craiglieberman

<center><img src="http://item.slide.com/r/1/0/i/nWPAUGYK1YcXXNfwneZ5zNPtROsjdITzl-na3tfnW6f1N4vSW5QVsckIwoXq6VnwTCCT4lBzSqG1kk8QJTRG 2Q/"></center><p>Hi Guys;

Thought I'd share with you some mods recently done to my RS4.

As you might know, I'm building this car for Bullrun and possibly other rallies. As such, we needed to perform certain mods with an eye towards maintaining high speed stability, making the car handle better, increase power and add an array of electronics like CB, scanner and radar/laser detection and jamming.

Those of you who daily-drive your car will still find this list useful.

These pics are the results of those mods.
http://item.slide.com/r/1/0/i/nWPAUGYK1YcXXNfwneZ5zNPtROsjdITzl-na3tfnW6f1N4vSW5QVsckIwoXq6VnwTCCT4lBzSqG1kk8QJTRG 2Q/

http://item.slide.com/r/1/0/i/m57DzJkcYuuOZBviVjMHveleHHp_wsa5E2UPgnfuRpVnrAw-NtAhRG7_oz0l28GzW6Q0EzZoqlSO9KDn8MS3sA/

http://item.slide.com/r/1/0/i/e4hB7yzeoVD5L5UkgbU4NrGbnVPzh4xGucUdLNBrfwNDK-FC-9soLB_h041Oo5V45DSFBSLmcTSeSdK_PIJvgQ/


Big thanks to:
Pete from Stratmosphere
KW Suspension
Hotchkis Performance
Milltek
Radar Roy from Radarbusters.net
H&amp;R
K&amp;N
Uniden


Here's what we did:

Swapped the MagnaFlow for a Stratmosphere/ Milltek non res:
Fit and finish are a bit better than the MagnaFlow, plus the tips are "right" for this car;
Sound is different...slightly louder than the MagnaFlow, but a deeper tone, with no drone inside the cabin. Since MagnaFlow's system won't be available for months, the choices are narrowed down but candidly, I like the Milltek much better. Group 5 did the install on the exhaust which took about 20 minutes. Stratmosphere supplied the parts and they shipped immediately. A+++ service. Horsepower "feels" about the same as the MagnaFlow with one key difference: I honestly noticed a difference in how fast the car revved with the Milltek. If I had to guess, my "educated" but suggests that the power band is slightly different with the Milltek than the MagnaFlow. The muffler design is totally different which may account for this.


Stratmosphere Short Throw Shifter;
A bit of a challenge to install, but their directions are superb. Shifts are considerably shorter and the shifter almost feels "gated" like a Ferrari. Throws are quick, short and precise, a must-have mod for this car.


KW Coilovers:
Used the version three and the installation was done at Group 5 Motorsports in San Diego. They've done several coilover swaps, but the version 3 KW's are new for the RS4. Installation is 5 hours, but Group 5 knows the right ride heights.

We added 5MM (front) and 10MM spacers (rear) from H&amp;R along with longer wheel bolts. H&amp;R sells a whole kit. As you can see, the stance is now perfect.

Ride is considerably stiffer, but the road manners are still very, very livable. Note: if you consider your RS4 already stiff, this mod isn't for you. This is for people who want serious handling.

There is NO rubbing....zero.

Hotchkis Sway Bars, Alignment and corner weighting
Hotchkis is a company that track-validates their products, so I felt good about using their sway bars. Stock bars are 31mm and 21mm respectively, we went up 4mm on each bar and used a solid bar instead of a hollow one. Installation was 1 hour for both and the rear bar is adjustable.

They then aligned the car (for high speed handling) and corner weighted the car. Corner weighting adjusts the balance of the car, which is a big advantage to using coil overs. While there are spring replacement kits that offer a stiffer ride, lower center of gravity and better handling, doing a coil spring swap only gets you about 50% of the way to a perfect car...it's a good compromise for people who will never track their car, so I have nothing bad to say about that mod, I'd add only that I'm very pleased with the RS4 now and the coil overs allow me flexibility in adjusting compression and rebound. This is what race cars use, mind you.

It was a BIG improvement. Understeer is gone, except right at the very limit and the handling is very "honest". 2nd gear turns are now 3rd gear turns for me, so it'll take some adjustment in my driving habits on my favorite local roads.

This is easily the best daily driver I've ever owned (bearing in mind that I've had Diablos, 996TT's, Supras, an E46M3, SL600 and an R34 Skyline. This car does EVERYTHING well and is very predictable.

K&amp;N Panel Filter;
It was a drop in swap, noticed no difference in performance. Stratmosphere is working on a cold air intake, I'm all over that. Logic suggest a 7-15hp increase with a true cold air intake.

