Hi Guys,

The wife is looking for a new used car and I've decided that she really needs to get an S4 .
A bit of background on me, I currently drivea 94 Toyota Supra making a little 700rwhp, soin shortI love to play with my cars.
So back to the wife's new car, I'm looking for a 4 door family sedan that won't put me to sleep when driving.I've consideredan M3, G35, WRX/STI.... but I'vesettled on the S4, I've always loved the understated look and performance of the S4.

Please excuse the newbie question as I really have very littleknowledge ofthe S4:

Price aside - which of the two modelsispreferable in regards to aftermarket performance upgrades (2000 - 2002 v6 turbo OR 2004+ v8 na), I know that you guys usually chip them, is there a chip for the v8 na S4? If so what would be the expected gains for both models?

I'm probably going to have to get an automatic transmission for the wife, how does the automatic transmission with tiptronic compare to the manual in regards to durability, is the auto considered a weak point.

If you guys have any other info/suggestions of what I should consider when looking for my S4 (ahhh I mean my wife's S4) I would appreciate your input.

thanks
Mike

 

The 2000-2002 (b5) responds a bit better to modding. A chip is able to add a considerable ammount of power, becasue it can up the boost from the turbos. You can also replace the turbos (stage 3 or stage 3+) for HUGE power. Its really all how much you wanna put in to it, you could sink $25,000 into your s4 making it faster. Just remember theres alot of supporting upgrades when do you that, Intercoolers, full exhaust, fueling. etc etc. Allthough im assuming because its going to be your wifes car she probably dosnt want a stage 3 clutch and 450HP. A stock tiptronic transmission should be fine for stage 2+ assuming it isnt beat to death. 2kS4 has a VERY clean 2+ that is a tip and hes had no problems.

The v8 (b6+B7) 2003+ s4 has a good bit more power from the factory, you can still chip it, but the gains are considerably less because there are no turbos to tweak. You can also do a full exhaust and an intake which should free up a few HP. The v8 is a little more difficult to tune up extensively from what i understand, but i dont think you plan on supercharging your wifes 350HP family sedan haha. And again it would cost a good ammount of money. I have never heard any problems with the auto version of these cars, you arent drastically increasing the power load so you shoudlnt have any problems.

So from what i gather your probably going to be deciding between a stage 2+ b5 or a b6/b7 with maybe a few mods. The V8 is definitly going to cost you more initally but personally if i had the choice i would go with that. Interiors are beautiful, plenty of space, good looking, and if you put on a nice full ehaust you wont be dissappointed by that nice little v8 rumble.

Because the AWD system takes some of the power from the engine a stage 2+ B5 S4 (chip, exhaust, maybe intake or whatever else you wanna put on) will usually dyno considerable below 300HP, allthough some people will claim above 300 this is usually at the flywheel. However the V8 with a chip, exhaust, Intake is going to give you at least that 300HP at the wheels. Take the V8.

 

couldn't have said it beter myself...

-i have the milltek exhaust on my V8 and it sounds AWSOME!!!!

 

I hope your wife loves to go to the gas station... I too have the Miltek exhaust and love the sound, especially above 5K. Sometimes it's confusing if that sucking sound is coming from the CAI or the gas tank? 23mpg highway (2 mpg above rating of 21)driving very conservatively. In town, having fun MAYBE 12mpg.

Make sure she drives it first... My wife really doesn't care to drive this one. The clutch is like an on/off switch and is kind of "lurchy" in 1st and 2nd (manual). But I love it!

 

 

all I have to say is good choice on the s4, it's well worth the money!!

 

Thanks for the input guys! It sounds like theV8 would be the easier choice to get me to a decent and reliable horsepower level with minimal effort.However,the thought of a turbo car is still very intriguing to me,having experience withturbo cars, I know there is always allot of potential for gains. My onlyencounter with a S4 was on the highway when my Supra was stillwhat we call BPU, stock turbo with some basic mods, I had dyno425 rwhp. Anyway Ihadrolled with several mustangs and vettes and the only car that was able to stand beside me was this little yellow S4... non the less I was very impressed, I talked to him briefly when we pulled off the highway and he said he was running about 18 pounds of boost (so I know it was a turbo v6)

I will have to do some more research before making my decision between the turbo v6 and v8 na.
Is the chip the only way to go on these cars? Except for the obvious intake/exhaust....
(excuse my questions if they seem obvious, I can only speak from my experience with the Supra) There was no chip for the Supra, we would add a boost controller, add a module that would eliminate the boost cut, add fuel controller..and we were good to go. So I'm assuming the chip will do all this for you... more boost, more fuel, eliminate boost cut, maybe something with shifting in the auto... timing...

thanks again guys, very good info on this site!
cheers

 

With the B5 S4 theres a generally accepted "stages" system to the modding.

Stage I - Chip
Stage II - Chip + Exhaust (stage 2+ can include alot of other non turbo mods, but none give real significant power gains)
Stage III - New Turbos, usually with intercoolers, downpipes, fueling

theres also a tip chip that changes the shift timing int he auto/tip transmission

As far as turbos go you can go with the popular K04 kits or you could get garrett turbos and make anywhere from 500-800 HP depending on the turbo. However if you get up past K04s theres usually alot more work involved and its much more expensive. When you go stage 3, your chip isnt used anymore you get a new ECU. If you upgrade turbos you can also play with things like anti throttle cut circuts and MBC's , but they arent really that nessicary for stock turbos. Theres also other things allong the way that its prolly good to do, such as a brake upgrade.

All in all it comes down to how much money you want to put into it.

 

Honestly with your needs i'd say the v8 is the better choice.

Since it will be your wife's dd you're probably not going to want a 600hp monster. So mod response aside (and especially since you're not considering price) the b6 and b7 are a much better choice.

They're newer so not only will they be more reliable initially, they'll be nicer and in better shape. Also a b6/b7 is likely to still be covered under warranty. .
And it's not like the v8's are slow by any means. Yes you're used to700rwhp but 300+ horses is nothing to laugh about. Just my two cents...

Edit:
Forgot to mention that with the tip, you don't get quite as much feel of spool as the manuals. It's more of a smooth power, almost like the v8's.