Hello, i have a 2003 A6 v8 4.2L and i would like to be a passenger for a short trip in the car of someone who have an A6 v6 or v8 and change is suspension for a brand new one. You will also be passenger in mine to be able to compare. I find mine to be too hard and didn't absorb well the crack and everything. It's my second A6 and they both had almost the same problem and millage 208000 KM.

I have no strut leaking, it is not rebounding anormaly like my old Buick did when the strut was scrap. Nothing broken.

Maybe it's normal but it feel like rock. It's like a porsche sport car, but for me a A6 should be a confortable one. The problem is even worst with my summer tire Bridgestone Potenza RE040 255/40R17 (run flat). Every small crack is felt in the direction and make all the frame do boom boom, toc toc. Yes these tire give an incredible performance and you can turn extremly fast (people in the car will screem before the tire do, in fact I never be able to ear them!) but it's like having a rolling rock at the place of rubber tire. I can see the impact of bump and hole in the light comming from the headlight lighting the road.

I had the chance to try an A7 2012 with the same kind of low profile tire and the suspension was absolutly wonderfull. This tell me that even with low profile tire, a car can be confortable. Ok theyre is 9 years and 208 000km and 70 000$.

I live in Québec, Québec and I can do 300km to try yours suspension before changing mine. Je parle en français aussi.

 

comfort vs handling.....255 40 17's. sounds wide to me. what size tire do you ride in winter... do you have the same rock hard feeling? could be something other then suspension. did you check control arm kit, top plates?

 

i Have a new suspension but I have coilovers. It's harder then stock but performance is worth it in my opinion. If you don't like hard bumps and such don't buy aftermarket.

255 40 17's is stock wheel for A6 4.2 i'm riding on 255 35 19's and it's not that bad

 

In winter 215/55r16. Yes it's better with winter tire. The 55 help to absorb impact. And winter tire are not run flat.
"did you check control arm kit" the car was inspected 2 week ago, nothing wrong about that.
"top plates?" how can i check that?

 

you whould hear the loose when pushing on the wheel.

think your set up is to agressive vs the comfort you expect.
your cars a decade old, of corse a A7 '12 hase a diffrent feeling on 19's.
your suspension is ok. i think the quebec roads are the problem.