My Audi B8.5 S4 Avant Black Edition 2012
Discussion
Almost 5 months late compared to getting the car..but here we are.
After searching through the last 25 odd pages of "Readers Rides", I couldn't see another B8 S4 thread. So I thought mine could fill the void.
I'm a fan of black Audi's apparently! Pictured below are my last 2 cars.
An Audi A3 1.4 TFSI and after that an Audi B8.5 S4 Avant 2.0 TDI Quattro. Both were more looks than function which I'm hoping to find a balance with on this latest purchase.
Fast forward to December '18 and I could finally insure the step up from my pokey but still a little soul destroying diesel. I clearly don't have much imagination, and my neighbours couldn't even tell I had a different car for a while.
Searched for a while to find the right spec; I knew I wanted a black edition, facelift (2012 onwards), with Supersport seats. I wasn't too fussed about much else but this particular one popped up with keyless entry, drive select, electric tailgate & a few other overpriced from factory Audi goodies.
A quick 400 mile round trip and she was home. Averaging 33mpg on the trip back down the A1 with some blips of the throttle I was impressed at the economy! The 7 speed S-Tronic sits at pretty low RPM when burbling along. 80mph = 2050rpm.
More to follow...
After searching through the last 25 odd pages of "Readers Rides", I couldn't see another B8 S4 thread. So I thought mine could fill the void.
I'm a fan of black Audi's apparently! Pictured below are my last 2 cars.
An Audi A3 1.4 TFSI and after that an Audi B8.5 S4 Avant 2.0 TDI Quattro. Both were more looks than function which I'm hoping to find a balance with on this latest purchase.
Fast forward to December '18 and I could finally insure the step up from my pokey but still a little soul destroying diesel. I clearly don't have much imagination, and my neighbours couldn't even tell I had a different car for a while.
Searched for a while to find the right spec; I knew I wanted a black edition, facelift (2012 onwards), with Supersport seats. I wasn't too fussed about much else but this particular one popped up with keyless entry, drive select, electric tailgate & a few other overpriced from factory Audi goodies.
A quick 400 mile round trip and she was home. Averaging 33mpg on the trip back down the A1 with some blips of the throttle I was impressed at the economy! The 7 speed S-Tronic sits at pretty low RPM when burbling along. 80mph = 2050rpm.
More to follow...
I had a few bits sat in the shed from my A4 which could cross over nicely to the S4.
The main item being a set of H&R Coilovers. The rear shocks had a hard life previously, I abused them with too much weight in the boot and one had blown the seal. A single replacement direct from H&R was expensive and I really wanted adjustable dampening on the rear to stiffen it up.
My work is 30 minutes down the road from GAZ Engineering. They make custom suspension for loads of different stuff mostly much more serious cars than mine! I left them the H&R Shock as a guide to build from. Couple weeks later I had myself a pair of new shocks built to a good quality and with adjustable dampening. Happy days.
A delivery from 034 Motorsport across the pond arrived the same week with a thicker solid Rear Anti Roll Bar and a Solid Transmission Mount. The 034 RARB is sized to be ran with the standard Front ARB and help counteract the S4's everlasting want for understeer. I'd read good reviews on the Solid Transmission Mount tightening up the feel of the changes and giving a harder "Launch" when using Launch Control.
Picked up some 10 and 12mm Spacers with extended bolts. Bit of a bargain second hand from someone local.
Enlisted the help of a couple pals much more mechanically minded than myself and we got it all sorted one rainy day. The H&R Coilovers ride pretty much the same as the standard S4 Suspension, so no great sacrifice there.
The RARB made a big difference. The rear is much happier to rotate round if you lift off, and initial turn in is much better with less inclination to push wide.
The main item being a set of H&R Coilovers. The rear shocks had a hard life previously, I abused them with too much weight in the boot and one had blown the seal. A single replacement direct from H&R was expensive and I really wanted adjustable dampening on the rear to stiffen it up.
My work is 30 minutes down the road from GAZ Engineering. They make custom suspension for loads of different stuff mostly much more serious cars than mine! I left them the H&R Shock as a guide to build from. Couple weeks later I had myself a pair of new shocks built to a good quality and with adjustable dampening. Happy days.
A delivery from 034 Motorsport across the pond arrived the same week with a thicker solid Rear Anti Roll Bar and a Solid Transmission Mount. The 034 RARB is sized to be ran with the standard Front ARB and help counteract the S4's everlasting want for understeer. I'd read good reviews on the Solid Transmission Mount tightening up the feel of the changes and giving a harder "Launch" when using Launch Control.
Picked up some 10 and 12mm Spacers with extended bolts. Bit of a bargain second hand from someone local.
Enlisted the help of a couple pals much more mechanically minded than myself and we got it all sorted one rainy day. The H&R Coilovers ride pretty much the same as the standard S4 Suspension, so no great sacrifice there.
The RARB made a big difference. The rear is much happier to rotate round if you lift off, and initial turn in is much better with less inclination to push wide.
