audi s4 questions

[Chad is Dead]

My buddy just got a audi s4 and is trying to just do a few small mods right now because he just had a kid. First he's thinking about getting a chip for it. How much does a chip really help where do you have to send your computer to somwhere where they can recalibrate it? Would blow off valves help performance at all or just make the sound since he's running stock right now?

[Moe7]

tell him to check out www.audiworld.com

 

He'll gain considerable power from a chip, but there are risks of the turbos failing as well that he should be aware of.. I'm sure Jesse will chime in soon. Also, I know at least on A4's that BOVs don't offer any performance gain, and more often than not just cause problems.

[Chad is Dead]

What kind of problems can they cause?

[AudiOn19s]

GIAC x-chip baby...wait a minute...what year...is it the newer V8 or the older V6 turob?

 

If it's a turbo car a chip will yield the best bang for the buck...GIAC's x-chip is the most agressive one one market...but if he's always heavy on the pedal he'll greatly reduce the life of his factory K03's. GIAC offers a more subtle program as well but GIAC and APR tend to be the industry leaders when it comes to quality products with great technical backing.

 

Auto Assets in Powel is an authorized GIAC dealer and in many cases they can use GIAC's new flash loader technology and literally have you chipped and back on the road in just 1 hour. Give Matt up there a call and tell him the detailer sent you.

 

Andy

[AudiOn19s]

audi uses a diverter valve and diverts the air back into the intake tract and their programming is set to think that the air is there for proper air/fule ratio...when you put on a BOV and vent to the environment the car will run rich every time the BOV vents any air.

 

Crappy description I know...but that's the just of it.

 

Andy

[Chad is Dead]

Thanks. I talked to him and he'll probably give auto assets a call and stop up in there the next couple of days. How much does the chip run if you know off the top of your head?

[Tulo]

Is it a green 2001 and did he used to have a black Mustang GT vert??

[Chad is Dead]

Yea thats him. You know him?

[Bam]

I know chips for the VW's are $500+ The Revo for one program is $500, and thats usually like a 93 program. You can also buy more programs, like a race one w/ 100 octane which is good for more power. GIAC is more expensive I think, not sure. Go up to auto assets and as for the free REVO trial, its like 6 hours of free running time to get a feel for what its like chipped. Crazy fun if you ask me.

[1Quik7]

GIAC and APR make good stuff. I opted for MTM, they are a little more expensive but do quality work. a chip is all he will need, it makes the car feel pretty quick. with a good driver you might be able to scratch into the 13's.

[AudiOn19s]

Not sure that Auto Assets is still doing the REVO stuff...but they might be for Audi. I think the GIAC stuff for the S4 is priced right with everytone else in the $500 range...but it's the best bang for the buck on that car.

[zeitgeist57]

I may be overlooking the obvious, but if he's not sporting a K&N air filter (2 of them in the 2.7T???) then he's leaving damn near free horsepower on the table.

 

Get him hooked up with teh Kay-and-Enn.

[AudiOn19s]

nah...only needs one filter...and they don't tend to do anything for the Audi cars other than provide a lifetime filter that doesn't need to be replaced.

 

I just looked up the specs on the GIAC...60hp and it retails for $595....

 

Downpipes are good for another 20 hp or so...but they're hella expensive and like anything on the S4...a major pain to install.

[Trouble Maker]

Originally posted by 1Quik7:

a chip is all he will need, it makes the car feel pretty quick. you better be able to scratch into the 13's.

Fixed. Quickest and fastest stock S4 right now is 13.7@99 I sure hope I can click of a lowish 14 if I ever go to the track stock without uber launching it. With a chip it better be in the 13's without a retard driving.

 

Depending on the chip most will net 40-60crank HP and 50-70 crank ft-lbs. The GIAC-X gets you 120ft-lbs! Most chips just bump the bost to 1Bar, the X goes to 1.2 down low and tapers to 1 up high. We have all of our torque down low so the 1.2 bar down low gives you all of that torque.

 

Chips are going to start around $600 for the car. They only usually go up from there when you add features, like more programs. I'd type more but I tend to get wordy, people have pretty much covered the basics, and I only have 8 fingers to type with right now. Tell him to go to Audi World and just start reading in the B5 S4 section!

 

HOLLY SHIT! I haven't been to this site in a while; there is a new best time. Guess what the fastest S4 is and then go to this link. Prepare to be surprised. graemlins/thumb.gif

[Tulo]

Originally posted by Chad is Dead:

Yea thats him. You know him?

I don't know him. I know his car.

I was debating whether to do this or not... But here it goes. I'm 90% sure his turbo's are already shot. Tell him that he needs to get back to the dealership for repair before he does any mods and before his 30 day warranty is up.

 

[ 18. July 2005, 10:04 PM: Message edited by: Tulo ]

[Trouble Maker]

Are they (turbos) making a whining noise? Especially under load?

[Tulo]

No whining noise.

No power either.

I'm not a tech or anything, but that car is just plain slow.

[Trouble Maker]

Originally posted by Tulo:

No whining noise.

No power either.

I'm not a tech or anything, but that car is just plain slow.

