Dan's A4 Cabriolet build thread

Hi all,

A little update. The 20'' bad boys are off and the 19's are on.

The Look

To be honest, im so happy with my choice to downsize to 19's. 20's really did look too big in my opinion. A word of advice...pictures on forums aren't necessarily a good representation of what the wheel/tyre will look like in real life. (Stupidly obvious I know)

Weight

The 20's being replicas were so heavy the car simply couldn't put any power down even with it being a Quattro. The marketing numbers said 1 replica wheel weighed around 14kg. This was false and the actual number was around 17kg minus the tyre of course. The additional unsprung weight over OEM was too much for the stock 163ps BFB engine.

Current set up (and love them)

I've now got 19x9 ET 33 Audi Segment wheels or s5 peelers as they are also known as. They are the real deal and the concave-ness of them reminds me of the 3SDM's which are a beaut.

Tyres

Wrapped in 235/35/19 Kumho Ecstas. So i was reading countless reviews about mid-to upper end tyres and came up with these tyres. Seemed to be used by tons of E46 owners so decided to purchase them. The other choice was the supposedly super sticky Hankook Ventus.

I was pleasantly surprised to find these tyres are very soft, offer nice grip and relatively low noise. Recently I saw an uploaded picture by 'Gazwold' on here with a badly damaged Kumho Tyre so hoping that was just bad luck as the many other reviews i've read have been VERY positive.

Stretch

As we know, all tyres have different stretch tolerances and previously when I originally 1st purchased the 20's, I had 235 on them. Over a 9inch thick wheel, the stretch was horrible!

However, the stretch of the Kumho 235's over my current 19's (9inch thick) are not that bad at all! The speedo is near perfect and the gearing too with not difference in drive over the original OEM 17's albeit a tiny weight increase over OEM.

All in all, very happy.

Pics below;

Next up..AP Coilovers to fill the gap.

IMG 2981


IMG 2982


IMG 2983


IMG 2988
 
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So same wheel look but just a bit smaller? Does look good, just get the black center cap back!!

My mate who owns a tyre shop was telling me to go for the hankooks, they're what ship on the brand new amgs. That was for my Scooby though and think I do need to visit him soon. For me grip is first then the road noise, the cab let's in so much noise!!

I'm not sure on coilys anymore. My Scoob had them, and was just so stiff (which I guess it should be). Every bump and pot hole was a horror. Stopping for speed humps, not good. Go air!! Looks so much better and more practical (imo).

Anyways, good job!! Always looking good (well it is an a4 cab) and very tidy!! Seeing your roof reminds me I need to do mine, not done it yet!!
 
mattmanwrx said:
So same wheel look but just a bit smaller? Does look good, just get the black center cap back!!

My mate who owns a tyre shop was telling me to go for the hankooks, they're what ship on the brand new amgs. That was for my Scooby though and think I do need to visit him soon. For me grip is first then the road noise, the cab let's in so much noise!!

I'm not sure on coilys anymore. My Scoob had them, and was just so stiff (which I guess it should be). Every bump and pot hole was a horror. Stopping for speed humps, not good. Go air!! Looks so much better and more practical (imo).

Anyways, good job!! Always looking good (well it is an a4 cab) and very tidy!! Seeing your roof reminds me I need to do mine, not done it yet!!
Click to expand...


Always appreciate the love Matt..thank you!

Yes, they are exactly the same but are 19's instead with an ET of 33 not 35 like the 20's. Definitely..my spray guy was supposed to spray centre caps too but forgot! Doh! I'll have to eventually do them.

I would agree with your mate even though i've never had Hankooks myself. My mate has an E92 M3 with these on and says they are very sticky. Totally agree, grip is paramount. The reason i went for these and not say Michelin Pilot Super sports is that I feel its over kill for me. I dont have a high spec car with the desire to bash it around corners. I'll let you know in due course my overall thoughts down the line with them.

I've never had coilovers so Im not sure what to expect. One's things for certain, it will feel much better than the awful ride quality being on 20's with a very thin 30 profile. It always felt like it was crashing when the motor went over a pothole or crack in the road. I'd love to go 'AIR' but the price would be too much for me. I've seen a cabby owner with air and it looked so damn cool! Literally one button and the car was slammed on its a*se!

