Bye bye Porsche... hello RS4!

[Private Pile]

Hi Guys,

I'm new to the forum having just traded in my gen 1 manual 997 Turbo for a B7 RS4 saloon.

As a turbo junkie I am certainly missing the boost on my old beast but am trying to embrace the naturally aspirated V8 and the practicality it offers. Getting luggage onto the rear bench without scuffing the seats was a challenge I don't miss now I have a good size rear boot!

However, I am still trying to get used to the pedal travel and positioning. The Porky had fantastic pedals for heal and toe'ing, albeit the steering wheel could get in the way due to a lack of reach and rake adjustment (I'm 6'3"). The accelerator pedal was floor mounted which certainly made life easier and the much lower driving position was great too (I have the bucket seats in the RS).

That said, the Turbo needs to be forgotten and the RS4 given a chance to win my affection! So, do any of you feel the same way about the seating/driving position and if so, what are the preferred options for adjusting/changing the pedals?

I have read many posts on various topics so I apologise if I have missed a thread which answers my question. I am particularly interested about the tuning options and MRC sounds like the tuner of choice regarding ECU mapping, carbon cleaning, etc. I am fairly certain I will end up with the Stage 2 ECU map with a valved Militek exhaust and gutting of the precat but I am unsure of whether to go for a resonated or unresonated? This engine makes a fantastic noise but I don't hear enough of it whilst driving so am keen for more but want to avoid the drone I had with my old Supra and its 4" straight through titanium exhaust.

So, what's the general consensus regarding resonated versus unresonated? Is there a great deal of difference in engine noise from the drivers seat and is the unresonated louder without the drone? I've watched quite a few YouTube clips but they're mostly from outside.

Cheers,

Private Pile

[sync24]

I was sold on a resonated milly until I went out in RS4Paul's valved non-res - the noise it made with the valves off was spine tingling , with them on - it was unobtrusive, subtle and purposeful. The best suggestion I can make is get yourself along to a meet and ask for a ride with a fellow member to make your mind up. I will most definitely going with a valved non-res. Paint and detailing first then milly & stage 1 for me.

[sakimano]

Why would you buy the milltek? If you're remapping the ecu, get an exhaust that will allow the car to take advantage of an improved exhaust... Not a replica of stock exhaust. I know the milltek sounds great but so do almost all of the aftermarket exhausts for the RS4.

Get something that is 2.75" with an X pipe crossover and gentle bends. MTM, jhm.

Milltek is literally a replica of the 2.36" stock setup, but with loud mufflers . Sounds great though.

For downpipes same again... Stock is 2.50" tapering down to 2.36" to mate with the catback. So are milltek downpipes (bangs head ). On a catted system they use some terrible cats.

Stick with the stock downpipes and have MRC gut the precats. Stock main cats flow really well.

Or get 2.75" downpipes for performance. JHM makes some. Not sure who else.

[gilford]

Can I ask why you made the change? A bit of a step down in my opinion!

[Private Pile]

Cheers Sync and Sakimano... I'd be be interested to see what the power gains are from going up a size in the cat back exhaust... I imagine not a great deal? Otherwise, why would MRC and others be recommending them as part of their performance enhancing packages? The other consideration is cost... The MTM is practically double the price of the Militek. Truth is, I'm not expecting the performance of this car to blow my socks off given the performance of my last 3 rides... 720hp Supra, 500hp M6 and 475hp 997T... However as I said before, the engine noise has the potential to put a big smile on my face!

Gilford... As for why the change, I recently bought a house and got engaged! The house is like a cash swallowing black hole... And the missus, well... She has made a few eye watering requests regarding the wedding and honeymoon! Actually tbh, I was a bit frustrated anyway with having no Bluetooth and no iPod connection and couldn't retrofit either without invalidating the Porsche warranty. A Panamera Turbo will cover all requirements in the future... For now though, I'll have some fun with the RS!

PP

[Private Pile]

Guys, any suggestions on pedal adjustment/positioning? I reckon any mods in this area will greatly enhance the driving experience!

Cheers,

PP

[bam_bam]

FON.

Did your parents have any other children that lived?
Are you royalty?
I bet you could suck a golf ball through a garden hose.
From now on you're gunna be called Gomer Pyle. Do you think I'm cute, do you think I'm funny Private Pyle?

[Private Pile]

Excellent Bam bam! You must be "Private Joker"!!!

[bam_bam]

Is that you John Wayne?

[Private Pile]

... Is this me?

[redrsr]

i've fabricated a new cover for the throttle pedal, oversized towards the brake pedal, works well when braking medium/hard but because normal driving only requires a light touch on the brakes its not perfect for town work

[Private Pile]

Cheers Redrsr... Think I will investigate some options...

[slowmonkey]

997 tt to RS4........... you must be mad !! But I get what you are saying re. houses wedding etc.

Pedals - I came from a 996 c4s and know exactly what you mean, heel and toeing in the RS4 can only really be done under heavy braking in my experience.

Exhaust - My RS4 had non res Milltek on when I got it, sound was immense but the drone was unbearable for me at normal commuting speeds. So I switched to res centres. TBH I don't theink a resonated Milltek is worth the money for the minor improvement over stock, like the other post said if you are tuning then I'm sure there are more performance gains and better noises out there.

[Private Pile]

Slowmonkey, that's good to know... think you and Sakimano might have a point so I will have a look at 2.75" options. I feel a custom exhaust coming on...

[sync24]

Why would you buy the milltek? If you're remapping the ecu, get an exhaust that will allow the car to take advantage of an improved exhaust... Not a replica of stock exhaust. I know the milltek sounds great but so do almost all of the aftermarket exhausts for the RS4. Get something that is 2.75" with an X pipe crossover and gentle bends. MTM, jhm.

Agreed the JHM system is a worthy contender and I don't doubt they are a better performance option - however .....

The problem we have over here in the UK is AFAIK it's difficult to get hold of JHM kit [Someone please prove me wrong here!] - Looking at an import you could get downpipes with cats and the cat back system for £1850 delivered [including UK import tax] using the current group buy offer on the JHM website. Also, people may not know what they really sound like which [for me anyway] is a deciding factor. The other minor issue is that they are not valved - some of us in the UK may not want the attention or noise sometimes especially if its a daily driver and want the option to turn things down if need be.

Milltek must be doing something right as tuners such as MRC use them I can't believe they are *just* a copy of the OEM system.....