(Jake@JHM’s) - 2008 B7 A4 2.0T Product Development/Build Thread

[Kathmandoo]

the car looks beast. good going there Jake.
Got the JHM short throw shifter installed in my b7 and loving every bit of it. Good stuff. Therefore waiting on the tune you guys are working on before jumping on the ones that are already out there. Any developments?

[Jake@JHM]

UPDATE:


We noticed right away when we started the development on our JHM 2.0T Tuning some months back that my A4 was being a bit hesitant and misfiring as soon as the car would start boosting above 10psi. Our first instinct was that there was an issue with my spark plugs based on our years of firsthand experience with turbo Audis in our shop. After removing my spark plugs, we checked the gap and they were all at .045 which is why I was getting the misfire. The plugs that came out of my car were Denso PK20PR11 plugs, and looking at their website it shows that those are the plugs that Denso recommends for the B7 A4 2.0T, yet they come at their recommended gapped of .044. However, Audi recommends that the plugs be gapped at .028 which is quite different than a .044 gap, so always make sure your plugs are at the right gap before you install them as whoever installed these plugs in the car before I purchased it, did not. The increased gap over stock (recommended is .028 by Audi) adds more resistance for the coil to fire across the gap. This is okay sometimes when boost levels are stock since the engineers have to factor in spark plug wear. However when you add boost it increases the resistance to jump the gap and it is just like increasing your gap even more, hence the misfires. My car most likely would have been okay if the installer of the Denso plugs would have regapped them to spec. However we do not believe in using plugs that aren’t a close to stock gap since they were most likely engineered for a non-boosted application.

Denso Plug:



I replaced my Denso Spark Plugs with the OEM Bosch Spark Plugs we have on our website HERE! I made sure they were gapped at .028 prior to install for our tuning development purposes. This was because we have to make sure that everything is functioning 100% perfect at the stock plug gap for those people who would be purchasing the tune and still on their original plugs (I know the gap size will increase over time as they get used, however we have seen quite a few very low mileage 2.0Ts). Needless to say we would have been okay with the off the shelf gap of .032, but they would have .004 gap less to work with as they wore down with mileage.

Spark plugs are essentially the center of your car’s ability to run and make power. When you increase your boost, you are increasing your cylinder pressure which makes your coil packs have to work harder to jump the given gap. The shorter gap will also help insure a better fire with more consistency. Considering that your plugs can fire over 100 times a second, making sure that you keep the best gap for your application is a must. That way you will always have a proper burn and not have a spark plug caused misfire. That being said, a .028 (Factory spec) gap is going to be much less strain on the coil packs/motor than .044, hence why I was misfiring when my cylinder pressure increased.

In addition, the spark plug works as a heat exchanger by pulling the unwanted thermal energy from the combustion chamber. The heat range given to a spark plug defines the spark plugs ability to dissipate the heat. Both Bosch and NGK are popular spark plug manufacturers and their heat range designations both utilize a number between 1 and 10 and are often times confused with each other. NGK goes down a number every time the heat range gets HOTTER and Bosch goes down a number every time the heat range gets COLDER. For the 2.0T the OEM Heat Range for NGK is “7” and the lower the number for NGK, the hotter the heat range is (like stated previously). For example, the BKR6E is going to be hotter than the BKR7E. The OEM Heat Range for Bosch is “6” and the lower the number, the colder it is (like stated previously). For example, the F5DPOR is going to be a colder plug than the F6DTC. The rate of heat transfer for the spark plug is determined by a few things; the length of the insulator nose, gas volume around the insulator nose, the material of the center electrode, and the construction of the porcelain insulator. Keep in mind, the spark plugs heat range has no relationship to the actual voltage that is being transferred through the spark plug!

There is a lot of information to take in to understand sparkplugs, and at time can be quite confusing. That is why we have done the research for you and are here to supply you with the correct sparkplugs for your application.



OEM Replacement Spark Plugs:

There are two different spark plugs that came in the B7 A4 2.0T. Therefor both choices will be a direct replacement for your vehicle. We have had great experiences with both of these manufactures and choice will ultimately come down to preference.

Bosch - FR6KPP332S Long Life Platinum (Heat range 6)



Click HERE for more information!


NGK - PFR7S8EG Laser Platinum (Heat range 7)



Click HERE for more information!


Higher Boost Applications:

The following plugs are pre gapped at a perfect width to keep misfires away on high boost applications. We use these plugs in our race cars and customer’s cars with great success.

