I bought my A4 Avant Black Edition MY ’23 with my eyes open, knowing that I’d need to do something to improve the ride quality of the sports suspension on 19"s. I wanted the trim level for aesthetic reasons, interior and exterior, plus the seats.
I’ve just had Koni’s Special Active Dampers fitted and the wheels aligned so thought I’d share some thoughts in case there are folk thinking of doing the same. The shocks use a patented technology which Koni refers to as ‘frequency selective damping’. It uses valve technology within the damper to adjust response based on frequency – aka road surface quality. A form of active behaviour without any electronics.
The ride quality has undoubtedly improved although it would be an exaggeration to say that it has been transformed - this is no Bentley on air suspension! At very low speeds on bad surfaces, it’s not much different from stock, tbh (which were Sachs, OEM for Audi). Once you reach speeds of around 30mph and over, it's noticeably better. Imperfections in the road surface are muted and there is less harshness and crashiness. At motorway speeds, things are better still, with less float to the ride. The car still isn’t as planted as the 3 series BMW’s I’ve owned but it’s a more refined drive, which compensates. In summary, the ride remains firm but much better controlled/resolved.
So, one pleased customer
