Lettuce Build Thread, Fast Cars and Fast Women: Stage 2 and Beyond

**blbroo** · 08-17-2015 06:43 PM

And if you mess up the lower control arm, the bolts to replace it are a lot more than $4 each. Plus, it will test your French vocabulary

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**4ringnut** · 08-17-2015 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by blbroo

And if you mess up the lower control arm, the bolts to replace it are a lot more than $4 each. Plus, it will test your French vocabulary

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And your marriage

**lettuce** · 08-17-2015 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by 4ringnut

This. They stretch with the proper torque. Audi charges like $4 per bolt. You only need 2. The ones that you use for the bushing brackets are much smaller, and are fine to reuse. The fronts aren't as crucial because you use nuts instead of cranking them into tapped a hole in a pretty expensive swing arm. Less room for error with the nut.

And what if I don't use a torque wrench and plan on just hand-tightening them like a savage?

**4ringnut** · 08-17-2015 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

And what if I don't use a torque wrench and plan on just hand-tightening them like a savage?

Snap a doodle do! You can borrow my torque wrench. Or you can get one at lowes for like $40-$60

**lettuce** · 08-17-2015 07:14 PM

Originally Posted by 4ringnut

Snap a doodle do! You can borrow my torque wrench. Or you can get on at lowes for like $40-$60

I have one, I just generally don't use it. Only when doing bottom end work or bolting on heads or something important like that.

**4ringnut** · 08-17-2015 07:16 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

I have one, I just generally don't use it. Only when doing bottom end work or bolting on heads or something important like that.

Them Germans insist that you use it with ALL of your Audi hardware. Even the lug nuts!!!

**blbroo** · 08-17-2015 07:24 PM

Don't make her angry.

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**AUDIMAN33** · 08-18-2015 06:16 AM

Originally Posted by blbroo

Don't make her angry.

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That's my Aunt....
She's a lesbian, but not the hot type you see on TV or Pornhub... She's the type you see in Home Depot driving a subaru outback

**blbroo** · 08-18-2015 06:30 AM

Originally Posted by AUDIMAN33

That's my Aunt....
She's a lesbian, but not the hot type you see on TV or Pornhub... She's the type you see in Home Depot driving a subaru outback

Audiman33 muss auf seine führenden Politiker der Welt aufzuholen.

**AUDIMAN33** · 08-18-2015 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by blbroo

Audiman33 muss auf seine führenden Politiker der Welt aufzuholen.

Und sie kann meine lesbische Tante warum? Alle Frauen in meiner Familie haben große Macht, wie Putin.

**lettuce** · 08-18-2015 06:41 PM

Installed my sways today along with a nice new OEM windshield. Man, what a difference that windshield makes. Like driving a brand new car.

The install was pretty straight forward, took maybe 3 hours and I was taking my time. Half of that was probably jacking the car up and removing and reinstalling that damn front underbody panel.

I stopped by Audi of Burlington to grab a pair of those bolts but they didn't have any in stock. I asked if they were stretch bolts and the parts guy didn't know so he looked it up and said they weren't and that I could grab some from the hardware store. I asked if he was sure, and he asked the tech standing right there and he said they just reuse the bolts. I stopped by the hardware store anyway and grabbed some M10x65 bolts and ended up not really needing them. I grabbed two pairs, M10x60s for the front and M10x65s for the back as per the EC install guide. Well the fronts worked great, but the rears apparently aren't 65mm bolts as the install guide says, but more like 55 or 60s, so I ended up just reusing the stock bolts without issue. I would have tried the 60s I bought for the front but they were already in as I did the front first and didn't feel like tearing everything back out again.

They are also listed as being shouldered bolts in the pdf, which they're not (maybe they meant flanged, but they're not flanged either, they just have washers). Who knows. Either way, didn't need em. They didn't look stretched when I took em out so back in they went.

Front Sway Bar:

Rear Sway Bar:

All Done:

Just took it around the block and didn't really notice a difference, but I wasn't pushing it at all, just checking to make sure they were installed correctly. I'll report back in a few days when I've put some miles on the car.

**4ringnut** · 08-18-2015 06:45 PM

Nice, were you able to slip out the rear bar without jacking up one side?

