Official: Newbie Guide To A4
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Official: Newbie Guide To A4
yeah so insomnia sucks the big one. i couldn't get any sleep last night, so i decided to revise my newbie's guide since quite a few people found it useful. I wrote the first one when i was still a noob myself and didn't know much, so i went through and added things i've learned and such. here it is...
I thought I would create a newbie's guide to try and prevent questions from being asked over and over again.
First off, when you have a question you should search. We have no problems answering all your questions, provided that you searched for them first. Some questions have been asked so many times it's not even funny. It gets very annoying to the regular guys around here and that’s why we flame them for it. If you have a question that hasn't been answered, or you need further clarification, then absolutely post a new thread and we will help you out to the best of our ability. However, you should not be starting new threads for questions already answered a million times. Why? Because it's just plain annoying, and because it clutters up the forum and makes it harder for people to search when their search results contain hundreds of threads composed of just stupid questions and people flaming them for asking. To help you newbie's out, I made this list of commonly asked questions.
Ok let's start off with the people who are looking to buy an A4.
Should I get an Audi?
It depends on your financial situation. If you are a poor teenager, then this most likely isn’t the car for you. You should have at least an extra grand after purchasing the car for repairs/maintenance. Audi’s are not cheap cars to own and maintain. The parts for the car really aren’t that expensive, although there are some exceptions. The real killer is the labor. The car cannot be serviced/repaired everywhere and the places that can do it charge you up the wazoo for labor. Working on an Audi really isn’t that much different from working on other cars though. So if you are mechanically inclined and can DIY for most things, then that will cut down on the cost of owning one significantly.
How reliable are Audi’s?
Audi’s, contrary to popular belief, are reliable cars. They just need a little more attention than other cars do. A car is only going to be as reliable as you are. If you change the oil every 5k miles with synthetic oil, put in 91 or higher octane gas, and do all the other required maintenance at its recommended intervals than the car will be very reliable. These engine’s are a marvel of German technology and are capable of exceeding 200k+ miles on them no problem. The 2.8 tends to be more reliable than the 1.8T because of the lack of forced induction. Depending on which generation A4 (B5, B6, B7, etc.) they each have their own notorious flaws just like a lot of other cars. Do keep in mind though, as far as reliabilty, Audi just can't compete with a Honda or Toyota. The style and uniqueness of Audi is legendary, and makes ownership and the satisfaction of driving in general top notch compared to any other car maker. This tends to make up for any of Audis shortcomings as far as less than top notch reliability goes.
Common Problems
Common problems on A4's are timing belt, control arms, tie rod ends, oil sludge, and sometimes wheel bearings, window regulators, abs module, and the sunroof. The timing belt tenioners in 97-99 models were a bad design. If you have a pre-2000, its better to do it sooner (60-70k miles) if it's never been done because of the crappy tensioner. Post-2000- You can wait an extra couple thousand miles but i would do it around 80k. If the timing belt snaps you are pretty much f*cked. It will most likely push the pistons up and bend the valves and other nasty stuff due to being an interference engine type, unless you are really lucky and didn't get internal damage. The former will require an engine rebuild. While having your timing belt changed, you also might as well change the water pump and a other belts. The best way is to buy a kit from renn-art, pure motorsports, or ecs tuning (our sponsors found in the Audi links.) Currently, purems has the cheapest kit. If you do it yourself it will run you roughly $300, or, you can get a local tuner to do it. A good price is around $600- $700, and if you take it to the stealership, it typcialy runs between $1,000 and $1,500!! Oil sludge is more of a problem for the 1.8T than the 2.8. Just make sure to use fully synthetic oil, and use the larger OEM updated oil filter (for the 1.8t.) Change it every 3-5k miles and you won't ever have to worry about this. For B5 models, the bushings and overall design are just no durable enough to go longer than 80k miles (sometimes less.) For the tie rods- it's just a bad design by Audi that tends to fail within 80k miles (for B5's) The sunroof can be troublesome in most A4's. It is usually one of two things. You either need to clean the contacts (DIY-http://www.audiworld.com/tech/elec.html) or you need a new relay switch.
Which A4 should I get?
Depending on what year/generation you are interested in, there are several differences to take into consideration when it comes to performance, reliability and availability for future modifications. Quattro is a what Audi is most well known for when it comes to "options", and is most desireable over FWD . Try driving a FWD compared to a Quattro and you will know what I mean. They are completely different cars. It doesn’t matter if you live in a place where it doesn’t snow or other stuff like that. Quattro in my mind is a must when getting an Audi. Now which engine should you get? It depends on if you’re looking to mod the car, or if you want more reliability. The 1.8T has loads of mods and is more fun to drive in my opinion. The 2.8 is more reliable than the 1.8T but has practically no mods. It starts with 40 more hp than the 1.8T in stock form, but is also slightly heavier. The only way to get serious power out of the 2.8 is with a supercharger. But they cost 4-5 grand for a complete setup. Lots of info can be found out about supercharging the 2.8 at www.superchargedaudi.com Also more info can be found about this subject here: https://www.audiforums.com/m_355352/tm.htm
There is also a supercharger kit available for the 3.0 B6 model.
