buddysnack

Over the past several months I have been doing a series of upgrades on my 6sp B5 S4 Avant, and finally it seems that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Here is a list of what I have done, and what made the greatest differences:

1. Got the car from Achtuning in Seattle. It came with a chip (not sure which one), an APR Bipipe, ECS lightweight pulleys, and 18" S8 rims. Otherwise the car was bone stock, and very very clean (check it here). I dented 2 of the rims withing the first 30 seconds of owning the car... The car ran well, felt pretty quick, but the ride was more like a 1970s Caddy than a sports car.

2. Replaced the rims and tires (which I also blew out in the same incident) with some 18" RS4 replicas and new tires. Sharper looking ride, although I kinda missed the old rims (I had the straightened and they are now my winter wheels with some PA3s).

3. I then changes all the fluids (Royal Purple everywhere but the engine) and a seal in the rear diff...surprised to say that the Royal Purple actually made a noticeable difference.

4. Next I put on an AWE S-Flow air intake. This definitely added some punch to the car. It felt a bit hungrier with more grab on the throttle.

5. Had some Bilstein PSS-9 coilovers installed. I have them set at a mid level of dampening (haven't had the chance to turn them up). Very nice dampening, but the car still had too much sway for my liking. At the same time, I had and AWE Drivetrain Stabilizer put in (definitely tightened things up), and AWE downpipes and twin 2 exhaust system installed (true 2.25" twin pipe system). The increase in power was awesome, especially with regards to turbo spool up. It is a bit louder than I would have liked, but it also seems to have mellowed a bit (does that make sense?). My wife can hear me from about a block away when I am racing home.

6. Changed the pads to ceramic and the rotors to Zinc plated. I also changed to Stainless Steel lines and installed some racing brake fluid. The brakes squeak a little, but they stop REAL GOOD!

7. This last one was the kicker - Hotchkis front and rear swaybars. This single change has seemed to pull the whole unit together. No more sway, great dampening, a super direct power delivery to the wheels. Finally I feel like I have a sports car instead of a family wagon.

I had some of the work done by a buddy at Queensway Audi, but he was way to busy to get the work I wanted done. I have to thank the guys at Simply Imports in Burlington for their work. Not only have they done everything to the highest standard and in the time promised, but they did it all for a fantastic price. They also went above and beyond suggesting and performing some minor changes that I would not have though of. They are also cool guys to talk to (they are doing the Targa Newfoundland in a hopped up VW Bug...).

I am finally satisfied with my ride. It is quick, tight, and pretty stealth. Plus I can load a ton of stuff in the boot. Why doesn't everyone drive a wagon?

I think I am going to leave things for now and let my bank account recover. When I get back into it, I will probably change the clutch (it was slipping a bit before the bars) and add a short shift kit, some new intercoolers (does anyone have experience with these? Did you notice tangible differences), and perhaps eventually the Turbos. When we changed the exhaust, the existing turbos were bone dry with no end play. Not bad for a car with 115k miles. Luckily it was owned by an particular German locksmith and was in MINT shape. It was going to be a widebody project car with Achtuning, but they decided to let it go.

See you out on the roads.

C

nothing77

Sounds like you are doing it the right way, I am jealous, not many B5 S4 Avants get to make it up to Canada. If you are interested in doong intercoolers, I would buy ER sidemounts, IC's wont add any power, but it will help minimize losses and heat soak.

Black_RS4

Looks like it was well taken car of... given the mods it should handle fairly well in the twisties...

buddysnack

Ooooh Wee! I just cranked the suspension up to 8 (9 being the stiffest). Wow... I love this car. I used to have a Cayman S (I needed a real trunk), but this car seems to handle better now! Who knew tuning could be so much fun!

C

Black_RS4

Yeah lol, no joke, on a wagon too!!

buddysnack

Black_RS4

Do you realize you have 959 posts? Very auspicious.

C