1995 Audi 90 1.8t Conversion

[ColoradoRS4]

Finished the project about a month ago. It started life as a 2.8 v6. With the v6 the car was an absolute dog and it guzzled gas like a v8. I was lucky to get 200 miles out of a tank of gas. I was coming down from the mountains one night and while heading up Floyd Hill the engine blew. Luckily I had already planned on doing the conversion and had a 1.8t sitting around. It took a few weeks to customize everything to where it all fit but I finally got the car started and on the road. I had installed a gt2871r eliminator turbo kit but was running stock injectors and the stock 1.8t tune so I couldn't get into boost otherwise I'd start to run lean really quick. With the stock tune I could already tell that the 1.8t had a lot more torque and pep than the 2.8 did. I went with a Eurodyne Maestro tuning suite and installed bigger injectors and a fuel pump. I couldn't get the car to run with Eurodyne's V8 maf setup so I switched out to the stack maf and 440's. The car became an absolute beast! It was amazing how quick this car was! I don't have a boost gauge so I'm not 100% on how much boost I'm running right now but I left it where the base tune had it set. I have had a few issues with intercooler pipes blowing off and boost getting through the injector seals but overall this has been an amazing project! If I had it to do all over again I would have started out with the 5 cylinder model because it would have made the swap much easier but This car absolutely fly's for being what she is! I'll be out at a few of the competitions with her once I get the tune dialed in and a new suspension, brakes and wheels on her. Let me know if you have any questions... You can email me at:

[email protected]

I don't check this site very much so if you message me or reply to this post it may take a while for me to get back to you. I'll try to post some pictures in the near future....


Brett

ABS Motorsports

[ColoradoRS4]

By the way, even with the base tune being fairly rich on the low end, I'm still getting over 300 miles on a tank of gas now. Not bad considering that I at least doubled the previous horsepower and I was only getting 200 out of a tank previously. Trying to figure out what suspension to run being that no one seems to make a good setup for this car now days. It will be getting Porsche Boxster S front brakes and I'll be changing out the brake booster. After going to high plains raceway, I found that the stock sized tires definitely don't hold worth a shit in the corners too. I also need to figure out how best to lock the drivetrain down. When jamming gears there's a lot of slop right now. I'll also be building a custom exhausts shortly. It's very interesting trying to fit 3" piping through the small hole between the Tranny and the subframe. I also think that I'm going to switch out to an AWM ecu. There's a lot more options for that ecu while running a Eurodyne maestro suite. I'll have to add a cam tensioner and swap out wiring harnesses.

[Mcstiff]

I hear from Dave P (HybridHatch) in SLC that a 1.8T B4 is a solid swap. I'd love to check it out sometime.

For suspension, your best off the shelf option is from KW.

[b7_Andy]

That's a sweet build... I've always wanted an old Audi project car. We should do an HPR day this summer for the Denver audiziners, I'd love to see that car in person!

[Ruffiano]

good to see another 1.8t swap in the Rocky Mountains!





And yes, I love my KW setup.

[ColoradoRS4]

Damn! That 90 is definitely cleaner than mine! I like it! I'm going to get mine wrapped at Platinum detailing. My buddy Ryan owns it and he's going to throw some old school rally style graphics on it. I pulled to close to the curb at our shop the other day and snapped the lower bumper though so I'm looking for a reiger front bumper for it.

It was funny as shit last night. I was pulling past a big ram diesel pickup last night and right as I got to his window he flipped me off and punched it. I lightly rolled on the gas in 5th gear and he was still very slowly creeping away from me. We got up to some pretty good speeds so i backed off and thought I'd just enjoy the ride home. The guy hit his brakes too then started to waive me up like he wanted to say something. I took the bait and once I got about 20 yards from him he punched it and tried to show me how "fast" his truck was. At this point I had to show him what my little beast could do. I dropped it into third and blew past him like he had just dropped an anchor out the back of his truck. He tried to get me to pull over to talk but the couch was calling my name and I just wanted to get home so I guess he'll always be wondering what was done to my little 90.

If you're thinking of doing this swap, I couldn't recommend it more! With just the eurodyne base tune, the 90 probably pulls harder than my rs6 does! The only downside to this swap is that the 90/80 was produced with pretty weak brakes and suspension. However, being that Apikol makes brackets to be able to bolt up boxster S calipers and I assume that there has to be some good suspension setups out there, those small problems can be fixed. Ruffiano, I'll definitely have to check out kw! I was half tempted to see what 2bennett had to offer for this beast too (even though their prices are always ridiculous).

Do you have a k03 Ruffiano or did you put something bigger on it?

[ColoradoRS4]

That's a sweet build... I've always wanted an old Audi project car. We should do an HPR day this summer for the Denver audiziners, I'd love to see that car in person!

Heck yeah! Just let me know when you guys want to do a lapping day! I'm always game for HPR days! Now that my intercooler pipes aren't blowing off every time I hit boost, the 90 will give you a fun car to chase around!

