I'm about to install the Neuspeed sway bars on my 1.8TQ. Do I have to tighten any screws/nuts/bolts etc to any specific torque? Any other helpful hits from people who had installed them?<br><br>Thank You,<br><br>--Leszek<br>

I have installed, deinstalled, and reinstalled them several times. I don't have specific torque numbers....I just tightened them pretty tight....why? because I participate in autocross events and driving schools. In the rear, you have two 17mm bolts at the ends, and four 12 or 13mm bolts that attach to the subframe. It is similar in the front...you just gotta remove that plastic shroud thing...about 8-10 connection screws. The initial time I did the whole install was about 2.25 hours...double checking stuff. REAL IMPORTANT: Do not set the rear bars on the stiffest setting....the holes at the end of the bar are the ones you should use...not the ones farther up on the bar. In addition, after you have had them on the car for a week or so, jack up the car again, and recheck to make sure the nuts have not come loose. This happened to someone I know...so, be careful.<p>Thats about it.<p>If you have any other questions, you are welcome to send me an email.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM

<br>Steve did you ever fab. some brackets for your rear bar supports? I'm still scratching my head...I have two or three ideas, but I done really like any of them yet.

I put them on my car, and after 10 days, I snapped one of the endlinks, and the other was ground down. I have a 98 2.8Q, and the endlinks (the part that connects to the ends of the rear swaybar), ended up rubbing against the axle. <p>After some initial positive sounding response from the president of Neuspeed, he has apparently gone into hibernation. I've e-mailed him multiple times, with no response. I paid a few hundred bucks for an aftermarket part that was never properly tested. Greg even admitted this in a phonecall, he said that they never checked clearances with torsional pressure. Am I bitter? You betcha. I could have ended up in serious trouble if the endlink snapped at the track.<p>Jim Simone is in an even worse situation, check the archives from about a month ago.<p>98.5 Wett RamAir'ed Santorin Blue 2.8QMS

I got the first one fabricated....and someone else is doing the other one. I may just show them to Greg Woo at Neumann Distributing (APS/Neuspeed) prior to putting them on the car. I actually got the one on the car....loosely...but didn't like the fit...a suspension piece would hit the support piece when the car was jacked up. So, I am changing the design slightly...to make more room. Nothing like having suspension pieces hitting together at speed. When I have figured it out to my satisfaction, I will post a picture of the pieces, on and off the car.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM

Until the rear bar matter is resolved- my accdo rear bar is staying the the garage.

Whoa! I fully understand your concern....but lets give Neuspeed a chance here. BTW,<br>I put my sway bars back on my car, albeit in the softer setting. I did have a slight stress<br>crack in my subframe but that was it. No problem with the uplink arms (metal ones), nor<br>any other cracks. I have gotten the crack MIG welded, and it seems fine. I even had <br>enough confidence in the set-up that I went autocrossing again two weekends in a row.<br>I do have immediate plan (translation: TODAY) to get a second support piece fabricated. I <br>fully plan to install these on my car, as well as show them to M5guy (Greg) for his <br>comment. Neuspeed has sold approximately 300+ sway bars for the A4. I personally do<br>not think I can go back to having no aftermarket sway bars...I like the handling too much <br>with them on.<p>And no, I have no affiliation with Neuspeed/APS/Neuman Distributing or any other<br>company for that matter.<p>Warren, email me if you get a chance. Thanks.<p>Steve S.<br>97 2.8QM

I recognize that there is a concern out there by people who have aftermarket sway bars, whether they be Neuspeed's or someone else's. A point to remember, these incidences are few and far between and they may not be related--or may be! However, I have a set and not experienced any problems so I'll throw my 2 cents worth in--and I drive my car a bit aggressively. From the few incidents that have been mentioned in comparison to the large number of sets that have been sold, by all manufacturers, I'd be a little hesitant to back off sway bars. However, you never know, there might be something to it. Gary.

I have the basic suspension and am considering an H&R/Bilstein setup... but I think Im going to wait until there is a solution to the swaybar situation.<p>Kosta

May or may not be related?<br>I have yet to hear of a rear subframe (or endlinks) that has been damaged by a stock rear bar.<p>Of the bars kits (sold by any manufacturer) and installed who has even had a clue to inspect the rear subframe for damage? I went looking, knowing what to look for and still had a tough time locating where the damage might be!<p>So who knows how many damaged cars are running out there, unknown to the driver?<p>And yes, not all cars have been damaged.<br>But would you play a lottery which one out 300 got to lose $2000 and the only benefit is a stiffer rear end?<p>Sorry. My bar is off the car.<p>(I bought my kit from lltek... its an Addco unit. I have nothing to gain by trying to keep another fellow A4 owner from damaging his/her new car.)<br>

