AllroadCorbin's High Mileage B8.5- 100k and beyond

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-02-2016 06:21 PM

Tranny fluid on ZF8 was drained and replaced with new filter. Pan dropped and all. Apparently the fluid was dirty but not horrible. New Motor mounts, 034 50 Durometer on both sides.

The extra NVH added by these mounts is excessive... I literally had to remove the coins from my cup holder because they were rattling around. Its dramatic but apparently they break in and become softer. That said, while driving the car feels remarkably different. It feels SO much tighter. Drivetrain slop is highly reduced and the transmission shifts SO much smoother. Prior to this, upshifts and downshifts would make a noticeable thunk... thats gone. The transmission also feels like its shifting faster and handling the torque much better.

Hopefully the NVH goes down as these mounts break in, but I highly recommended it for anybody who has a sloppy drivetrain. I also recommend the tranny fluid drain and fliter replacement for anybody experiencing shift quality issues like I was. I made sure to use LifeGuard fluid...and not some substitute.

**hyperunion** · 02-02-2016 06:38 PM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Tranny fluid on ZF8 was drained and replaced with new filter. Pan dropped and all. Apparently the fluid was dirty but not horrible. New Motor mounts, 034 50 Durometer on both sides.

The extra NVH added by these mounts is excessive... I literally had to remove the coins from my cup holder because they were rattling around. Its dramatic but apparently they break in and become softer. That said, while driving the car feels remarkably different. It feels SO much tighter. Drivetrain slop is highly reduced and the transmission shifts SO much smoother. Prior to this, upshifts and downshifts would make a noticeable thunk... thats gone. The transmission also feels like its shifting faster and handling the torque much better.

Hopefully the NVH goes down as these mounts break in, but I highly recommended it for anybody who has a sloppy drivetrain. I also recommend the tranny fluid drain and fliter replacement for anybody experiencing shift quality issues like I was. I made sure to use LifeGuard fluid...and not some substitute.

Zf's own lifeguard 8 fluid is the way to go!! I wonder if the oem bottles are pretty much the same fluid as lifeguard??. Possibly.... Will let you know how my front mount intercooler install goes this Fri... It's a secret I can't say yet until its officially released...

**dnoyeb** · 02-02-2016 06:40 PM

Do you have any pics of your sub enclosure? Looked but didn't see any... Curious to see where you put it

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**AllroadCorbin** · 02-02-2016 08:59 PM

Originally Posted by dnoyeb

Do you have any pics of your sub enclosure? Looked but didn't see any... Curious to see where you put it

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I'll post one tomorrow for you

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-03-2016 07:53 AM

Somebody has GOT to figure out how to completely disable traction control and other electron nannies in this car. I was merging on a highway this morning and didn't see an 18 wheeler until the last minute in my blind spot and it was too late to not go so I had to floor it. My wheels lost a bit of traction and the Traction control came out and totally cut the power off almost causing me to get rear ended by a semi going 70 mph. Thank god he had room to swerve or I'd be dead. Traction control and esp is so dangerous and I'm ripshit angry I can't turn them off totally. (Btw I drive with the button pressed to turn it "off")

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**poweredbyaudi7** · 02-03-2016 08:36 AM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Somebody has GOT to figure out how to completely disable traction control and other electron nannies in this car. I was merging on a highway this morning and didn't see an 18 wheeler until the last minute in my blind spot and it was too late to not go so I had to floor it. My wheels lost a bit of traction and the Traction control came out and totally cut the power off almost causing me to get rear ended by a semi going 70 mph. Thank god he had room to swerve or I'd be dead. Traction control and esp is so dangerous and I'm ripshit angry I can't turn them off totally. (Btw I drive with the button pressed to turn it "off")

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Even with it in sport mode, I have never had an issue with it activating. I have gotten the car completely sideways on a few occasions.

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-03-2016 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by poweredbyaudi7

Even with it in sport mode, I have never had an issue with it activating. I have gotten the car completely sideways on a few occasions.

Mine kicks in frequently in rain and snow and cuts power almost totally

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**poweredbyaudi7** · 02-03-2016 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Mine kicks in frequently in rain and snow and cuts power almost totally

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I can say that I have never driven the car on snow/ice (drive my truck), and rarely in the rain. Maybe because of 6MT....if this is a problem for yous guys, the EFR will be a huge problem....