Bosch - F5DPOR Platinum Sidefire (Heat range 5, one heat range colder than stock)



Click HERE for more information!


Bosch - FR5DTC Tri-Electrode (Heat range 5, one heat range colder than stock)



Click HERE for more information!

Bosch - F6DTC Tri-Electrode (Heat range 6, same heat range as stock) Note: This is a good lower cost replacement for stock cars or cars mostly stock with just a tune.




Click HERE for more information!

NOTE: The spark plug torque spec is 30nm or 22 Ft-lbs. Remember to use Anti-Seize on the threads for easy removal and corrosion protection.


If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I am here to help!



Jake

[ericpaulyoung]

Damn, I was actually looking for those side fires about 2 months ago, and not a single person in the northwest had a set! :/ I will be ordering some from you guys for slapping into the evil twin build.

-epy

[Charles.waite]

Damn, I was actually looking for those side fires about 2 months ago, and not a single person in the northwest had a set! :/ I will be ordering some from you guys for slapping into the evil twin build.

-epy

This. A lot of the BT 1.8t guys swear by them.

[Kathmandoo]

Hmm seems like i overlooked the gap size. Had the same misfiring problems and replaced the plugs with the NGKs which made it a lot better but still feel a tad bit hesitant (especially mornings). Was about to change the coilpacks but will look into the gap size first. Thanks for this great write up.

[Hopperstien]

I know a Test pipe is a test pipe is a test pipe, but when are you guys going to release yours?

[kaz02a4]

Jake, I just wanted to clarify the spark plug heat ranges. I just picked up a set of bkr7e plugs after I went stage 1 based on the information from the FAQ post. It says that the NGK is a 6 for stock, and 7 is one step colder. The info is also different for the Bosch plugs too. Which is right?

I will be regapping my plugs today though to see if I can cure the hesitation I have. Good info either way

[Jake@JHM]

Damn, I was actually looking for those side fires about 2 months ago, and not a single person in the northwest had a set! :/ I will be ordering some from you guys for slapping into the evil twin build.

-epy

Sounds good! Let me know when you are ready to order them up.

This. A lot of the BT 1.8t guys swear by them.

This is true. We have been selling these plugs since 2009 and people buy these very frequently!

Hmm seems like i overlooked the gap size. Had the same misfiring problems and replaced the plugs with the NGKs which made it a lot better but still feel a tad bit hesitant (especially mornings). Was about to change the coilpacks but will look into the gap size first. Thanks for this great write up.

Glad I could help!

I know a Test pipe is a test pipe is a test pipe, but when are you guys going to release yours?

We have my prototype made, however we will start selling the final product once our stage 2 tuning has been completed.

Jake, I just wanted to clarify the spark plug heat ranges. I just picked up a set of bkr7e plugs after I went stage 1 based on the information from the FAQ post. It says that the NGK is a 6 for stock, and 7 is one step colder. The info is also different for the Bosch plugs too. Which is right?

I will be regapping my plugs today though to see if I can cure the hesitation I have. Good info either way

We took a look at that thread you linked and although it is filled with a ton of good information the heat ranges are off for a 2.0T B7 A4. The information in that thread is based off of OEM 2.7T and 1.8T Heat ranges. Also the OEM PFR6Q for the 2.7t/1.8t is mentioned in that thread which was NOT OEM on a 2.0T. The 2.0T comes from the factory 1 heat range COLDER than the 2.7T and 1.8T because the 2.0T is a higher compression engine with similar boost, 9.3:1 vs. 10.5:1 respectively. Higher compression engines generally need colder plugs, boosted (assuming similar boost) or NA and Audi followed this rule with the 2.0T if you look at the EXACT OEM plug ranges for either engine. An Audi specific NA example is that the B7 RS4 (12.5:1) has a 1 range colder plug than the B6-B7 S4 (11.0:1) also following this rule. Obviously Audi engineers put much thought into the exact heat ranges but an engine is an engine and higher compression generally requires a colder plug, just like higher boost does since both create more cylinder pressure. Running too hot of a plug can lead to pre-ignition (pinging) and possible engine damage.

[kaz02a4]

^^ Good to know Jake. I didn't even check the OEM heat ranges.. stupid me Here's a link to some direct replacement OEM plugs from ecs tuning, and they're the 7 series NGK. The more you know! Hopefully kristokes takes a look at this and modifies the FAQ page.