The newer generation A4's come with a 2.0T base engine and an optional 3.2 V6- both with optional multitronic, tiptronic, and 6 speed manual transmissions. And the brand new B8's that are about to come out in '08 have a 3.0TDI turbo diesel option. In case you didn't know TDI's are the cleanest diesel engines in the world, and the 3.0 is reported to get 25% better gas mileage and come with 240 horsepower and 406 lb-ft. of torque...STOCK!!
The A4 2.8/3.0
So you got an A4 without doing much research first and picked a 2.8/3.0 without knowing it had practically no mods for it, or maybe you just wanted the extra reliability but still want to mod it. So what parts are there for it? As for exhaust, there is Neuspeed, Decorsa, Thermal, Milltek, Supersprint, Greddy, Remus, and custom. For the 2.8 only Milltek and Greddy offer a full cat-back exhaust, Remus offers an axel back exhaust. The rest of those are for the 3.0. For chips, there is Neuspeed, GIAC, and Wetterauer. The Neuspeed chip claims 15whp for $300 but i kinda doubt it. GIAC's chip gives you 12hp for $500. NA engines dont get the kind of gains that forced induction engines do with chips. For intake there is Stratmosphere. For under drive pulley you have Unorthodox Racing. The last mod you can do to it is a supercharger. Pretty much the only major power mod for the 2.8. It’ll cost you around 4-5 grand, and you will be getting around 300 hp. Most people say you can't put a supercharger on a 12v, but PES said you can run their G2 with a 12v if your running standalone www.superchargedaudi.com has lots of info on superchargers and has group buys so you can get one for cheaper. No company makes a turbocharger for the 2.8 but some guys have made one-off setups so it’s possible. The downside is the relatively high compression ratio of the 2.8 (10.3:1)prevents you from running anything more than a few psi. So you'll spend more money and get the same results as the supercharger. Exhaust, intake, and a chip will get you about 20 hp. For a lot more detailed info on the 2.8 check out this link: https://www.audiforums.com/m_177186/tm.htm
(credit Grouse)
What year is my car/What are the differences between the generations?
If you want to know whether you have a 99 or a 99.5, or if you just want to know the differences of the exterior of the A4 over the years, then you should check out this link: http://ctny.audiworld.com/mark/a4/diff/ Engine wise the 97-99.5 are DBC and 2000+ are DBW. If you’re planning on extensively modding your car, DBC is easier to tune. If you’re just getting a chip and a few other mods, then it doesn't really matter. 99.5 is considered to be the best year because it is still DBC but it has all the upgrades the 2000+ had, like one-piece headlights, improved timing belt tensioner, and other stuff. In 2001, the stock hp rose from 150 hp to 170 hp. This was done through a k03s, which has a 5mm wheel shaft (k03 has 4mm), more aggressively angled fins on the compressor wheel and a reduction from 12 fins to 8, so it can hold more boost more efficiently, different compression (from 9.5:1 to 9.3:1) and different programming that increased the boost by .3 bar (from .5 to .8).
Also throughout the years the 1.8T engines have had different codes. 97-99.5 are AEB, 2000 are ATW, and 2001 are AWM. AEB engines are the best to work on and mod and have more aftermarket. They also have the largest port head and the biggest wrist pins (20mm) so they produce the most power. They use the 058 block w/ external water pump, no MAP sensor, and nbo2. ATW use the 058 block w/ external waterpump, MAP sensor, smaller port head, 20mm wrist pins, and nbo2. It has the AEB bottom end, with a smaller head. AWM is the same as the 02+ AMB engine with 06A block, internal waterpump, MAP sensor, 19mm wrist pins, and wbo2. For 2.8 B5, there were two different versions of the 2.8L V6 available. A 12v from 96-97, and the 30v was introduced in 98. The 12v motor is the least desireable, though it is very reliable at 170hp. The 30v is also very reliable and comes with a 190hp motor that (as stated numerous times) can be supercharged
B5 Model- 1996-2001.5
B6 Model- 2002-2005
B7 Model- 2005.5-2008
B8 Model- 09+
Auto vs. Manual
In a race a manual will beat an auto any day of the week. It can launch properly and shift faster (most of the time). The manual transmission will be able to handle any amount of power you’re going to be putting into the car. The tiptronic tranny will not be able to support anything above about ~300 ft. lbs of torque (quattro). Which means your limited to either a k04, elim series turbo, or T3T4. The quattro tiptronic tranny is much better than the FWD one. Some people have used up to a 71r elim on the quattro tranny, but a k04 would be pushing the limits of the FWD tranny. If your dead set on more power and have an auto tranny, then you can get a level 10 upgrade. http://www.levelten.com/ is where you can find info about that. The upgraded valve body is the most important part to handle more power. You can cut down on the shift time of the tiptronic with a tip chip. GIAC is the only choice for this. Also the automatic tranny will lose some power through the torque converter. A level 10 torque converter will probably free up some lost hp. An auto tranny can however shift a lot better than a human can in most cases, especially when you add a tip chip. Also you can't swap an engine that was from an auto car into one that is a manual or vice versa because the cranks shafts are different.
