What should be my first mod?

[MikeSammons32]

I recently got a great deal on a 98 A4 with only 60k miles on it. Its a 1.8T 5spd, and I was wondering what should be my first mod. I'm not trying to spend too much but i'd like to be able to notice the difference after modding. I've been looking at APR chips but then i'd have to upgrade the breaks, right? I'd really love to hear my turbo more. Maybe a new BOV? But they are reciprocating so would I even hear it? I don't wanna sacrafice power for amusement...and ideas???

[Fuzz_Duster]

a chip will not require upgrading the brakes. Its not going to produce that much power.
usually people go with a chip as their first mod because you get what you pay for. You definitely feel the improvement over stock with more torque and higher boost.
To tell you the truth you won;t be hearing much of your stock turbo. You could throw on a cone filter which will amplify it more, but it won;t be very noticable... And the filter won;t do anything for performance really, so its kinda pointless. And BOV's are personal choice. Like the filter, won;t do anything for your car but make the small "hiss" sound.

If you want to see/feel performance in your car, go with the chip. Giac is more raw power for b5's, while APR is more gradual apparently. Its all personal choice, but either way you'll notice the difference. Personally, I would make my first purchase a chip AND a boost gauge. A gauge will be a must if you plan on doing anything else performance wise to your car, and can also help finding any boost/vacuum leaks. It really is a life saver.

[Nebone]

BOVs are annoying.

[Jibberific]

Chip is the first thing you should do because it gives you the most results for your money and everything else kind of builds off of it. You will need a new diverter valve along with the chip and that's about it for that mod.

If you want to hear the turbo, a test pipe will let you hear it whistling loud and clear but i don't know about the emissions laws in GA. a BOV isn't the best idea for the AEB engine, but aftermarket DVs make the same noise (actually better sounding than BOV) if you install a cone filter

[Fuzz_Duster]

a good first setup would be: chip, DV (you can buy the forge spltr which is half BOV and halve re-circ.), boost gauge, and a cone filter if you want to hear more of your turbo.

[Jibberific]

yeah boost gauge is a must, they range from cheap to expensive

[Tiluleshpingen]

a chip will not require upgrading the brakes. Its not going to produce that much power.
usually people go with a chip as their first mod because you get what you pay for. You definitely feel the improvement over stock with more torque and higher boost.
To tell you the truth you won;t be hearing much of your stock turbo. You could throw on a cone filter which will amplify it more, but it won;t be very noticable... And the filter won;t do anything for performance really, so its kinda pointless. And BOV's are personal choice. Like the filter, won;t do anything for your car but make the small "hiss" sound.

If you want to see/feel performance in your car, go with the chip. Giac is more raw power for b5's, while APR is more gradual apparently. Its all personal choice, but either way you'll notice the difference. Personally, I would make my first purchase a chip AND a boost gauge. A gauge will be a must if you plan on doing anything else performance wise to your car, and can also help finding any boost/vacuum leaks. It really is a life saver.

actually a cone filter does help performance with a chip,i put back my stock air box and actually throttle response decreased and lag increased,i used to boost/ spike 22-23psi with open cone filter, now i cant even get past 17-18psi with MBC
OP get get suspension upgrade, if ur car as nice wheels u'll love it

[Fuzz_Duster]

yeha it helps a little, but it can also depend on where you live. Like I'm a mile high up in elevation and I hardly felt any difference in throttle response and breathability. But when I went to laughlin last weekend, dropping way down, I saw more performance from my car.

[Poopie]

first mod should be a gt30r.

[firstars]

gt35r

[Nebone]

Chip only makes the car a little faster. Exhaust adds noise with barely any felt power gain.

First thing you should do is Timing Belt Change and lower the car and put some OEM or OZ wheels on it.

[muff1n]

First mod should be NOZ and an overnight straight form Japan BOV I personally went for handling first. Buy some new sway bars and coilovers. Even driving a stock a4 with those mods will be a fun drive.

[MikeSammons32]

I just had the 60k service work done by an independent mechanic. I trust him and he didn't mention anything about the timing belt. I just had the clutch disc replaced, the ignition module, and my a/c compressor just came apart. Is that normal around this mileage or am I not as lucky as I thought?

[VTAudiA4]

Do the all regular maintanece first before modding. You are highly recommended to replace the timing belt so thats the first thing I would do then do whats stated above by the others. Its no fun to have a chipped car when you have bent valves.

[Seerlah]

Depends if you want more go or show. I will tell you the steps I took:

First thing first, get your car to full specs. I first replaced alternator, wheel bearing, and exhaust valve stems (dealer did timing belt). Then I knew my car was at full potential. It already came with a Nuespeed rear sway bar from previous owner, so that was cool and I am on stock sports suspension. My first mod was window tints. Comfort first. 35% all around (not too bad and my car is all black so it looks darker than it really is). Then put some subwoofers in the trunk.

