hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

You guys have one nice forum here, and for the past 4 years i've been driving BMW, at the moment i'm driving a a E36 S52 BMW M3, which to say the least is one hell of a car to drive :) I've owned two BMW's so far, the first being a E36 328i sport. I've been looking at switching camps to Audi within six months but I am terribly torn between Audi and BMW which i've grown to know so well. Both car companies, in my opinion, are the two best german car companies out there. Unfortunately I have never driven an Audi, but at the moment i've been looking more and more at them, Mainly the A3 S-line or an S4...unfortunately I am not up to par at the comparison between the two companies. My driving style revolves around handling and handling and handling, and an assload of speed...i could care less about doing donuts as i think they are childish these days, i'm more focused on control and the speeds at which control is pushed...perhaps this could help you guys make a suggestion? I'm also an avid tuner, whatever i can do to make the car brake harder, accelerate faster, turn sharper, i will do to it :) So again I'm lookin at the 2006-07 A3 s-line or an S4...i've been searching and found tid bits here and there, but could someone give me a run down on the two models, what year s4 should i get and what not? and which is more tuneable as if i'm going to make a crossover, i'd at least like it to be faster than what i am currently driving.....(and faster than mustangs...good god do i hate mustangs with a passion!)
Thanks for reading and once again, excellent forum, and a bunch of nice people (some of the guys on bimmerforums are pricks)

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

Ok, well first of all, the 2.7T in the B5 S4 is the easiest to mod and get more power from. And it doesn't take much to beat a mustang with an S4. A Cobra will take a bit more modding. Just to name a few mods that I can think of... Chip, Exhaust, Swap Turbos (a pain in the rear to change, but worth it if you're looking for more power), then theres lots of RS4 upgrades that will increase power. Someone will have to fill in the blanks when it comes to added horsepower, I'm not very educated in that section since my car still remains stock. I've never driven a BMW, but I know the handling in my B5 S4 is amazing. And I'm sure some nice suspension upgrade will increase the handling. But like I said, I really haven't driven many performance cars before. I'm not familiar with the A3 S-Line, so I can't really help you out there. I'm not sure if many people in the S-Line forum owns an A3 S. Theres just so many S4s! And I don't claim to be a car expert, I'm not, so if I'm wrong about anything please someone correct me. I would hate to give off false information. And I'm not much of a Mustang person either, Grand Prix GTPs piss me off too:D.

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

So i would be correct in my newbie wisdom, that there are more upgrades available for the B5 (?) right? I found it strange that the E46 M3 was using a I6 3.2l and puttin down 333 where as the B6 S4 was a 4.2l V8 making 340 right? Consumer reports stated that the 01 model was less than desireable and that there was not enough info for the 02 or 03...what years am i looking at for the TT model?

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

Yes, the B5 is the most commonly tuned. Since it has the 2.7TT. For the Twin Turbo, I would say that the most desirable model would be the 2001.5 model, since I think they upgraded some problematic parts in earlier B5s. The 2000-2001.5 S4 is usually the models that are tuned for big horsepower. I'm not sure if some 2002 models had the TT or not. The V8 4.2l is faster stock I believe, but you hit a wall for mods after a chip and exhaust. You can always supercharge it, but that is lots more money than going with a turbo upgrade on the 2.7TT. Since you're looking at modding an S4, I would say go with the years 2000-2001.5, maybe 2002 if it has the 2.7TT.

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

Congrats! BMW's are great cars. but when deciding to go with bmw or audi for my first car.. the audi out ruled the BMW's.. it was cheaper,waay better performance, has awd, and was a stick. Plus you can't mod a 330xi well.
But it's up to you really which you like best.. you can mod the b5 s4 up the wazoo compared to the b6 and b7's. you can, however, mod the b6's and 7's with a supercharger if you want to spend the dough.

Welcome to Audi Forums, Please enjoy your stay, haha

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

Welcome!

the b5 s4 was made from 1999 to 2002. Half way through 2001 there were a few changes, cars after this point are "late model" sometimes refered to as 2001.5. The main differences are badges, different oil lines, traction controll, if you do a search youll find most of it. If you have the option, get a late model (built after october 2001), it will also probably have less miles.

The b5 is one of the best audis if your looking at upgrading (IMO). Start with a chip and exhaust for a little more power, suspension and new wheels with nice tires will give you some extra grip. Really you can go as far as you want. RS4 turbos and fueling is $5000-$6000, and you will need downpipes and intercoolers too. But then your over 400HP on pump gas without a doubt. Think about a clutch and flywheel, shifter, engine mounts, exhaust manifolds. You name it.

The b6 and b7 come with the v8. Its a nice engine but not so easy to upgrade. A chip will net you much less power, and after an exhaust your about done upgrading. Plus these weigh a bit more than the b5.

It should be noted that the m3 had exceptional handling (and the ablility to scare the shit out of you at will). That is what it is built for, the s4 is going to be a little bit chunkyer and less of a purpose built sports car. But once those turbos spool youll wonder how you ever lived without it and an s4 is much much much faster than an e36.

Biggest suggestion: Look for low miles and complete maintenance history.

Searching these forums is a great idea too, theres tons of info. Check the stickies at the top too. Allways search first

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

Wow...... HP, Type much !!!!! lol, very very informative!

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

Basically what we are saying is the A3, even the s-line, is NOT what youare looking for. They do not match a S4 in any aspect. All S4's are so unique in their tuning and you will love them and love going fast in them even more whether you get a B5, B6, or B7 model. If it helps I also own a BMW (M6) as well as a B5 S4 and I like them equally, how is that possible? Get an Audi and find out.

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

DEF. a good post HP, i'm def. all for more power, and i've been wanting to try my hands at the turbo charging world for qute some time, i had also been lookin at the E92 335i...but i prefer the sleeper look as much as possible...now, i'm assuming with all that is possible in the world of tuning...i would be able to fit the new '05 s4 grill on a 02 or 01.5? thats one of the big things that turned me onto audi, don't know how you purists like it, but that huge open mouth grill is sexxy as hell! I can understand what you mean about finding it hard to upgrade a V8 after CAI chip and exhaust, theres not much else you can do...i suppose headers, bigger manifold, enlarged throttle bodies, bigger injectors...but with gas prices as they are, and i don't even have to guess, i know the S4 only takes 91 octane, i don't want to be paying alllll that money....now with twin turbos, i've heard that it can actually be fuel efficient to a degree..as long as you aren't constantly boosting.

RE: hey everyone..bmw owner here
 

glad to see another bmw guy here :D so i'm sure you know first hand how hard of a choice im tryin to make!! I've read that on one end of the spectrum you have MB pure luxary no sport...on the other end is BMW, everything is geared to the expierience, the sport...and in the middle you have Audi...i can say without a doubt that bmw's are awesome machines. and i love my M3 to death..but recently their asthetics have declined...they are still sexy to me, but when i see a clean ass audi cruise by me, i am practically gawking at it, such a perfect example of german sports luxery(sp)