Step by Step Performance impressions: UPDATED

[eclimax13]

Here's the deal...i bought this car last year as an in between car...so i chipped it and forgot about it since i was planning on buying an 09 a4...well since last week my plans have changed...the new a4 did nothing for me and certainly didnt scream "spend 40k on me cuz im worth it"..and i checked out some other brands but nothing had it all and made me want to give up my b6...so...now im going to have a little fun with this car...i want to do performance step by step and give my impressions as i go...i welcome anyone to add their personal impressions as well...im giving butt dyno opinions..not paper results because if you spent $600 on a part and on paper it made a difference, but you couldnt feel it..whats the point?..(to me at least)...so heres my list:

1. stock....car is ok, drives pretty smooth but why keep it this way when we know it can be a lot better

2. stage 1( apr)...definitely an improvement, much better pickup, throttle response, gas mpg, and overall fun factor

3. stage 1+(apr)...another improvement in pickup and throttle response (wish i went right to this step instead of going 1 to 1+), now mpg wise...only really lose when you get on it, other than that no loss since stage 1

4. diverter valve...did the 710n, just a given when doing a chip

5. coil packs...not really a mod but i was on the originals at 52k miles so i figured id replace them all for the hell of it...well shit, the car runs much better and faster, but still noticed a little sputtering on the highway

6. now onto spark plugs, since the platinums are shit, went with NGK BKR7e gapped at 0.029...still getting some sputtering on the highway but made a huge improvement in smoothness, idle...i bought a set of BKR6e plugs that im going to throw in and see how they react...its getting colder and im wondering if im still misfiring from the 1 step colder plugs (bkr7e)..also apr says their software is tuned to sock plug heat range (bkr6e) gapped to 0.029..this will happen tomorrow and ill update my results..i will note that on my boost gauge the needle used to flutter rapidly at full boost, since replacing my plugs it now stays steady at 21

7. now the n249 mod....for free, holy shit this makes a difference...just did it today, took me 10 minutes...went out for a test drive and instantly noticed better spool, better pickup, still cant boost to 21 in 1st, 2nd..but some have reported they now can..i also didnt loop the valve...its open to the atmosphere..if theres not air going in or coming out..whats the difference?...please correct me if im wrong on this

now for the future...i ordered a magnaflow 16601 exhuast system which will be coming in on tuesday...big thanks to www.performancepeddler.com..($589 shipped) i will update how this system reacts to the car next week...i will also be doing some sort of intercooler, apikol snub mount and probably some various other things...wont be touching the suspension (stock non sport), or wheels...if you drive in boston you'll understand why
so far everything has been worth the money and or time it took to do...my current mileage is 25mpg combined

[pondside36]

Nice write up. I was hesitant about changing the suspesion also, but the slightly stiffer ride of the Stasis Coil overs is still fine in Boston and Baltimore the roads here in B-more suck bad. I would't rule them out, the performance when you have nice roads is 100x better then stock non-sport, just my .02 and welcome to the group who said screw paying for something new when the B6 is great... :)

[Papachristou]

n249 mod? i havent heard of that..

im thinking of ditching my oem plugs for some bkr7e... im going to ask apr what they recommend for plugs. i havent heard that about staying with stock heat range

[eclimax13]

i have done suspensions on other cars and ultimately hated it driving where i drive...i purposely bought a non sport model for this reason and i havent regretted it....i dont race my car or throw it into corners so im happy with it...now if i lived in an area that had nice smooth roads...i wouldnt think twice about changing it

[eclimax13]

n249 mod? i havent heard of that..

im thinking of ditching my oem plugs for some bkr7e... im going to ask apr what they recommend for plugs. i havent heard that about staying with stock heat range

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=231928

and apr will tell you exactly what they told me...even after mentioning everyone says to run 1 step colder

[a4wd]

Well going to a copper plug it should already be one heat range cooler than stock with the Bkr6Es. I am currently using the 7E's right now and right when I fired her up over the weekend ( did the spark plug change) the exhaust sounds so much deeper and the car drove smoother

[demea]

if you drive in boston you'll understand why

LOL. I live outside Philly and it's the same thing. I must say, though after I dropped and went 18's, it's not as bad as I thought it would be.

[eclimax13]

Well going to a copper plug it should already be one heat range cooler than stock with the Bkr6Es. I am currently using the 7E's right now and right when I fired her up over the weekend ( did the spark plug change) the exhaust sounds so much deeper and the car drove smoother

then what is causing my highway sputtering...its a lot less than it was before but just there a little bit

[Papachristou]

so with apr 1+ you should run the 6e or 7e?

