New Dimensions Stage III (long)

[Christopher Inverarity <inver@ix.netcom.com>]

I made the plunge and had a New Dimensions Stage III suspension kit
installed in my '99 A3 GLX last week and I've had a few days to drive
it, here are some observations.

Details first.
I opted for the Bilstein struts and shocks as opposed to the Boges. This
decision was based on what I'd read on the list
and the responses that I had gotten when I asked lister's what kind of
struts they would put in their own car. I also talked with Chris in
parts at ND and he seemed to agree with my opinion that the Billstiens
were probably more suited to my needs than the Boges.

What was installed & something about the car;
25mm Front swaybar with tie-rod ends,
28mm Rear swaybar with tie-rod ends,
Neuspeed upper strut tie-bar,
4 Neuspeed "Softsport" springs,
2 Bilstein "Sport" struts-front,
2 Bilstein "Sport" shocks-rear,
New Dimensions did the install.

My GLX has 10k miles on it so I'm still driving on the GA's with stock
15" rims. The car is stock with the exception if a K&N drop in filter,
I've also removed the resonator cone from the air box.

Expectations;
1) A firmer more competent ride.  2) less "float" at high speed.  3)
less body roll on corners.  4) less over steer.
I was also concerned with how much this conversion would lower my car, I
didn't want the "slammed" look, I also did not want to have to wear a
kidney belt to drive it.

How did it look?
While I was inside paying the bill I was given paperwork that stated  my
alignment specs, and ride height. The height figure was 1" front and 1 &
1/4"  rear lower than before, but I had no idea what this would actually
would look like. Once the car was brought out I could see it was riding
lower. When it got were I could see it from the side I was very happy.
The visual results turned out to be, to say the least, pleasing. The
stock rims (that I like a lot) and the stock tires (GA's that I didn't)
never looked better. Instead of looking like the smaller option on a car
that should really have 16" rims, the 15" rims and tires nicely filled
up the wheel wells.

How did it drive?
When I drove out of the lot I immediately felt the difference. The car
was considerably stiffer. I felt much more of the road than I had with
the stock suspension. Turned on the CD player and it skipped on the
first bump I hit, I turned off the CD. Then I got to a decent curve in
the road, accelerated, took the curve and I was very happy. It was such
an improvement it felt like a totally different car. It took the curve
@40mph and the car stayed completely flat. I could not detect any body
roll at all.

Then I drove 280 for a fast ride up to SF. Traffic was moderately heavy
so going over 80 mph would require a lot of lane changing. There's been
some paving going on on 280 so you go from old uneven concrete road
surface to smooth asphalt. When you get on @ San Jose your on the
concrete, I could feel the car undulating on the uneven pavement,
definitely stiffer but not bad at all. I actually began to like it. Even
though it was a busier ride than I was used to I felt more connected to
the road. On the smooth asphalt the car was quiet with no tire hum or
road noise. The best part though was when I made quick lane changes over
80 mph the body lean that had always dogged this car was gone.

Once the lanes opened up a bit I was able to get the car up to about
100. Usually it feels fine at this speed, unless the road surface gets
bumpy, uneven or twisty. When that happens the car floats and get a
vague feel that makes me hold on to the wheel with both hands and make a
lot of steering corrections to keep a straight line. That was all in the
past. Now my car was keeping a straight line and feeling solid at 100+
with just one hand on the wheel and there was no float.

City driving is what I do most. San Francisco has wide combination of
road types. I feel those bumps a lot more now, but what I realized was
that the Bilstens handled the sudden bumps and potholes much better than
the stock struts & shocks. The Bilsteins are gas struts, and gas struts
seem to be able to take sudden changes much more in stride than fluid
struts. Stock struts on the GLX are fluid front and gas rear. The bigger
anti roll bars make a dramatic difference. The GLX always felt tall and
prone to body roll when you would throw it around. That  feeling is
completely gone.

Another thing, I have always felt was that the GA's were crap tires.
What I discovered after this mod is that the car's suspension was at
least half at fault for this. They are o.k. touring tires with moderate
grip and they are quiet, but I am looking forward to wearing them down
and trying some that are higher performance, any suggestions?
I think the true test of over steer comes in panic situations at speeds
generally over 40 mph, this has not happened yet. The one time this did
happen was before the mod. I broke the rear end loose on an off camber
turn while braking. I blamed the tires for this but now feel that the
suspension was more at fault.

What the Upper strut bar tie's contribution to all of this is I'm not
really sure. I guess if I had done this mod in pieces I'd have a clearer
feel for the before and after. I'm sure it has added stiffness as it
attaches to 4 points on the upper strut tower, but I'm not sure where or
how much.

Conclusions.
I am happy that I did this mod. I like the way the car drives and I find
a new reason every time I drive it. It wasn't cheep. With labor it was a
little over $1600. It's too bad that VW didn't deliver the car with this
kind of suspension, but I look at it like I bought a $22k car, added
$1600 of modifications and now I it drives more like a $30-35K car. So
if you've got some money to burn, it's worth it just for the smile
factor. But you can get it done in pieces if that fits your situation.
I've heard that tires make a huge difference in this car and that's
certainly a less expensive mod than the suspension changes. As it turns
out my CD player has not suffered that much, sometimes it skips where it
didn't before, but not so often that it's annoying, and if it does I
just shut it off and listen to the motor sing.

Tires next!


Christopher Inverarity
60m. p.