Audiheavy

G'Day all... I have an '06 SWB car and would like to get a little better roll control. Does anyone here have direct, first-person experience with the installation of the D3 S8 sway bars to a "normal" A8? I contacted the folks at Audi USA Parts and was told that the S8 bars will not fit a "normal" A8 without the sport suspension because the pick-up points are so different. Now I'm wondering if my car might have the sport suspension as it has the "Normal", "Automatic" and "Dynamic" settings for the MMI controlled ride height and would therefore work with the S8 bars. To confuse things further there is an indy company that advertises this specific conversion.

Thanks in advance!

PenguiN-

In your MMI when you see the different modes and where it says "air suspension" at the top, if it says "Air suspension - sport" you already have the S8 swaybars if i am not mistaken..if it only says "Air suspension" and the car goes a little up when in comfort mode then you have the basic kind...wether or not the s8 sway bars fit the normal suspension i dont know, sorry!

03_AR_CO

Check this article out by MP4.2+6.0

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho...php?p=22602781

MP4.2+6.0

Non-sport, Sport and S8 sway bars are each different part #'s

MP4.2+6.0

First person experience here, on the long wheelbase W12. W12's start with comfort (non sport) air shocks but use sport level roll bars instead of the comfort/non-sport bars. I confirmed those by part #'s printed on the bars and shock units when mine was at full stock. W12's also ride stock at the "normal" height, not at the "sport" or S8 baseline heights (unless/until you VAG COM mod it...)

S8 bars in turn are another notch stiffer. The front bars are tubular, and a lot of the S8 difference is in the wall thickness per the specs I once saw/had. They bolt up at the same points, and in front the bushing is molded onto the bar anyway. It fit right into the subframe mounting brackets, and the stock U shaped end links bolted right on too. Thus, BTDT.

Front is easy. Rear is tricky to thread in, but can be done by pulling a wheel instead of Bentley's way too complex and unnecessary procedure. I documented years ago in posts that are linked in my auto sig. The pictures are gone in some AW machination, but all the descriptive details are there still from when I pioneered the mod.

mishar

To suppress understeer it would be better to replace just the rear one.

MP4.2+6.0

The rear only change is the old tuner trick for front heavy cars, often originally designed as FWDs. Thus for more neutral handling, rear only. For a firmer ride overall and somewhat less lean, probably both.