[sheagallagher22]

Hi all,

currently driving a 2015 S line A5 coupe FWD,
Around 8/9 months go I put 25mm rear and 20mm front spacers with 20” TTRS Alloys, have had no issues really until this week, basically when I came off a roundabout the entire back end felt like it swung out and felt like the car was gliding and not really gripping the ground, this has happened a few times this week but only on the likes of a roundabout.

took it to a tyre shop to check alignment and tyres, tyres all good but they said it sounds like the clutch may be going (possibly) and never checked alignment, took it to the mechanic and he took it a quick spin and found nothing. So after today it happened twice again where it feels literally like the car just glides of the roundabout, booked it back in for Monday to get looked at, but would this be the spacers and alloys and if so what could I do to correct it as I don’t want to change how the car looks as the handling has been fine until this week.
As for the guy saying about he clutch I think he just didn’t have a clue, any feedback welcome as I’m a bit lost at this.

 

[gledy2]

My partner experienced this on her a5 when she first got it with 20” wheels. As it was a Quattro I wasn’t quite believing it writing it off to diesel on the road, until I experienced the back snapping round myself. After a lot of investigation, there was an issue with the anti roll bar bolts being snapped, and also the biggest improvement was had by changing the low profile tyres out for something decent, we got some Pirelli’s. Also bought a set 19s for winter and put winter tyres on, and now it’s great in summer and winter. I’d check both how much tread is left and the condition of the rear arb.I can’t see how spacers would make any difference, I also would suggest getting a good 4 wheel alignment done on a Hunter machine or similar as that will check any issues that could cause the rear to be loose.

 

[sheagallagher22]

My partner experienced this on her a5 when she first got it with 20” wheels. As it was a Quattro I wasn’t quite believing it writing it off to diesel on the road, until I experienced the back snapping round myself. After a lot of investigation, there was an issue with the anti roll bar bolts being snapped, and also the biggest improvement was had by changing the low profile tyres out for something decent, we got some Pirelli’s. Also bought a set 19s for winter and put winter tyres on, and now it’s great in summer and winter. I’d check both how much tread is left and the condition of the rear arb.I can’t see how spacers would make any difference, I also would suggest getting a good 4 wheel alignment done on a Hunter machine or similar as that will check any issues that could cause the rear to be loose.

 

[sheagallagher22]

Hi mate thanks for the response, I had a feeling it’s something in the back of the car il know on Monday for sure now hopefully the same problem as yours just to get peace of mind but I’m still going to run the 20s as I’ve had no issue and had them on my A4 aswell and the A5 runs a lot more smooth with hem 0 running etc, hopefully won’t be a lot of £££ to get this issue sorted.

 

[JOHN-GEE]

Remove the spacers and see if this solves your issues?

JG

 

[SimonRoma]

Mmmm tricky one this. As JG suggests I would go back one step and see how the car drives without the spacers (although I cannot really figure how the spacers will make the car slide). What engine is this car and gearbox? Standard or tuned? Then wheel balancing and tracking needs to be checked for sure. Good luck!!!

 

[gledy2]

Hi mate thanks for the response, I had a feeling it’s something in the back of the car il know on Monday for sure now hopefully the same problem as yours just to get peace of mind but I’m still going to run the 20s as I’ve had no issue and had them on my A4 aswell and the A5 runs a lot more smooth with hem 0 running etc, hopefully won’t be a lot of £££ to get this issue sorted.

I can’t see how spacers would affect grip especially after 8/9 months, they would increase track width and increase cornering grip, but could accentuate any slight alignment inaccuracies, I don’t think removing them will solve anything. I’d search for somewhere that does Hunter 4 wheel alignment in your area, as I’ve had many a poor alignment. They should be able to check the rear arb and tyres too. The only other thing I can suggest is that the spacers put more stress on things such as wheel bearings, so possibly some rear bushes are worn quicker causing more play in the rear suspension.