Dr G said:
Welcome to Pistonheads, nice car. The supercharged V6 is a lovely thing.
They've a good following around here and quite a few owners. They've a long, long thread all of their own in the VAG section.
Thanks mate, lurked on here for a while without ever posting up. Seems worth it now I have done a few bits to this.They've a good following around here and quite a few owners. They've a long, long thread all of their own in the VAG section.
Will have a hunt on there for that thread shortly.
Fast forwarding through the months pretty quick here.
Not much in the way of pictures but I had a delivery from ECS Tuning. (Hit with some more Customs & VAT for it all coming from the US!).
An X-Pipe seemed a happy medium instead of a full system which I was concerned about producing too much Motorway "Drone". It's a delete for the second set of resonators. Not too loud but not too quite. A little raspy right up high in the Rev's but spot on for me otherwise! Not much in the way of pictures of this I will have to grab some.
Next step was a trip to Doug at MRC Tuning.
One of the main reasons I bought the S4 is the Engine and it's untapped potential.
2 - 3 Hours later and it's a very different car indeed.
Stage 2 on these cars at MRC involves:
Uprated Air Filter
034 Motorsport Silicone Intake
Hi-Grip S/C Pulley Belt
Uprated Crank Pulley
Along with that it had the S-Tronic gearbox remapped to suit. Gives a higher redline and more aggressive shifts across all driving modes.
It made 474ps & 597nm with the supercharger making for a very linear feel to power delivery. A friend of mine has a B5 S4 running 459ps & 730nm which makes for an interesting comparison. The B8 gets away initially, then once up to higher speeds the extra torque of a twin turbo set up really shows.
Launch Control in these isn't quite so "proper" as it is in a Golf MK7R for example. And it tends to launch from lower RPM's, but it properly goes!
The Supercharger Whine is addictive and does make people turn around to look occasionally (guilty of drilling a couple of extra holes in the airbox for more noise). I like that the original airbox can stay so it all looks quite "OEM".
Not much in the way of pictures but I had a delivery from ECS Tuning. (Hit with some more Customs & VAT for it all coming from the US!).
An X-Pipe seemed a happy medium instead of a full system which I was concerned about producing too much Motorway "Drone". It's a delete for the second set of resonators. Not too loud but not too quite. A little raspy right up high in the Rev's but spot on for me otherwise! Not much in the way of pictures of this I will have to grab some.
Next step was a trip to Doug at MRC Tuning.
One of the main reasons I bought the S4 is the Engine and it's untapped potential.
2 - 3 Hours later and it's a very different car indeed.
Stage 2 on these cars at MRC involves:
Uprated Air Filter
034 Motorsport Silicone Intake
Hi-Grip S/C Pulley Belt
Uprated Crank Pulley
Along with that it had the S-Tronic gearbox remapped to suit. Gives a higher redline and more aggressive shifts across all driving modes.
It made 474ps & 597nm with the supercharger making for a very linear feel to power delivery. A friend of mine has a B5 S4 running 459ps & 730nm which makes for an interesting comparison. The B8 gets away initially, then once up to higher speeds the extra torque of a twin turbo set up really shows.
Launch Control in these isn't quite so "proper" as it is in a Golf MK7R for example. And it tends to launch from lower RPM's, but it properly goes!
The Supercharger Whine is addictive and does make people turn around to look occasionally (guilty of drilling a couple of extra holes in the airbox for more noise). I like that the original airbox can stay so it all looks quite "OEM".
With more power comes greater braking requirements
The standard brakes on these are barely up to the task to start with. These aren't light cars and the standard single piston sliding set up is underwhelming.
Spent ages looking for the ideal brake upgrade. Ranging from just discs and pads to wavey disc RS4/5 set ups.
Settled on the 4 pot Brembo Calipers that come on some 3.0 TDI Q5's. They are a direct fit so that helped make the decision. Got them brand new from "Mike the parts guy" who frequents a lot of VAG forums.
Paired them with 2 piece discs from ECS Tuning (again, more customs charges!!). Very expensive compared to normal vented discs, but hopefully worth it.
Opted for DS2500 pads as they seem the pad of choice for "fast road" set ups.
Chuck in some matching MTEC rear discs, Pagid OE Quality rear pads, HEL braided lines & new fluid...Hoorah! A decent little brake overhaul.
Got them all fitted up in a day, found the front 10mm Eibach Spacers had cracked all round on the hubcentric bit! Rubbish! The TPI 12mm ones on the rear were fine so I went for another pair of those to go on the front, yet to be fitted.
The other change at a similar time was tyres. The car came on Conti Sport 5 or 6's I think they were. Decent enough but at the end of their life. Changed to Michelin PS4S all round. The sidewall is a little less curved so I had to raise the rear a little. They are a step above the Continentals in terms of turn in feel and overall grip.
The Brakes are much improved - so much more clamping force on the fronts with the 4 pots. Probably the brakes this car should of had from factory.
