Where am I able to buy MTM products in the USA, because I want to make my S8 go faster than it is right now.

My dad is going to get a chip from them this spring for our new S8!<ul><li><a href="http://www.hoppenmotorsport.com/">http://www.hoppenmotorsport.com/</a</li></ul>

Took mine into one of California's best known Audi/Porsche tuners and he sent me away despite an eager check-writing hand.

Basically, he said there was nothing he could really do to improve the car's useful horsepower, save strapping on some turbos that are not legal for US production cars (emissions I guess).

He cautioned against claims of hp improvement at the dyno ("better" exhaust systems, etc.) because the quattro will rob all but substantial (say like 50hp for instance) output gains.

Talked to him about chipping specifically and he reports that the boost to 360hp in the S8 was accomplished by software changes. Audi, in effect, has already "chipped" their own car with the help of engineering from outside gear heads. He is a big MTM fan, but he is not expecting anything from them in the near future that will help the S8.

At the end of the day, he said he could sell me $10K worth of stuff that would not create any appreciable difference in the car's driving experience.

The best way to improve acceleration in this case, he said, would be to drop weight. The most cumbersome element in the car is the Tip. The system is essentially a huge oil pump, so loosing this and going with a manual refit would make the car a lot lighter. Losing the 96 position (joke) power seats, etc. would also help a bit.

Caveat: I'm just reporting what I heard. I haven't worked on a car since auto shop in High School, so if someone knows more than me (that should be about everyone else here!), please speak up.

So you're gonna tear out the 5 speed tip and drop in a 6 speed stick?? I would LOVE to see how it runs, cause I've considered doing it to my '97 A8, but the 10k price tag always seems to slow me down........I've been looking at mods for my A8, and not sure what I'm gonna do yet, I remember an AOL thread about a supercharger and twin turbo setup that was being looked at for the 8 series, but never saw anything more come of it.....anyone hear anything??

... and it sounds like your California tuner has some good old-fashioned integrity.

BTW, who was it?

And did you happen to talk to him about S8 handling improvements? Did he have any suggestions on how to shed some weight, especially on the nose?

The tuner in question is Terry Griffin. Turns out he had the first S8 conversion project in the state several years ago. He really knows the car. You can get all the info about them at: www.griffinmotorwerke.com

Terry had plenty to say about suspension and tires, both of which can be improved upon. He recommended wearing out the factory components first, however, as they are A- already and we paid top dollar for them already. He'd give the suspension at least 20K-30K miles before tinkering. Tires to taste.

One note: he cautioned about over tuning the suspension. You can really degrade day-to-day ride quality. It is, after all, a lux sedan.

I didn't ask about weight distribution on the car, but my guess is he'd have some practical ideas for you.

Converting is not in the stars for me. This car is my daily and half of that is in stop and go traffic. I actually like the tip for this reason. I know the performance hit is there, but haven't lost off a stop light yet, so I'll live with it. :)

Not to mention, $10K's about 20% of a new Z06 or 25% of a recent model used 993. Seems it would be better to use the money in that direction if you're really after a speed project.

(follow up to previous post) ... or an S4! Sorry if I offended anyone.

Even when I was doing the research on what I was gonna buy (and it was gonna be a '00 S4, when my friend offered me his '97 A8 for $26,000....how could I say no) I was reading about the various turbo failures on the S4, not to mention all the people that have had MAJOR transmission work done on the cars, I'm not sure how much I would trust the stock 6 speed in the S4.....Personally, I'm suprised Audi is still using the K03 turbos on the 1.8T and the 2.7T engines, since they have had to replace fair amount of them, I wonder how much $$ they have lost already.....If I had bought the '00 S4, the K04 turbos were gonna go on quickly, and I was gonna probably get it in the tip, just to get rid of the tubo lag problem.....let a 6 speed try to keep up when I have my foot on the gas and the turbos spooled up the whole time......chip the tip to get rid of any lag, and just jet down the highway......Is there a tip chip for the A8/S8 out there to get rid of the tiptronic lag?? I haven't seen it yet, but if there is, that might be a good investment for all of us

By mid-'00, this was changing to a version with a lot more oil. Most of those guys chip ( whether they admit or not ) - often going over the 1.275bar sustained limit and holding boost to redline which is a no-no. Add to that a chip program the reduces the sensitivity of the knock sensor and runs lean to produce the power, and you get a recipe for blown turbos as well as other possible problems.

Add a less than optimal break in, and you get the picture.

There are reputable chip tuners, you just have to stay away from the flavour of the moment crowd. Look for TUV approval.

Also, a lot of S4 owners are new to the big HP game. They may not have the experience to know how to shift a high HP car to it's best potential. This is not a put-down - it takes time and experience. I've been a lot of cars where people think barking shifts and slamming shifts is a sign of a good fast driver.

A better representitive of 2.7t turbo reliability would be the A6 forum. Yes, there have been failures, but nothing like the S4 forum.

I had the same troubles trying to get some serious power into my 8; I didn't want to pour money down the drain on insignificant power increases. I wanted something that would give the Quattro all the power it could suck up, and then some. The Germans (Hohenester) have both a supercharger kit and a turbocharger kit, but they aren't willing to share anytime soon.... SO....

I'm working with Corky Bell, of Bell Engineering, to make a top flite twin VATN turbo system for the 4.2L S8/A8 here in the USA. It's projected to develop 420 HP with maximum boost from 2000 RPM till redline.

You can keep your tiptronic auto (for which PES "http://www.pes-tuning.com" makes a tip-chip) and when you're not driving through traffic your A8/S8 will handily BLOW THE DOORS off of anything else Audi makes. Bottom line projected price is between 13 and 15k, installed.

If you're interested, drop me a note and I'll keep you informed.


-NovaTalks

Reasons:
At least 3 Audi tuners are coming out with 420 HP kits for the S4 in the next few months.
S4 420 HP = S8 420 HP
S4 3600 lbs. &lt; S8 4000 lbs.
S4 6sp. vs. S8 tiptronic
S4 frontal area &lt; S8 frontal area
Somehow I think the S8 is going to come in 2nd. It will be an awfully nice ride though.

in the S4 engine compartment and the passenger side turbo gets even poorer air flow (the reason for the greater number of failures of turbos on that side). That's another reason for the S4 vs. A6 differences. There've been a number of failed turbos in non-chipped cars as well, even *with* proper
break-in. Also, the S4 shifter and synchros really don't allow lightning fast shifts ... the shifter throw is too long and the synchros are too slow. I would agree that chips are definitely a factor but certainly not the only factor and probably not the main factor. Poorly designed throttle body boots and F hoses are a problem as well (and again, higher underhood temperatures may contribute to structural weakening of these components and premature failure under higher boost pressures). I'd blame the overall design a lot more than the drivers.

the 6 speed will always beat the tip, and the torque from the K04s would quickly blow the tip to smithereens. A nice thought but it won't pan out in realty.