Just pulled trigger on KW HAS and ECS brakes...

[mjames]

Even though my '10 has 80k miles on it, I have come to the realization that I'm going to keep it another year or two. Hope to pick a B9 S4 maybe in its second model year. Anyway, I've held off on mods on this car until now. Went with KW HAS to lower it (don't want it slammed) and then ECS cross-drilled and slotted rotors with Akebono pads.

Dealer quoted me $900 for front breaks. I decided to buy better ones from ECS, dust-free pads (hallelujah), and get them installed at an indy shop for less.

Am I foolish to put mod money into a 6-year-old car with 80k miles? I hope not since I'm keeping it a while longer, it's in great shape. I've had people recently ask me if it was NEW! That's something I'm proud of, thanks to Adam's polishes and lots of hard work. The car frankly feels really solid and has been reliable. Much more than my E46 M3 did at this mileage. It started to need TONS of maintenance around this point, not the S4. Knock on wood.

The only thing now is once I get the suspension and brake upgrades on, I'll be itching to get it tuned. So much for not putting mod money into it.

Also, I can't wait to see how it looks with the HAS setup and my AG M590 wheels. It always bothered me that I had aftermarket wheels on a stock setup -- the wheels kind of demand a more aggressive suspension, especially with the concavity.

Will post pics when I get everything installed.

[mjames]

Here is a before shot of her.

[LaCross]

I've put tons more than this into my s4 with 126k miles

[Powderhound]

On my previous vehicle began modding at 36,000 miles, drove it at "stage 2" until almost 100,000 miles, then upgraded to "stage 3" and got a few more years out of it until 150,000 plus miles at time of trade in. It is definitely cheaper to add the upgrades you mentioned, including possible tuning, than buying a new/used car. I know a lot of people like to change vehicles often. However, for me if I plan upgrades in steps over time then the character of the car feels renewed as the look, power, and handling changes. By "refreshing" it, rather than replacing it, I stay in the same vehicle for a longer period of time without getting bored. Ultimately it's your decision to mod at that mileage, one thing to keep in mind is to allow for wear expenses on higher mileage car in addition to mod expense. Sounds like you're already thinking that way with brake upgrade choice.

[Htown213]

I wouldn't hesitate to mod if keeping for a few more years. The only thing is, at 80K miles you really should consider changing out the shocks/struts at the same time you're doing the HAS kit... labor on suspension isn't cheap.

[mjames]

I wouldn't hesitate to mod if keeping for a few more years. The only thing is, at 80K miles you really should consider changing out the shocks/struts at the same time you're doing the HAS kit... labor on suspension isn't cheap.

What are my options for replacing shocks with ADS? Wouldn't I need to get OEM replacements to keep the functionality? I imagine those are quite expensive, and I've had no sign that mine need replacing. Hoping I can get away with keeping them another year or two. But you make a good point about the labor.

Edit: Just read some other posts saying the shocks with ADS can be fine for the life of the car. I doubt I'm going to spend money on replacing them if they are operating fine.