A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
08-30-2010, 09:50 AM
#1
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A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Hi guys,
I'm going to be retiring my A4 3.0 soon. I want more power so I'm thinking of an 08 S4 or a 07 RS4.
Are there any major issues with either car that I should be aware of. I'm not concerned about the terrible gas mileage.
Also, in real world driving (i.e. not doing 200 on the 401), how much faster is the RS4 in regular every day life (I realize the RS4 has an additional 80 HP)
I'm not going to switch for another 2 months, but I thought I'd do some research now.
I'm going to be retiring my A4 3.0 soon. I want more power so I'm thinking of an 08 S4 or a 07 RS4.
Are there any major issues with either car that I should be aware of. I'm not concerned about the terrible gas mileage.
Also, in real world driving (i.e. not doing 200 on the 401), how much faster is the RS4 in regular every day life (I realize the RS4 has an additional 80 HP)
I'm not going to switch for another 2 months, but I thought I'd do some research now.
08-30-2010, 02:43 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Having owned the RS4 after a B7 S4, I would suggest that if you're looking for faster, get the B8 and chip it. Last fall, I test drove the B8 S4 and was VERY impressed with its power and nimble handling compared to my S4 Avant (with aftermarket coils, h-sport sways and lightweight wheels).
If you're looking for a car that provides the full experience: sight (mmm ... widebody), sound (V8 with Milltek FTW) and driving enjoyment (8,200 redline !), you wont be unhappy with the RS. The RS suffers from carbon buildup and DRC failures both of which have been known to be covered by warranty. I wouldnt go with an RS without CPO though.
I recommend you take both for a drive ! One last thing, the RS was absolutely amazing if you "needed" to pass on the highway. Whatever speed you were doing didnt matter as you really needed very little space to get around the car in front of you.
If you're looking for a car that provides the full experience: sight (mmm ... widebody), sound (V8 with Milltek FTW) and driving enjoyment (8,200 redline !), you wont be unhappy with the RS. The RS suffers from carbon buildup and DRC failures both of which have been known to be covered by warranty. I wouldnt go with an RS without CPO though.
I recommend you take both for a drive ! One last thing, the RS was absolutely amazing if you "needed" to pass on the highway. Whatever speed you were doing didnt matter as you really needed very little space to get around the car in front of you.
08-30-2010, 02:54 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Stevelev,
Thank you for the info. I do agree that the B8 S4 is awesome (I saw one at the dealer the other day), I just love the V8 soundtrack of the B7 S4... Aah, decisions, decisions..s.
Thank you for the info. I do agree that the B8 S4 is awesome (I saw one at the dealer the other day), I just love the V8 soundtrack of the B7 S4... Aah, decisions, decisions..s.
08-30-2010, 02:59 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Good luck !
08-30-2010, 03:20 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
That sounds awesome. What were the maintenance costs on the RS4. It's it must more expensive than the S4. I'm talking about brakes and stuff like that.
08-31-2010, 09:15 AM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Long story short, I got the car for a good price in the fall and decided to sell it before having to do brakes, tires etc ... CPO wasnt available to me and I was able to sell it after enjoying it as a 6 month "winter beater" (before warranty ran out) to avoid the potential high costs of ownership.
08-31-2010, 09:23 AM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
That was a great idea. I don't mind paying maintenance is just has to match the car. I.E. If I'm going to pay Porsche 911 maintenance fee's I might as well be driving one. 
I think I'm going to so S4. RS4 (for my needs) is overkill. Afterall, I spend most of my time driving my little girl around.
I think I'm going to so S4. RS4 (for my needs) is overkill. Afterall, I spend most of my time driving my little girl around.
09-01-2010, 12:34 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
saying the S4 with exhaust can't hold a candle to RS4 with Milltek is kind of funny. That's maybe your own perception. Reality is a little different.
As for RS4 vs. B7 S4 there's very little between the two once you open up the B7 downpipes exhaust to 2.5" and tune for the airflow (JHM). The performance gap is pretty slim (although if you stay stock its pretty significant).
Carbon build up will rob you of about 12% of your power in the RS4 after as little as 10,000 miles, so that is something to consider.
Both cars are awesome. The fastest S4s are faster than the fastest RS4s thanks to a better suite of mods for the larger market B6/7 S4, but the RS4 is a very special automobile.
The B8 S4 is another special car. I'm not sure it will ever be as fast as modded B6/7 S4s, but from the factory it's fantastic. There is definitely a soundtrack downgrade there, but the car is all around great. B7 S4 with full exhaust and tune vs. B8 S4 stock vs. B7 RS4 stock are pretty much so close you won't notice a real difference.
