New to Audi and new to the forums. Hope you guys can get me up to speed with modifying this car.

First off I'm taking it over to Black Forest Industries in Cary, NC to get inspected. They charge $80/hr and a certified APR dealer. I'll be asking to check the timing belt, for vacuum leaks, signs of turbo ware, TBB cracking and the front tie rods.

If the vehicle checks out fine I want to have the ECU reflashed for 93 octane, R1 DVs, TBB, and Bi-Pipe installed in one shot.

Inspection
ECU Reflash for 93 Octane $550
R1 DVs $155ea
TBB $75
Bi-Pipe $355
About 3-4hrs for all the labor $240-$320

Total = $1530-$1610

What kind of gains am I looking at?

 

Not sure what the bi-pipe does. I thought that was an alternative to the heavy duty TBB.

Anyway, if the ECU flash is equivalent to chipping, then both APR and GIAC quote 318 hp from base. Base in the regular 2.7T is 250hp and in the s-line it is 265hp. If this is just a flash to use higher octane gas, I think you're wasting your money. With the DVs and TBB you are ready for a chip. I re-read your post and you stated they are an APR dealer, so I assume they are chipping your car.

I added my speed stuff in 9/2006 at a local indie shop and it cost me $1400 back then, so your costs seems reasonable. My caution is the transmission. I had to replace my clutch and FW after 10k of aggressive chipped driving. The tip can be damaged and is more expensive to repair. Hard starts from a dead stop are not recommended -- it is just too heavy a car and puts too much strain on the drivetrain. The other good news is the chip removes the 133 mph governor and the car should be able to do 150-160, but make sure you have great tires and a wide open road.

 

Thanks for the input. Yeah I mean chipping the ECU and I wasn't sure about the Bi-pipe myself, just an added thought from the guys at the shop since I planned to replace the TBB. Seems like a waste of money if it's just for looks. Recommendations for tires for the stock rims and what do you think about the AWE clutch?

 

I installed the clutch at 89k miles and now have 188k, so it has been durable. It always engaged the same as the stock clutch and still does. I think my synchros are starting to show wear, but that is not the fault of the clutch. I also put in the stage 2 since I anticipated putting in K04s when the oem turbos failed, but they continue to hold up with a little leakage.

Tires are a religious subject. I run oem Pirellis P6 4Seasons on the stock 17" rims for the winter, and the Conti's in my signature for the summer. I rode the second set of Pirellis for 49.5k miles before going to set 3. They have been a very good tire for Michigan winter driving. I just put a set on my daugher's A4 if that tells you anything.

 

Good info. I'm living in NC at the moment so I'm looking for some good all seasons and will take a look at the Pirellis P6s. I had Pirelli PZero Rossos on another set of rims for my last car and was happy with them so why change brands. I'll probably go with a stage 2 clutch as well since it's better to be over-prepared than under since I don't know how far I'll take this car yet. Appreciate the help.

 

Changed my mind. Installed Bailey DV30's instead of R1's and a Samco TBB Friday and have an appointment with National Speed in Wilmington,NC to get my car chipped with GIAC software on Tuesday. Pics of DV's and TBB soon.

Before


After

 

Looks good and I think you made good choices. Just go a little easy on the hard acceleration, esp at >3000 rpm, or you can jeapordize your tranny. I suspect the extra power contributed to the early demise of my clutch...that, and an (alleged) 150 mph run where it was bouncing/slipping at the very end.

 

Impulse buy. 10" long cone filter from Autozone.



With Cover





Looking forward to GIAC software install tomorrow at 4:30p. Can't wait.

 

GIAC software installed but uncovered a couple problems. EGT sensors, pre-cat O2 sensors and MAF are all faulty. Running in limp mode until repaired. FML

*EDIT*

Went online to ECS tuning and ordered the parts

Pair of EGT sensors $396.20
Pair of pre-cat o2 sensors $363.58
MAF $130

 

So the piping from the intercooler to the TBB on the driver's side keeps disconnecting and causing the engine to almost die/throw MAF failure CEL codes. So next upgrade will be the APR Bi-Pipe since I can only see this problem growing worse with more power.