Goosey built S4

[g00se]

Hi

When are you planning on hitting the ring? Cos I would love to join the party

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

Hells yeah - the more the merrier!!

We are going first weekend in Sept.. plan is to drive there on Fri 2nd, watch the RCN racing on Sat 3rd, tourist laps all day Sun 4th, and drive home Mon 5th.

All like-minded folks going.. should be plenty of steaks and beers to wash them down with.

So far our convoy has: S4 Avant, E92 M3, AMG Merc, TT, V8 R8, V0 Plus R8, Ferrari F430... and a few pending (Mk5 gti / Clio etc). Plus a few extra passengers who are just along for the ride/craic

Cant wait.. its been 4 yrs since my last trip. CARWOW style walkie-talkies on standby

Cheers
goose

 

[S4dadwagon]

Thanks chap - its still a work in progress, but funds dictate the speed of mods!!

When i picked my S4 up Sept last year the stock downpipes were rattling, so the dealer agreed to pay for new ones, and was super happy when i told him that Scorpion were cheaper than OEM Audi ones.. so that was mod one done, and cost me nothing Sound wise, they are almost exactly the same as stock.

As for the cats.. they are a constant worry for any B8/8.5 owner, and knowing the way i drive and my mod plans, i investigated all options.... i went for CM Tuning removing, gutting, refitting the stock cats, then coding and map tweaking.. so as to have no check engine lights.

I did this as if id didn't like the noise, i could then potentially add back in some hi-flo cats into the Scorpion downpipes to quieten it back down again...

As it stands, it sounds a touch louder on cold start.. then quiets down to normal, and putting round town its very tame.

Wide open throttle tho, there is rasp.. and i mean like an old E46 M3 with stock exhaust rasp. Very Jekyll and Hyde. I may in future get the rest of the Scorpion system to see if it deepens the tone. But TBH, its very livable.. I'm 47 and I've done loud exhausts for decades.. this is the best of both worlds

cheers
goose

I ended up having the Scorpion resonated downpipes installed last week - what a difference it's made but can't tell if it's quieter than OEM because i'd been living with the rattle!
The CATs are on the agenda at some point, i'd probably go the adding in the hi-flo cats to stock housing route - but like you say, funding dictates modding ... house and kids dictate the funding!

The e46 M3 rasp was addictive ... miss that a little

btw - are you still selling the intake pipe?

Cheers

 

[ninjag]

Meyle HD control arm kit ordered from FCP Euro... now to order some lowering springs, and get the lot fitted.

Am trying to get 'Ring ready

V excited goose

Is it the full top and bottom kit? I got that and it's been very good to me so far. Mind to double check they send the correct ball joint (M14 for you?) and their guide specs torque for the M12 at 110Nm, but I think the M14 torque is listed at the end, 145Nm I think but would need to check.

 

[g00se]

Is it the full top and bottom kit? I got that and it's been very good to me so far. Mind to double check they send the correct ball joint (M14 for you?) and their guide specs torque for the M12 at 110Nm, but I think the M14 torque is listed at the end, 145Nm I think but would need to check.

Yep - full M14 kit.. when the guys did my cats a few weeks back they spotted that some of the upper control arm bushes looked pretty worn, so i figured id do the lot as i always thought the steering input felt a tad vague.

I guess with 62k on an 8 yr old car its kinda to be expected.. but still not what you want to see :/

Still umm'ing and err'ing about which lowered springs to get.. i dont want to go low low, just a smidge lower than stock. Am thinking either ST springs or Eibachs.. but its very hard to get a true estimation of how much the car will drop as all sites say that different cars/models have differing start heights, so each will see different results?!?

cheers
goose

 

[g00se]

I ended up having the Scorpion resonated downpipes installed last week - what a difference it's made but can't tell if it's quieter than OEM because i'd been living with the rattle!
The CATs are on the agenda at some point, i'd probably go the adding in the hi-flo cats to stock housing route - but like you say, funding dictates modding ... house and kids dictate the funding!

The e46 M3 rasp was addictive ... miss that a little

btw - are you still selling the intake pipe?

Cheers

Be mindful of replacing the stock cats with hi-flo cats in the stock position, as they will suffer the same issue!! That's why most have them removed and added into the system further down the pipes..

Intake pipe and filter still for sale.. price dropped to £80 for the pair collected, or can ship for a small fee.