**jmeenach** · 02-03-2016 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Somebody has GOT to figure out how to completely disable traction control and other electron nannies in this car. I was merging on a highway this morning and didn't see an 18 wheeler until the last minute in my blind spot and it was too late to not go so I had to floor it. My wheels lost a bit of traction and the Traction control came out and totally cut the power off almost causing me to get rear ended by a semi going 70 mph. Thank god he had room to swerve or I'd be dead. Traction control and esp is so dangerous and I'm ripshit angry I can't turn them off totally. (Btw I drive with the button pressed to turn it "off")

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Can you hold the button for 3-5 seconds and completely disable it? I know with previous vehicles that I have owned simply pressing the button didn't really do much.

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-03-2016 08:42 AM

Originally Posted by poweredbyaudi7

I can say that I have never driven the car on snow/ice (drive my truck), and rarely in the rain. Maybe because of 6MT....if this is a problem for yous guys, the EFR will be a huge problem....

Haha yea I'm on a stock turbo. I couldn't even do a K04.

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**AllroadCorbin** · 02-03-2016 10:27 AM

Enjoying the new gauge

**poweredbyaudi7** · 02-03-2016 10:41 AM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Enjoying the new gauge

Nice. What was the leake from?

**Dub_prime** · 02-03-2016 11:20 AM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Somebody has GOT to figure out how to completely disable traction control and other electron nannies in this car. I was merging on a highway this morning and didn't see an 18 wheeler until the last minute in my blind spot and it was too late to not go so I had to floor it. My wheels lost a bit of traction and the Traction control came out and totally cut the power off almost causing me to get rear ended by a semi going 70 mph. Thank god he had room to swerve or I'd be dead. Traction control and esp is so dangerous and I'm ripshit angry I can't turn them off totally. (Btw I drive with the button pressed to turn it "off")

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Oh can't totally deactivate it in the all road... Not sure why, but I'm not aware of any defeat on it yet.

Btw there mount will mellow out some, but with the auto they will be a little more harsh at idle.

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-03-2016 08:11 PM

Originally Posted by dnoyeb

Do you have any pics of your sub enclosure? Looked but didn't see any... Curious to see where you put it

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**AllroadCorbin** · 02-03-2016 08:30 PM

Btw there mount will mellow out some, but with the auto they will be a little more harsh at idle.[/QUOTE]

Hope it mellows out because right now its downright uncomfortable and embarrassing having passengers in the car. The NVH at idle is absurd

**Dub_prime** · 02-04-2016 08:27 AM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Hope it mellows out because right now its downright uncomfortable and embarrassing having passengers in the car. The NVH at idle is absurd

You should have felt the 65 durometer ones... It was way worse they went to the 50 because of all the complaints mainly from the automatic drivers.

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-11-2016 06:40 PM

1500 miles later. No improvement in NVH. Almost feels worse. Gonna rip these damn things off soon. Good while in motion but God forbid you come to a light or any traffic

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**s4baby** · 02-11-2016 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

1500 miles later. No improvement in NVH. Almost feels worse. Gonna rip these damn things off soon. Good while in motion but God forbid you come to a light or any traffic

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It may be fair to contact 034 directly about this issue or least have a video to show what's going on. They make a bunch of quality parts for our cars. I respect the honest opinion either way because I'm considering buying these mounts and they aren't cheap.

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-11-2016 08:07 PM

I've contacted them. They said it's odd because they tested them on an Allroad apparently. A video won't do it justice. I'd love for somebody from 034 to feel it. And yes I agree. 034 makes some great stuff for our cars!

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**AllroadCorbin** · 02-22-2016 10:03 AM

Despite being sick as a dog, I muscled through a mid winter clay bar and zymol in the garage last night. Much needed. Paint is back to silky smooth!

Also changed the oil. Moved from using mobil 1 to Motul 8100 excess. ordered from Europa Auto parts... It showed up at my door 12 hours later. Insanely fast

**AllroadCorbin** · 02-22-2016 10:05 AM

Update on 034 50 durometer mounts. Seem slightly better to be honest.... but I that's because it was over 60 degrees this weekend. Naturally the rubber is much stiffer in the cold...

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-03-2016 09:43 AM

Pulled the trigger. Ordered a brand new set of AG M590 wheels 20x10 Et 25 and some solo werks coils. I ordered the wheels with Conti DWS 06 tires 255/35/20. I wanted a thicker 35 sidewall (most guys seem to go 30) because boston roads suck ass and I want a softer ride. I was afraid 255 would be slightly stretched on a 10 inch wheel but I decided to go for it since 255 is technically 10.04 inches wide and DWS typically runs fat. As you can see from the pic Jason at getyourwheels sent me before shipment, the 255 DWS 06 is perfect with this 20x10 wheel....I'm pumped too because the next size up adds close to $100 a tire! Pics to come!

