Here is my dilema, i am a japanese car enthusiast, i was going to get an 02-05 subaru wrx however i am second guessing this because i am going to build a drift 240sx this winter so maybe i shouldnt have a manuel car as a daily driver and save myself the extra work, my uncle has a 05' A4 1.8t S line it has 80k miles, he wants to give it to me because he want to get an suv, im not sure what the hp is on it i think i read like 180? But if idk if i should keep it or just sell it.. If i was going to keep it i was thinking of getting an APR stage 1 ecu but idk if that works on the automatic trannys? So basically im asking if anyone can convince me i should keep it and not sell it & what performance upgrades are recomended.. Thanks!

 

Stock 1.8T makes 170 HP. APR Stage 1 will take it up to about 210. Stage 1+ with upgraded injectors is worth another 20HP or so. With either of those ECU upgrades, you really ought to switch to an upgraded diverter valve as well, as the stock one is not designed for and cannot handle the higher boost pressure you'll generate with the ECU upgrades. The automatic should handle a Stage 1 just fine; I'm not sure about Stage 1+ and beyond. Before worrying about upgrades, though, I'd take a look at the tires; it either just got a new set or is about to need one. (The records I have from the previous owner(s) of my car show that the original tires were replaced at 39K miles, and I did them again at about 80K.)

The A4 is definitely a nice car, but it won't be as fast as that WRX without putting significant money into it. I'm not sure why you think a manual trans isn't ok as a daily driver though; my A4 is a manual, and it's my daily driver. I suppose if you're constantly in stop and go traffic, it could be annoying, but other than that circumstance, I don't see why it would be a problem.

As far as whether to keep or sell the A4 goes, I'd base that on two things; do you like driving it, and has your uncle done the maintenance on schedule and otherwise taken good care of it? (This includes having done the timing belt by now, as 80K is about the latest that should get done.) If the answer to both of those questions is yes, then keep it. If either is a no, sell it; you should be able to get a decent amount of money for it. I'm unclear on one thing though - you said he wants to give it to you; does that mean for free? (If so, the timing belt thing gets thrown out the window - if you're getting the car for free, paying to do the T-belt is no big deal.)

 

Tires have been replaced, i dont think the timing belt has, and yeah id get the car for free, & idk i want a manuel wrx but if i get a stage 1 ecu & carbonio intake and upgrade the diverter valve like you say is neccessary (what diverter do u recomend?) i know about BOV's but not too much on diverters. I think it will be decently fast and the car and with the s line suspension, factory 18's & tints it might make up for it being auto... Cant really make up my mind... Because the ecu alone is $500 and the intake is like 375$ i think... If i had a wrx & $875 i could prob make it way faster but idk i cnt make up my mind =\

 

can the WRX be had for free?

BTW, a Carbino intake is a waste of money... Stock is plenty good enough until you start making some real good power

 

Nope, id have to sell the 1.8 n i could prob find an 02 for like 7500-9000 05s are more expensive.... I also considerd finding someone who wants to trade me for there 2000-2002 s4, those are quick rite? And you can easily mod it faster rite?

 

A diverter valve is basically a BOV that recirculates the excess air rather than venting it to atmosphere. It's necessary to go that route with these cars because the air in question has already been metered by the MAF sensor, which means that if you vent it to atmo, your air/fuel ratio will get messed up and the car will run weirdly and eventually throw codes because of it. As far as which one to use, the Forge 007 and APR R1 are both known to be good. The Bosch 710N valve is supposed to be ok as well. Personally, I'm curious about the Synchronic DV, as it claims to offer really fast actuation, but nobody here seems to have tried it yet, so long-term suitability for the 1.8T is unknown. Most of these options are under $200, for the record.

 

Do you think i could get a hybrid valve and divert 50% and 50 to the atmosphere or will i run rich? I could prob divert like 80-90% and leave 10 to the atmosphere n get a decent sound i think.. But couldnt you just tune your car so it doesnt run rich & i wonder if you still tune ur car if you have the apr stage 1.. I think im gunna keep the audi, it looks sleek and sexy, also what happens if i didnt replace the timing belt?

 

If you're venting any amount of metered air to atmosphere, you're going to cause the air/fuel mix to be off. In order to make it not run rich, you'd have to either convert to running without a MAF, which presents its own challenges, or you *might* be able to monkey around with the plumbing to get the MAF to be after the BOV (I'm not sure if that's even possible - I'm just talking about theory here), such that you'd then be venting unmetered air. Either way sounds like too much of a pain to be worth the effort just for a sound.

As far as not replacing the T-belt goes, you're sitting on a ticking bomb if you do that. Eventually, it'll fail while the car is running, and you'll have valves smacking into pistons, resulting in a need for MAJOR, EXPENSIVE repair. Yes, the T-belt is expensive to do, but I promise it's cheaper than a top end rebuild with new valves, pistons, and heads.

 

Yeah alright im jus gunna get 100% redirected valve then its not worth the trouble, n how much would u estimate getting the timing belt done costs? & if i got an intake and a new valve & ecu im sure that would make it sound good but the carbonio is the only legit cold air i think n its so much $ but they make cheaper intakes with the cone filters that stay in the engine bay which is basically just a short ram but if u put a heat shield it would prob be decent..?

 

the 2.7T B5 S4 (2000-2002) is a beast... 500 AWHP is easily attainable with the right money... I'm having a hard time deciding if I would rather have the older 2.7T, or the newer 4.2 V8... But either way, it will be an S4!