Cheers,
goose

 

[ninjag]

Yep - full M14 kit.. when the guys did my cats a few weeks back they spotted that some of the upper control arm bushes looked pretty worn, so i figured id do the lot as i always thought the steering input felt a tad vague.

I guess with 62k on an 8 yr old car its kinda to be expected.. but still not what you want to see :/

Still umm'ing and err'ing about which lowered springs to get.. i dont want to go low low, just a smidge lower than stock. Am thinking either ST springs or Eibachs.. but its very hard to get a true estimation of how much the car will drop as all sites say that different cars/models have differing start heights, so each will see different results?!?

cheers
goose

Nice one. It was my lower arm which was starting to knock and also at around 60k miles and likewise I figured that may as well do the whole lot.

 

[g00se]

Nice one. It was my lower arm which was starting to knock and also at around 60k miles and likewise I figured that may as well do the whole lot.

How was the steering feel after fitment?

I had a B7 S4 in the past so I'm fully aware of the driving characteristics of a nose-heavy Quattro.. but I've always felt my B8.5 wagon seemed to wander on motorways, and understeer badly when pushing on. I have high-hopes for the new arms/bushes, and springs - fingers crossed!!!!

goose

 

[ninjag]

How was the steering feel after fitment?

I had a B7 S4 in the past so I'm fully aware of the driving characteristics of a nose-heavy Quattro.. but I've always felt my B8.5 wagon seemed to wander on motorways, and understeer badly when pushing on. I have high-hopes for the new arms/bushes, and springs - fingers crossed!!!!

goose

Unfortunately, I was fairly new to the car so had little experience to go on. I do remember it feeling a little vague when I got it and it didn't help coming from the XF which was RWD and had very direct steering. I got the car in June last year and fitted the Meyle HD kit in October followed with a full 4 wheel alignment and it definitely felt sharper and a little tighter afterwards. There's a particular corner I know well and it can actually oversteer now and then when going to straighten up I need to be more fluid and progressive because trying to snap it out quickly causes the car to step in an correct.

I remember reading some threads on the wandering thing and some people believed the steering rack causes this. Of course the placebo effect sneaked in and I suddenly started feeling like my car was doing it! lol I think this was before getting the arms done though because I've not noticed it for a long time.

Could both of the above also have been down to alignment?

My rear is feeling a touch harsh now so I think my rear lower arms will need replaced soon and thankfully looks like a far easier job. I'll be looking for Meyle if available because the front kit felt very good quality when installing.

 

[g00se]

So whilst I impatiently await my Meyle HD control arms to be released from customs.. i bought and fitted a front upper strut brace from Adam @ Strutco

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter - For sale
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe - For sale
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged
5mm front spacers
Full Trups LED kit
Honeycomb fog light grilles
Porsche Macan 4-pot Brembos / VBT J-hook disks / EBC Yellowstuff pads
MRC Tuning Stage 2 ECU & Stage 1 TCU maps
ECS Tuning brake cooling ducts
RS4 22.5mm rear anti roll bar
Darkside gearbox mount insert
RS style honeycomb front grille
Black Audi rings (front and rear)
Gutted stock cats
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's
Strutco front upper strut brace

TO DO:
Upgrade suspension (Meyle HD control arms/bushes & Eibach Pro springs - on order)
MercRacing heat exchanger

goose

 

[g00se]

Every car guy loves a delivery right???

Now where are those Eibachs, so I can get this lot all bolted on and tested at Donnington park?!?

goose

 

[g00se]

Sooo, slight issue! FCP sold me the Meyle HD lower arm ONLY kit, rather than the upper and lower arm kit!!

And it turns out my lower arms weren't that bad, but the upper arm bushes are the ones that are perished - DOH!

Meh.. guess they would have needed doing at some point. Unit82 got everything bolted on for me, inc the Eibach Pro's. so the old girl sits much flatter now

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter - For sale
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe - For sale
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged
5mm front spacers
Full Trups LED kit
Honeycomb fog light grilles
Porsche Macan 4-pot Brembos / VBT J-hook disks / EBC Yellowstuff pads
MRC Tuning Stage 2 ECU & Stage 1 TCU maps
ECS Tuning brake cooling ducts
RS4 22.5mm rear anti roll bar
Darkside gearbox mount insert
RS style honeycomb front grille
Black Audi rings (front and rear)
Gutted stock cats
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's
Strutco front upper strut brace
Meyle HD lower control arms
Eibach Pro springs

TO DO:
Meyle HD upper control arms
MercRacing heat exchanger

goose

 

[ninjag]

That's a shame about the Meyle kit. Here's the link to where I got mine, although not much good to you now but may help others.