On another note, if anyone needs any tires, we just moved into a new shop right next to Big O and they hook up all our customer really good on tires. So just hit me up if you need a set!

[Ruffiano]

Do you have a k03 Ruffiano or did you put something bigger on it?

I had a k04, but i'm actually supposed to pick up a new bottom end today from the machine shop. 83mm JE pistons, Scat Rods. I'll be running a gtx2871r

KWs are great, and they are cheaper than anything 2 bennett sells:


I'm also putting bigger brakes on it this round:

[Ruffiano]

1200 euro which currently is less than 1400 usd:
http://www.tunershop.de/KW_Gewindefa...665105_h3.html

[ColoradoRS4]

I had a k04, but i'm actually supposed to pick up a new bottom end today from the machine shop. 83mm JE pistons, Scat Rods. I'll be running a gtx2871r

KWs are great, and they are cheaper than anything 2 bennett sells:


I'm also putting bigger brakes on it this round:

Sick!!!!! We'll have to do some pulls! I'd love to see how our turbos differ! You'll love having the upgraded turbo on there! If you need help with the tuning let me know! What brakes are those that you're putting on?

[Ruffiano]

they are both just 996 calipers. I used custom brackets from a local friend (brydon engineering), I also have a set from Apikol, but i have to use spacers to allow them to fit with the URS4/6 hubs I run. I already have tuning from Reflect for the larger turbo. Should be good to go with that, i'm also running an ATP exhaust manifold, with the upgraded turbo to free up some air flow.

[ColoradoRS4]

If you want to meet up with us this Saturday, we're going to do a cruise for Daz Dillenger and we'll be going up the mountains to a few passes then to the diamond exotic nights car show. I'll be posting up the cruise today so if anyone wants to join they can.

[ColoradoRS4]

they are both just 996 calipers. I used custom brackets from a local friend (brydon engineering), I also have a set from Apikol, but i have to use spacers to allow them to fit with the URS4/6 hubs I run. I already have tuning from Reflect for the larger turbo. Should be good to go with that, i'm also running an ATP exhaust manifold, with the upgraded turbo to free up some air flow.

Also, If you need help building your downpipe, let me know, I'm going to try to finish up my exhaust tonight on my car. Building the downpipe for this project is a bit of a bitch LOL

[Ruffiano]

I should be covered in that department. I'll probably sell my current one to another swapper since its perfect for a stock location turbo.

[ColoradoRS4]

OK, cool! I took my 90 out yesterday and was ripping up the mountain. The car flat out fly's!!! A stage 3 frankenturbo S4 was having a good time trying to keep up once my turbo got spooled! The fun ended when I was almost to the top of the peak though. My engine let go.... I'm thinking that with the massive amount of body roll I had and all the cornering we were doing, the oil pump cavitated and I lost a rod bearing. I had to coast all the way back to my shop from evergreen. Luckily it wasn't until I got to my exit off I-70 that the motor started to really knock. I guess it's time for some new rings and rods. I have to check the head to see if it needs any attention too. Second gear was the only gear where I was leaning out and I had been pretty cautious with it but I may not have been cautious enough.....

[Mcstiff]

Ouch! Wish I could have made the cruise; gotta r&r my rear coilovers first.

[ColoradoRS4]

Ouch! Wish I could have made the cruise; gotta r&r my rear coilovers first.

It's no biggie. It just gives me an excuse to build the engine. LOL. I'm probably going to put a dry sump oil pump in it before I go rip canyons again. The car rolls like a conversion van while cornering so a suspension is definitely in order!

[Mcstiff]

It's no biggie. It just gives me an excuse to build the engine. LOL. I'm probably going to put a dry sump oil pump in it before I go rip canyons again. The car rolls like a conversion van while cornering so a suspension is definitely in order!

Some KWs probably make better sense than a dry sump to accommodate the stock suspension

[ColoradoRS4]

Some KWs probably make better sense than a dry sump to accommodate the stock suspension

I build cars for a living. Putting the KW's and the dry sump on are both things I'm going to do. This car is going to get beat on like no other! I don't want to put money into the engine then have issues with oiling later on. A dry sump will be good insurance for that!

[Mcstiff]

I build cars for a living. Putting the KW's and the dry sump on are both things I'm going to do. This car is going to get beat on like no other! I don't want to put money into the engine then have issues with oiling later on. A dry sump will be good insurance for that!

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night Not saying dry sump systems are bad. If I had one on the shelf, I'd use it. But on the list of things to do to a B4, after coilovers and brakes, I'd spend money on diffs before a dry sump.

[ColoradoRS4]

I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night Not saying dry sump systems are bad. If I had one on the shelf, I'd use it. But on the list of things to do to a B4, after coilovers and brakes, I'd spend money on diffs before a dry sump.

I can't argue with that. I was trying to drift around some corners going up the pass and whenever I'd start to break traction the inside wheels would light up.