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The standard brakes on these are barely up to the task to start with. These aren't light cars and the standard single piston sliding set up is underwhelming.
Spent ages looking for the ideal brake upgrade. Ranging from just discs and pads to wavey disc RS4/5 set ups.
Settled on the 4 pot Brembo Calipers that come on some 3.0 TDI Q5's. They are a direct fit so that helped make the decision. Got them brand new from "Mike the parts guy" who frequents a lot of VAG forums.
Paired them with 2 piece discs from ECS Tuning (again, more customs charges!!). Very expensive compared to normal vented discs, but hopefully worth it.
Opted for DS2500 pads as they seem the pad of choice for "fast road" set ups.
Chuck in some matching MTEC rear discs, Pagid OE Quality rear pads, HEL braided lines & new fluid...Hoorah! A decent little brake overhaul.
Got them all fitted up in a day, found the front 10mm Eibach Spacers had cracked all round on the hubcentric bit! Rubbish! The TPI 12mm ones on the rear were fine so I went for another pair of those to go on the front, yet to be fitted.
The other change at a similar time was tyres. The car came on Conti Sport 5 or 6's I think they were. Decent enough but at the end of their life. Changed to Michelin PS4S all round. The sidewall is a little less curved so I had to raise the rear a little. They are a step above the Continentals in terms of turn in feel and overall grip.
The Brakes are much improved - so much more clamping force on the fronts with the 4 pots. Probably the brakes this car should of had from factory.
Aaaaaaannddd pretty much up to date now.
Last week I did an oil change. I'll be doing it every 5k now based on it being Stage 2. Went for a Millers 5W-40 Competition.
Pictures below as it currently sits now outside work.
List of things to still sort out in the short term -
- Get the 12mm Spacers Fitted up Front
- S-Tronic Service (filter & oil) - I'll be getting a local specialist to do this one, been quoted £189 which isn't too sad. Looks a right pain to do as you have to add some oil, then get the gearbox up to a certain temperature, maintain that and add more oil.
- Trackdays?! I'd like to do an evening at Snetterton.
- Exhaust - since the X-pipe was fitted it has changed the angle of the backbox section and made it "droop" slightly. Going to try some different brackets to raise it back up.
- Paint Correction - I have a DA, new pads & Menzerna Polishes ready to go, just need to find a spare day or two.
- FIXD - I've ordered an OBD Plug-In. Bluetooths to an App so you can check Error Codes and clear them too I think. Also handy for getting an accurate 0-60 & 0-100 time...
Thanks for reading so far!
Josh
Last week I did an oil change. I'll be doing it every 5k now based on it being Stage 2. Went for a Millers 5W-40 Competition.
Pictures below as it currently sits now outside work.
List of things to still sort out in the short term -
- Get the 12mm Spacers Fitted up Front
- S-Tronic Service (filter & oil) - I'll be getting a local specialist to do this one, been quoted £189 which isn't too sad. Looks a right pain to do as you have to add some oil, then get the gearbox up to a certain temperature, maintain that and add more oil.
- Trackdays?! I'd like to do an evening at Snetterton.
- Exhaust - since the X-pipe was fitted it has changed the angle of the backbox section and made it "droop" slightly. Going to try some different brackets to raise it back up.
- Paint Correction - I have a DA, new pads & Menzerna Polishes ready to go, just need to find a spare day or two.
- FIXD - I've ordered an OBD Plug-In. Bluetooths to an App so you can check Error Codes and clear them too I think. Also handy for getting an accurate 0-60 & 0-100 time...
Thanks for reading so far!
Josh
ManicMunky said:
For your future reference, Awesome GTI in Irlam are a 043 and ECS dealer
Yeh I did get the Brakes & X-Pipe through them in the end! Their prices are just higher than the ECS/034 Websites to account for the costs of getting it all over here. So many good VAG modifications/parts are only really available from the US 
mk4gtiturbo said:
I have a B8 S4, maybe I need to start a thread on mine!!
Do you get drone with the x-pipe? I'm seriously considering a Milltek one as at the last MOT they said the middle box was beginning to rattle.
Worth doing even if just to keep track of your own progress..Do you get drone with the x-pipe? I'm seriously considering a Milltek one as at the last MOT they said the middle box was beginning to rattle.
The only time it drones is up slight inclines whilst accelerating slowly..sat at 70-85 it is barely different to standard to my ears now.
I'll try and get some videos up..
Grabbed some videos from my phone and put them on Youtube.
Filmed in Mexico etc etc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0U_lgHkoaU&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu4-2YGD6sg&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrL44ov1zZA&fe...
Filmed in Mexico etc etc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0U_lgHkoaU&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu4-2YGD6sg&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrL44ov1zZA&fe...
)Brooksie90 said:
Cupramax said:
Very nice, roughly how much were the Q5 callipers? Been thinking about doing the same on my S5.
Thanks very much. They were £600 new. I spent a while looking for them second hand but couldn’t find the correct ones to run with our standard size disc! Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff