Hey everyone, I'm a "new member" to the forum but I've been reading through the forum for quite a while. I purchased a completely stock quartz grey B7 2.0T multitronic over summer (I now very much regret not looking for a quattro and manual, but it is what it is...). I'd like to start out with APR stage 1 upgrade but my parents aren't completely down with that which is the only thing stopping me at the moment...I co-signed with my dad to buy the car although I'm paying for it 100%. I know I can do whatever I want, but I respect them and just need a convincing answer to give when they ask 'why do you need it to go faster?'...hmmm

Enough of my story though lol, my question is what's a good exhaust system I can get that will be able to slightly increase the performance and sound good but isn't obnoxious? I've looked around but I'd like some input from you guys.

Also, I'd like to get a new bumper and can't stop looking at the Kerscher...
http://www.forgestar.com/blog/pics/b8audi1.jpg
The only downside is I can only find it in the UK...What do you think?

I apologize if I posted in the wrong place, thanks for any advice though!

 

Check out Milltek. They provide a not-too-loud exhaust with great sound.

 

Exhaust as not going to give you much other than sound. The main piece for flow is the Cat where a hi-flow cat or test pipe would be useful. That would require a chip though to tune out the engine light.

Have you read my stickey? Honestly your parents would never know your car was chipped if you did it. Don't be a panzy lol.

 

the catalytic converter is easily the biggest bottleneck in the whole car. if you don't want to chip it, get a high flow cat installed. after you're allowed to chip it, replace the cat with a test pipe and get APR stage 2.

or like MacPaul said, they won't even notice when you install the stage 1. i barely noticed the difference when i got it. my wife didn't notice at all.

 

Try this for an argument with your parents. On paper the APR reflash also gives you better mileage. In reality, if you drive 'happily' it really won't, but they won't know that. On Highway it probably will give you better mileage. in my experience I haven't noticed much of a difference, but I don't do much highway. Plus, you can always switch it back to stock mode.

 

Thanks for the replies...The milltek sounds pretty good, I also really like the stasis downpipe exhaust but idk if the downpipe would really help much? I'm probably gonna get the chip no matter what, itll probably just be a few months.

Another quick question: do you guys always use 91 octane or higher? Some people say it doesn't matter and others say youll kill the engine if you use standard. And as for the chip, do you have to follow the octane ratings for the different settings? Or can you use 91 on the 93 mode, etc?
Thanks again

 

unless you have money to throw away don't change the exhaust system other than replacing the cat with high flow or test. the rest of the exhaust system is fine. 95% of the improved flow comes from removing the OEM cat.

i use 91 because it's the highest octane around my city. so i got the 91 APR stage 1. i never use anything less. only 91 or more. if you can't afford the gas which audi recommends, then get something else.

 

Alright, Ill probably go with the milltek then. I can afford 91 but ive just always used 87 cause I didn't think it made that big of a difference.

 

Yeah, definitely don't drive it with anything less than 91. Also if you go APR, don't drive it on 93 mode with 91 gas. That's what I was told by the installers at least. I have 93 everywhere in my area, so I didn't bother getting the 91 mode, but they said if I ever go somewhere where they only had 91, I should switch it back to stock, and not drive it in a mode tuned for higher octane.

P.S. I want Santa to drop me a test pipe down the chimney... my kind of Christmas miracle!

 

Higher octane resists abnormal combustion at the higher compression ratio our engines run at. Usually knocking or pinging happens when the fuel explodes from the compression in the engine instead of the spark from the spark plug. This will eventually damage your engine. Like esandes said, if you can't afford or don't want to put 91 or higher (we only have 87/89/93 here), then sell your Audi and get something else that doesn't require 91+.

Some engines now have knock sensors and the ability to dial back the compression ratio via the ECU so you can run on lower octane fuel and just not have the performance, but to my knowledge, Audi is not one of those.

Engine knocking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Don't waste money on upgrades if you can't get a chip. You're just tossing money down the toilet.