| Project: Audi A4 (2006) This is my daily driver. I already have the track car which will be featured next. Therefore street comfort is of up most importance. Secondly I only expect to keep the car for a short period of time, and if things go well replace it with the RS4. (Will see about that!) Therefore the modifications that will be performed to this car must be deemed essential and relatively easy to remove before the car is sold. |
| November 1, 2005 Picked up a Quartz Gray 2006 A4 2.0T with the following options:
First Impressions: Wow, this car is quiet and luxurious. Another benefit was that I could place a baby seat in the rear and still have room for the driver and passenger. Not the case in our old B5 cars. I also did not know this, but I can no longer live without Bluetooth integration, it rocks! For people that do not know me, I have no sense of direction so navigation was a must and I finally got it. It works very well. What would I change? Well the seats are just OK, there is not enough headroom - so I wish for sunroof delete option, power is barely adequate - I knew that. But this is just a beginning, now off to modding it... |
| January 15, 2006 Finally decided on and bought some wheels. Picked up a set of O.Z. Superleggera 19" wheels (ET35) with 245-35-19 tires:
245? Yes, per TireRack's recommendation I went with a 245 wide tire. IMHO if going to a 19" wheel on a B7 245 wide tire is a must. Not only that the tire is wider, it is 3.5mm taller and added tire height is appreciated when picking 19" rims. This also results in the car being 3.5mm higher and reduction in fender wheel gap by that exact amount. (Oh yea, this makes the speedometer MORE accurate.) This tire choice will also help when lowering the car. Fender gap can be reduced while keeping the ride height manageable. I am a big fan of going once size wider than OEM, but keeping the aspect the same. This works as great on A4s as on A3s. What about 265-35-19 or 275-30-19? Yes, DEFINITELY the sizes to try, though wheel offset may need to be increased to ET45 or so. Some may be surprised by the choice of tire. Frankly that took longer than the decision on wheels. As most, I wanted Max Performance Tire for summer use. But they get pricey - $200+ each. So, I started to look in the Ultra High Performance category and found three tires that I liked Avon M500, Kumho SPT and General UHP. One of the things that struck me the most was the weight difference between the General and others. General was listed, and now I can confirm, is 23 lbs. Others were 26-27 lbs. That is a big difference, as last thing that I would want to do is add to un-sprung weight. In addition the General is also marked as a M+S tire, though TireRack warns against its use in snow, and ranks it Ultra High Performance - Summer. Having said that M+S ranking means that the rubber remains somewhat soft in cold temperatures - perfect for the 40 degree weather we have in Seattle. Finally price... this tire is inexpensive. After driving the car for about 50 miles after the installation, I can also report the this tire is as quiet as the OEM Continentals, more reviews to come. February 28, 2006 I decided to install the StartupRacing GT coilovers as they have been absolutely phenomenal on the B5 platform. They are non adjustable, therefore installer or user can't really mess things up. They are on the firmer side, and they complement the stiff structure that Audi builds these cars with. May 1, 2006Coilovers are in, but not yet installed. Also planning on the StartupRacing GT exhaust, and these two items will go on at the same time. |
| September 20, 2006 I guess it has been a while since I updated this page. Exhaust was installed and it sounds incredible. Installation was very easy, and it took about 1 hour. I also got dyno plots for pre and post installation, and I am happy with the gains delivered by this setup.
My wife has borrowed the car (she did not know about the exhaust), and she came back without any comments. Must have passed her approval. I finally asked how does it feel to drive my car after driving the SUV - she said that it feels like a race car. Hmm... wonder what she meant by that.
But I did not stop at the exhaust. I also installed the Euro Code Test Pipe on this car. (The test pipe will not stay there long, as it is not street legal, but I just wanted to see what it does.) Well it delivers significant power gains. Take a look at the 2nd dyno chart.
More information can be had by following this link, and scrolling down. These latest modifications were supplemented by Revo Stage II software, which ensures that there is no check engine light with the test pipe or a high flow cat.
Brembo BBK and GT Coilovers will be going on next. (Good car wash is also needed, so I can take more pictures of this car.) I can tell you, these latest modifications really made it a pleasure to drive. |
| November 19, 2006 So where do I start? This project is finished; wheels, ECU flash, exhaust, brakes and suspension are installed. This project has exceeded my expectations, and I invite our local customers to stop by and check it out. But I am getting ahead of myself. If you want to jump to the product reviews, please use the links below. I know that I am repeating myself. But this project has turned out fantastically. Power is now sufficient for this excellent chassis, braking is phenomenal, exhaust sound is muted but more aggressive than stock, and what I am most proud of the suspension makes the car feel like it is on rails. Body roll is almost gone, but the car still feels great over horrible city roads.
If you live near Seattle, please e-mail us to schedule a test drive. I am sure you will be impressed.
Finally, this combination of components can be ordered at a special package price. Please see our B7 Packages page. |
 | Now, some more pictures. I lowered the front more than the rear. Initially the car had a negative rake, where now front and rear are even. Some people recommend a positive rake, with the rear higher for optimal handling. I would agree that the rear should be 1/8" higher, and I will raise it shortly. This modified 2006 B7 A4 2.0T is for sale. $39,995 with all the modifications listed above. |