**lettuce** · 08-18-2015 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by 4ringnut

Nice, were you able to slip out the rear bar without jacking up one side?

I did have to jack up the passenger side, as well as unbolt the two rear hangers for the exhaust. No way the thing was coming out otherwise.

**Deckdout2** · 08-18-2015 07:22 PM

Nice build man. Curious to see what you run at the track!

**lettuce** · 08-18-2015 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by Deckdout2

Nice build man. Curious to see what you run at the track!

Thanks, me too. Just have to wait until the weather gets a bit nicer. These 95 degree days are killing me.

**Deckdout2** · 08-18-2015 07:53 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

Thanks, me too. Just have to wait until the weather gets a bit nicer. These 95 degree days are killing me.

Where do you go, The Rock?

I wish Zmax would do a Test and Tune. They have in the past, but they just won't since they don't have any sponsorship of course cause everything cost money. Sucks cause its a really nice and local track to me. Ran it a few times, but I think The Rock has a much better track prep and they know what they're doing. I might go to Mooresville drag just for fun on Thursday's but they're only an 1/8th mile.

**lettuce** · 08-18-2015 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by Deckdout2

Where do you go, The Rock?

I wish Zmax would do a Test and Tune. They have in the past, but they just won't since they don't have any sponsorship of course cause everything cost money. Sucks cause its a really nice and local track to me. Ran it a few times, but I think The Rock has a much better track prep and they know what they're doing. I might go to Mooresville drag just for fun on Thursday's but they're only an 1/8th mile.

That'd be quite the haul for me as I'm all the way up in Mass. I haven't been in a while, but I'll be hitting up New England Dragway in Epping NH once it cools down. They have 1/4 mile street nights every Wed and Fri through the end of October. Probably gonna wait until the end of the season to get some nice 40-50 degree nights as it's still a good hour drive away from me and I don't want to waste my time getting anything but sub-13 second slips.

**AUDIMAN33** · 08-19-2015 05:17 AM

You should tint your OEM windshield.

**lettuce** · 08-27-2015 02:20 PM

I have a new product review for you guys today. The Ultra Racing Strut Tower Bar from NextGenTuning.

Opening up the box, my first impression was wow, this thing is packed very well. Surrounded by peanuts, the bar is wrapped in plastic, bubble wrap and tape all the way around with two layers of cardboard over each tip. It took me close to 5 minutes just to get down to the final layer of plastic wrap. Upon unveiling the actual bar, I was extremely impressed with the finish and build quality. I was originally planning on painting it a different color, but seeing the attention paid to detail and appearances here I starting to think I'd keep it the way it is. Unwrapping it further brought me to the center of the bar, where there is a really high quality metal stamp with the UR logo and a unique serial number etched onto it. Really nice touch. But then I happened upon this fucking ridiculous piece of shit:

I was desperately hoping it was one of those stickers that's more plasticy than papery and would just peel right off in one piece, but I quickly realized this was not one of those fucking stickers.

literally 10 minutes in, picking little chunks of the god-forsaken sticker off one tiny little agonizing fucking speck at a time, I was done. I put it where it belongs.

Seriously who the fuck does this. What is your fucking problem? Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?

**blbroo** · 08-27-2015 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

I have a new product review for you guys today. The Ultra Racing Strut Tower Bar from NextGenTuning.

Opening up the box, my first impression was wow, this thing is packed very well. Surrounded by peanuts, the bar is wrapped in plastic, bubble wrap and tape all the way around with two layers of cardboard over each tip. It took me close to 5 minutes just to get down to the final layer of plastic wrap. Upon unveiling the actual bar, I was extremely impressed with the finish and build quality. I was originally planning on painting it a different color, but seeing the attention paid to detail and appearances here I starting to think I'd keep it the way it is. Unwrapping it further brought me to the center of the bar, where there is a really high quality metal stamp with the UR logo and a unique serial number etched onto it. Really nice touch. But then I happened upon this fucking ridiculous piece of shit:

I was desperately hoping it was one of those stickers that's more plasticy than papery and would just peel right off in one piece, but I quickly realized this was not one of those fucking stickers.

literally 10 minutes in, picking little chunks of the god-forsaken sticker off one tiny little agonizing fucking speck at a time, I was done. I put it where it belongs.