Not to worry, when you get around to doing the hood, you hopefully wont need to do it again for a long time (Well, in that detail anyway)

:)
 
Looking good DrStrange, can't imagine 20" on rubber bands being to comfy for a daily the 19" are a much better choice & look superb, more in proportion.
Thought about going with air on my cab but the £3k price kinda put me off, would like mine so the wheels sit in the arches but I have enough grief getting a trolley jack under it as it sits.
Not sure about coilovers, think I'll go down the Bilstein B12 route & some spacers to get the stance how I want it.
 
Jonni3 said:
Looking good DrStrange, can't imagine 20" on rubber bands being to comfy for a daily the 19" are a much better choice & look superb, more in proportion.
Thought about going with air on my cab but the £3k price kinda put me off, would like mine so the wheels sit in the arches but I have enough grief getting a trolley jack under it as it sits.
Not sure about coilovers, think I'll go down the Bilstein B12 route & some spacers to get the stance how I want it.
Click to expand...

Thanks Pal!

Indeed, the 20's were just awful if im to be totally honest and did look like small planets (just like a member once commented haha) They were more of a suitable fit for the S5/A5 Cab.

Its a tough one because i've had a 1st hand demo of what 'AIR' looks like on the CAB and it looks awesome! But the price is a killa. I very much like the Bilstein B12 route, fantastic set of shocks so lots of my mates say.

Of course if we both go separate ways on the suspension set up, we can let each other know our experiences with it on. Need to fill the gap soon!
 
Hi All,

Few updates. Really not trying to mess about in 2017. Of course if budget permits.

Bought these and fitted;

Amazon product

I must say, they are fantastic! Listened to the consensus on here and was eager to try 'em out. They are MUCH better than OEM 'Valeos' so I recommend eveyone goes out and buys them!
 
Picked this up from TPS on saturday.

RS4 Rear Sway Bar + Bushes & Brackets.

Hopefully have it fitted next week.

RS4 Sway Bar
 
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These also arrived.

Cannot wait to get them installed. (Ap Coilovers Quattro)

Can anyone offer advice as to how the rears will go on? I wont be doing them but looks as though its done by having the bootlid open. Thats apparently how you get access to the shocks and springs. I can imagine it will be very fiddly with the small hole for access.

Has anyone done this?

AP Coilovers
 
How much for the rear sway bar & fittings Dan ?
 
They were £140 all in Jonni.

If you fancy getting them and cant get as good a price, I'll give you my local TPS guy's number. He sorts me out with 'best prices'.

Looking forward to this mod. Along with a Remap, have been told its pound for pound the best mod!
 
Rs4 rear sway bar is a great mod, especially on a quattro which is heavier at the rear. Not sure if the cab is the same but the springs and shocks are taken off from under the car on both saloon and avant. Are you fitting the sway bar yourself?
 
Thanks Welshquattro.

I saw your post quite a while ago about how good the mod is.

Not sure about the shocks and springs but was told the only thing that needs to be removed is the 'strengthen bars' that run from front to back in order to do this. Admittedly, im not too sure what that involves! 'PJMspeedy' told me that. An A4 Cabrio owner who used to be on here.

Im getting my Audi master Tech guy to do it for me.
 
Cheers Dan, you wouldn't have the part numbers handy ?
Let us know how it goes with the coilovers.
 
Dan which Tps is your guy based at? Cars looking amazing as well.
 
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Jonni3 said:
Cheers Dan, you wouldn't have the part numbers handy ?
Let us know how it goes with the coilovers.
Click to expand...

Anytime.

I'll grab the part numbers of all of them tonight and post it up here tomorrow

:)
 
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Dani_B19 said:
Dan which Tps is your guy based at? Cars looking amazing as well.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot Dan! Inspired by your B7 too!

My guy is 'Dave' and is the manager of TPS in Chessington South West London. Number is 020 8397 4333

If you do call him, mention me and say you would like to get it all for the same price haha.
 
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Argh was hoping he was Yorkshire based. Bit far for me to travel haha. Thanks though.
 