Ok so now for the people who actually have A4's
What mod should I do first?
Okay, so you just got your A4 and you want to start modding it. Which mods should you buy first? The absolute first thing you should do is a chip. By far it offers the most bang for the buck. Expect to pay around $500 for a good one + labor and tax. With this $500 you will be getting roughly 40-50 hp and 60-80 ft/lbs of tq. When you get a chip you will also have to upgrade the DV (diverter valve). The stock ones in the car are plastic and crappy and will not be able to handle the added boost the chip provides. You don't NEED to change it at the same time but there's no telling when the stock one will blow and its best to just do it at the same time. Next mods, you can get are intake (although the stock airbox is very efficient, and anything aftermarket is mainly for the cool sound), test pipe/hfc, exhaust, turbo inlet pipe, water/meth injection, and nitrous. You can do other mods that don’t add power like snub mount, short shifter, and suspension. What you do after that is entirely up to how far you want to take the car and how deep your pockets are. If you want to know what brands are available, keep reading.
How much power can the stock engine take?
Contrary to popular belief the 1.8T's engine does not have forged internals. The pistons are forged Mahle's, but thats it. The limit of a completely stock 1.8T is around 450hp/330ft lbs (with a good tune). After that your gona start snapping rods. Other than that, you dont need to touch anything else. You could swap in new pistons to lower the compression ratio, but the stock piston's have been proven to be able to handle over 700hp. If your gona be taking the engine to over 8k RPM (sometimes 7500RPM) than you'll also want to upgrade the valve springs so you dont float a valve. There are 900+ hp 1.8T's out there.
Other basic 1.8t engine facts
VW/Audi Engine Info
-058 Block: external water pump
-06A Block: internal water pump
-Displacement: 1.8L (1781cc)
-Firing Order: 1-3-4-2
-Cylinder #1 is next to the timing belt
-All catbacks are 2.17"
-Oil Capacity: 4.6qt (4.35L)
-Head bolt size: 11mm AEB, 10mm all others
Engine dimensions for OE engines: [ul][*]Bore size - 81mm (3.19in)
[*]Stroke - 86.4mm (3.40in)
[*]Rod Length - 144mm [/ul]
What chip should I get?
This is probably one of the most commonly asked and flamed questions on AF. GIAC, APR, and REVO are each going to give you very similar hp/tq gains, so to say one company is better than the other is pointless. Each company usually has dyno results posted on their website, but you have no way of knowing what conditions the dyno was taken under and each company usually overestimates its gains for marketing purposes. So what are the differences between them? The only difference between the companies is where that added power is applied in the RPM range. GIAC tends to give the power more in the low RPM’s whereas APR, and REVO tend to have more power in the higher RPM. As a general rule, if you have a B5 go with GIAC, if you have a B6 go with REVO, and if you have a B7 go with either APR or REVO. Why I say this is because this is the general consensus of the people on AF. People who have a B5 say that GIAC is the most fun to drive and it feels like the power is more available when you stomp down on the gas. People who have B6’s and B7’s usually say the same thing for REVO or APR. But power alone should not be the deciding factor in your decision. You also have to look at where each dealer is located and what their service is like. A good chip is useless without after sales support. You might want to upgrade the chip in the future to a more aggressive file so if a certain company offers discounts when upgrading you would want to pick that one. GIAC is one company in particular that will give you a discount on the proper software needed if you upgrade from your k03 turbo to a k04 turbo. Or if your going BT in the future Unitronics and REVO both have solid BT software.
There are other chips out there, but they usually are crap. Most people who buy Neuspeed chips say they are weak, even though Neuspeed claims really high gains for less money than it's competitors. Here’s a link http://www.carbuffsweb.com/shop.asp?...temSubTypeID=1 but personally I wouldn’t get one. Your ECU is not where you want to be skimping money on. Also, chips off of ebay are usually scams if it isn't an actual ecu that is being sold with an afermarket chip flashed or soldered into it. You can't get a REAL and quality chip for your Audi for less than $500 typically. Try to find a used chipped ecu in our classifieds section if the price is too steep for you. The only exception to this rule might be SpeedTuning and Inmotion. Both of these companies offer their chips at like half the price of the "good" chips. The guys who have bought them, like them, but there have been some problems, and people seem to have different results. Also there is no dyno results yet, and you have to send them your ECU so they can chip it, so your gona have some down time. But if your cheap, its a good option.