Any check engine lights? If so obviously check for codes. If they turbos are bad (and they won't produce enough boost), or if any of the piping has a big enough of a rip in it to cause such a pressure loss that your not getting full boost at the engine, you should have a CEL.

 

More than likely if you don't have a CEL the turbos couldn't be so bad that you aren't getting full power. Especially if they aren't making any kinds of noises. These turbos are notorious for making loud whining noises if they are going bad/have gone bad, especially under load/full boost. Some people have described it like a siren in the distance.

 

Rig up a boost gauge on it and make sure you are getting boost.

 

Try to unhook the ECU and let it reset (I'm not even sure how long this will take, I've never had to do it). It could be tripping something that makes the car pull back boost and timing?

 

If you can get a hold of a VAG COM you can log the boost, check any codes, reset any codes. I'm not sure which block it is though.

 

They aren't that fast stock... 14.x lowish at 97MPH would be normal. It's a torquey motor, but you only have about 19xHP to the wheels in a 3600lb car. It defintely shouldn't feel slow though (as it is a torquey car so it should at least 'feel' fastish).

 

He could always go and say "Hey what the hell is wrong with my car, it feels dog slow" and they might check a few things. I'm sure that wouldn't hurt.

[Chad is Dead]

I am horrible w/ cars and he isnt the best either so to do all those tests that you said probably wouldnt work out well without some help. I know someone that could probably take a look at it for free. It does feel slow and not "fastish" lol at all. When I was in it I thought the s4's were the most overrated car ever because of how it didnt feel fast at all.

[jeep17]

my friends 01' S4 up here in cleveland is definately quick and gives you a decent shove back into the seat when it hits boost. i thought it was fairly quick compared to 97 M3 i've driven before.

[Tulo]

I've never popped the hood on the car, but this is what I've gained from driving it a couple times. Firstly, no CEL. Secondly, it just feels like there is no boost. You can't hear the turbo's whistling like you can in most turbo cars, and there's no 'kick' of power after the turbo's would have spooled. I hear that the turbo's going out in that car is pretty common, and the amount of mileage doesn't help either(I think it was somewhere in the 70k range).

Even if the turbo's aren't shot, something is still wrong with the car and it should be fixed. That car is really slow and it should not be.

[AudiOn19s]

Hummm...it should be a low to mid 14 second car so if it doesn't feel that quick then I'd have it checked out. My one impression from being in a stock S4 is that it seems like it just starts to build boost and go when the boost tapers off just when you think that it should continue to build....of course a simple chip will fix all of those problems.

 

The Stock K03's if treated well will last for a long time...but too often S4 owners will shut the car off hot and even worse drive the car under boost before the oil has come up to temperature which will kill turbo life. My k03 in my A4 has lasted 125k miles and my car has been chipped approx. half of those miles...but it is common for turbo's to go in that 70-90K range...but it would be pretty darn loud telling you there's a problem...and you'd probably see smoke and oil consumption too.

 

If he's got a dealer warranty have it checked out...otherwise I'd suggest giving Auto Assets a call...they know their stuff when it comes to the VAG cars. They just did an RS-K04 conversion on a B5 S4 that's a pretty nuts machine now.

 

Andy

[Tulo]

So what could it be if it's not the turbo's?

[skold]

he need to get the apr turbo kit, for 5k, to make 440 hp, as for bov, you have to run a deviter valve, because audi has a picking closed loop turbo system. he can run a bov but will prolly throw a cel.

 

as for simplr mods a borla cat back, and apr chip will do him nice and car will be fun to drive.

[Trouble Maker]

Originally posted by AudiOn19s:

My one impression from being in a stock S4 is that it seems like it just starts to build boost and go when the boost tapers off just when you think that it should continue to build....of course a simple chip will fix all of those problems.

That's simply the torque/power curve in these cars, a lot of guys don't even shift at redline because the power starts to taper off. The car does not taper off boost at high RPM's. It's also not the K03's 'fault' because they are only pushing 8ish#'s on 1.35L a piece.

 

Originally posted by Tulo:

Secondly, it just feels like there is no boost. You can't hear the turbo's whistling like you can in most turbo cars, and there's no 'kick' of power after the turbo's would have spooled.

The S4 absolutely will not feel like a stereotypical turbocharged car stock. The way they control the boost with the boost control solenoids and the throttle with the throttle by wire system during spool up causes this. This is something a chip does get rid of to some extent. You also should not hear the turbos very much in a stock car. Like I and Audion19's have said, they get very loud when they are going bad.

 

I'm only postulating here but some sensor is sending the ECU a 'bad' signal causing the car to pull boost and timing. I've been under the impression that if something is so wrong to cause this to happen you should get a CEL, but I could be wrong (you can have codes tripped and no CEL if you have certain 'soft' codes). Take it to the dealer, or like Audion19's said, Auto Assets and have them take a look over it.

 

If all else fails we could 'compare' my car to his. I'm not even talking racing here, have everyone sit in both cars and do WOT pulls through second and part of third. That should give us a good idea. Maybe you guys are just used to cars being quite a bit faster and this feels slow comparatively (you are turboed in the integra right?).