Dani_B19 said:
Argh was hoping he was Yorkshire based. Bit far for me to travel haha. Thanks though.
Click to expand...

No dude, sorry they are based sooo far from you!

I never asked if TPS do deliveries either..
 
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DAn which interior and number plate LED's did you use? If you don't mind me asking?
 
Dani_B19 said:
DAn which interior and number plate LED's did you use? If you don't mind me asking?
Click to expand...

Not at all mate.

LED light here;

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2xSMD-18-...528160?hash=item41adf71fe0:g:nh0AAOSwZQRYXJry

(I found the black foam around the outside has protected from water ingress very well)

LED interior pack here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AUDI-A4-B...del:A4&hash=item281db66e6a:g:Ms4AAOSwnQhXo-7I

(Ordered the Avant version 'pack' and kept the spares for my cabby)
 
*Update*

Sorry guys its been quote a while and a bit annoyed with myself for not being able to crack on sooner with my stage 2 progress! Limited budget stops me doing so and feel im making progress at a snails pace.

Anyways..currently the car is in the garage with my Audi Tech Mechanic.

RS4 roll bar
Rear RS4 anti roll bar is being fitted so will report back on how it handles when I get it back on the road.

Silicone TIP
Also, FORGE turbo intake pipe (Silicone) is being fitted. As you may know this is a larger bore than the OEM plastic one and has smoother bends so hopefully I will feel a slight improvement in throttle response when fitted. Good thing I didnt attempt this myself as ive been told its definitely NOT plug and play. The some of the holes need to be trimmed down and doesnt marry up with all pipework like OEM one.

New Recirculation Valve
My guy also told me the OEM Recirc-valve is f*cked. So I've purchased the FORGE 008 one which is supposed to be fanstastic.

I will definitely report my findings when the car is back!

PS. Coilovers still on my desk at work waiting to be fitted. (Gathering quotes still)
 
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*UPDATE*

Sorry guys. Its taken me so much longer to update my progress due to finances and my mechnic having the car longer than expected but without further a due here is what ive got up to;

Piper Cross Panel Filter
Doesnt do anything performace wise but have been recommended many times over to have one due to it being less restrictive, very easily maintained and lifetime guarantee. Good little upgrade.

Forge TIP
Thanks to @Jonni3 on here for measuring the Pipe work to be sure it fits. I can tell you the mechanic had to do a LOT of shaving to get this bad boy to fit. I guess, its not such a big deal but its not totally 'plug and play' as they advertise.
Also, an addtional boost pipe was installed as the old one split.

Forge 008P Diverter Valve
Very straight forward fit.

Varta Hi Capacity Battery
Nice new battery. Car ticks over great now.

Anti Roll Bar (RS4)
Upgraded to the thicker 22mm one from a 18mm stock

Cheeky Number plate upgrade
;-)

Note: I also had a MAJOR coolant leak which was fixed and hot and cold pressure tested. But 'aint gonna go into that haha.

Results

Antil Roll Bar

AMAZING is all i can say!

To all members over the years that have recommended the RS4 anti roll bar..they werent kidding. I will go as far as saying this truly is one of the BEST pound for pound mods for ALL our b6 b7 platform cars. Has totally transformed my cabriolet. Yes, even worked wonders on a convertible which had boat like handling. Sharpened up the handling immensely, has practivally eliminated the feeling of body roll and my steering feels so good.

If you havent got this mod..GO GET IT DONE ASAP.

Forge TIP and DV

Again, another fantastic mod! Seriously one of the best and proportionately affordable mods at around £130. I havent even had my car remapped yet and I can feel the difference already. Turbo spool comes on a little earlier, feels like it holds better and is just generally an excellent quality product.

Another plug at getting this mod done. I HIGHLY recommend doing it.

Ive quite literally fallen in love with my car all over again.

Next up.. AP coilovers, FMIC, Turbo back Exhaust then remap time.
 
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Nice to S5E YU cracking on with the good work Dan, the Pipercross panel filter upgrade did this a few weeks back myself, although my cab seems to pick up much better in the mid range now .... Might also be the R8 coil packs & new NGK plugs as well.
Keep meaning to get my trade mate to order me the RS4 sway bar but keep spending money on other things.
 