There is another option to a chip if you have a MAP equipped car (2000+). You could do a diode mod and be able to boost 16-18 psi safely. More info courtesy of cincyTT can be found here- https://www.audiforums.com/m_535568/tm.htm
What intake should I get?
The best intake you can probably get is Carbonio. However, this intake costs $389. That’s a a lot of money just for an intake. Personally, I would suggest an Evo intake over a Carbonio one. Costs quite a bit less but still does the job just as good. A lot of people suggest doing the air box mod. It’s cheap and does everything a new intake does but there is a little risk involved. Water may get in ingested and cause miss fires or even hydrolock. Most of the guys who have done it have never had any problem with it and highly recomend it. More info on it can be found here: https://www.audiforums.com/m_260779/tm.htm Also an intake DOES NOT add 15-20 hp as advertised by many companies. You might get a couple extra hp from a carbonio, evo intake, and even the stock air box mod, but don’t count on it. The only reason to get an intake is to make the turbo and DV more audiable. If you want a heatshield, there is a guy on audizine who sells a really good heatshield or you can make one yourself. http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ght=heatshieldBut on the 1.8T, a heat sheild isnt really important. The engine bay is cool when you car moving and also the air being sucked in will come out the turbo roughly the same temp as it would as if you had a CAI. The combination on heat from the turbine and compresion of the air will heat it to practically the same temp. This differnce will then be completly negated by the IC where it will be brought down to w/e % of ambient the IC is capable of, resulting in the same IAT's. As long as you dont place the intake on the maf directly above the turbo and manifold, you should be fine.
The cheapest way is to make your own. All you need is a 2.75" silicon connector to connect to the MAF and then whatever piping you want to run. Some just stick a filter on the end of the MAF, but that places it really close to the turbo, I would suggest using either a 90* bend or a u-bend and stick a BPI Flowstack on the end of that and you have just as good of an intake as Evoms.
Which exhaust/test pipe should I get?
Which exhaust you should get depends on what kind of sound you want. Neuspeed and some custom setups are and can definitely be the loudest. You must be careful when going custom to not end up with a ricerish sound. You need to make sure a custom exhaust is done at a reputable shop so you dont get exhaust leaks and poor construction. But done right, you can have the sound of a name brand exhaust at a fraction the price. Milltek gives the “classiest” or most "sophisticated and refined" sounding exhaust.. It is the most expensive exhaust but has a very nice deep tone to it. Borla is my personal choice. It’s cheaper than Milltek but still provides that nice deep tone. 2.25”- 2.5” exhaust is what you want to get. Unless you go BT, then you will want a 3” exhaust. A higher flowing exhaust should add as much as 10-15hp. If you want your car even louder and you want even more power you should also get a test pipe. Makes the exhaust so much more mean sounding but doesn't add that much overall power with a stock turbo. Not everyone can install a test pipe though. It gets rid of the cat and therefore you will not be able to pass rolling emissions with it, if your state just scans the car you will be fine. If you live in a state without emissions you are fine, but if you have emissions you can’t. Your best bet would be to then get a high flow cat or have new ends welded onto the cat. I have an ecode test pipe in my car and it sounds great with the Borla exhaust. Getting a custom exhaust is usually the best way to go with 2.8/3.0's because of the limited aftermarket. It’ll probably run you cheaper than buying an exhaust from a company and still works great. Here are some sound clips of different exhaust’s on A4’s:
Magnaflow
If you have the Audi A4 2.8 V6 http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...d/driving2.swf In Car Sound
If you have the Audi A4 2.8 V6 Click http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...ing_test3a.swf Car Launch
If you have the Audi A4 2.8 V6 http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...ing_test2a.swf Drive By Sound
If you have the Audi A4 1.8 I4 Click http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...dia4_incar.mp3 In Car Sound
If you have the Audi A4 1.8 I4 Click http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...ia4_launch.mp3 Car Launch
If you have the Audi A4 1.8 I4 http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...a4_driveby.mp3 Drive By Sound
If you have a B6 A4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRHjy...ed&search=
Milltek
Inside Cabin
http://www.stratmosphere.com/a4tqm_g...g_56_24000.wav
B6 1.8T Rev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2jR7wIdU-s
B6 3.0 Rev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6I8-XChsk
I thought I would create a newbie's guide to try and prevent questions from being asked over and over again.
First off, when you have a question you should search. We have no problems answering all your questions, provided that you searched for them first. Some questions have been asked so many times it's not even funny. It gets very annoying to the regular guys around here and that’s why we flame them for it. If you have a question that hasn't been answered, or you need further clarification, then absolutely post a new thread and we will help you out to the best of our ability. However, you should not be starting new threads for questions already answered a million times. Why? Because it's just plain annoying, and because it clutters up the forum and makes it harder for people to search when their search results contain hundreds of threads composed of just stupid questions and people flaming them for asking. To help you newbie's out, I made this list of commonly asked questions.
Ok let's start off with the people who are looking to buy an A4.
Should I get an Audi?
It depends on your financial situation. If you are a poor teenager, then this most likely isn’t the car for you. You should have at least an extra grand after purchasing the car for repairs/maintenance. Audi’s are not cheap cars to own and maintain. The parts for the car really aren’t that expensive, although there are some exceptions. The real killer is the labor. The car cannot be serviced/repaired everywhere and the places that can do it charge you up the wazoo for labor. Working on an Audi really isn’t that much different from working on other cars though. So if you are mechanically inclined and can DIY for most things, then that will cut down on the cost of owning one significantly.
How reliable are Audi’s?
Audi’s, contrary to popular belief, are reliable cars. They just need a little more attention than other cars do. A car is only going to be as reliable as you are. If you change the oil every 5k miles with synthetic oil, put in 91 or higher octane gas, and do all the other required maintenance at its recommended intervals than the car will be very reliable. These engine’s are a marvel of German technology and are capable of exceeding 200k+ miles on them no problem. The 2.8 tends to be more reliable than the 1.8T because of the lack of forced induction. Depending on which generation A4 (B5, B6, B7, etc.) they each have their own notorious flaws just like a lot of other cars. Do keep in mind though, as far as reliabilty, Audi just can't compete with a Honda or Toyota. The style and uniqueness of Audi is legendary, and makes ownership and the satisfaction of driving in general top notch compared to any other car maker. This tends to make up for any of Audis shortcomings as far as less than top notch reliability goes.
Common Problems
Common problems on A4's are timing belt, control arms, tie rod ends, oil sludge, and sometimes wheel bearings, window regulators, abs module, and the sunroof. The timing belt tenioners in 97-99 models were a bad design. If you have a pre-2000, its better to do it sooner (60-70k miles) if it's never been done because of the crappy tensioner. Post-2000- You can wait an extra couple thousand miles but i would do it around 80k. If the timing belt snaps you are pretty much f*cked. It will most likely push the pistons up and bend the valves and other nasty stuff due to being an interference engine type, unless you are really lucky and didn't get internal damage. The former will require an engine rebuild. While having your timing belt changed, you also might as well change the water pump and a other belts. The best way is to buy a kit from renn-art, pure motorsports, or ecs tuning (our sponsors found in the Audi links.) Currently, purems has the cheapest kit. If you do it yourself it will run you roughly $300, or, you can get a local tuner to do it. A good price is around $600- $700, and if you take it to the stealership, it typcialy runs between $1,000 and $1,500!! Oil sludge is more of a problem for the 1.8T than the 2.8. Just make sure to use fully synthetic oil, and use the larger OEM updated oil filter (for the 1.8t.) Change it every 3-5k miles and you won't ever have to worry about this. For B5 models, the bushings and overall design are just no durable enough to go longer than 80k miles (sometimes less.) For the tie rods- it's just a bad design by Audi that tends to fail within 80k miles (for B5's) The sunroof can be troublesome in most A4's. It is usually one of two things. You either need to clean the contacts (DIY-http://www.audiworld.com/tech/elec.html) or you need a new relay switch.
Which A4 should I get?
Depending on what year/generation you are interested in, there are several differences to take into consideration when it comes to performance, reliability and availability for future modifications. Quattro is a what Audi is most well known for when it comes to "options", and is most desireable over FWD . Try driving a FWD compared to a Quattro and you will know what I mean. They are completely different cars. It doesn’t matter if you live in a place where it doesn’t snow or other stuff like that. Quattro in my mind is a must when getting an Audi. Now which engine should you get? It depends on if you’re looking to mod the car, or if you want more reliability. The 1.8T has loads of mods and is more fun to drive in my opinion. The 2.8 is more reliable than the 1.8T but has practically no mods. It starts with 40 more hp than the 1.8T in stock form, but is also slightly heavier. The only way to get serious power out of the 2.8 is with a supercharger. But they cost 4-5 grand for a complete setup. Lots of info can be found out about supercharging the 2.8 at www.superchargedaudi.com Also more info can be found about this subject here: https://www.audiforums.com/m_355352/tm.htm
There is also a supercharger kit available for the 3.0 B6 model.
