Hey guys, first off I would like to say hello to everyone on this forum, since this is my 1st post. I am very activly looking for a 2000 S4. A dealership by me has one in blue w. black/blue 2 toner int w. 6 spd manual. The exact color/trans combo that I am looking for. However before I purchase it I would like to know if their are any known issues with the car. Also I have been reading some of the posts on here and see that a chip is almost a requirement for a perfomance gain. I was wondering what the best chip was. Also is the Apex Digital Turbo tuner something that anyone has installed.

My main question really is reliabilty stock and with mods. I currently have a 02 TL - Type S with Navigation. Don't get me wrong it is a very nice car, however it has some issues with the transmission. The main reason I want to do a switch is because quite frankly, I miss driving stick. Automatic / Tiptronic in my opinion (plz dont flame) is very boring to drive. I look forward to hearing from you all moving forward. Hopefully one day soon I will have the S4 in my garage.

 

dont mess with a chip get an electronic boost controller (Greddy Profec B, Apexi AVC-R, ETC...) and a fuel computer (Apexi S-AFC) with these youl be givin more control over your engine and there combined cost i about 500 - 800 oh yeah buy the s4 youll never regret it

 

If that is the smarter way to go with things, how come people always go for the chip? The boost controller and s-afc... will that really give more power then uncapping the factory ECU. Also can the engine handle more boost from the two turbos without switching around engine components?

 

First of all, welcome to the forum itloser!

I have to COMPLETELY disagree with David_K.
The chip mod is the proven and safer way to upgrade the boost and overall power of the S4 Biturbo engine. David_K's advice leaves out the fact that the MAF readings are not considered. For the same cost as he has quoted, the chip will have all the coding re-mapped and maximized for the engine. You won't need, "...more control over your engine."

The top two chip makers are APR and GIAC. They are top because of popularity, years of doing business, and overall service. My best advice is to find the nearest dealer to your home of either chip maker. They have equal fans and equal number of pros and cons. What is more important is to have a local tuner in your area should anything ever need to be serviced.

Search the archives for info on the 2k S4.
Some items you'll need to become familiar with are the DV's, TBB, F-hose, and MAF.
Don't worry too much about a turbo timer right now - that should be last on your list of mod priorities.

I have written a few articles in the past on these issues ans well as the S4 in general. I don't want to re-post them again - email me if you'd like them.

 

The chip upgrades are probably the easiest, cheapest, and most reliable way to get a fairly substantial hp and torque gain. Go for it.