The B7 RS4 Engine Mod List

[RSKiwi]

When I first bought my B7 it took me awhile to learn exactly what mods were available so I thought I would write up a list for new owners who may wish to improve their power.

The order I have them in is a staged approach so financially it spreads the cost over time and also allows you to evaluate just how far you may want to go. You can of course do these as one big package which would be cheaper but just requires a large upfront payment. NB: I have left carbon cleaning quite far down the list as I only wanted to take the inlet manifold off once so I could combine it with the installation of a modified one.

This is only my opinion, but it worked for me as I wanted some time to work out exactly what I wanted to do.

Old hands of the forum please add anything you think would be helpful and or rearrange the order as you see fit.

1. Panel Filter. Good quality one - Simple win, self install. Fancy intakes such as GruppeM are available but pay attention to the install.

2. Exhaust, reputable brands such as Milltek, Tubi, Supersprint and Capristo are good choices. At this stage you may wish to remove the pre cats in the standard down pipes or install high flow or de-cated downpipes NB:, if you do this you will need a remap

3. Remap for the filter, exhaust to improve the midrange torque and to remove the torque limiters in 1st and 2nd.

4. Install de-cat down pipes or install high flow pipes if not already done, map tweak to accommodate. As you will be removing the standard DP's take the opportunity to install a cold air feed to the airbox help minimise heat soak.

5. Carbon clean and while the induction manifold is off have it polished and ported to either a stage 1 or stage 2 level, this will require another map tweak

OR

6.Carbon clean and then Supercharge!

[lengster1]

You could pretty much reverse the list though for things that make a difference to power.It does get pricey to do it all at once though

[lengster1]

Thinking about it i reckon the most cost effective gain would be CAI and a remap to unlock full power in 1st and 2nd,it wouldnt be huge but in real world driving it would give a stock car some usefull punch over the rather flat standard power delivery?

[rs4blacked]

Thats roughly the plans for my car

1. Cat back milltek (done)
2. Milltek cats, CAF, filter and remap
3. Carbon clean Stage 2 inlet and remap.

2 & 3 to be done next year (after Aussie trip)

[rs4head]

I first did panel filter.

Then got non res Milltek.

Then had CAF, precats gutted and stage 2 remap.

Seemed best value way to get good performace gains - and importantly got V8 soundtrack firstly from Milly. Got 430bhp, which is better than i could have expected

Still running similar power with now full decat and gruppe m. Need the carbon clean to unleash full potential - but a bit expensive - hence will be the last (if i ever do) mod!

[lengster1]

IMO gruppe m sounds fab but could actually lose you power,engines perform best with colder intake temps and unless you do a mega job on installing and insulating the engine heat it could easily be a backwards step.

[RSKiwi]

IMO gruppe m sounds fab but could actually lose you power,engines perform best with colder intake temps and unless you do a mega job on installing and insulating the engine heat it could easily be a backwards step.

This may very well be true on the dyno but with a CAF in a real life driving situation I think the difference is actually negligible. Certainly if you have to eek every last hp out the engine then it would be worth testing both in a 'real' situation somehow.

1/4 mile

[lengster1]

Shhh dont start that again Gruppe m would probably do ok in a quarter mile providing it hadnt dwelled on the the line too long,at speed the gruppe m might perform better i dont know,my thinking was in regular driving stop start etc it might have a negative effect when you wanted to squirt it off the lights or overtake.It sounded the bizz in sonnys track day vid but for me maybe a touch ott on the overall noise front,that and i would like it too much and have to test it everywere lol

[Striddy]

Carbon clean, Exhaust(Magnaflow), intake filter, supercharger, methanol injectors, custom tune, JHM 380mm rotors, JHM stage 3 clutch, Stasis coil overs, and finally, new shoes for my girl(Michelin PS2). I will post numbers when she's finished.

[DavidRS4]

Maybe people could put prices against the mods so that we can see what money we are looking at for modifications

[Striddy]

Yeah, and leave evidence for my wife to find exactly how much is into my baby! Are you <beep> nuts! I mean really!

[sakimano]

I would

a)downpipes - I'd either keep the stockers (but eliminate the pre-catalytic converters and keep the main cats in tact...should be emissions safe that way) or I'd replace them with something 2.75". I wouldn't bother with any 2.5" downpipes as this is (mostly) stock diameter, and if you're keeping cats in place, the stock catalytic converters (main cats) are EXCELLENT...very effective with great flow. Aftermarket catted downpipes are exceptionally expensive for what they are...and many of them have the cat upstream which is terrible for performance. On top of this many are prone to failure far before their time. I'd keep the stockers. Unless the little 2.35" neckdown in the stockers really bothers you...then I'd look for a 2.75" set of downpipes, preferably catless. If you need cats, make sure the cat is WELL downstream.

b) catback - replace it for sound, or performance. If for sound, pick your favourite. Personally I'd avoid Capristo despite the nice sound as it is a 2.25" catback, and that's just not what a 4.2 V8 that revs to 8000 RPM needs. Almost all the others are 2.5 or better and offer a variety of great sounds. Milltek res sounds great. GMG res does as well.

If replacing it for performance, I'd opt for 2.75" diameter, with a crossover and gentle bends. This leaves basically JHM and MTM. JHM is pretty reasonably priced...but in California miles from the UK. MTM is unreasonably priced, but on the continent. Both sounds great...and both are optimal for our engine (according to plenty of flowbench testing at Ford SVT and Roush for JHM, and MTM's work).

c) Tune - I'd opt for a tune from someone with a great record tuning naturally aspirated Audis. For my money that's JHM. The traditional turbo tuners (APR, GIAC etc.) have struggled extracting power from the all motor 4.2 sport Audis...and the RS4 is no exception. While some will say the tune just removes limiters, adjusts timing and AFR a bit, it's just not true. That's the standard recipe for some of the more simple tunes. The JHM tune makes 100+ adjustments to the ECU on the 4.2 FSI cars. Heck they even programmed a clutch safe launch control into the tune for some fun. I've not seen much info about MRC tuned cars, but I assume they'd be a good bet for UK folks.

d) LW rotating parts - this is what I'd focus lots of attention on. LW rotors, wheels, tires, flywheel, crank pulley...you could shave 40 lbs of rotating mass with these parts, which will feel like shedding a couple hundred pounds of sprung weight. Go run your car with a couple of passengers and log your RPM/sec. Then log without them. Take a few corners on a road course with and without passengers. Those who have migrated to LW rotating parts will know what I'm referring to...it seems a bit overhyped but its a great way to free up horsepower and gain a great deal of dynamic feel.