The newer generation A4's come with a 2.0T base engine and an optional 3.2 V6- both with optional multitronic, tiptronic, and 6 speed manual transmissions. And the brand new B8's that are about to come out in '08 have a 3.0TDI turbo diesel option. In case you didn't know TDI's are the cleanest diesel engines in the world, and the 3.0 is reported to get 25% better gas mileage and come with 240 horsepower and 406 lb-ft. of torque...STOCK!!
The A4 2.8/3.0
So you got an A4 without doing much research first and picked a 2.8/3.0 without knowing it had practically no mods for it, or maybe you just wanted the extra reliability but still want to mod it. So what parts are there for it? As for exhaust, there is Neuspeed, Decorsa, Thermal, Milltek, Supersprint, Greddy, Remus, and custom. For the 2.8 only Milltek and Greddy offer a full cat-back exhaust, Remus offers an axel back exhaust. The rest of those are for the 3.0. For chips, there is Neuspeed, GIAC, and Wetterauer. The Neuspeed chip claims 15whp for $300 but i kinda doubt it. GIAC's chip gives you 12hp for $500. NA engines dont get the kind of gains that forced induction engines do with chips. For intake there is Stratmosphere. For under drive pulley you have Unorthodox Racing. The last mod you can do to it is a supercharger. Pretty much the only major power mod for the 2.8. It’ll cost you around 4-5 grand, and you will be getting around 300 hp. Most people say you can't put a supercharger on a 12v, but PES said you can run their G2 with a 12v if your running standalone www.superchargedaudi.com has lots of info on superchargers and has group buys so you can get one for cheaper. No company makes a turbocharger for the 2.8 but some guys have made one-off setups so it’s possible. The downside is the relatively high compression ratio of the 2.8 (10.3:1)prevents you from running anything more than a few psi. So you'll spend more money and get the same results as the supercharger. Exhaust, intake, and a chip will get you about 20 hp. For a lot more detailed info on the 2.8 check out this link: https://www.audiforums.com/m_177186/tm.htm
(credit Grouse)
What year is my car/What are the differences between the generations?
If you want to know whether you have a 99 or a 99.5, or if you just want to know the differences of the exterior of the A4 over the years, then you should check out this link: http://ctny.audiworld.com/mark/a4/diff/ Engine wise the 97-99.5 are DBC and 2000+ are DBW. If you’re planning on extensively modding your car, DBC is easier to tune. If you’re just getting a chip and a few other mods, then it doesn't really matter. 99.5 is considered to be the best year because it is still DBC but it has all the upgrades the 2000+ had, like one-piece headlights, improved timing belt tensioner, and other stuff. In 2001, the stock hp rose from 150 hp to 170 hp. This was done through a k03s, which has a 5mm wheel shaft (k03 has 4mm), more aggressively angled fins on the compressor wheel and a reduction from 12 fins to 8, so it can hold more boost more efficiently, different compression (from 9.5:1 to 9.3:1) and different programming that increased the boost by .3 bar (from .5 to .8).
Also throughout the years the 1.8T engines have had different codes. 97-99.5 are AEB, 2000 are ATW, and 2001 are AWM. AEB engines are the best to work on and mod and have more aftermarket. They also have the largest port head and the biggest wrist pins (20mm) so they produce the most power. They use the 058 block w/ external water pump, no MAP sensor, and nbo2. ATW use the 058 block w/ external waterpump, MAP sensor, smaller port head, 20mm wrist pins, and nbo2. It has the AEB bottom end, with a smaller head. AWM is the same as the 02+ AMB engine with 06A block, internal waterpump, MAP sensor, 19mm wrist pins, and wbo2. For 2.8 B5, there were two different versions of the 2.8L V6 available. A 12v from 96-97, and the 30v was introduced in 98. The 12v motor is the least desireable, though it is very reliable at 170hp. The 30v is also very reliable and comes with a 190hp motor that (as stated numerous times) can be supercharged
B5 Model- 1996-2001.5
B6 Model- 2002-2005
B7 Model- 2005.5-2008
B8 Model- 09+
Auto vs. Manual
In a race a manual will beat an auto any day of the week. It can launch properly and shift faster (most of the time). The manual transmission will be able to handle any amount of power you’re going to be putting into the car. The tiptronic tranny will not be able to support anything above about ~300 ft. lbs of torque (quattro). Which means your limited to either a k04, elim series turbo, or T3T4. The quattro tiptronic tranny is much better than the FWD one. Some people have used up to a 71r elim on the quattro tranny, but a k04 would be pushing the limits of the FWD tranny. If your dead set on more power and have an auto tranny, then you can get a level 10 upgrade. http://www.levelten.com/ is where you can find info about that. The upgraded valve body is the most important part to handle more power. You can cut down on the shift time of the tiptronic with a tip chip. GIAC is the only choice for this. Also the automatic tranny will lose some power through the torque converter. A level 10 torque converter will probably free up some lost hp. An auto tranny can however shift a lot better than a human can in most cases, especially when you add a tip chip. Also you can't swap an engine that was from an auto car into one that is a manual or vice versa because the cranks shafts are different.
