S4 Upgrading

[Golich]

Hey Dippy,

I was on the phone to a tuner today. Who told me the feedback he has received about the H&R suspension is that even on it's softest setting it was still considerably harder than the stock S4 suspension. What do you or anyone else say about this?

I have the same desire as Jeff. I already think the stock S4 suspension is hard enough for everyday road use given the Aberdeen city roads which are not bad in comparisson to other cities Glasgow and Edinburgh for example which are particularly rough. Steady I mean the roads - No insult intended. :1yellow:

[DavidT]

Thanks Golich,

Interested in what you say about H&R suspension, AmD told me it's excellent, but very stiff and I should try a car with it before I buy - fair enough.

AmD are favourite for the power increase but I am confused about the relative gains, so here is a list with question marks where I have estimated.

Tune/power/torque/cost(+VAT)

Standard/265/295/£0
Remap/315/389/£850
Remap + catback/325/405?/1265
remap + full Miltek exhaust inc cats/355?/435?/£2415
RS4 turbo upgrade + full Miltek exhaust inc cats/400?/475?/£5805

Could someone confirm the figures for me please ?

Also, does anyone have plots of the above ?


Thanks,

David

[wazza]

I know Carl has gone for the AmD remap and full Milltek exhaust inc Cats and has 343bhp (not sure about torque).

[Bushy]

about 435 lb ft i believe

[Joshie]

I am thinking about upgrading my S4 and have done the usual searches, but which mod and from which supplier ?

This is my top five based on what I perceive to be the benefit / value for money of each.

1. Shortshifter (any) 200
2. Chip (AmD) 1000
3. Front Brakes (Porsche) 1500
4. Coil Over Suspension (H&R) 1000
5. Full exhaust (Milltek) 1500

I have no experience of any of these, so are they the right things to go for ?

Any input appreciated.


David

I must say that having extensively modified mt S4, if I had my time over I would put the mods in this order of importance.

1. Porsche Front Brakes 993 TT -(this will allow you to use the standard 265 BHP to the full)
2. Shortshifter
4. H & R Suspension
5. Milltek cat back - no more BHP but it's one less mod to do later on.
6. Then I'd decide what I wanted, either a remap, remap plus downpipes (a la Dippys Mods) or the full monte of the big turbo conversion with Milltek DP's.

My logic is that for £4000 you get the big turbos, remap and downpipes, thats only £3000 more than a remap and it works out so much cheaper that getting the downpipes seperately, then a remap, then another remap. The point is that you should decide what you want in advance and work towards this - otherwise it'll cost a lot more.

BTW I would recomment the "full monte" myself [img]images/graemlins/biggrin3.gif[/img]

[Bushy]

1) Based on what I read, the Tanoga is supposed to be the best shortshifter in terms of quality. However Scott at AmD talked me out of it because of the price. I don't know exactly what Scott fitted (probably UUC) but whatever it was it is great.

After my experience of the Startmosphere one Scott has fitted I would not recommend it as it has worn and may have attributed to my gearbox failure

I will look at the Tanoga one next week and report back

Cheers

[DavidT]

Ok, done the first one now, shortshifter from Karl - Tanoga at the rolling road meet.

Excellent, hard to believe it can improve the gearchange and feel of the car so much, even the wife thinks it is 'sportier' and 'easier to use' [img]images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Looking for good secondhand Porsche brakes now as they are £ 1900 from AmD fitted, which is too much.

[Andiroo]

What diameter disc are you looking for David?

Andiroo

[DavidT]

Evening Andy,

332 I think, unless I get some 18 inch RS4 wheels, then I could go for 380's

[Andiroo]

Hi mate, if you go for 18's I still may have some nice 380 Brembo's due to Thorney's unfortunate position [img]images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

Andiroo

[Dippy]

Hey Dippy,

I was on the phone to a tuner today. Who told me the feedback he has received about the H&R suspension is that even on it's softest setting it was still considerably harder than the stock S4 suspension. What do you or anyone else say about this?

Sorry for the delay in replying.

Yes the H&R is hard. The roads my way are pretty crap and the car does rattle along them. If you find the stock hard enough then don't go for the H&Rs.

But face it. If you want to improve handling (and the H&Rs make the stock suspension feel pathetic!), then you have to lose ride comfort: It's a simple balance.

Cheers,
Dave

[DavidT]

Hello Dave,

Nice to hear from you, how are things ?

H&R is next but one on my list, assuming it is not too extreme when I try a car with it.

How does the reduced ride height affect the day to day useability of the car ?


David

[jeffw]

But face it. If you want to improve handling (and the H&Rs make the stock suspension feel pathetic!), then you have to lose ride comfort: It's a simple balance.

I'm not sure that this true. Lotus has proved time and again that well thought out compliant suspension provides excellent handling without requiring that a car has rock hard suspension. The stock S4 suspension is OK but high speed rebound and bump appears to over damped. I'm sure that a better than stock system can be done which minimises roll and at the same time retains some level of compliance. I think the way to go is to have fully adjustable dampers and progressive springs.

[Dippy]

Hi David,

I'm OK, except that I'm still out of work [img]images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

The H&R's are height-adjustable. AmD set mine up for optimal handling, which makes it low enough to have trouble with some speed-bumps. Initially it was a PITA but I've now got used to how to avoid scraping the exhaust. The car can be raised a bit, but I'm not really inclined to do so.

Regarding Jeff's comment, I can't comment too much except that for us S4 owners we can only really just fit aftermarket suspension, and that does mean losing some comfort to gain handling.

Cheers,
Dave

[ChrisG]

Hi Dave, sorry to hear you're still not gainfully....
Has little Dippy no 2 arrived yet, or have I missed it ?

ChrisG