[eclimax13]

so with apr 1+ you should run the 6e or 7e?

apr says the 6e gapped at 0.029...and thats what they are sticking to..they say this is what they tuned their software to...ill be throwing these in tomorrow and will update if anything changes

[LampyB]

...wont be touching the suspension (stock non sport), or wheels...if you drive in boston you'll understand why

i've driven all over boston and lived in vermont for four years. the non-sport OEM suspension is terrible, and even with sport suspension i didn't have any difficulties or complaints at all. if you don't want to go aftermarket, at least consider getting a used sport suspension from someone on AZ...your car won't feel like driving a boat anymore. sport makes a huge difference in performance feel, and it's lower as well (haven't had any issues at this height in the rockies during winter).

[eclimax13]

i've driven all over boston and lived in vermont for four years. the non-sport OEM suspension is terrible, and even with sport suspension i didn't have any difficulties or complaints at all. if you don't want to go aftermarket, at least consider getting a used sport suspension from someone on AZ...your car won't feel like driving a boat anymore. sport makes a huge difference in performance feel, and it's lower as well (haven't had any issues at this height in the rockies during winter).

i car pool with a guy who has a speed 3 and i hate it....i still dont know if i have it or not..i need to look at the struts...my sales slip says sport package but i didnt have the fishscale trim although the audi dealership switched it over from another car....but when i look at a usp it looks about the same wheel gap as mine... i just assume i dont have it...but it definitely doesnt feel like a boat...i enjoy the smoothness over bumps and not having to worry about denting a wheel

[aaaudiprotein]

Question to those with upgraded suspension.
I have never been in other slightly modified a4 yet. I got NS race springs/with koni shocks. Everytime i go over a bump it seems like i feel my shocks working, like they go down and up. Also, i feel much more bumps thru my steering wheel. Is this what everyone else experiencing?

[dr. brian]

where is the n249 on the 1.8t engine? I will bypass if access is easy, can you be more specific on doing it, sounds super easy!

[B6480Avant]

nice wirte up make sure to make a sound clip of the 16601 thats a good price i was thinking 14851 anyone ever compare these?

[eclimax13]

nice wirte up make sure to make a sound clip of the 16601 thats a good price i was thinking 14851 anyone ever compare these?

im still debating on if i am going to put it on the car...depends on if i want to get a downpipe or not

[LampyB]

where is the n249 on the 1.8t engine? I will bypass if access is easy, can you be more specific on doing it, sounds super easy!

there's an entire write-up on this in the B6 forum. it's on either of the first two pages...today it might have slipped down from the first page. the thread is called "N249 Removal". It took me about fifteen mins. and the mod is awesome. Throttle response is really nice now.

[eclimax13]

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=231928

and apr will tell you exactly what they told me...even after mentioning everyone says to run 1 step colder

click the link for the n249 mod...just took the car out again and its a huge improvement in spool and throttle response..took it for an hour drive to really test it..no cel, very very good mod

[doublezero30]

i have done suspensions on other cars and ultimately hated it driving where i drive...i purposely bought a non sport model for this reason and i havent regretted it....i dont race my car or throw it into corners so im happy with it...now if i lived in an area that had nice smooth roads...i wouldnt think twice about changing it

my H&R and bilstien sport set up rides better than my stock non sport did. even on my 19s. plus its not TOO low, so i dont have to worry about crackin an oil pan unless its a RIDICULOUS dip in the road.

[A4 KiDD 810]

Nice thread. I think I might do a spark plug change tomorrow. I'll be getting the 6e's since I have APR 1+....unless 7e's are working better for you guys that have already tried it...

[eclimax13]

Nice thread. I think I might do a spark plug change tomorrow. I'll be getting the 6e's since I have APR 1+....unless 7e's are working better for you guys that have already tried it...

im running the 7's with 1+ now...today im switching over to 6's just to see..its an $8 experiment so who cares...ill let you know which run better

[EBG 18T]

i have done suspensions on other cars and ultimately hated it driving where i drive...i purposely bought a non sport model for this reason and i havent regretted it....i dont race my car or throw it into corners so im happy with it...now if i lived in an area that had nice smooth roads...i wouldnt think twice about changing it

I won't drive my car in boston. Car is just too stiff. I usually end up taking the wifes car into boston when i need to go down.

As for plugs also check out the Bosch F5DP0R, I have been running those with different APR software both here at at altitude in Colorado and they have been great. It was the OEM plug for the old turbo UrS4's.