Exactly. If I can save one person from damaging their car, or theirselves, then I'm more than happy to post about this. IMO- The companies that know there is a problem are being _HORRIBLY_ irresponsible in that they continue to sell the product, knowing that it could damage a customer's car and risk injury to the occupants. <p>Audi can't get away with it, so why should aftermarket parts suppliers be able to?<p>98.5 Wett RamAir'ed Santorin Blue 2.8QMS

Warren:<p>As I recall from our last conversation, you were going to send your end links to me and I agreed to compensate you for the freight. I have not received your end links yet, so I have serious doubts if your problem actually occurred.<p>For the record, NO, you have NOT e-mailed me several times. If you had, or even taken the time to call, you would receive personal updates such as Jim Simone or Steve Sherwood have. NO, I did not make any statement about the testing of the bar to you. For the record, in my previous group posting, I stated that the bar was tested in both static and dynamic fitment, and that our beta unit is still functioning flawlessly on the GreedSpeed vehicle. <p>My office number is available to ALL A-4 owners who may have concerns about their NEUSPEED 22mm. rear QUATTRO sway bar: 805-388-7171 #725.<p>Warren: I have seen other reputable parts manufacturers barbequed on the Forum by users who've taken the role of judge and jury. This is not acceptable, and I will not stand by and let you defame me or my company. My phone number is listed above. If you doubt my commitment to the problem, E-mail Jim Simone and ask him if I did a good job.<p>Regards,<br>Greg Woo<br>President<br>Neuspeed/APS/Neumann Distributing

I woke up this morning, the first day of a week long vacation, to a heated conversation with Greg. It's probably a good thing I hadn't read this yet either. Anyways, we worked it out, and my snapped endlink and ground-down endlink are both on the way to him, at his cost. Thanks Greg.<p>Am I sorry about some of the stuff I've said? Yes. All of it? No. I did in fact e-mail multiple times, and I've got proof via mail logs, as I'm a Unix sysadmin/postmaster, that in fact, his mail host received the messages for delivery.<br>Could I have called him? Yes, but it's a hassle to me since I work as a contractor, and have no long distance access at work. E-mail is simply more convenient, and reliable IMO. An entry from my log files as proof that I sent out e-mail:<p>maillog.4:Oct 9 18:34:36 localhost sendmail[772]: SAA00770: to=<M5guy@aol.com>, ctladdr=<wwang@dallas.net> (500/4), delay=00:00:03, xdelay=00:00:03, mailer=esmtp, relay=ya.mx.aol.com. [205.188.156.3], stat=Sent (TAA00264 Message accepted for delivery)<p>I repeated what I heard in the first conversation too, that the test car @ Greedspeed had been tested by loading up the back end w/ people. To me this means non-torsional testing. If I am mistaken, then I'm sorry. And for all the dynamic and static testing that's been done, I still managed to snap an endlink in less than two weeks.<p>I've not heard anything from anyone else with this problem for a month now. Simply silence. Then Leszak posts about installing his bars. I think I'm quite justified in warning him, and anyone else about the situation. Greg, I don't go slandering companies for pleasure. I have nothing to gain from it. I've installed over $3000 now in aftermarket parts, and this is the first that's caused me real grief.<p>I'm constantly reminded by a friend, who happens to be an organizer & instructor of our Texas World Speedway events, that we could have been serious trouble if the endlink snapped at the track. So I feel passionate about this whole situation.<p>98.5 Wett RamAir'ed Santorin Blue 2.8QMS

<br>You mention a conversation but say that he never called, and imply that he has not emailed you. If you don't want people complaining about your products on the web you should be more proactive about addressing their issues. Criticizing them for sharing an honest (yes I am familiar with this particular instance) opinion is not good PR. <p>I would certainly understand if Warren's experience was an isolated case and there were more people saying that they had wonderful results. However, you only provide one test car as a counterpoint. 50/50 odds are not good.<p>For the rest of you, Warren has taken this rather personally (It is his first brand new car after school, it was expensive, he loves it and he is terrified that he could have destroyed it through some unpredictable failure) but I am confident that he has not lied about any of the underlying details. Don't go by his advice alone, there are a lot of other equally valid opinions available, but it would be foolish not to consider it when making your decisions (you may feel the same way about your A4).<p>Todd W<p>p.s. In my personal opinion, springs and shocks are the proper suspension upgrades on most cars and swaybars should be left stock. This is for reasons other than the issues being discussed above so I left it out.