Heres a question for you...........

[S7iFFLER]

......Now the RS4 V8 is as far as i know the same basic engine thats from the S6 V8.....what i want to know is, what modifications have Audi done to vamp up the power? Anyone?

[imolas4uk]

no different engine mate.similar to the the s4 v8 but revs to 9000 rpm has fsi and lots of go

[Mikey-S]

Am I right in thinking the RS4 V8 is based on a Honda engine? I'm sure I've heard that somewhere..

Old V8 has belts, new V8 has chains.

Mike

[travs]

Just looking it up - it appears the FSI method of injection (Fuel Stratified Injection) is an old design that has only recently (last 12 years or so) been able ot be used effectively. Mitsubishi pioneered the most recent version, under the name GDI (Gasoline Direct Injection), though it was originally designed in aircraft engines after WW2.
Since then technology has not been present to control it economically enough an simpler forms of injection have always been used.
Ford tried it in the 70s and cancelled the project due to the costs.

[Mikey-S]

I don't mean the FSI side of things, just the basic engine design. I'll search Wiki cos I'm sure it was in there.

Mike

[travs]

Gotcha - sorry fella.

[travs]

Mikey - the only thing I could find on Wikipedia is the following:

"Honda, despite being known as an engine company, has never built a V8 for their roadcars. However, they have built V8s for racing, most notably for Formula One and DTM. Audi Sports V8 powered A4 is a design based on the Mugen/Honda MF308 V8 engine which introduced in 2004 produced 460 bhp (340 kW) /(Over 500 Nm (370 ft·lbf) torque."

Bit anal, but was interested in where the development of the engine came from

[Dom81]

Here are the differences for those that might think that the RS4 engine has only a few minor "tuning" differences. These come from the Audi 4.2-liter V8 FSI Engine Self-study Program

The main technical differences between the base engine and the high-revving engine lie in the following:

* Crankshaft/connecting rods/pistons
* Timing gear
* Cylinder head
* Oil supply
* Engine cooling
* Intake path
* Exhaust system
* Engine management


The cylinder crankcase of the high-revving engine was machined to higher specifications due to the higher stresses in this component. To minimize warping of the cylinder manifolds, the crankcase is honed under stress. For this purpose, a honing template is attached to the crankcase before the honing process in order to simulate the warping of the bolted-on cylinder manifold.

Modifications to High-revving Engine
At very high engine speeds, axial vibration occurs due to the unbalance in the single-mass damper. This can cause the crankshaft to break.

To avoid this vibration, a dual-mass damper without unbalance is employed in the high-revving engine. To compensate for unwanted engine vibration, heavy metal inserts are integrated in the first and eighth crank journals by way of unbalance.

Connecting Rod
Cracked connecting rods made of 36MnVS4 are used in the basic engine, while the conventionally split connecting rods in the RS4 engine are made of 34CrNiMo8, for strength.

In addition, the geometry and tolerances of the
connecting rods were reduced on the high revving version of the 4.2L V8 FSI engine.

Bearing journals diameter: 54 mm
Bearing bushings: 1.4 mm thick, 15.25 mm wide
Length of bushing: 0.20 mm diameter rolled
Connecting rod length: 154 mm

Piston
For strength reasons, forged pistons with a slightly higher weight than conventional pistons, are used. Both engines have the same piston geometry.
Piston weight without rings: approximately 290 g (10 oz)
Piston pin: 0.20 mm x 0.11.5 mm x 40 mm

High-revving Engine

* 3/8" simplex sleeve-type chains are used here. Their advantage is their reduced wear and higher stress resistance at high engine speeds. In this case the idler gears have 38 and 19 teeth. The camshaft sprockets have 25 teeth.


Different Features of the High-revving Engine

* To match the higher engine power output and RPM, the following cylinder head components were modified:
* Intake ports are charge optimized (based on larger cross-sections)
* Intake valves are chrome-plated hollow stem valves (for weight reduction)
* Valve springs are made of a material with higher tensile strength and also have higher spring force
* To meet the higher fuel requirements, the injectors are designed for higher flow rates.
* Roller rocker arms are more robustly designed, with peened rollers for higher strength
* Camshafts have different timings and larger opening lengths
* Intake valve opening angle 230 crank angle degrees
* Exhaust valve opening angle 220 crank angle degrees
* The lifters were adapted from the 3.2L V6 engine found in the TT and A3. They have a larger ball stroke which, in the course of testing, proved advantageous for the high-revving engine (with regard to the inflation of the hydraulic valve clearance compensation element).
* The cylinder head has a modified water jacket which circulates coolant to the area between the intake port and the injector, thereby reducing the temperatures in the cylinder head combustion chamber plate.
* Due to a modified camshaft drive reduction ratio, the camshaft adjuster has 25 teeth for the chain drive, as opposed to 30 teeth in the basic engine.

In the more highly stressed high-revving engine, an additional oil-air heat exchanger is used to minimize the oil temperature even at high engine load. This additional heat exchanger is operated in parallel with the heat exchanger via a thermostat.

Audi RS4 Sump
A reliable supply of oil in all driving situations is critical, especially in a sports car such as the RS4. The oil supply system in the high-revving engine was designed for racing applications in which it is subjected to lateral
acceleration of up to 1.4 g. To ensure this, the sump in the RS4 has an additional system of flaps.

Design
Four flaps, whose axis of rotation is parallel to the longitudinal axis of vehicle, are arranged inside a housing. Each of the flaps opens toward the inside of the intake end of the oil pump.

Function
When the vehicle is cornering, the oil flows inside the sump toward the outside of the corner. The two flaps facing the outside of the corner close and hold the oil in the sump intake. At the same time, the two flaps facing the inside of the
corner open to allow additional oil to flow into the intake. This ensures a sufficient supply of oil to the oil pump.

The intake system of the RS4 engine was designed with emphasis on maximum flow control. Pressure loss is minimized by a large cross-sectional areas in the Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor G70 and air intake pipe in combination with a 90 mm diameter throttle valve.

To ensure a sufficient supply of air to the engine at high RPM, the power flap in the air filter is opened at engine speeds higher than 5000 RPM and at road speeds higher than 200 kph.
The power flap is opened and closed by a vacuum
actuator which is map-controlled by the ECM via the Intake Air Switch-Over Valve N335.

The sand cast aluminum (should be magnesium) intake manifold was designed specifically to match the sporty characteristic of the engine. In contrast to the basic engine, maximum torque is produced at higher engine RPM. At this engine speed, the intake manifold changeover valve would be switched to the short path for higher power output.

Spark Plugs
In contrast to the Audi Q7, spark plugs with a higher heatrating (colder plugs)* are used because the RS4 engine is subjected to higher thermal stresses.
* applies to NGK spark plugs

Injectors
Due to the higher fuel demand and the shorter window of time available for injection at very high engine speeds, the RS4 engine is fitted with larger injectors than the Audi Q7 engine.

[S7iFFLER]

great info Dom!

[Dom81]

You're welcome. I'd have had no idea myself, but it was from a recent post on the RS4 forum!