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-04-2016 06:35 AM

Coilovers have arrived!

**Sedan Guy** · 03-04-2016 06:53 AM

Looking forward to the final pics

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**bluefox280** · 03-05-2016 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

...wheels 20x10 Et 25 and some solo werks coils. I ordered the wheels with Conti DWS 06 tires 255/35/20.

Excited to see the end results - keep us posted.

- Erik

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-10-2016 07:47 PM

Installed my DDM 35W HID 3000K fog lights tonight. The first pic has only the HID on the right so you can see the difference. I like the look

Wheels and coils go on tomorrow, as well as the bumper/ fender being touched up

**zcspec** · 03-10-2016 08:28 PM

Let me know if you need any suggestions on installing the coils. They'll take some patience, but in honesty, pretty easy to install. Make sure you torque everything to spec, otherwise you'll get little gremlins that will haunt you.

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-10-2016 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by zcspec

Let me know if you need any suggestions on installing the coils. They'll take some patience, but in honesty, pretty easy to install. Make sure you torque everything to spec, otherwise you'll get little gremlins that will haunt you.

I'd like to pretend I'm doing them myself but I don't really have the time or patience at the moment haha. I'm having my local audi shop/ tuner do them tomorrow morning

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-11-2016 06:34 PM

So the wheels and coils came out pretty well. I was worried since the SoloWerks shocks are about 50% as wide as stock....whether or not that has anything to do with their strength/quality idk. The car sits much lower but its still an Allroad and on 20s the car itself still isn't that low at all. The ride is slightly stiffer but not horrible. Coils are set to 100% height in the rear and ~80% in the front.

Unfortunately the car shakes like a SOB above 65mph. GetYourWheels.com said they would gladly pay for a roadforce balance so tomorrow I plan to get that done and see if it helps/ see if they're out. Really hoping its tire/wheel related and not suspension.

**treginginco** · 03-11-2016 06:47 PM

In the words of the great philosopher ------- Sometimes it's better to look good than to feel good! :)

It looks really nice.

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-11-2016 06:53 PM

Originally Posted by treginginco

In the words of the great philosopher ------- Sometimes it's better to look good than to feel good! :)

It looks really nice.

Hmm I'd agree except I drive 30k miles a year. Needs to be smooth!

**Sedan Guy** · 03-11-2016 08:04 PM

The M590s look great on your allroad.

**Slimwonder** · 03-11-2016 08:25 PM

Really interested to see how you get on with the coilovers. Some say they are great some hate them. You do some serious miles so that's a good basis for feedback.

Also good luck with that shaking. Keep us posted

**theSaint024** · 03-11-2016 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

I'd like to pretend I'm doing them myself but I don't really have the time or patience at the moment haha. I'm having my local audi shop/ tuner do them tomorrow morning

Good choice. Update on my install with the help of earhythmic - it was a bitch, and I don't know how I could have done it myself without his experience (and labor). I was about to tell you that my final advice would be to pay someone to do it. It's not that it's hard per se, it's just frustrating and takes patience and time. There are so many little problems to solve like how to get things into place, how to get things out, how to adjust with no space, etc. I'm estimating it would have taken me 2 or 3 times longer than the 8-10 hours it took the two of us. A full lift would be nice, so would audi specialized spring compressors. That would probably cut the time in half. I had 95% of the tools needed and the last 5% would have seriously cut the time by hours. Anyway, it's done, and I'm in his debt now. I'll post pics eventually when I ever get my wheels. Your set up looks great.

**treginginco** · 03-11-2016 10:51 PM

Originally Posted by AllroadCorbin

Hmm I'd agree except I drive 30k miles a year. Needs to be smooth!

I totally understand!!!

**zcspec** · 03-11-2016 11:22 PM

Corbin, the AR looks fantastic man. The 20's with your tire choice fills the gap quite well. If the installers did the job correctly, you should have no shaking coming from the suspension so I am hoping it's just a balance issue.

Just some feedback about the coil ride height, I would recommend that you check with Solowerks. I do recall reading that where you have it set, it's out of the recommended compression range.

**AllroadCorbin** · 03-12-2016 05:28 AM

Just took the car to my tire shop for a road force. 3 of the brand new wheels are bent (you can see and feel it as they spin on the balancer, and 3 of the 4 tires are very out of round... you can see them move up and down). Needless to say I'm ripshit angry. The car has only been driven a few miles on these new wheels since mounting and I've avoided even minor holes in the road like they'll kill me. I called getyourwheels.com and left a message since they're closed.