Eurocode Tuning Alu Kreuz Billet Aluminum Drivetrain Stabilizer 2013+ B8.5 A4/A5/S4/S5/Q5/RS5
Eurocode Tuning's Alu Kreuz (pronounced kroitz) drivetrain stabilizer for the B8.5 chassis Audi's to include the A4, S4, A5, S5, Q5 and RS5. The Alu Kreuz replaces the factory multi piece drive train stabilizer with one solid, lightweight structural member to further stiffen the chassis and prevent unwanted suspension deflection. All 6 mounting points are secured to one single plane; the net result is sharper steering with a reduction in chassis flex.
Who would benefit from the addition of the Alu Kreuz? We feel that if you enjoy spirited driving, like to take the on ramps and off ramps of the highway a little quicker than you peers, enjoy a nice drive through the canyons (twisties), the occasional track day or high performance driving class or just want to run your car balls out on the road course, the Alu Kreuz is perfect for you.
During our testing of the 2013 and up B8.5 chassis cars which are comprised of the Audi A4, S4, A5, S5, Q5 and RS5 we found that there was quite a bit of torsional flex coming from the factory subframe/engine carrier. This torsional flex produced what we felt to be incorrect steering sensitivity and response in all aspects of driving. To combat this unwanted characteristic, we did a thorough examination of the front suspension, chassis unibody, and the engine carrier/subframe. Our conclusion was that the OEM hollow steel drivetrain stabilizer underperformed.
The team at Eurocode set out to combat this torsional flex and decided to redesign the drivetrain stabilizer. Our first step was to analyze the material that the factory stabilizer was made up of and then create a load case scenario in which to test it under. We sent out a sample for materials testing and found the factory stabilizer to be made up of carbon steel with a density of 0.284 lb/in3, predominately hollow and stamped into shape. The OEM stabilizer is made up of nine separate pieces, and they are all welded together to form one single unit. Once all of this data was collected and loaded, our team set out with the goal of improving chassis rigidity and weight reduction. Our team found that a replacement stabilizer manufactured out of billet aluminum would accomplish our goals, so the next step was the design process.
Our design process went through several revisions, with each version being loaded into computer modeling to test how it would stack up against the inferior OEM product; these revisions were also built and tested not only on the road, but as well as on a closed course with the feedback provided by a professional driver to the design engineers.
The finished product, which we dub “Alu Kreuz”, is incredible. It features a one piece, billet T7 aircraft aluminum construction, type III hard anodized coating, and all necessary provisions to attach the OEM sound deadeners. It requires zero modification to the vehicle, and works perfectly with the OEM power steering cooler. The Alu Kreuz is also nearly two pounds lighter than the OEM brace and greatly improves chassis torsional rigidity. It looks amazing as well.
Independent analysis was performed on the product and the conclusions were that in each of the pre set load case scenarios, the Alu Kreuz deflected less than the OEM stabilizer, carries less stress for a given applied load and the fatigue life of the product is greater than OEM.