Seriously who the fuck does this. What is your fucking problem? Are you happy? Is this what you wanted?

HAHAHAHA. I still have that damn sticker on mine and spent more than five minutes unpacking. have you driven with it on yet though, you'll forget the sticker BS.

**lettuce** · 08-27-2015 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by blbroo

HAHAHAHA. I still have that damn sticker on mine and spent more than five minutes unpacking. have you driven with it on yet though, you'll forget the sticker BS.

No I'm fucking serious it's sitting in my trash.

**blbroo** · 08-27-2015 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

No I'm fucking serious it's sitting in my trash.

no freaking way. I couldn't see your pics at work, some sites are blocked so I guessed it was just the sticker in the trash.

You are upset and frustrated right now, it's understandable when someone uses a poor choice in stickers that makes your car mods look bad. I've been there in similar situations. How about you take a break (not brake), go to a park where there are some ducks and do some drawing. Never know when you will need a good duck drawing. After you feel calm again, grab a razor and gently scrap that sticker off and mount the bar to see if you like the result. If you like it, maybe paint the bar, maybe instead of painting, put a sticker of a duck over the area that might be scratched.

You are gonna be ok Lettuce and this mod can be salvaged.

**lettuce** · 08-27-2015 05:06 PM

Originally Posted by blbroo

no freaking way. I couldn't see your pics at work, some sites are blocked so I guessed it was just the sticker in the trash.

You are upset and frustrated right now, it's understandable when someone uses a poor choice in stickers that makes your car mods look bad. I've been there in similar situations. How about you take a break (not brake), go to a park where there are some ducks and do some drawing. Never know when you will need a good duck drawing. After you feel calm again, grab a razor and gently scrap that sticker off and mount the bar to see if you like the result. If you like it, maybe paint the bar, maybe instead of painting, put a sticker of a duck over the area that might be scratched.

You are gonna be ok Lettuce and this mod can be salvaged.

Thanks for the advice about the duck stuff. I have calmed down a bit and got some detergent and scrubbed it off. It literally took me longer to remove the sticker than it did to install the bar.

Gotta say I really don't think I like the white. Gonna wait to see if it grows on me but I'm pretty sure I'll be painting it. I'll be testing it out tonight so I'll have to wait and see how well it performs. Seems really sturdy though and the price was right so I highly doubt I'll be disappointed.

The sway bars are doing pretty good. There is a definite improvement in handling after getting them dialed in. I had installed them with the front bar at the stiffest setting and didn't like it. Seemed to understeer more, which would make sense, so I adjusted it to the softer setting (still 45% stiffer than stock) and now it's perfect. Took a 35mph onramp going about 80 and the thing just felt planted. No understeer to speak of, from what I can tell so far it seems really balanced.

Had an issue with intermittent knocking sounds at the stiffer setting too, but not at the current softer setting. The car does make a noise like it's bottoming out though if I hit a pretty deep dip, even though I'm pretty sure it's not bottoming out, so I have to see what's going on there. Other than that though they're great. I give them a B. Will be an A- if/when I can solve the noise issue.

Edit: I found the issue with the scraping noise. Apparently lost yet another belly pan screw with this install so a corner of the pan was loose and would scrape over dips and bumps. The sway bars are great at the softer setting, plenty of clearance with the rest of the suspension and driveline components and provide a noticeably firmer ride through the corners. Not a night and day difference, but noticeable nonetheless. I'd say they're worth the money if you're reluctant to do coilovers as I am since I don't want to alter the ride comfort or height.

Overall I give them an A- with the front bar on the softer setting. On the stiffer setting however they get a D- due to constant clunking and increased understeer which made them worse than stock in almost every way.

Edit 2: After driving with these suspension upgrades for the past few months I just figured I'd add my updated thoughts on their performance. I stated previously that there was 'no understeer to speak of', however after pushing the car to its limits a few times since installing them there still is a bit of understeer for sure. I'm pretty sure the car grips better overall around corners, but when it does hit its limits it will still generally understeer on dry pavement.