[Chr1sJohnson]

nice wirte up make sure to make a sound clip of the 16601 thats a good price i was thinking 14851 anyone ever compare these?

I should be getting my 16601 this coming week sometime, I am definitely going to do some sound clips.

[eclimax13]

I should be getting my 16601 this coming week sometime, I am definitely going to do some sound clips.

you get the deal at performancepeddler?

[eclimax13]

ok so threw in the bkr6e's today, gapped to 0.029 like apr says....well now my problems are back...im getting top boost fluttering and i cant get past 18-19lbs...so i will be going back to the bkr7e plugs which run much better with my apr stage 1+..even though apr says otherwise...why does apr suck so bad lately

[Exanimas]

my H&R and bilstien sport set up rides better than my stock non sport did. even on my 19s. plus its not TOO low, so i dont have to worry about crackin an oil pan unless its a RIDICULOUS dip in the road.

I concur with this. Nate's car actually rides smoother than my stock non-sport. It's a lot less stiff for some reason and it looks a helluva lot better.

As for the N249 mod... once I get my car back from the body shop I'll give this a shot. And thanks for all the info on the plugs, but I only have Stage 1 (not 1+), think I should run 6s or 7s?

[gotboost]

SO for the n249 mod, can we leave both ends just open to the atmosphere, or is it better to loop them together?????

[Chr1sJohnson]

you get the deal at performancepeddler?

Yeah.. KILLER deal. Apparently they had to ship it from cali, so it's going to take a few extra days. I'm really looking forward to getting it on.

[EBG 18T]

SO for the n249 mod, can we leave both ends just open to the atmosphere, or is it better to loop them together?????

Loop it together. it will keep any dirt and stuff out incase you ever need to reconnect the n249.

[EBG 18T]

ok so threw in the bkr6e's today, gapped to 0.029 like apr says....well now my problems are back...im getting top boost fluttering and i cant get past 18-19lbs...so i will be going back to the bkr7e plugs which run much better with my apr stage 1+..even though apr says otherwise...why does apr suck so bad lately

As i mentioned above take a look at the Bosch F5DP0R plugs. I ran them on my APR 1+ and it ran perfect. There are alot of us running this plug on and it works well for lots of applications.

[doublezero30]

Question to those with upgraded suspension.
I have never been in other slightly modified a4 yet. I got NS race springs/with koni shocks. Everytime i go over a bump it seems like i feel my shocks working, like they go down and up. Also, i feel much more bumps thru my steering wheel. Is this what everyone else experiencing?

i heard neuspeed race springs ride harsh. i wanted those but was turned away for that reason. H&R sports are phenominal. i wish H&R made race springs for the quattro, or even the cup kit!

[eclimax13]

Yeah.. KILLER deal. Apparently they had to ship it from cali, so it's going to take a few extra days. I'm really looking forward to getting it on.

ya.thats because i bought the last one they had in stock

[eclimax13]

I concur with this. Nate's car actually rides smoother than my stock non-sport. It's a lot less stiff for some reason and it looks a helluva lot better.

As for the N249 mod... once I get my car back from the body shop I'll give this a shot. And thanks for all the info on the plugs, but I only have Stage 1 (not 1+), think I should run 6s or 7s?

ive heard to run 6 with stage 1...if you want you can pick a set from me in boston

[eclimax13]

As i mentioned above take a look at the Bosch F5DP0R plugs. I ran them on my APR 1+ and it ran perfect. There are alot of us running this plug on and it works well for lots of applications.

at $13 a plug, i think ill pass....the bkr7e run very well and cost almost half that for a set

[EBG 18T]

at $13 a plug, i think ill pass....the bkr7e run very well and cost almost half that for a set

you will replace the brkr7e's more often anyways. good luck.

[eclimax13]

you will replace the brkr7e's more often anyways. good luck.

more fun

[eclimax13]

ok so the problems i was having were not from the sparks plugs...i forgot a step when doing the n249 mod...after fixing that i really dont notice any difference between the bkr6e and bkr7e...maybe due to the weather change, its running fine..ill have to wait til next summer to see if it makes a difference in high heat....so for now im going to keep the 6's in..

[Chr1sJohnson]

Wow, I ordered the magnaflow exhaust from Performance peddler thursday, and tracking says it will be here tuesday. GREAT company!!! And free shipping +half off retail.. incredible.

[eclimax13]

mine will be here tomorrow also

[Chr1sJohnson]

mine will be here tomorrow also

Where are you taking yours to get installed? Midas has quoted me 125. There is a muffler shop downtown columbia that quoted me 90-120..