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Jonni3 said:
Nice to S5E YU cracking on with the good work Dan, the Pipercross panel filter upgrade did this a few weeks back myself, although my cab seems to pick up much better in the mid range now .... Might also be the R8 coil packs & new NGK plugs as well.
Keep meaning to get my trade mate to order me the RS4 sway bar but keep spending money on other things.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jonni,

Haha, i love a cheesy pun. I just now have to fill up the absolutely awful bullet holes the previous plate has left.

Yes I would agree, you feel slight induction noise from the PiperCross Panel filter and it does seem to pick up better mid range. Of course the coil packs and plugs help :p

Yeah i know what you mean Re: budget on other things but promise the next thing will be the sway bar and TIP! These 2 mods alone are amazing. Finally starting to quite literally breathe life into our Cabbys.
 
Great work Dan. I'm doing my turbo/tip/dv in two weeks and your feedback has added to the excitement!
 
*Update*

Hi guys, super excited to reveal my new custom exhaust.

Specs

As you guys may know, Im stage 2 tuning my car with a mild but fun power output of say 230bhp. One of the MOST important mods is to get a nice full turbo back exhaust with as limited restrictions as possible. In light of this I went for;

3'' Decat to 2.5'' dual split with 4'' slash cut tips. No Restrictions except 2 smaller back boxes than stock. All mandrel bends where necessary and some nice TIG welds to finish off.

To be honest, Mandrel bends where probably not 100% needed for my power output but I got a cracking deal and couldn't refuse. Thank you guys for helping me source exhaust 'shops' especially @DieselJake

Where did I buy?

So I live in London and for years heard about a custom exhaust shop named 'Style Dynamics' (on facebook) mainly specialising in 'VAG' but of course as any good exhaust fabricator would, caters to all cars. Ended up choosing them as lots of my mates used them and were over the moon.

It boiled down to these guys and RJ performance upon the recommendation of DieselJake above. I chose these lot as the price was excellent for what I asked for WITH the added benefit of nice pipe bending work for optimal exhaust gas flow.

It took just one day to make it. Left it there on friday and came to collect on Saturday.

Verdict

I am absolutely over the moon with it. The car is very tame up until say 2500rpm, but once you get on it and take it up to 4000+ it gets quite loud!
Definitely not 'straight pipe' loud but sounds awesome.

Also in low gears when you blip the throttle and ease off, it pops a tiny bit and burbles! Im like a kid in a toy shop with it so far.

Performance

The difference between this and stock is night and day and the car just wants to go now. No more driving like an old lady. She wants to be rev'd.
..and its a convertible!! The car hasnt even been mapped yet!

Next mods for stage 2

Front mount intercooler and custom remap.

..Gentlemen, get your turbo'd cars done if you have the money. You'll fall in love with your motor all over again!

WILL UPLOAD VIDEO SOON..

@Stanningtonglen @Jonni3 @Dani_B19 @NC10 @Sean_

Exhaust 2

Exhaust 1


Exhaust Pic 2


Exhaust Pic 3


Exhaust Pic 4
 
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Looks like a nice bit of pipe work there Dan, how much was it if you don't mind me asking.
 
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That's some serious work gone into that, looks savage!

Fair play buddy, car is looking great! Looking forward too hearing that video
 
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Looks great pal. Glad to hear your happy with it.
 
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Hi Fellas,

Thank you all for the comments! The inspiration comes from you guys here *Sheds tear* hahah

Jonni - Thank you, yes they did a great job.
..Of course not. It was £900 Cash. In my opinion, its worth it all day for what I asked for. Quotes in excess of £1200 for mandrel bent systems.

Sean - Thank you! Yes sorting out the GO pro over the weekend!

Jake - Thank you! Again, cheers for the recommendation. Eve though my system is 'more expensive' I also opted for it in case anything was to go wrong I could always nip up to them in London rather than the trip to Birmingham. (Which isnt bad at all :p)

Dani - Thanks Pal. Are you running stock exhaust?
 
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