension knowledge and theory of which I have many printed pages. Grady, Chuck, Jim Sims, Bill V., etc., all have some practical knowledge on this. Whether they will venture on an Audi A8, remains to be determined.

I'm going to stand on yes, it will balance, but do not depend on ride height to do it.

Well, in my experience, it is very difficult to balance (perfectly) some cars, even with all four corners.

Two are fixed, which makes it much harder.

Can it be done? Maybe. Depends. IF you get lucky.

Remember, take the sway bar links off!

I think it can be gotten in the ballpark.

So there is something to be gained, but it will be much harder to do. I figured it could be done, since raising one corner is the same as lowering the opposite corner. So if one corner is fixed, the same adjustment can be made, just the degree of change is more limited than if you could adjust both corners.

Colby

You can corner balance the car using any 1 wheel. That's all it takes.

But to get the height and corner balance correct at the same time is likely to require adjusting more, possibly all 4.

The 2004 A8s use an ECU-controlled air suspension on all 4 corners so corner balancing might be a little tricky on these guys. If previous models are independently sprung, then they can be corner balanced.

I suppose 4400 lb. luxo cars deserve to be corner balanced too, but the question begs to be asked of your friends..... why? :)

Sherwood

Most of the guys on the forum have older A8's, which are coil sprung, not air. They are somewhat lighter also (3800-4000lbs), which while not a light and nimble 911, is pretty impressive for a fully loaded sport sedan. They have an all aluminum frame, body, etc. which helps keep the weight down despite all the bulk added by the Quattro. The 300+hp also allows them to scoot pretty well. Audi owners, like BMW owners, see the performance side of their cars despite the luxury and other features thrown in for road mannerisms, and like PCA have several track events. The S4's, and the other lighter Audi's may be more nimble, but wasn't the same said about the 928 (too heavy to be a real sports car, it's a touring vehicle, etc)...yet you see plenty of them out on the track. Look at the M5 or MB AMG's. Also heavy cars, but still quite impressive. There is no denying weight is an enemy when it comes to handling (also having a 2500lb 911, I can certainly understand), yet something has to be said for modern technology and advancements in suspension design, which may help offset the weight penalty.

The value of corner balancing depends on the spring rate. Soft springs are very forgiving of poor CB. Harsh springs will punish handling if CB is off.

I rode in the back of an A8 once. Though nimble for big sedan, the springs aren't what I call stiff.

That's the main reason they go to the H&R's. Coilover design with stiffer coils and shocks. They also upgrade from stock 16's or 17's with 225/60/16, up to 18's or 19's w/ 245 meats.

I have NO intentions of doing any of this to my A8. The reason I have it is because w/ all the suspension mods to my 911 it is no longer fun to drive on a daily basis (not to mention the 260k miles on the odo have me question its reliability).