Now onto the engine modding. First was a boost gauge (Link). Then exhaust (Labree High Flow Cat and Milltek Cat Back Exhaust). Then went with a CTapp flashed ECU as I will go with them when I save enough for my BAT. Then found a good priced Valeo Ecode headlights on ebay and bought those and sold my OEM ones. And added an HID kit (link). As for suspension and wheels, I can wait (plus I have sprts suspension and rear sway bar). I bought new tires that ran me around $500 and I will make sure I make good use of them.

My advice is to figure what you want to do with your car. When you start learning of the bigger turbos, you will want one. Save up for a BT if you want to upgrade the motor. And as Nebone22 said, wheels and suspension will make your ride feel like a million bucks. But in actuality is one of the cheapest Audis on the market. If I had the money, I would do Koni coilovers and these ASA wheels I was looking at (cheap).

[ricebeater]

you should slap a "big bertha" t79 on there with some nozzz dawg.

No jk jk

You should hit up a chip with a forge spltr DV it sounds nice. maybe an awe DTS drive train stabilizer? Its really all with what you want.

DO you want crisp shifting and less drive train slop? Do you want more power? Do you want a nice set of tail pipes? Do you want to hear your turbo release back pressure?

Its better to replace the stuff that you listed now than further down the road and I would do the Tbelt around 80-90k to play it safe.

[MikeSammons32]

I'd love to hear my turbo release without having to sacrafice power. And I really want smoother shifting. If i'm driving casually I have to shift right at 3000rpms or it seems to be a bit jerky. It almost feels smoother when I'm really getting on it. How hard is it to install a shorter throw?

[ricebeater]

I'd love to hear my turbo release without having to sacrafice power. And I really want smoother shifting. If i'm driving casually I have to shift right at 3000rpms or it seems to be a bit jerky. It almost feels smoother when I'm really getting on it. How hard is it to install a shorter throw?

This might be another thing you are looking for. Its something that I need to get also.
http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/shar...rain&IL=AWEDTS

[tdn]

This might be another thing you are looking for. Its something that I need to get also.
http://www.awe-tuning.com/pages/shar...rain&IL=AWEDTS

i think it would be wiser to spend the money on a snub mount and engine/tranny mounts first.

edit: when i said first, I meant before a drive train stabilizer.

Make sure your car is in great running condition, including the vacuum lines. Then get a boost gauge.

[fred2ka4]

Audi's are known for maintenance issues, so your first mod should be to make sure your car is mechanically sound. After that I am a firm believer in suspension & handling, brakes, and performance in that order. There are those that would say otherwise but I think a car should be mechanically sound, and able to handle and stop before you make it go faster.

[fernando]

my first mod was a new dv, then FMIC, chip. , boost gauge, exhaust.....is you want to hear you dv you can get the Turbosmart like the one i have, it has a horn and it does discharge some to the atmosphere so you will hear quite well. Also exhaust is a very nice mod, as you will get some performance gain, and you will also notice that the turbo will spool up quicker.
as fro the FMIC, i don't really need it at the time, but i did have the car on the dyno and made more power than a friends car with more mods.....the intercooler did a good job.....i am now going with a GT2871r

[lawnferie]

im surprised you haven't gotten flamed yet. what happen to all the mean AF guys around here? jk jk :)

Here's my suggestion: Giac Chip and new DV as #1
since an opportunity came up, I'm actually getting an exhaust first, but the chip was my original first REAL mod.
SOme cheap mods are Clear corners and painted lowers. just takes some time and the results are great!

[TMorris]

[speedydragon]

I'd also go with suspension first, make the quattro really stick to the ground!

[biketsai]

1.Chip, 2.testpipe, or both at once!

[Tiluleshpingen]

Chip only makes the car a little faster. Exhaust adds noise with barely any felt power gain.

First thing you should do is Timing Belt Change and lower the car and put some OEM or OZ wheels on it.

ur kidding right, i can attest that i used to lose to a certain car by half or 1 car before i got my testpipe.. after the testpipe i put 2 cars on that same certain car.

[t1demont1]

Id go cone intake, forge 007, GIAC chip, testpipe, then the rest of that exhaust Then lower that hoe and get some wheels, then front mount. all in thet order probably. The chip should hold you over until you save up for that bigger turbo we all know your gonna get ;)

[biketsai]

Id go cone intake, forge 007, GIAC chip, testpipe, then the rest of that exhaust Then lower that hoe and get some wheels, then front mount. all in thet order probably. The chip should hold you over until you save up for that bigger turbo we all know your gonna get ;)

prob dont need a front mount.

[t1demont1]

prob dont need a front mount.

it always a good idea, there are gains with a front mount. The stock IC overheats like a whore on payday