The B8 S4 chipped will be good for a pickup of about 3 car lengths in a race...so it's not the magic bullet everyone thinks it will be. The engine is nice, but is basically a 4.2 V8 with 2 less cylinders, lower compression and a shorter stroke to allow for the boost. There's not going to be a massive boost application for it like there was with the B5 S4. The B5 was iron block...FAT cylinder walls and was all around built for adding boost. The B8 is not. It's aluminium...has 5.5 mm cylinder aluminium walls (like the S4 4.2) and really will need a MASSIVE supercharger swap to make it get super serious (i.e. 400-450whp on a tough mustang dyno)
Basically? You can't go wrong with these three. They all have their negatives, but they're also all great.
As for RS4 vs. B7 S4 there's very little between the two once you open up the B7 downpipes exhaust to 2.5" and tune for the airflow (JHM). The performance gap is pretty slim (although if you stay stock its pretty significant).
Carbon build up will rob you of about 12% of your power in the RS4 after as little as 10,000 miles, so that is something to consider.
Both cars are awesome. The fastest S4s are faster than the fastest RS4s thanks to a better suite of mods for the larger market B6/7 S4, but the RS4 is a very special automobile.
The B8 S4 is another special car. I'm not sure it will ever be as fast as modded B6/7 S4s, but from the factory it's fantastic. There is definitely a soundtrack downgrade there, but the car is all around great. B7 S4 with full exhaust and tune vs. B8 S4 stock vs. B7 RS4 stock are pretty much so close you won't notice a real difference.
The B8 S4 chipped will be good for a pickup of about 3 car lengths in a race...so it's not the magic bullet everyone thinks it will be. The engine is nice, but is basically a 4.2 V8 with 2 less cylinders, lower compression and a shorter stroke to allow for the boost. There's not going to be a massive boost application for it like there was with the B5 S4. The B5 was iron block...FAT cylinder walls and was all around built for adding boost. The B8 is not. It's aluminium...has 5.5 mm cylinder aluminium walls (like the S4 4.2) and really will need a MASSIVE supercharger swap to make it get super serious (i.e. 400-450whp on a tough mustang dyno)
Basically? You can't go wrong with these three. They all have their negatives, but they're also all great.
Last edited by sakimano; 09-01-2010 at 12:39 PM.
09-01-2010, 01:59 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Definitely my own opinion. Dont get me wrong - the S4 V8 sound is very nice (tons better than my TTS OEM exhaust) but putting my S4 Avant with OEM exhaust up against my RS4 with Milltek just is not a fair "fight".
09-01-2010, 04:53 PM
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Re: A4 3.0 to S4 or maybe RS4
Sakimano and myself have this argument every time, so here it goes again
Performance wise the S4 can easily be made faster than the RS4 at this point in time. I am sure that is about to change with JHM starting some serious work on the platform.
Sound wise I agree with Stevelev. I do not think the B7 S4 V8 sounds as aggressive as the RS4 one and that is completely my own interpretation.
The RS4 has about 5000% more presence than the B8 S4 or the B7 S4. Out of the box the car will handle better as well as long as you have a working DRC. The Carbon Build up stories are greatly exaggerated. It does not apply to all RS4 uniformly, some engines are worse than others and there are people out there that never had to have a clean done. They are rare, but they exist, just check QW's thread on that. It also depends what oil you run and how hard you drive the car.
The RS4 will probably hold its value best, as these cars are extremely rare and they are somewhat considered a design icon for their time (and this platform). Of course I am biased, but if you are interested in the overall experience and not only tangible, measurable things, then go RS4 all the way.
Performance wise the S4 can easily be made faster than the RS4 at this point in time. I am sure that is about to change with JHM starting some serious work on the platform.
Sound wise I agree with Stevelev. I do not think the B7 S4 V8 sounds as aggressive as the RS4 one and that is completely my own interpretation.
The RS4 has about 5000% more presence than the B8 S4 or the B7 S4. Out of the box the car will handle better as well as long as you have a working DRC. The Carbon Build up stories are greatly exaggerated. It does not apply to all RS4 uniformly, some engines are worse than others and there are people out there that never had to have a clean done. They are rare, but they exist, just check QW's thread on that. It also depends what oil you run and how hard you drive the car.
The RS4 will probably hold its value best, as these cars are extremely rare and they are somewhat considered a design icon for their time (and this platform). Of course I am biased, but if you are interested in the overall experience and not only tangible, measurable things, then go RS4 all the way.
