B8.5 A4 allroad project: "s-line concept" (repost from B8 forum)

[TroySico]

NEW PROJECT TITLE: AUDI AVANT PROJECT USA

Follow the movement to let Audi NA know that there is demand for Avants here!

#audiavantprojectusa #campallroad
https://www.facebook.com/groups/audiavantprojectusa/
http://www.campallroad.org/


I love Avants...as do many, if not most on this forum. In the last 5 years, I had a blast with two audi hatch-wagens:
1) A 2008 A3 3.2q (mini-avant!) that I modded heavily and tracked the heck out of:








2) A C5 allroad 2.7T 6MT with some mild goodies:







APR Stage-I tune made this car stupidly fast - especially on 100 octane!


I wanted a combo of the two in my next car; nimbleness of the A3 (which the C5 didn't have), and utility of the original allroad. Additionally, I wanted modern infotainment and decent mileage since I have a separate track car. Absolute power is not a huge priority here, so no K04 or Stage II+ tunes.

My first choice was to find an 2012 A4 Avant w/ the titanium and s-line packages. I found a few around the country (Seattle and Chicago), but the sellers wanted $45k for cars with $20k+ miles and not-CPO. As cool as the cars are, not worth it to me. A few months later, I started noticing some great looking allroads showing up via google search for "lowered B8 allroads." I now come to find that two of those cars were Alex (from Europrice) and Erwheezy (both active 'zine users). Though their cars look absolutely perfect, I wanted to take a slightly different approach: OEM+ with this question answered: what would it look like if Audi made an S-line B8.5 allroad? I still wanted to be able to drive on rough fireroads and through fresh deepish snow, but wanted to make the car sit with a more aggressive stance while still having comfort and ground clearance.

My initial plan was to special order a 2014 allroad Prestige in Glacier white on black sport seat/wheel and color matched trim. Magically,
I found a great 8k mile CPO car at an east-bay Audi dealer for about $10k below MSRP.
The only thing it had that I wasn't stoked on were the 19" wheels. Here is a virgin pic:



First mods: Remove front plate. 20% tint on sides/10% in back hatch window. 3M venture shield clear bra. Install 19" Hartmann G5 et45 wheels w/ H&R DRA Spacers: 25mm fr/30mm rear. Effective offsets: et15 rear, et 20 front. Tires: 255/4019 Khumo Ecsta LE Sport (summer)



Second mod: APR/Carbino intake. I'm not happy w/ the fitment and gaps, even with the metal add-on TSB fix:



3rd group of mods: oem ring decals, H&R springs in allroad spec (1.4" drop F&R). H9 fog-bulbs in ion-yellow.








The slanted stance was unexpected, as it wasn't noticeable w/ stock suspension. I am double checking w/ H&R to ensure this is correct. I kind of like it since when the car is loaded up for Tahoe w/ some buds, it'll still ride okay. If anything, I think it can go down 1/3" or so in back.





Next up:
1) APR Hi-flow cat and downpipe
2) hole-less, plate-less grill
3) LED turn signals bulbs in front
4) Exhaust (either Milltek or AWE)
5) Water-meth and or FMIC or BOTH!!! I'm going to avoid software for now. APR doesn't have a tune for this car yet anyway (new aluminum intake manifold is hint that this car has new Siemens ECU software APR has not had a chance to work with yet).
6) Alu-look S5 mirror housings.

Let me know your thoughts on this "widebody" A4

[junchen]

I can tell u that I'm almost drooling when I see ur pics. Pity there's no Allroad in my part of the world. Always find Allroad or avants the only car you need, on week days and weekends.

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[reiflarsen]

Beautiful. Love the clean, all-white AR.

[BCsniper]

...that car just needs a 3.0T and it will be good to go

[AvantinUSP]

Nice progress, looks good. Not a big fan of the wheels and decals, but if you like them that's what matters.

[z06psi]

Love the car. Gorgeous. Agree the 3.0T needs to be in this line.

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[tankdeer]

Looking good. Decals aren't my thing either, but other than that I dig it.

[TroySico]

For those not into decals and livery, you're NOT going to like my latest updates...

New APR / Audi support vehicle livery:








I also replaced the grill with a new one sans plate holes:

[zee007]

Curious to know how your springs ride with the oem AR shocks? When I looked at options a year ago, they didn't have specific AR lowering springs, so I went with oem s-line avant springs and shocks. Would be interested to hear you thoughts on the quality of the ride...

[TroySico]

Curious to know how your springs ride with the oem AR shocks? When I looked at options a year ago, they didn't have specific AR lowering springs, so I went with oem s-line avant springs and shocks. Would be interested to hear you thoughts on the quality of the ride...

The ride is great. The front is a bit more affected than the rear, as is appears to have a more drastic drop. All in all, I'm elated. The shock rebound/control seems well within OEM levels. I don't track the car so am not too co concerned about blowing the shocks out, but might get some Koni or Bilsteins eventually. My favorite thing is that it didn't slam the rear down so I can still have four people and gear without issue. Do you have pics of yours?


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[zee007]

The ride is great. The front is a bit more affected than the rear, as is appears to have a more drastic drop. All in all, I'm elated. The shock rebound/control seems well within OEM levels. I don't track the car so am not too co concerned about blowing the shocks out, but might get some Koni or Bilsteins eventually. My favorite thing is that it didn't slam the rear down so I can still have four people and gear without issue. Do you have pics of yours?


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Really glad they worked out - I had read previously someone had atempted H&R springs on an AR, and they were shockingly bad. They were not AR specific springs though - guess thats the trick. I hear you on the fully loaded car - I love the fact the car can be filled to the brim with no issues.

Heres my build thread from July 2012 (which I keep updated): http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-with-pictures

And a few pics of mine:


_MG_2958.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2954.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2953.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2952.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2951.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2950.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2948.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr


_MG_2945.jpg by Audiyos, on Flickr[/QUOTE]

[TroySico]

Really glad they worked out - I had read previously someone had atempted H&R springs on an AR, and they were shockingly bad. They were not AR specific springs though - guess thats the trick. I hear you on the fully loaded car - I love the fact the car can be filled to the brim with no issues.

Heres my build thread from July 2012 (which I keep updated): http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...-with-pictures

Thanks for sharing the build thread. Subscribed!!!
I love the dark colors against the bright wheels. Do you think one could fit 285/3519's on there w/ 9/5" wheels? I'm eyeing some Avant Guard or Stance wheels. As far as your S-line suspension: well done! Looks perfect. It appears to be more level in back than mine. So did you replace the shocks and springs? Anything else? We should measure our tire to fender gap for the greater B8 AR community. Mine actually looks lower in front and higher in back. I'm envious of your set up!!!! Here are the wheels I'm maybe thinking of, but I am nervous to go away from VAG OEM+ look:
http://www.stancewheels.com/wheels/s...e-grey-machine
http://avantgardewheels.com/m550.php

[zee007]

Yes - 285s will fit for sure. Watch your offset, but they'll fit. I think I chose not to go with that size as it threw my speedo off by more than 5%. Worth keeping in mind. Also, 9.5s will fit fine too. I run 19x10s and I think I've seen 10.5s too (in 20s), so if you want to go wider with your wheel, you easily can on the AR.

Yes - I swapped shocks and springs from a 2012 avant. I figured that they were paired as such for a reason - so did the whole lot. I have also got an s4 front sway bar, stasis s4 rear sway and Eurocode alukruez which for me has transformed the handling as a complete package.

Hope that helps.

[TroySico]

Yes - 285s will fit for sure. Watch your offset, but they'll fit. I think I chose not to go with that size as it threw my speedo off by more than 5%. Worth keeping in mind. Also, 9.5s will fit fine too. I run 19x10s and I think I've seen 10.5s too (in 20s), so if you want to go wider with your wheel, you easily can on the AR.

Yes - I swapped shocks and springs from a 2012 avant. I figured that they were paired as such for a reason - so did the whole lot. I have also got an s4 front sway bar, stasis s4 rear sway and Eurocode alukruez which for me has transformed the handling as a complete package.

Hope that helps.

Thanks man! My car came with 19s and 245/40R19 tires. 285/35R19 has the exact same overall diameter according to several online tools (willtheyfit.com is my fave).

Any pics of your poke/flushness you ca share?

[2014allroad]

Read the whole thread - gorgeous allroad! Simple question - do you have a link to the specific ion yellow fog light bulbs you bought? Thanks!

[redavant]

Super nice allroad! Tastefully done. Look forward to seeing more from you.

[BrewDude]

These are where I bought mine for my AR:

http://www.hoen-usa.com/

[treginginco]

Hey Brew Dude --- I probably have seen this before, but can't remember ------ what size bulbs are the fogs in the AR?

These are where I bought mine for my AR:

http://www.hoen-usa.com/

[TroySico]

Some updated photos from some summer events. She placed first in it's class at Monterey Car weeks "Legends of the Autobahn"


















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[1975audi]

Do you think s4 springs and sway bars wold work with stock shocks.
I'm thinking of installing them on my wife' 2013 allroad.
by the way your car looks sick!!

[S4BlackCab]

Car looks great. Are you still using the H&R allroad springs in those photos? Looks like they've settled very well...what struts are using (still stock?)?

What is the ride quality with the H&R's and whatever struts your running?

Thanks!

Some updated photos from some summer events. She placed first in it's class at Monterey Car weeks "Legends of the Autobahn"


















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[dropshadow]

Do you think s4 springs and sway bars wold work with stock shocks.
I'm thinking of installing them on my wife' 2013 allroad.
by the way your car looks sick!!

S4 sways should work, but S4 springs would probably result in reverse rake because the rear end of a wagon weighs more than a sedan. The front end might not be much of a drop either, because S4 front springs are designed to support a V6.

[1975audi]

S4 sways should work, but S4 springs would probably result in reverse rake because the rear end of a wagon weighs more than a sedan. The front end might not be much of a drop either, because S4 front springs are designed to support a V6.

That makes sense Thanks
I've read that the front sway on the allroad is the same as the S4.
Will just the rear make a noticeable difference

[dropshadow]

That makes sense Thanks
I've read that the front sway on the allroad is the same as the S4.
Will just the rear make a noticeable difference

I know other allroad guys are running B8 S4 sways, but I don't have any myself yet. You should see more positive results from the rear sway bar than the front on an Audi.

[CLEANA3]

looking real good . I loved your a3 back in the day

[cab509]

Every time I see a new Allroad I keep telling myself it really needs a 3rd pedal and I'd be sold but they keep growing on me.

I like what you're doing with it but I do agree some of the decals aren't all for me.

[BluntAaronR]

Beautiful car!!!

Any chance you'd be willing to share wheel info? While lurking this page I had an "ohhhh, that's nice!" reaction to the first set then completely lost it when I saw this fitment.

[TroySico]

7 month delayed response: they are NOKYA bulbs - avail on Amazon:
http://www.nokyausa.com/
http://www.amazon.com/Nokya-Hyper-Ye.../dp/B0064FXRWI

They last a good long while, and are affordable. I want to try these though:
http://www.piaa.com/store/p/645-Perf...Twin-Pack.aspx
PIAA says they have a CANBUS no code circuit...I've seen them for around $220/pr on Amazon

[TroySico]

S4 sways should work, but S4 springs would probably result in reverse rake because the rear end of a wagon weighs more than a sedan. The front end might not be much of a drop either, because S4 front springs are designed to support a V6.

This is correct...You'd need to use OEM Sline or reg Avant springs. Sway bars work...but AR already has pretty thick ones... I'm not trying to make this a track weapon. I like the ride.

[TroySico]

Thanks for all of the recent interest in my car. I'm almost two years in, and still love it, and still do the look back at the grocery store parking lot. I actually think this car is hotter than my APR Stg-2+ TT-RS.

So, to answer some of the questions above, here is AN OFFICIAL build thread update:

SUSPENSION:
After trying the B8 Allroad-spec H&R springs, I decided to go full-on coil-over. This is because I occasionally track the car, and don't really load the rear with kids and heavy cargo. I sold the springs to a friend that does load the avant with gear and kids, so needs the additional height in the rear to keep a level ride when loaded. In summary, if you use this as a family car, I say there's nothing wrong w/ OEM shocks and H&R Allroad-spec springs. Upgraded shocks such as Koni's could only make it better.
Link to springs: http://shop.achtuning.com/HR-28969-1...8-allroad.aspx

The goal with the coil-overs was to retain an OEM sline/s4 ride height and fender gap. I don't care for the tucked, stretched or slammed look of lower cars, or bagged cars. To each their own. I also have 275/35 rubber, which is OEM RS7 sizing, so I didn't want rub. I decided on very afforable VOGTLAND B8 coil-overs. From my research, they have a higher MAX setting than H&R coilovers, and are more affordable. Not as pretty though. No issues to date. Car is sitting on the max rear heights, and can go lower in front. I'll likley drop if a few MM's soon in front. Link to VOGTLAND Coilovers: http://shop.achtuning.com/Vogtland-9...A4-and-S4.aspx

EXHAUST:
About a year ago, I went full-on APR HFC and Downpipe, and AWE Avant spec (there's a theme here, LOL!!!) cat-back exhaust. I've since removed the APR HFC/Downpipe/Midpipe since it really brings out a nasty sound, mid-throttle. This is due to the mid-pipe removing a HUGE OEM silencer. I am going to have 034 Motorsports weld-in the OEM silencer into the APR system, thus giving me the benefits of the HFC, and full-stage 2 APR E85 tune and less mid-throttle nastiness. The tone reminded me of a late 80's, early 90's General Motors 2.5liter iron-duke 4-banger. SERIOUSLY! Not good! My goal with the final hybrid set up is GTI tone, but a bit deeper. Of note, this, or any aftermarket system really brings out the upshift "brrrap" sound...similar to DSG/S-tronic for those of you that know that sound. It was a pleasant surprise. I'll post a video soon...

ECU TUNE:
I decided to eff the powertrain warranty, and go with the somewhat newley released APR tune. Those in the know, know this was long promised to exploit the Flex-Fuel capability of newer, North American 2.0TFSI motors. THIS MEANS 105 OCTANE+ E85 on the CHEAP! The results: the car hauls...APR states A5 8-speeds hit 0-60 in less than 5-secs. I have no doubts my heavier Avant is a 5.5 second car on E85. Maybe faster. More impressive is 40-80mph. Cons? E85 is 33% cheaper but also delivers 35% less MPG. So you get about 250 miles a tank. PROS: POOOOOWWWEERR!!! (RIP-Clarkson) and a smoother engine operation due to the high octane (think euro-fuel). In Cali where we get shafted w/ 91 oct, this is good! Another PRO: domestically sourced fuel. Stage-2 E85 power rating at the crank: 318hp, 405 trq!!!!
http://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_up..._long_b85.html

WHEELS:
Since I've been a lazy bastard, I didn't even socialize my fave mod: WHEELS! I have gone through 4-sets: OEM 19" sport pkg wheels (same as RS5 winter wheels), Hartmann 19" RS6 replicas, the new, forged OEM 20x9 ET35 RS7 wheels shot with 275/35R20 Michelin Pilot SS's for summer and new 19x9.5 ET25 VMR V706 shod with 255/40R19 Nokian WR-G3's tires for winter. I bought them for about $850/ea at www.audiusaparts.com (Sunset Audi in Portland, OR, great peeps!)

MISC:
-Nokya ION yellow fog bulbs
-Lamin-X headlight protection w/ light tint
-Thule rack shiz for daze...
-I removed the APR/Carbino intake...there are fitment issues not becoming of a $400+ part. It's due to Audi updating the front radiator cover shroud. Lovely product though! I'd love a Gruppe M one...but not worth it!

FUTURE WANTS:
-PIAA LED ION fog bulbs
-Professionally plasti-dip all alu-look trim: window trim, roof rack and "skid" plates. This might result in powdercoating the RS7 wheels metallic semi-matte black.

Some recent-ish pics:










Test fit of Hartmann Wheels RS6 rep...amazing quality, made in Germany for $310/ea! Great deal!


2013 Quattro De Seca HPDE event at Leguna Seca... she was doing good and passed a few S4's...!!! LOL!

[billybob_lee]

Your AR is an inspiration to me. Great pics at Laguna Seca!

[Aldo]

So cool Troy-- Looks like you were running the OEM 19's on the track-- what tires and size were you running?

[TroySico]

So cool Troy-- Looks like you were running the OEM 19's on the track-- what tires and size were you running?

That was over a year ago, and it was stock 19x8 et25 wheels with 245/40R19 Dunlop Sport Maxx tyres.... They did well!


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[catriple]

I love the gunmetal VMR on white. Excellent choice!

[S4BlackCab]

Troy-

Thanks for the suspension info; do you have any photos to truly show what the stance/fender gap was with the H&Rs and stock springs?

[Samsonite]

I love the gunmetal VMR on white. Excellent choice!

I agree

[TroySico]

Troy-

Thanks for the suspension info; do you have any photos to truly show what the stance/fender gap was with the H&Rs and stock springs?

Here you go man.... Hope this helps!











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[Ferrariman]

Can you please tell me wheel size, offset and tire sizes this is? Exactly the look I want on my 14! Stripes very tasteful!

[TroySico]

Can you please tell me wheel size, offset and tire sizes this is? Exactly the look I want on my 14! Stripes very tasteful!

Which wheel? I have four shown on this thread... Cheers!!!


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[Allroad!]

Hartmann 19" RS6 replicas


Test fit of Hartmann Wheels RS6 rep...amazing quality, made in Germany for $310/ea! Great deal!

Very cool updates. Those Hartmanns look larger than 19". Is your suspension lowered in that pic? Since you have a stockpile of wheels, care to sell to me?