Ok so now for the people who actually have A4's
What mod should I do first?
Okay, so you just got your A4 and you want to start modding it. Which mods should you buy first? The absolute first thing you should do is a chip. By far it offers the most bang for the buck. Expect to pay around $500 for a good one + labor and tax. With this $500 you will be getting roughly 40-50 hp and 60-80 ft/lbs of tq. When you get a chip you will also have to upgrade the DV (diverter valve). The stock ones in the car are plastic and crappy and will not be able to handle the added boost the chip provides. You don't NEED to change it at the same time but there's no telling when the stock one will blow and its best to just do it at the same time. Next mods, you can get are intake (although the stock airbox is very efficient, and anything aftermarket is mainly for the cool sound), test pipe/hfc, exhaust, turbo inlet pipe, water/meth injection, and nitrous. You can do other mods that don’t add power like snub mount, short shifter, and suspension. What you do after that is entirely up to how far you want to take the car and how deep your pockets are. If you want to know what brands are available, keep reading.
How much power can the stock engine take?
Contrary to popular belief the 1.8T's engine does not have forged internals. The pistons are forged Mahle's, but thats it. The limit of a completely stock 1.8T is around 450hp/330ft lbs (with a good tune). After that your gona start snapping rods. Other than that, you dont need to touch anything else. You could swap in new pistons to lower the compression ratio, but the stock piston's have been proven to be able to handle over 700hp. If your gona be taking the engine to over 8k RPM (sometimes 7500RPM) than you'll also want to upgrade the valve springs so you dont float a valve. There are 900+ hp 1.8T's out there.
Other basic 1.8t engine facts
VW/Audi Engine Info
-058 Block: external water pump
-06A Block: internal water pump
-Displacement: 1.8L (1781cc)
-Firing Order: 1-3-4-2
-Cylinder #1 is next to the timing belt
-All catbacks are 2.17"
-Oil Capacity: 4.6qt (4.35L)
-Head bolt size: 11mm AEB, 10mm all others
Engine dimensions for OE engines: [ul][*]Bore size - 81mm (3.19in)
[*]Stroke - 86.4mm (3.40in)
[*]Rod Length - 144mm [/ul]
What chip should I get?
This is probably one of the most commonly asked and flamed questions on AF. GIAC, APR, and REVO are each going to give you very similar hp/tq gains, so to say one company is better than the other is pointless. Each company usually has dyno results posted on their website, but you have no way of knowing what conditions the dyno was taken under and each company usually overestimates its gains for marketing purposes. So what are the differences between them? The only difference between the companies is where that added power is applied in the RPM range. GIAC tends to give the power more in the low RPM’s whereas APR, and REVO tend to have more power in the higher RPM. As a general rule, if you have a B5 go with GIAC, if you have a B6 go with REVO, and if you have a B7 go with either APR or REVO. Why I say this is because this is the general consensus of the people on AF. People who have a B5 say that GIAC is the most fun to drive and it feels like the power is more available when you stomp down on the gas. People who have B6’s and B7’s usually say the same thing for REVO or APR. But power alone should not be the deciding factor in your decision. You also have to look at where each dealer is located and what their service is like. A good chip is useless without after sales support. You might want to upgrade the chip in the future to a more aggressive file so if a certain company offers discounts when upgrading you would want to pick that one. GIAC is one company in particular that will give you a discount on the proper software needed if you upgrade from your k03 turbo to a k04 turbo. Or if your going BT in the future Unitronics and REVO both have solid BT software.
There are other chips out there, but they usually are crap. Most people who buy Neuspeed chips say they are weak, even though Neuspeed claims really high gains for less money than it's competitors. Here’s a link http://www.carbuffsweb.com/shop.asp?...temSubTypeID=1 but personally I wouldn’t get one. Your ECU is not where you want to be skimping money on. Also, chips off of ebay are usually scams if it isn't an actual ecu that is being sold with an afermarket chip flashed or soldered into it. You can't get a REAL and quality chip for your Audi for less than $500 typically. Try to find a used chipped ecu in our classifieds section if the price is too steep for you. The only exception to this rule might be SpeedTuning and Inmotion. Both of these companies offer their chips at like half the price of the "good" chips. The guys who have bought them, like them, but there have been some problems, and people seem to have different results. Also there is no dyno results yet, and you have to send them your ECU so they can chip it, so your gona have some down time. But if your cheap, its a good option.
There is another option to a chip if you have a MAP equipped car (2000+). You could do a diode mod and be able to boost 16-18 psi safely. More info courtesy of cincyTT can be found here- https://www.audiforums.com/m_535568/tm.htm
What intake should I get?