Back on topic, the build here is awesome. Definitely sub'd!

[Jake@JHM]

^^ Good to know Jake. I didn't even check the OEM heat ranges.. stupid me Here's a link to some direct replacement OEM plugs from ecs tuning, and they're the 7 series NGK. The more you know! Hopefully kristokes takes a look at this and modifies the FAQ page.

Back on topic, the build here is awesome. Definitely sub'd!

No problem, I am here to help!

I posted in the FAQ thread, so hopefully he can get it correct before anyone else accidentally buys an incorrect plug.

Jake

[Jake@JHM]

Happy Friday!

[A-BlacK_MambA-4]

Good read on the spark plug info up there Jake I usually run NGK BKR7Es but just recently switched to NGK BKR8EIX. Going off of Kristokes original thread these would be for Stage 3 BT cars, but I'm running them in a Stage 2 car without any issues. I checked the gap and the they came gapped at .032. Also in many threads I have read where guys are running plugs with bigger gaps, like in the .040-.044 range. I guess in this case the bigger number isn't always better huh? Your B7 is looking good BTW.

[Jake@JHM]

Good read on the spark plug info up there Jake I usually run NGK BKR7Es but just recently switched to NGK BKR8EIX. Going off of Kristokes original thread these would be for Stage 3 BT cars, but I'm running them in a Stage 2 car without any issues. I checked the gap and the they came gapped at .032. Also in many threads I have read where guys are running plugs with bigger gaps, like in the .040-.044 range. I guess in this case the bigger number isn't always better huh? Your B7 is looking good BTW.

No problem man! Yea, the larger the gap that harder you are going to be working your coil packs. The plugs you are using should work great for stage 2 using a .032 gap.

Thanks!

[MedicCarter]

No problem man! Yea, the larger the gap that harder you are going to be working your coil packs. The plugs you are using should work great for stage 2 using a .032 gap.

Thanks!

I just upgraded to the R8 coils red revision E from stock oe coils. I have 42k on my 08 B7 S-line and I'm APR stage 2+ I also normally gap at .032 but tried .036 the last two times once on the old coils and now with the new ones. I had seen another post that talked about gap sizes and with a wider gap you could get more spark and better detonation but it can be harder in your coils due to the energy needed to jump the gap. With either set of coils and gaps I have had no issues and good clean burned plugs with any hesitation that I can feel. Is .036 too much if our normal for stage 2+ is .032?

[Jake@JHM]

I just upgraded to the R8 coils red revision E from stock oe coils. I have 42k on my 08 B7 S-line and I'm APR stage 2+ I also normally gap at .032 but tried .036 the last two times once on the old coils and now with the new ones. I had seen another post that talked about gap sizes and with a wider gap you could get more spark and better detonation but it can be harder in your coils due to the energy needed to jump the gap. With either set of coils and gaps I have had no issues and good clean burned plugs with any hesitation that I can feel. Is .036 too much if our normal for stage 2+ is .032?

While you are correct regarding the wider gap being a better spark (To an extent), that matters much much more on a N/A engine. These 2.0Ts seem to really like the .028-.032 spark plug gaps. I am sure you would be able to run relatively fine on a .036, however as they wear down you will lose plug life because the gap is getting bigger and you will start misfiring until you replace or regap them. The plugs that came in my car were gapped at .045 and I was getting terrible misfires once the tuning process started, and at that time I by no means had anything near a production tune. Misfires would start happening at anything above 11psi. As soon as I threw in the .028 OEM NGKs the problem was solved.

Jake

[MedicCarter]

While you are correct regarding the wider gap being a better spark (To an extent), that matters much much more on a N/A engine. These 2.0Ts seem to really like the .028-.032 spark plug gaps. I am sure you would be able to run relatively fine on a .036, however as they wear down you will lose plug life because the gap is getting bigger and you will start misfiring until you replace or regap them. The plugs that came in my car were gapped at .045 and I was getting terrible misfires once the tuning process started, and at that time I by no means had anything near a production tune. Misfires would start happening at anything above 11psi. As soon as I threw in the .028 OEM NGKs the problem was solved.



Jake

Thanks for the info. I will check the wear in a couple of weeks and re gap them if i have problems with wear. If I have no issues I will just swap them at my next oil change since that's about when I change my plugs seeing that they are cheap.

[Jake@JHM]

Thanks for the info. I will check the wear in a couple of weeks and re gap them if i have problems with wear. If I have no issues I will just swap them at my next oil change since that's about when I change my plugs seeing that they are cheap.

No problem! You could also pick them up locally from us to save some money on shipping.

Jake

[Jake@JHM]

Hey Guys,

I just wanted to give everyone a big thanks! I have noticed an increase in sales from everything from Spark Plugs to Oil Change Kits to Valve Cover Gaskets and even Coil Packs. Every time we make a sale on 2.0T related products, that money goes straight to R&D costs to help develop performance products to get this platform where it deserves to be.

Because I appreciate your guys's continued support so much, on your next order from us for B7 A4 2.0T related products, mention my build thread in your order comments to receive a FREE JHMotorsports T-shirt! (Specify shirt size in comments).

Thanks again,

Jake

[PNW Avant]

Nice! Makes me want to order those delrin stablizer rod bushings to compliment my JHM SS. Feasible to install on 6spd without dropping trans or DP (APR)? Watched one of the Youtube videos and that's what was mentioned.

[Jake@JHM]

Nice! Makes me want to order those delrin stablizer rod bushings to compliment my JHM SS. Feasible to install on 6spd without dropping trans or DP (APR)? Watched one of the Youtube videos and that's what was mentioned.

You should be able to get to it easily by just letting the rear of the cradle sag (You wont brake anything). However, use a jack to get the cradle all the way up before putting the bolts back in to prevent cross threading!

Jake

[rongeur]

You have PM

[flyingfish2626]

Just placed a order Jake....thanks for the free T-shirt and the great write up about spark plugs.

[Jake@JHM]

Just placed a order Jake....thanks for the free T-shirt and the great write up about spark plugs.

No problem man! We definitely appreciate your support!

[Jake@JHM]

You have PM

Right back at-cha!

[Jake@JHM]

Thanks for all of the orders so far guys! Enjoy your T-shirts!

Jake

[vortexjunkie]

Thanks for all of the orders so far guys! Enjoy your T-shirts!

Jake

When I order my Oil Change Kit, if I look at you and mention your build thread will you give me a free t-shirt as well?

[Charles.waite]

When I order my Oil Change Kit, if I look at you and mention your build thread will you give me a free t-shirt as well?

How long does shipping take across the office?

[Jake@JHM]

How long does shipping take across the office?

Hehe, depends on how hard I throw it at him!

[Jake@JHM]

UPDATE:

Since we are developing our own 2.0T Tuning solutions for the B7 A4, my car has been going through rigorous testing and is always being pushed to the limits for the sake of Research and Development. During the process of beating on my car, I experienced a severe loss of power. As most of you already know, our 2.0T Diverter Valves do not like to see too higher than stock boost levels for very long. The non updated Diverter Valves usually fail within 6 months of the car being tuned because of the higher boost levels. So having 97k miles I decided to take a look at my DV!

Replacing your Diverter Valve is easier than most people think, and below are the tools I used.

Tools needed to remove DV:

1x Socket Wrench
1x 2" Extension
1x 5mm Allen Socket



The first thing you are going to want to do is remove your belly pan, once your car is up in the air (whether it be Jack Stands or a Lift).

Removing the belly pan requires you to loosen the plastic screws and you can use a Flat Head or Phillips Screwdriver to do so.





Once the belly pan is off, you can see the bottom of your turbo where your Diverter Valve is located. Take the harness and unplug it.



Once the harness has been unplugged, remove the three 5mm Allen Bolts from the DV.



Now, pull the DV out of the turbo (should come straight out).



Put the new Updated Diverter Valve into the turbo and tighten the 5mm Allens back up and torque them to about 8ft-lbs and plug the harness back in.



Now put the belly pan back on and you are done!


As we suspected, my DV had a nice tear in the diaphragm.



Here is a side by side shot of my torn DV next to my new Updated OEM Diverter Valve. As you can see, the design totally changed removing the failure prone diaphragm with a upgraded piston style valve.



Interesting enough, in the stack of invoices that the previous owner of the car gave me, it showed that the DV was replaced a couple of years ago (same shop that did the spark plugs). They either put installed non updated DV in, or charged the previous owner for a DV replacement and never actually changed it. Unfortunately, the invoice I have from that shop does not show part numbers, just states "Diverter Valve".

For those of you who are experiencing a loss of power, you may need to change your DV! We offer the new updated one on our website for $65.



Click HERE for more information!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Jake

[mec]

Nice writeup! Should have put it in the DIY section too.

[rongeur]

Nice update, I remember laying on my back and that being an absolute pain to swap.

The bottom of your car is way clean

[MedicCarter]

Everyone has a DV for cheap after I had to change mine $125 at the dealership.....nice to see I could have bought 2 for that price.

[Jake@JHM]

Nice writeup! Should have put it in the DIY section too.

Thanks! I submitted it, waiting for it to be accepted if it is good enough.

Nice update, I remember laying on my back and that being an absolute pain to swap.

The bottom of your car is way clean

Yea, it is way easier if you have some room to move around underneath the car. Is it that clean? I felt it was dirty!

BTW, I have your quote ready, whenever you are!

Everyone has a DV for cheap after I had to change mine $125 at the dealership.....nice to see I could have bought 2 for that price.

Ouch, I would definitely hold off on going to the dealer for stuff unless it is covered under warranty. Checkout our website for other items you may need, it could save you some coin!


Jake

[rongeur]

BTW, I have your quote ready, whenever you are!
Jake

Sounds good, out of town this week, will get in contact next week to figure out when we can meet up. Thanks again!

[MedicCarter]

Thanks! I submitted it, waiting for it to be accepted if it is good enough.



Yea, it is way easier if you have some room to move around underneath the car. Is it that clean? I felt it was dirty!

BTW, I have your quote ready, whenever you are!



Ouch, I would definitely hold off on going to the dealer for stuff unless it is covered under warranty. Checkout our website for other items you may need, it could save you some coin!


Jake

Yeah I will but check it next time thanks Jake.I was in a bind and had to go to the dealership (which is normally when cars break down needing special non stocked parts). I may buy one for a spare even though I have the newest update and it's only a few months old. I've noticed its good to have spare normal wear items ie DV, coils,spark plugs, MAF for Audi's. I have t had many issues or really any but my DV in the 1 1/2 years I've had my car and it's only mildly tuned with low miles.

[Jake@JHM]

Sounds good, out of town this week, will get in contact next week to figure out when we can meet up. Thanks again!

You got it bud!

Yeah I will but check it next time thanks Jake.I was in a bind and had to go to the dealership (which is normally when cars break down needing special non stocked parts). I may buy one for a spare even though I have the newest update and it's only a few months old. I've noticed its good to have spare normal wear items ie DV, coils,spark plugs, MAF for Audi's. I have t had many issues or really any but my DV in the 1 1/2 years I've had my car and it's only mildly tuned with low miles.

keeping parts on hand is definitely a great idea if you have the cash to invest in parts that you may not use for a while. However, we stock just about every maintenance item and if for some reason we do not have it, we get it 95% of the time next day. We are getting deliveries 3 times a day from our suppliers to help insure we have everything in stock and ready to ship ASAP.

Jake

[2006Scorpion]

Just got my side fires, oil filter and of course the free T-Shirt from you guys today, thanks for the great service and speedy delivery! I'm still loving my JHM SS, now I need to buy the 4:1 diff off you guys.

[peb]

Jake, check your PMs. I pinged you a bit ago about working with jhm on an auto to manual swap.

Thanks

[JPS]

Just got my side fires, oil filter and of course the free T-Shirt from you guys today, thanks for the great service and speedy delivery! I'm still loving my JHM SS, now I need to buy the 4:1 diff off you guys.

Free t-shirt!? Would I be getting a free t with my order of a dv? Thatd be sweet.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

[Jake@JHM]

Just got my side fires, oil filter and of course the free T-Shirt from you guys today, thanks for the great service and speedy delivery! I'm still loving my JHM SS, now I need to buy the 4:1 diff off you guys.

Thank you for your continued support!!

Jake, check your PMs. I pinged you a bit ago about working with jhm on an auto to manual swap.

Thanks

Found it! I will dig up some info for you tomorrow .

Free t-shirt!? Would I be getting a free t with my order of a dv? Thatd be sweet.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2

Yup! I posted earlier in my thread if you mention my build thread in your order comments for an order than has anything 2.0T related, you get a free shirt. Did you already place this order? If so, did it ship? If it did not ship, let me know your order number and shirt size and I will make sure it makes it in the package. If you haven't placed the order yet, mention my thread and shirt size in the comments .

Jake