OCT Tuning ~ ECU upgrade
Several tuners are working on ECU upgrades. Reports indicate about 15-20hp, but Pete at Stratmosphere is working on getting me OCT module, so I'll report back when I have that item.

Electronics:
We've added a Bel Sti radar detector, a Blinder M40 laser jammer, and Veil Stealth Coating to reduce my radar signature. I'm trying to get my hands on a Scorpion KA radar jammer (highly illegal) to block Ka radar, which is what they use around here. RadarBusters.net hosts forums and experts who guided me through most of these products. This equipment is all top notch stuff, from the packaging to the instruction manuals and independent testing validates the products' effectiveness.

We've added a CB radio (mostly to monitor police radar traps using channel 19) and a Uniden Scanner is on order. The scanner, once programmed by a pro, should set me back about $800 total and will provide me a sneak peek inside local/national police and traffic enforcement agencies, and ideal mod for rally cars. The antennas are also on order, but are easily removable and candidly, I think they'll "look the part" on the car. A great deal of research is needed to get the right antennas and tuning of both the CB and Scanner to make them most effective, but other Bullrun Rally veterans have had great success with these items.

We were going to upgrade brakes, but since the front brakes are so large already, we decided to go with a pad upgrade. That's in the works.

There's not much left to be done, other than internal racing radios (so navigator and driver can communicate...that's the little red button on the gearshift lever), and we ruled out a wheel swap because candidly, I haven't seen a lightweight wheel that I've liked and I'm already worried about finding an "odd" sized tire while on a Rally in a remote location.



Supercharger
Since MTM still hasn't shown a picture of this mod or dyno results (even in the recent European car feature), I'm fairly certain that this item is still in development. Ultimately, spending $25K and voiding my powertain warranty is not a path I want to pursue, so as sexy as I'm sure the piece will be, this mod isn't for me. Now, with that said...if the mod were less than say $7K, I'd re-think my stance on this matter, but I imagine 95% of RS4 owners wouldn't pursue this path at any price.

In short, the mods we've done represent the bulk of what's available for this car. Thankfully, each of these tuners offers top notch quality, great fit and finish and most importantly, products that deliver as advertised.

I highly recommend all of these companies.

Zuluracerx

It really does transform the RS4 into something else really special. I have done almost the same to mine. Full non-res Milltek with of course the downpipes and high flow cats (a must), the Strat SS is supurb and a MUST. I put 10mm MTM spacers on all 4 corners, and decided to go with the Ohlins. The car' handling is really amazing when set up properly. Your car looks great! Can't wait to someone gives us a way to get more (and cold) air into the engine. That's what we both really need, and of course the software to make it all work and flow like it should.

i_eat_staples

"We added 5MM (front) and 10MM spacers (rear) from H&amp;R along with longer wheel bolts. H&amp;R sells a whole kit. As you can see, the stance is now perfect."

does adding spacers have an adverse effect on the driveability of the car?

and i notice 5mm front and 10mm rear, why not the same all the way around? wont that change the handling dynamics of the car?

Jet Jockey/A4 Pilot

Spacer size front and rear.

Bob W.

i.e. the KWs, swaybars, etc.

interesting to hear about you ditching the magnaflow...I thought you work with/for them?

craiglieberman

Not anymore...recently left. I have nothing bad to say about MagnaFlow, but now that I'm no longer constrained by political correctness, I can be a little more open about my preferences.

Don't get me wrong...I loved their exhaust...but thought they needed to do something about the tips.

In any case, it's academic as I've made the switch to Milltek and couldn't be happier!

As for the retailers:
Stratmosphere was my source for the short shifter and Milltek and will be for my ECU tuning and CAI, when it's available.

For the KW's and Hotchkis, I like the Group 5 Motorsport team in San Diego. They install what they sell, have been doing Euros for 10 years and treat people right.

Bob W.

i think everyone here agreed about the tips.

craiglieberman

Running a modest sized spacer should cause no concerns. Spacers got a bad rap because some people chose to run very large ones which can put strain on wheel bearings and other parts.

With these nominally-sized spacers, you should have no problems whatsoever, so long as you remember to add longer wheel bolts.

H&amp;R sells both items.

HiRev

have you/Group 5 figured out a shoulder harness solution yet?

dan993

I was standing there when you pulled in at PAG. I thought it might be you, but was in a conversation and when I looked up, you had opened the hood and moved off. I will make an effort to introduce myself if I see you again. I usually bring by 993TT to PAG,not the RS4 since I drive it all week and it is usually too dirty to bring.

The stance of the car is the only give away that something is going on there...very nice.