Either way the body roll is definitely reduced greatly compared to stock. So regardless of how the car performs at its limits, it definitely feels better and more fun to drive around twisty roads at any point below those limits. If/when I start tracking this car next year, I'm hoping to do some comparisons with and without the front sway bar. As some body roll may not 'feel' all that great, it could theoretically improve grip around corners by planting a bit more weight onto the inside tires.

**4ringnut** · 08-27-2015 05:13 PM

Did you loosen the bar brackets before you changed to the soft setting?( also that torque, and blue locktite thing solve any noise issues)

**lettuce** · 08-27-2015 05:32 PM

Originally Posted by 4ringnut

Did you loosen the bar brackets before you changed to the soft setting?( also that torque, and blue locktite thing solve any noise issues)

Yes I did. I also used blue loctite. It sounds like it's scraping so I have no idea, I'm going to have to investigate this weekend.

**4ringnut** · 08-27-2015 05:34 PM

Ok, this maybe far fetched but you may have installed the front bar upside down. Can you take a pic of one of the sides of it?

**4ringnut** · 08-27-2015 05:39 PM

Nevermind. Just saw your pics, again.

**lettuce** · 08-29-2015 11:58 AM

These came in the mail today. Hmm, I wonder what they could be for..

Originally Posted by 4ringnut

Ok, this maybe far fetched but you may have installed the front bar upside down. Can you take a pic of one of the sides of it?

Originally Posted by 4ringnut

Nevermind. Just saw your pics, again.

Yeah, no it was definitely installed correctly. It only made the noise twice all week when hitting a really big dip pulling out of a parking lot so I'm not super worried about it, but I'd like to figure out what it is in case it's something potentially harmful.

**blbroo** · 08-29-2015 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

These came in the mail today. Hmm, I wonder what they could be for..

Yeah, no it was definitely installed correctly. It only made the noise twice all week when hitting a really big dip pulling out of a parking lot so I'm not super worried about it, but I'd like to figure out what it is in case it's something potentially harmful.

I know!

**4ringnut** · 08-29-2015 02:56 PM

I remember reading another member having an issue with the Hotchkins bar. I can't remember which thread it was. I want to say what did you do to your b8 today. I think his bar was making contact with one of the tie rods. He could tell by the marks on the front bar.

**lettuce** · 09-04-2015 05:15 PM

Fucking ****s. Placed an order for a new FMIC 10 days ago and they said it would ship out today. Just spoke to them and apparently now it's not going to ship out for another two weeks.

Gah I'm so angry.

**blbroo** · 09-04-2015 05:19 PM

Two weeks? Do they have a blacksmith hand building it?

**lettuce** · 09-04-2015 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by blbroo

Two weeks? Do they have a blacksmith hand building it?

If that's the case I'll just stop by King Richard's Faire tomorrow afternoon and have them smith me up a custom one. I'll draw up the design in Solidworks and then I'll just need to find a way to convert the CAD files to parchment.

**blbroo** · 09-04-2015 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

If that's the case I'll just stop by King Richard's Faire tomorrow afternoon and have them smith me up a custom one. I'll draw up the design in Solidworks and then I'll just need to find a way to convert the CAD files to parchment.

Lol

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**AUDIMAN33** · 09-04-2015 05:27 PM

Originally Posted by lettuce

Fucking ****s. Placed an order for a new FMIC 10 days ago and they said it would ship out today. Just spoke to them and apparently now it's not going to ship out for another two weeks.

Gah I'm so angry.

You know what I'm angry about?

That this thread still has no "fast women" or any Women...

**blbroo** · 09-04-2015 05:38 PM

He's so bitter because it makes him feel like One Direction. "Story of my liiiife"

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**lettuce** · 09-04-2015 05:39 PM

Originally Posted by AUDIMAN33

You know what I'm angry about?

That this thread still has no "fast women" or any Women...

I was originally going to schedule a bikini car wash photo shoot, but after reading all your posts complaining that it's taking too long I'm thinking it'd be more fun to just keep making you wait.

**AUDIMAN33** · 09-05-2015 04:44 AM

Originally Posted by lettuce

I was originally going to schedule a bikini car wash photo shoot, but after reading all your posts complaining that it's taking too long I'm thinking it'd be more fun to just keep making you wait.

In this Bikini car wash photo shoot, Will it be more then just your mom and your sisters friends ?