Replace or upgrade
 

I love my Audi 98 A4 1.8TQM but I'm left wanting more power, i eventually want to build some serious power 500+, so I'll ask you what would be the better option i still want this one to be street able (built my Fiero now i never drive it) I'm pretty sure a quattro car will be better for daily driving with high hp. But should i sell my car and buy an s4 or should i build my current a4, my car's already chipped, lowered on 18's with some sound goodies inside. I'm pretty sure i'll want to run a dual stage boost controller when I'm done. What would you guys do and what would be the most practical when I'm done

I'd sell it and buy an S4 for a daily. Stage 3 that thing.

500+ HP on a 1.8T is going to be expensive and pretty tough to DD. To hit that number you're going to have to run a 2L stroker with a built top end and a ginormous turbo. I think a stage 3 S4 will be much more practical (but also quite expensive)

concur with all the above...

Yeah that's kind of what i was thinking, but the 1.8 sounds more fun to build, lol. the s4 will sound better, and spool faster, so it will probably be the better option in the real world, and on a track, plus it'll probably hold up better when you not quadrupling the horsepower.

Right. Like I said, you'd need a huge turbo to make 500+ on a 1.8, and at that point it kinda stops being a practical DD because you don't make power until 4500rpm. With an S4 you'd be able to run K04's or Tial 605's (which is still a pretty big ass turbo) and still make huge HP but with a more reasonable power band.

I'm going to go with the s4 but for 500hp 1.8 can't you run a Garrett GTX3071 which spools around 3500rpm or a k26/gt3071 hybrid (available at 034) which is supposed to spool around 3000rpm.

You'd have to run pretty high boost to get that much HP from those turbos though. My point is that making that kind of HP on a 1.8 requires a turbo that doesn't really lend itself to being a daily driver

Agreed. Start with a car that already makes more power and build it up. Or just buy a stage 3. It'll cost as much as the mods for a stock S4 to take it to stage 3. Far less compromise in a 500hp S4 than in a 1.8T at that level.

Very simple rods pro maff 630 tune bye jeff at united motorsports gt30 450whp thats very cheap and will whip on s4all day long. or cheaper route the 440 tune and gt28rs with vr6 maff 340 whp very fun Remeber 3 stage cluth if not bye bye clutch

Stage 3 S4 is a lot more streetable than that setup. High revs are fun but who wants to rev the tits off it in every gear, every time it's driven, in order to hit the fat part of the powerband. 10psi on a stage 3 S4 hits low and is plenty fast when you aren't trying to gut someone, and when you are, you hold the gear longer, hit 20psi or more, and leave everyone behind. The engine is stronger, starts out more powerful, requires less wrenching to make that power, and is faster in relaxed driving.

why does everyone want 500hp?

you want to beat that z06 that won't race and the ones that will will have more than 500hp


i have a gtrs and have alot of fun

you could go fullbody 2871 and have even more fun or 3071/6 and even more fun or build a hx35 car and have just as much fun as the others.....


you can "easily" build an s4 to 500hp and be streetable but break anything and your out more $'s than the a4..... to get the s4 there is going to be coin as well



i think you guys need to start searching and researching before asking questions or thinking about this stuff then when you have facts ask the ?'s

Hard to argue that, Jeff. In the last five years I've seen a lot of threads by guys wanting huge power and in general I doubt any have driven even a 300hp car on the street, let alone 400, 500, or more. The truth is, the ability to use that much power on the street is limited by a lot of things. That being said, a full stage 3 S4 to me is still the more streetable of the two options by a good margin, and is the one I'd get. Additionally, it'd cost about the same to buy a stage 3 car these days as it would to mod a stock one to that level AFTER you already have the car. And it seems that the stage 3 cars are far more reliable than stock ones since a lot of the fail-prone parts are replaced in the build and most owners also address other areas such as suspension, cooling, brakes, and mounts. S4 still gets vote IF there is a 500hp hole in your life that you feel you must fill.

i agree on the s4 part.... buying one is built is cheaper, and the replaced parts were probably needed anyways

now on the other hand.... i drive a 350chp car daily and very rarely use that power, on the streets that is.... and when i do it is few and far between..... look at mike he has a bad ass 630whp car, but it is a track car...... i think anything more than 300whp-375whp is too much for a dd


and most people can't afford to come out of pocket for an s4 much less a stage 3 car, or build a stage 3 car, after buying a s4

gotta realize most banks won't loan on a car 10yrs or older



just keep your a4, and either build it for a full body 2871 or even just do an elim kit and call it a day

The main reason i want 500hp is because it doesn't cost much more to build compared to a 350hp A4, you already have to put in rods and add a new turbo, new clutch, bigger injectors, a custom tune, the only things that are much more is a main girdle and a stud kits. And for 4-5k in upgrades (plus a 50 hours of work) I'd rather have more than an additional 100hp. and i want to run a dual stage boost pressure regulator, low boost for DD, high boost for:D

EDIT: I pay cash for all my cars, no banks required :)

The point is that the size of the turbo required to flow 500hp worth of air means it's a laggy bastard, whether you open the gate at 350 or at 500hp. Sizing the turbo to make 350 means it can be smaller and spool faster. If it's big enough to make 500, it's gonna lag quite a bit and that compromises streetability, which will be further compromised by the clutch required to hold it. I've driven some very high horsepower "street" cars and yeah, the rush when the boost finally hits is great, but until then every Cavalier seems to pull like a Z06. I'd rather have a more responsive car that spools faster, even if its ultimate output is lower. You can beat more powerful laggy cars in such a vehicle, simply because of the amount of time you have to access that boost.

To me, faster response on the street is the way to go, hence the nod to the S4. In my mind, "hit the gas, wait wait wait wait wait wait holymotherfuckerSHIFT" and then repeat in the next gear is very little fun at all.

Yeah agreed, turbo lag sucks I've almost lost a couple 0-60 races because of it. What would be the best turbo upgrade for an s4 and at what point do you have to change the rods.

A straight stage 3 runs K04-015 turbos. Some guys opt up for hybrid RS6 turbos or then up to GT series. K04s will make you very fast on their own (with the rest of the build), and you can get 500chp on them with an aggressive tune. Rods seem to hold fine even at 500whp from what I hear but I'm not an expert on that.

I have a 1999 a4 1.8 quattro as well, Iam looking to build to get around 300-350 hp. Ive been looking at junkyard turbos... such as one off of a cummings. What would i have to do to reach what iam looking for? Such has engine parts and tranny. Or would i be suggested to the s4? (its kinda out of the question for my budget)

Read the FAQ up top. God help you, you can't just slap on a turbo and turn up the boost.

Not trying to be rude, but If you want to piece together a turbo kit you might just want to sell your car and buy a Honda, that way you wouldn't be ruining $5000 worth of car if something happens, but to answer your question, (just from what I've read) Your going to be looking for the equivalent of a gt2871. You'll need a different exhaust manifold (cast iron is best) and probably a down pipe. If the turbo you get doesn't have a waste gate then you need an external, DV upgrade, intake tube, tuning, and injectors. Your also right on the edge of needing to replace your rods, and a clutch should be on the list too (and don't get a spec stage 3 they're intolerable). You will be better off getting one of these 1.8T Quattro GT28RS Turbo Kit - 034 MOTORSPORT than buying a used turbo and all the stuff to make it work, but you still will want rods, fuel injectors and tuning, Your talking $3-4k, and I'm not an expert I've just been looking into this stuff for the last couple weeks.