MEYLE 116 050 0189/HD LINK SET WHEEL SUSPENSION Front LH,Front RH | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for MEYLE 116 050 0189/HD LINK SET WHEEL SUSPENSION Front LH,Front RH at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[g00se]

Cheeky pic from last weeks eve session at Donnington Park, the new power and suspension upgrades worked a treat... the Macan Brembos/EBC Yellows, as you can see from the pic got pretty dusty when pushing-on, but still got the job done.

Time will tell if I upgrade the "mild" BBK for a truly big, BBK!! The Macan 4-pots are far better than stock single-pots, and for 98% of the time they are ace.. but for 2% track use on a nearly 500 brake, 1.7 tonne wagon, i may need better. hhmmm

Also, now on order is a bigger 034 heat exchanger.. as in this heat, the power was noticeably down after just a few laps.

goose

 

[Simon]

I love my B9 caliper/A6 disk setup - I have been tentatively looking at some ceramic options...

 

[g00se]

I love my B9 caliper/A6 disk setup - I have been tentatively looking at some ceramic options...

Yikes that sounds pricey!?!

I think ill need to sleep on this idea.. modding my mods isnt great on my bank balance LOL... i really need to heed my own advice #doitoncedoitright

I'd prob go for 390mm 6 pot AP kit or the OEM RS5 8 pots.... both are circa £2400-2800 tho

All-in the Macan kit cost me circa £1200, as i needed new disks, pads, lines etc too. Not sure what id get selling them on...? They've only done around 2k miles!!

goose

 

[Simon]

I'd stay away from the 8 pots, all the research I did suggests they are just expensive and ultimately not great VFM.

I think I could go up 5-10mm on disc diameter and if I am having some ceramics custom cut that wouldn't be an issue. TBH the biggest problem is finding a suitable bell rather than having to have one made.

At the moment it is all research as the use the car gets put to currently doesn't warrant the £7-10k I think it would cost to do

 

[Simon]

It might be worth looking at ceramic discs for the Macan calipers, big upgrade in stopping ability for just the investment of the discs, worth a chat with these people

Midland Brakes | Stopping Power You Can Trust

Established in 1974, Midland Brakes specialise in the supply and relining of industrial brakes and clutches, distributing friction materials world-wide. Whether you drive a Beetle or a Bugatti, MBL are here to help you with any brake or clutch linings you may need.

www.midlandbrakes.com

 

[g00se]

Soooo... a cautionary tale.

The Brembo Macans/EBC yellows have been on the car since end of Jan.. ie 7 months, and circa 2000 miles.

One track eve session at Donnington (see above), and I thought maybe I'd glazed the pads as they'd lost their initial bite (overall pressure and stopping was still good), so i thought id pop the pads out to inspect:-

If you zoom in you will see the friction material has a hairline crack through both blocks (north to south) and another in the top block (center to east) !!!

Needless to say i will be speaking to EBC as this is both shockingly poor of their quality, and terrifyingly dangerous.

I am going to the Nurburgring next week... could you imagine of one of those blocks disintegrated and I couldn't stop?!?!

Today DS2500s are going in, as well as an 034 heat exchanger

Be warned!!

goose

 

[g00se]

Just uploaded my Donnington Park fly-by...



goose

 

[Simon]

This in my view is the problem with the macan brake upgrade, there is no additional heat dispersion, so you get but better braking force without any additional management. At the very least I’d look at putting some macan air guides on to add some cooling.

 

[g00se]

This in my view is the problem with the macan brake upgrade, there is no additional heat dispersion, so you get but better braking force without any additional management. At the very least I’d look at putting some macan air guides on to add some cooling.

Agreed.

The DS2500s even tho they are not bedded in yet, already feel better. More initial bite, and less peddle throw.. Ive had the EBC yellows on loads of cars before, but they just didnt seem to work well on this application.

As to cooling, i have the ECS ducts already.. but as i have the mesh style fog light grilles to match the center RS grille, i may try to direct air from there to the disks too

goose

 

[Simon]

The shame is I run because yellows on mine but i didn’t get enough running at donnington before coilpack issues stopped play to make a decent comparison. Though the setup has done plenty of miles on the road now without issue.

 

[g00se]

As per above updates, the below has been done (as well as a service) in readiness for this years Nurburgring trip, this coming weekend

DONE:
Private plates - originally went on with Vorspung Durch Technik plate holders - but have since ditched them for short plates
ITG cone air filter - For sale
Stock air box mod
ECS Tuning air intake pipe - For sale
Scorpion resonated downpipes
Ghost immobiliser
10mm rear spacers
HEL braided brake lines all round
De-badged
5mm front spacers
Full Trups LED kit
Honeycomb fog light grilles
Porsche Macan 4-pot Brembos / VBT J-hook disks / EBC Yellowstuff pads / Ferodo DS2500
MRC Tuning Stage 2 ECU & Stage 1 TCU maps
ECS Tuning brake cooling ducts
RS4 22.5mm rear anti roll bar
Darkside gearbox mount insert
RS style honeycomb front grille
Black Audi rings (front and rear)
Gutted stock cats
Michelin Pilot Sport 4S's
Strutco front upper strut brace
Meyle HD lower control arms
Eibach Pro springs
034 Motorsport heat exchanger

TO DO:
Meyle HD upper control arms

goose

 

[Ajwhite]

Loving this thread goose, those pads are shocking to have a crack all the way through!

Out of interest, does yours go through a bit of oil? Are these 5w30 or 5w40?

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

 

[g00se]

Loving this thread goose, those pads are shocking to have a crack all the way through!

Out of interest, does yours go through a bit of oil? Are these 5w30 or 5w40?

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

Thanks AJ

Oil preference is a tricky subject on forums lol, as everyone has their own preference.. i stick with 5w30 and change it every year regardless of how few miles I've done.

In fact, i will soon have had this car one year and ive done circa 7k (mostly trips from the NW to see family in Reading - where im from), and two track days.

As to usage, when the car was bone stock it never used any oil or coolant.. since going stage 2 i have to keep both topped up.. but i guess you have to pay to play right

goose

 

[ninjag]

Been enjoying this thread as well. Seriously tempted to go Stage 1 with just a software mod, is it just a case of adjusting/removing the 1.9 bar restriction or are other things modified as well?

 

[Dippy]

These days stage 1 refers to ECU remap alone. For this car it adjusts the control of the bypass valve inside the supercharger to allow boost to increase and then adds fuelling and adjusts timing to suit.

 

[ninjag]

These days stage 1 refers to ECU remap alone. For this car it adjusts the control of the bypass valve inside the supercharger to allow boost to increase and then adds fuelling and adjusts timing to suit.

Nice thanks. Is the fuelling and timing automatically done by the ECU or is this all manually adjusted as well? I'm just not overly keen on too many parameters being messed with. Whilst I only go flat out every now and then, I'm still acutely aware of maintaining reliability.

Are there any recommendations for this in Scotland? Sorry for the quick hijack g00se.

 

[g00se]

Nice thanks. Is the fuelling and timing automatically done by the ECU or is this all manually adjusted as well? I'm just not overly keen on too many parameters being messed with. Whilst I only go flat out every now and then, I'm still acutely aware of maintaining reliability.

Are there any recommendations for this in Scotland? Sorry for the quick hijack g00se.

Whereabouts are you? Ecotune in Glasgow have an excellent reputation in the VAG communities... https://ecotune-scotland.co.uk/

And, no apologies needed

goose

 

[Dippy]

Nice thanks. Is the fuelling and timing automatically done by the ECU or is this all manually adjusted as well? I'm just not overly keen on too many parameters being messed with. Whilst I only go flat out every now and then, I'm still acutely aware of maintaining reliability.

Are there any recommendations for this in Scotland? Sorry for the quick hijack g00se.

Yes, that's the map part of remapping. Effectively there are look-up tables the ECU uses: It uses values from sensors such as manifold pressure to look up the values needed for actuators such as the injectors. Tuners change values in the tables and flash them into the ECU memory.

Changing too few parameters can be bad. For example there are "piggy-back" devices which sit between sensors and the ECU to change values on the fly. The simplest takes an input from the engine rpm sensor and then sits between the MAP sensor and the ECU, telling the ECU that the boost pressure is lower than it really is. The ECU then leaves the bypass valve closed because it thinks that the boost is lower than the demand, so boost rises above what it should be. The downside is that this relies on the ECU also detecting that the fuelling is low (because the air mass is higher than it thinks it is) and compensating. I suspect that the mechanism to compensate does not work as well as a proper map would do, and so it is reasonable to question the long term reliability of such a method.

