I absolutely love my 99 a4 that ive had for about six months, but it does ride like a truck. Since i live up north the roads arent too good and i feel every pothole ... the car had about 60k when i bought it and the komatsu tires have seen their better days ... is it possible that new and better quality tires could make that much of a difference or might i have other problems ... or is this just the price one pays for the benefits of an audi? any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Yea tires might help, you should get a ride in a car with suspension work, that will make your ride feel realtively smooth. I can feel every little defect in the road but personally I like it. Gives a sportier feel in my opinion

 

if the steering is lose it could be your tie rod ends..or control arms...you should be able to hear noises too (squeaks or knocking over bumps...tires may help a little, but if it's really bad you'll most likely need to get some suspension components replaced..

 

I agree with bent on this. Have those components checked. With those conditions you described, you will need to check your control arms and tie rods often.

 

yea if the steering seems fine, most likely ur suspension could be shot. listen for the clunks

 

tie rod ends are cheap and easy to replace...you can get a pair of heavy-duty ones from ecstuning for about 100 bucks iirc.....they also have the oe style ones for ~70....there is a recall for the lower control arms on many audis. take your car to a dealership and have the service dept look up your vin number for any recalls.

 

I couldn't believe the difference tyres made in my B6 A4, had Dunlop SP9 000 Sports stock and then went Conti SportContact. The Contis were much harder. Swapped them for Yokohama AVS dB and they were even smoother than the Dunlops. Get a good quality tyre pressure gauge as well if you don't have one. These cars are very sensitive to correct tyre pressures. The tyres will last longer as well! It is a good idea to have the steering checked out when putting on new rubber.