Audi R8 V8 advice
Discussion
akadk said:
Surely the GT or Plus or just standard R8 passive shocks are the go to seeing as they are OEM
I’ve been told that the V10’s don’t work well with the very early R8 due to spring and damper rate…I’ll bow down to better knowledge but it was from a knowledgeable and reliable source. Standard OEM non mags I guess yes, although I’m not sure what was used and if they are still available direct from Audi or another?
I would drive it Phil, until the shocks fail. When they do, get them refurbed. The mag ride system is very good, and what ever passive you fit, it won’t be as good for road use, especially over the crap road surfaces in the south east.
The mag ride is awesome down the lanes, the body stays absolutely level as the thing tightens itself up and down. No passive will do that.
The mag ride is awesome down the lanes, the body stays absolutely level as the thing tightens itself up and down. No passive will do that.
m4tti said:
I would drive it Phil, until the shocks fail. When they do, get them refurbed. The mag ride system is very good, and what ever passive you fit, it won’t be as good for road use, especially over the crap road surfaces in the south east.
The mag ride is awesome down the lanes, the body stays absolutely level as the thing tightens itself up and down. No passive will do that.
Well, I can't argue with the performance of the Mags as I don't have them, nor can you argue over the performance of standard coil overs (passive is a bit of a misnomer) as you don't have them, but I can tell you that the coilovers are absolutely great on Somerset and Devon B road, and the car does not lean one jot going round fast corners.The mag ride is awesome down the lanes, the body stays absolutely level as the thing tightens itself up and down. No passive will do that.
Standard coilovers are still used in almost every race car out there - so they still have some life in them yet :-)
More critically, most feedback shows you'll be repacing them often. Misting is not just a "problem" but endemic, hence they often get "deleted". Most R8 owners have the budget to get them replaced as they fail, and a lot choose not to, which tells you something.
Still, getting the odd one refubed (in Poland) here and there is not the end of the world if you like them.
m4tti said:
I would drive it Phil, until the shocks fail. When they do, get them refurbed. The mag ride system is very good, and what ever passive you fit, it won’t be as good for road use, especially over the crap road surfaces in the south east.
The mag ride is awesome down the lanes, the body stays absolutely level as the thing tightens itself up and down. No passive will do that.
Point taken and ideally I would like to keep it factory Matti…I’ve mailed Negengast PL to check the cost….I’m assuming that the €3168 they quote is before the €1600 refund for the swap…if it is and they last 3-4 years, then it seems reasonable.The mag ride is awesome down the lanes, the body stays absolutely level as the thing tightens itself up and down. No passive will do that.
Griffith4ever said:
Well, I can't argue with the performance of the Mags as I don't have them, nor can you argue over the performance of standard coil overs (passive is a bit of a misnomer) as you don't have them, but I can tell you that the coilovers are absolutely great on Somerset and Devon B road, and the car does not lean one jot going round fast corners.
Standard coilovers are still used in almost every race car out there - so they still have some life in them yet :-)
More critically, most feedback shows you'll be repacing them often. Misting is not just a "problem" but endemic, hence they often get "deleted". Most R8 owners have the budget to get them replaced as they fail, and a lot choose not to, which tells you something.
Still, getting the odd one refubed (in Poland) here and there is not the end of the world if you like them.
Again a fair point. Certainly food for thought, on one hand I like the idea of fit and forget (especially if the handling is still there) but at the same time I would like to keep it on mags if the refurb is cheap and reliable enough. I could buy new, but I just can’t justify that cost unless the issue of premature leaking was resolved…which is isn’t. Standard coilovers are still used in almost every race car out there - so they still have some life in them yet :-)
More critically, most feedback shows you'll be repacing them often. Misting is not just a "problem" but endemic, hence they often get "deleted". Most R8 owners have the budget to get them replaced as they fail, and a lot choose not to, which tells you something.
Still, getting the odd one refubed (in Poland) here and there is not the end of the world if you like them.
I have the plus with the passive and it is very good. A bit stiffer than the active but bearable.
The active are a pain i ln the butt as they keep leaking. If it is not one, it is the other...if you do any significant mileage, you will change one or 2 every year.
This was one of my main decision factor for going for the plus...the ccb are also immense and the bucket seat a million times better than the standard ones...
The active are a pain i ln the butt as they keep leaking. If it is not one, it is the other...if you do any significant mileage, you will change one or 2 every year.
This was one of my main decision factor for going for the plus...the ccb are also immense and the bucket seat a million times better than the standard ones...
I ditched my mags on my 2010 V10 when the 2 rears started to leak and knock and replaced them with the passives from the Plus.
I didn't consider it a wise choice to reinvest in something that is inherently flawed by it's design, and therefore, will fail again at some point.
The Plus passives are slightly firmer than the mags when they are in 'comfort' mode, but softer than when in 'sport' mode. Overall, I prefer the feel of the passives as they are not at all harsh or crashy, and I see no reason why they shoudn't last as long as other conventional dampers.
I didn't consider it a wise choice to reinvest in something that is inherently flawed by it's design, and therefore, will fail again at some point.
The Plus passives are slightly firmer than the mags when they are in 'comfort' mode, but softer than when in 'sport' mode. Overall, I prefer the feel of the passives as they are not at all harsh or crashy, and I see no reason why they shoudn't last as long as other conventional dampers.
paddy1970 said:
I have the plus with the passive and it is very good. A bit stiffer than the active but bearable.
The active are a pain i ln the butt as they keep leaking. If it is not one, it is the other...if you do any significant mileage, you will change one or 2 every year.
This was one of my main decision factor for going for the plus...the ccb are also immense and the bucket seat a million times better than the standard ones...