On the other hand, as you note, changing more parameters could also create a reliability risk. That is why it is important to use a trusted tuner.

 

[ninjag]

Whereabouts are you? Ecotune in Glasgow have an excellent reputation in the VAG communities... https://ecotune-scotland.co.uk/

And, no apologies needed

goose

I was hoping you would say that, they are about 10 minutes away! Although my go-to place for tyres and road force balancing (Auto-tec Scotland) I believe are an authorised REVO tuner (although not sure if full time - maybe just visits) so also looking into this. Some price for remaps now, I mind not so long ago it was about £250-£300 and that was them coming to me and an ECU out job, so many hours.

 

[ninjag]

Yes, that's the map part of remapping. Effectively there are look-up tables the ECU uses: It uses values from sensors such as manifold pressure to look up the values needed for actuators such as the injectors. Tuners change values in the tables and flash them into the ECU memory.

Changing too few parameters can be bad. For example there are "piggy-back" devices which sit between sensors and the ECU to change values on the fly. The simplest takes an input from the engine rpm sensor and then sits between the MAP sensor and the ECU, telling the ECU that the boost pressure is lower than it really is. The ECU then leaves the bypass valve closed because it thinks that the boost is lower than the demand, so boost rises above what it should be. The downside is that this relies on the ECU also detecting that the fuelling is low (because the air mass is higher than it thinks it is) and compensating. I suspect that the mechanism to compensate does not work as well as a proper map would do, and so it is reasonable to question the long term reliability of such a method.

On the other hand, as you note, changing more parameters could also create a reliability risk. That is why it is important to use a trusted tuner.

Aye not interested in tuning boxes. I think I read that the REVO remap allows you to switch maps yourself, although is that really necessary if not under warranty?

My car is in fault free condition and everything except the s/c fluid has been serviced so I'm hoping it will be a nice safe foundation for a tune.

 

[Dippy]

Yes I think defrauding terms of warranty is one of the main reasons people like switchable maps. However I have also read about "valet" mode which might be even less performance than stock, which could be useful in some circumstances.

 

[ninjag]

£800 for the remap and said it would take me to an estimated 400bhp. At that price the ROI doesn't do it for me, especially for all the times I'll be able to take advantage of it. Strangely, their website says much higher gains even at 95 RON. They recommended a DSG remap as well to get to the 400bhp, but I never got a price. I reckon about £600. Was really looking forward to that, oh well. Will just have to throw that money into servicing etc and focus on keeping her reliable instead! lol

 

[Simon]

I had mine custom mapped on a Dyno for £300

 

[beno70]

Did any of your Ring posse make it into Misha's hotlap video here today?

 

[g00se]

So... 6 cars, 9 people, 1500 miles, 5 countries, in 5 days, and we are all back safe (ish) and sound

Photo dump to follow, but here is a cheeky autobahn driveby:-

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gfTFbpYI96Q

Have to say, i am soooo glad i ditched the EBC Yellows at the last minute for DS2500's - they are 1000x times better on track, zero fade.

goose

ps. Am off now to buy 6x new coil packs, as cyl 2 & 4 had intermittent misfires on the drive over thru Belgium.

 

[Dippy]

How do you rate EBC Yellow for fast road? Most people seem to prefer the Red but according to EBC's "spiderweb" charts the Yellow should be better in most respects except dust and lifespan.

 

[g00se]

How do you rate EBC Yellow for fast road? Most people seem to prefer the Red but according to EBC's "spiderweb" charts the Yellow should be better in most respects except dust and lifespan.

In all honesty, I've used EBC YS on my old Mk4 R32, B7 S4, and St2 Tiguan.. and they've been good as gold. However on a very high power, heavy car like the (modified) B8.5 S4 they just couldn't cope... they glazed over, had no bite, faded quickly, cracked, and were VERY dusty.

I'm sure for lighter cars, hot hatches and the like, they would be a good upgrade over stock.... but I will not be using them again after this.

goose

PS. I tried the Reds before i switched to Yellows... and they warped my R32 disks on track at Castle Combe

 

[g00se]