The best intake you can probably get is Carbonio. However, this intake costs $389. That’s a a lot of money just for an intake. Personally, I would suggest an Evo intake over a Carbonio one. Costs quite a bit less but still does the job just as good. A lot of people suggest doing the air box mod. It’s cheap and does everything a new intake does but there is a little risk involved. Water may get in ingested and cause miss fires or even hydrolock. Most of the guys who have done it have never had any problem with it and highly recomend it. More info on it can be found here: https://www.audiforums.com/m_260779/tm.htm Also an intake DOES NOT add 15-20 hp as advertised by many companies. You might get a couple extra hp from a carbonio, evo intake, and even the stock air box mod, but don’t count on it. The only reason to get an intake is to make the turbo and DV more audiable. If you want a heatshield, there is a guy on audizine who sells a really good heatshield or you can make one yourself. http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ght=heatshieldBut on the 1.8T, a heat sheild isnt really important. The engine bay is cool when you car moving and also the air being sucked in will come out the turbo roughly the same temp as it would as if you had a CAI. The combination on heat from the turbine and compresion of the air will heat it to practically the same temp. This differnce will then be completly negated by the IC where it will be brought down to w/e % of ambient the IC is capable of, resulting in the same IAT's. As long as you dont place the intake on the maf directly above the turbo and manifold, you should be fine.
The cheapest way is to make your own. All you need is a 2.75" silicon connector to connect to the MAF and then whatever piping you want to run. Some just stick a filter on the end of the MAF, but that places it really close to the turbo, I would suggest using either a 90* bend or a u-bend and stick a BPI Flowstack on the end of that and you have just as good of an intake as Evoms.
Which exhaust/test pipe should I get?
Which exhaust you should get depends on what kind of sound you want. Neuspeed and some custom setups are and can definitely be the loudest. You must be careful when going custom to not end up with a ricerish sound. You need to make sure a custom exhaust is done at a reputable shop so you dont get exhaust leaks and poor construction. But done right, you can have the sound of a name brand exhaust at a fraction the price. Milltek gives the “classiest” or most "sophisticated and refined" sounding exhaust.. It is the most expensive exhaust but has a very nice deep tone to it. Borla is my personal choice. It’s cheaper than Milltek but still provides that nice deep tone. 2.25”- 2.5” exhaust is what you want to get. Unless you go BT, then you will want a 3” exhaust. A higher flowing exhaust should add as much as 10-15hp. If you want your car even louder and you want even more power you should also get a test pipe. Makes the exhaust so much more mean sounding but doesn't add that much overall power with a stock turbo. Not everyone can install a test pipe though. It gets rid of the cat and therefore you will not be able to pass rolling emissions with it, if your state just scans the car you will be fine. If you live in a state without emissions you are fine, but if you have emissions you can’t. Your best bet would be to then get a high flow cat or have new ends welded onto the cat. I have an ecode test pipe in my car and it sounds great with the Borla exhaust. Getting a custom exhaust is usually the best way to go with 2.8/3.0's because of the limited aftermarket. It’ll probably run you cheaper than buying an exhaust from a company and still works great. Here are some sound clips of different exhaust’s on A4’s:
Magnaflow
If you have the Audi A4 2.8 V6 http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...d/driving2.swf In Car Sound
If you have the Audi A4 2.8 V6 Click http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...ing_test3a.swf Car Launch
If you have the Audi A4 2.8 V6 http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...ing_test2a.swf Drive By Sound
If you have the Audi A4 1.8 I4 Click http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...dia4_incar.mp3 In Car Sound
If you have the Audi A4 1.8 I4 Click http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...ia4_launch.mp3 Car Launch
If you have the Audi A4 1.8 I4 http://images.magnaflow.com/04sound/...a4_driveby.mp3 Drive By Sound
If you have a B6 A4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRHjy...ed&search=
Milltek
Inside Cabin
http://www.stratmosphere.com/a4tqm_g...g_56_24000.wav
B6 1.8T Rev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2jR7wIdU-s
B6 3.0 Rev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p6I8-XChsk
Last edited by onepoint8tee; Aug 4, 2008 at 11:15 PM.
RE: Newbie Guide Version 2
ORIGINAL: chaos92287
bump, can anyone do a quick t3t4 writeup to add to the turbo's section?
bump, can anyone do a quick t3t4 writeup to add to the turbo's section?
nice write up man, you know they make this thing that you take with water....... it is called a sleeping pill
Administrator
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,670
From: Binghamton, NY
RE: Newbie Guide Version 2
Good stuff - might want to add in on the "eBay" section about the testpipes on there. We had a thread this week regarding that and several guys chimed in positively about them - it could be worth a mention. Nice writeup!