I have always had a love hate relationship with VAG cars. My very first car was a VW 16V GTI. I loved that car even through the bad. Fast forward to college. I lived in a duplex with my friends and they were all car nuts. One of them had an idea of starting a VW/Audi performance shop. Found another Audi guy that was an EE that knew how to dissect the Bosch ECU so they started APR. APR actually started as being Auburn Performance and Repair. Most of the guys in the duplex either was a founding partner or worked for APR. Today they are the world's biggest VAG performance tuner. Part of me sometimes wonders what would have happened if I stayed in Auburn and just worked for them. Pretty much any car nut that has gone to Auburn since 1998 knows most of the guys at APR…including swine In 2002 I finally broke down and bought an Audi A4. I was very unlucky with the car and it had multiple problems with it. Every single problem that the particular model had problems with, my car had. I ended up trading it in on a 2004 Forester XT and swore never to go back to Audi. I was still friends with all the APR guys and they always taunted me with R8's, S7's, RS5's, Lamborghini's, etc....When the B8 S4 was released, I got to drive one that was at Stage 2+ from APR. I instantly fell in love with it. After reading up on the reliability of that platform, I decided to search for a CPO. I found one in Montgomery at a dealership that APR had a personal relationship with the owner. They gave the owner a call for me and he personally called me back with a price. I accepted the offer (way below wholesale) and drove down to pick it up. The reason why I went with a CPO is because the Audi CPO program gives you a better warranty than a new car. It is 6 years/100k miles so now worries on having problems. APR also pulled the Audi vehicle history and the previous owner changed the oil with synthetic at the dealership every 3k miles on the dot. The car is a 2011 S4, 6MT, Meteor Gray, Premium Plus, with every option that was available for Premium Plus that year. I went straight from the dealership to APR. They went ahead and got the car to Stage 2+ which included a pulley kit, Stage 2 carbon fiber cold air intake, and software. The car makes roughly 400 whp or close to 500 chp at Stage 2+. With this setup cars consistently run in the mid to high 11’s. The launching is as expected from any high HP AWD car but where the car really shines is 60+ MPH. My kids love it and tells everyone daddy got a new race car. I will update this thread if I ever do anything else to it. I plan to just enjoy it for now and maybe a few exterior mods.
Hahahha Damn Eddie! Tom have you the VIP treatment I see. What kinda trapspeeds these things see stage 2+? High one teens?
Yeah, I pulled up, Tom took my key and they pulled the car around back. Then 3 techs start taking the front end apart (you have to take the front end off the car to get the pulley off) and going to town on it. I have no idea what the traps are. IM Tom...he can tell you.
Trust me, I am only doing a few more things and that is it. Tinting the windows, changing the front grill (Black RS4 Grill), and maybe a few suspension mods.
gorgeous, definitely would benefit from a drop/suspension and some window tint and maybe some black/gunmetal wheels and.....
My dad had one of these before trading it in on an A7. They're awesome cars and the reliability seems to be greater than the B5 chassis. I say tint the windows and maybe H&R springs to drop it a hair and you'll be set.
I like this car a lot. It was a bit out of my budget when I was shopping last month, but uber jealous here. Especially with your APR connections. Did this replace the legacy, or is the S4 just the new daily?
Let me know where you get the black RS4 grill, I'd like to maybe do that also. Also, when I'm ready to do Stage2, I'll give you a ring so you can introduce me to the APR guys.
Lol... Get ready for them to talk you out of large amounts of $$$ Eddie, that car is gorgeous. I can't believe how much a difference the rs4 grill made on the front end.
I wish it would fit my front grill but others have not been able to fit on the B8.5 front. Guess I gotta wait a bit. What I need is a tint.
I am getting my car tinted on Thursday. Going with Formula One Pinnacle Ceramic tint. Was thinking about getting Huper or Winco but settled on the Pinnacle after reading all the reviews on various tints. Huper was just too damn expensive ($500) and didnt liked the fact that Winco wasn't truly a ceramic film even though they market it as a ceramic film. When you call around for quotes, make sure and tell them you have an A4...seems like when shops hear S4 they automatically add 25-50%.
I thought we ran in the same circles...Cory Garcia of Garcia Window Tinting. He's tinted all of my cars in the past 13-14 years. He does tint for Radioactive and on his own. He does a number of buildings as well. He has access to the 'specialized' tint options. If you want his number, hit me up. You may have someone else you already use. Joe
Got the APR Exhaust installed over the weekend. Why on earth aftermarket Audi exhaust all use the stupid slip joints is beyond me. Why is it that only the asian manufacturers use flanges and gaskets? It took the teck 1.5 hours to uninstall the factory unit and install the APR exhaust. Then another hour to adjust the damn thing.
Is it true that exhaust is quieter than stock at cruise and idle? BTW I've gone back German as well. Well German chassis.
At cruise and idle my wife didnt even notice the exhaust. I had to get on it once and then got busted Zero drone inside of the car. I have been told outside of the car it is much louder but not inside.
Nah, they dont use slip joints so they can use it on multiple platforms......There is nothing on this exhaust that will fit any other VAG car. Honestly I have asked before and the only answer I can get is that it makes it easier to make adjustments so the tips sit perfectly. I never really understood it either but it seems like all the american and european aftermarket exhausts are done this way. Hell, even the stock S4 exhaust had slip joints.
You are right...I just didnt want the drone and I have none Yeah, need to change my sig What did ya get now?
slip joints are less prone to leaks, especially when dragging the flanges across driveway approaches. Far cheaper to produce since no welding or the expense of multiple weld fixtures.
Thanks I'm gonna have to take the path of b reel though. Several year project as it needs a full interior restoration (ahem JPM), paint, and then the engine swap. Also gonna rebuild the entire suspension, reinforce the rear subframe, etc. Figured it would give me plenty to do for a while. Aiming for a 450-600 hp car which that stock engine can handle no problem.
GOsh need to update this....Well grab some pics tomorrow hopefully. I have added a few things since last post. APR CPS v2 (used for instruction manual for the new V2 system) Bilstein b16 pss10 Coilovers (OMG - I cant believe how nice the ride is with these. Seriously better ride than stock) Eurocode End Links, Sway Bars, and AluKrez 20X9 TSW Nurburgring in Matte Bronze I think I am done with it....Not much more I can do unless I want to Spend $10K on the new blower which I dont think it is worth it for the HP it will create.
For those of us who are not Audi fanatics I googled what the heck AluKrez was. http://www.ecodetuning.com/shop/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=1994
I am seriously considering one of these. I want the manual but my left knee wants the DSG/S-tronic/ whatever you want to call Audi's double clutch gearbox.
I think it is called a DSG in this car. Honestly, the DSG cars are faster than the manuals since they can shift faster than a human can. Stage 2 DSG cars are in the mid to high 11's and the 6MT cars are in the low 12's to high 11's.
I just see luxury, refinement, and still goes like hell. Yours looks good. I love Subaru but the Audi is calling to me. lol