I’ve had my r8 5.5 years, it’s done 50k miles and I’ve only had to replace the fronts, so they lasted 12 years. From r8 forums seems the actives last anywhere from 20k-80k miles and the Polish refurb potentially the same but harder to qualify. I thought I’d be replacing with passives but when it happened the refurb seemed best for me when I had a good look.The active are a pain i ln the butt as they keep leaking. If it is not one, it is the other...if you do any significant mileage, you will change one or 2 every year.
This was one of my main decision factor for going for the plus...the ccb are also immense and the bucket seat a million times better than the standard ones...
We had our R8 two years and put 12k miles on it before being relieved of it last week. If you see a manual V8 with a dent on the drivers side sill under the side blade, do let Surrey police know for me!
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
They are fantastic cars to do miles in - even the standard dampers are borderline magical at soaking up lumpy, rutted tarmac and the seats are the most comfortable I've ever had in a car. I think you'd lose a lot of the utility of the car if you stick it on stiff suspension and get a noisy exhaust! I did the exhaust valve mod and I think that was a good compromise - not too loud at a cruise but still a good amount of V8 burble at low rpm for around town.
Another great change I did was replace the 1970s grade satnav with a modern Android Auto stereo using this kit:
https://rtafabrication.co.uk/products/audi-r8-ster...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
They are fantastic cars to do miles in - even the standard dampers are borderline magical at soaking up lumpy, rutted tarmac and the seats are the most comfortable I've ever had in a car. I think you'd lose a lot of the utility of the car if you stick it on stiff suspension and get a noisy exhaust! I did the exhaust valve mod and I think that was a good compromise - not too loud at a cruise but still a good amount of V8 burble at low rpm for around town.
Another great change I did was replace the 1970s grade satnav with a modern Android Auto stereo using this kit:
https://rtafabrication.co.uk/products/audi-r8-ster...
Griffith4ever said:
Champion! Report back how you find it! :-)
It was hacking it down all day so I’ve not had a chance to put it through its paces at all yet….I didn’t want to stick it in a hedge before getting it home 
From what I did experience on the drive, it sounds bloody great, the power delivery feels very smooth and plenty low down even at part throttle. Pulling from 3rd or fourth from 3k -4k wasn’t earth shattering but maybe thats because I didn’t drop down another gear…. Love the gated manual!
The interior felt very roomy all round, I didn’t really feel disappointed with the interior as is pointed out on many reviews, for me its a nice place to be even if its typical Audi.
The magride when in sport mode really seemed to smooth out the ride and it felt more focused and engine responsive…or maybe the latter is just in my head.
The media unit/ sat nav is bloody awful so I’m going to go the RTA route like others I think and retain for future originality.
It looks so good from every angle…not many cars I feel that way about
mikiec said:
Nice one, I was similar. Made an offer on a V8, didn’t get there so some manmaths later got the V10 manual. That was 5.5 years ago! still can’t find anything comparable to change it for.
Good to know and glad you love yours so much! Did you ever release the held back Hp and Torque with a tune or have you kept it factory?
PhilH42 said:
Very nice.I appreciate you not wanting to bin it on the way home from collecting it, but when the conditions are right you will find that it doesn't come into it's own until you are past about 5K rpm. Once you've taken it to the redline you will have a stupid grin on your face for hours after and will want to do it again and again.
PhilH42 said:
Griffith4ever said:
Champion! Report back how you find it! :-)
It was hacking it down all day so I’ve not had a chance to put it through its paces at all yet….I didn’t want to stick it in a hedge before getting it home From what I did experience on the drive, it sounds bloody great, the power delivery feels very smooth and plenty low down even at part throttle. Pulling from 3rd or fourth from 3k -4k wasn’t earth shattering but maybe thats because I didn’t drop down another gear…. Love the gated manual!
The interior felt very roomy all round, I didn’t really feel disappointed with the interior as is pointed out on many reviews, for me its a nice place to be even if its typical Audi.
The magride when in sport mode really seemed to smooth out the ride and it felt more focused and engine responsive…or maybe the latter is just in my head.
The media unit/ sat nav is bloody awful so I’m going to go the RTA route like others I think and retain for future originality.
It looks so good from every angle…not many cars I feel that way about
I was the same when I collected mine. Long wet drive and was a little undewhealmed with the pick-up mid revs, but at the same time I knew I was only playing with 1/2 to 2/3rd of the revs. Next day I got a chance to spank it and bloody hell! - it's just relentless. I literally laughed, semi hysterically. I had an instant, "ahhh - so that's what nearly 600Bhp feels like!"
Trev450 said:
Very nice.
I appreciate you not wanting to bin it on the way home from collecting it, but when the conditions are right you will find that it doesn't come into it's own until you are past about 5K rpm. Once you've taken it to the redline you will have a stupid grin on your face for hours after and will want to do it again and again.
Trev speaks the truth :-)I appreciate you not wanting to bin it on the way home from collecting it, but when the conditions are right you will find that it doesn't come into it's own until you are past about 5K rpm. Once you've taken it to the redline you will have a stupid grin on your face for hours after and will want to do it again and again.
m4tti said:
Believe it or not Phil, that is my old R8 
Presumably this is from the dealer in the new forest.
Paintwork was immaculate.
It is Matti…one and the same which means you now have a Ferrari right! Presumably this is from the dealer in the new forest. Paintwork was immaculate.
We agreed on new discs and pads on the front and a sensible drop on price…nice guy Brandon and he has a good set up over there!
As you know the paint is lovely…interior is excellent…couple of marks on the alloys and the scuff plates on the sills but I’ll sort those….you took good care of it mate and I’ll do the same!
Gassing Station | Supercar General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff