2015 B8.5 6MT S4 going Integrated Engineering Stage 1

[joejoe3]

Just pulled the trigger on the new merc racing hx and 034 bleeder screw kit. I’ve had IE stg2 software and a JHM crank pulley sitting on my shelf far too long, Can’t wait to unleash the new power!

Will be installing ASAP after delivery

Good luck! Keep us posted!

I just pulled the trigger on EPL Stg 1 + TCU

[fstr n u]

JoeJoe3..i went with the CTS pulley as its a Canadian built and lower ratio than others....so far so happy!

[fstr n u]

For those deciding between an open intake and stock....here's the difference. As we have frozen temps here and icy conditions it was hard to find a stretch to allow the car to open up somewhat....so you'll see the traction control light come on.

[fstr n u]

For those following this thread, i've updated the expected boost for Stage 2 tune + single pulley and dual pulley into beginning of this thread for your reference. I've got a manual boost gauge coming and plan to see if my setup is where it needs to be. plenum and boost tap were easy to install but the screws went in with a fair amount of force so i want to make sure there is no bleeding of boost from that area.

[fstr n u]

Boost gauge has landed but the vacuum tubing is too short to work. I'll head to our local parts business and try to get an extra 2ft tubing so i can test boost pressure. Car is running strong, no clutch slip, and with the CTS intake it sounds wicked!

[joejoe3]

Nice, have you done any datalogging on your IAT?
Any HX plans in the works?

[fstr n u]

I have a Merc Racing Hx installed already and will be doing data logging once spring/summer hits. With our nasty cold temps...i'm going to wait until summer tires are on and will do it then. I cannot full throttle the car in any gear until after illegal highway speeds as i get wheelspin....even with my Nokian Hak 9 studded tires.

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my father has ended up ill fighting Covid and a secondary lung infection. He had just purchased a 2020 Porsche 911 C4S Gentian Blue car and with approx 5K he has asked me to drive his car and put some miles on it. i've parked the '15 S4 for a short period and will in turn drive the Porsche to and from work. Data logging and boost figures will come once i drive my S4 again. For now i'm going to enjoy this Porsche 911...it's bloody fast/quck and looks sexy as all hell.

[fstr n u]

My father has returned home though he should likely still be in hospital....i've returned the 911 which was a blast and am now driving my S4 Stg 2+ again. My son purchased a 2011 VW GTI DSG in Dec 2020 (16 years old) and we learned it had an APR tune/ECU on it.

Hours ago we were on a drive and we happened to be driving beside one another and his car was maybe 20-40hp off of my car....it was nuts. I figured my 6spd B8.5 Stg 2+ car would obliterate his car.....i was very wrong! As we accelerated from 60km/hr (rolling) his car was just falling behind but barely.

What I learned from this is a weight differential...my son's 2011 VW GTI is approx 1000lbs lighter than my S4
Even tho i'm a Stg 2+ with 440hp and his car 280hp...the weight from my car was the ugly factor......tho i still nudged him out...

What have i learned from this:
1. i either need to go DP and install the required tune or
2. buy an Audi RS5 and leave the rest behind me

[fstr n u]

Now that i've had this setup for a bit, i'm now on the fence about going dual pulley. If i do here are potential parts and costs:
1. crank pulley and upgraded tune $750 ish Cdn
2. will retain stock fueling for now otherwise would add $700-$1,000 Cdn plus install
3. will retain stock clutch. If it gives up the ghost would run in the $5,500k Cdn with clutch/flywheel and labor to replace
4. exhaust would remain stock but only a matter of time until the cats give up the ghost as well. Custom cat and muffler install would run $1-2k.

If stock parts held together cost would be around $1250-$1500 Cdn for crank pulley, belt, tune and install which makes the upgrade worthwhile. As those other parts need replacement it adds up...clutch being the worst of the offenders.

I suppose to sell the car at $30k (which i've been offered) there isn't anything for less than $68k i'd consider...so worst case scenario $8k fully upgraded Stg 2 DP vs $40k plus on a swap is maybe better value and I retain an MT car.....not sure yet. Need time to think.

[fstr n u]

I was able to use the 034 Motorsports boost tap and turbosmart manual boost gauge and check the boost levels with this Stage 2 single pulley S4....through 1st and 2nd gear mostly 15#boost max, when in 3rd and higher seeing 16# boost.

I've emailed Integrated Engineering to determine if this is the appropriate amount of boost given they stated earlier I should be seeing 17.4. Could be an elevation thing or CTS pulley sizing?

Either way the car is fun and goes like stink....

[Soupnanny]

Hey! I am also in Calgary... 2013 b8.5 s4 stock 111,000 km’s... well serviced..... going to unitronic stage 2 single upper pulley... i am older guy using it as daily driver- no racing no tracking - only occasionally spirited drive on weekends- i am not interested in super charger whine or exhaust volume- I was wondering do you any thoughts about the “need” for heat exchanger ? Not only for heat soak but also re cat failure... and any thoughts about stage 2 with no dsg tune? I’d love to hear you opinion! Thanks and hope you are having a great spring!

[fstr n u]

With the DSG you'll want the transmission tune so your car shifts at 7200 rpm vs 6600 rpm....doesn't seem like much but it is. When you look at dyno graphs your car will be limiting peak power without the TCU tune. Single pulley and TCU tune will transform your car for sure. Keep us posted...

[GTSJeff]

Hey! I am also in Calgary... 2013 b8.5 s4 stock 111,000 km’s... well serviced..... going to unitronic stage 2 single upper pulley... i am older guy using it as daily driver- no racing no tracking - only occasionally spirited drive on weekends- i am not interested in super charger whine or exhaust volume- I was wondering do you any thoughts about the “need” for heat exchanger ? Not only for heat soak but also re cat failure... and any thoughts about stage 2 with no dsg tune? I’d love to hear you opinion! Thanks and hope you are having a great spring!

1. I spent 2-3 weeks on single pulley before I ordered a crank pulley. If I could do it again I would skip straight to DP ratios because SP just doesn’t give the low end torque in Calgary and it just wasn’t as fast as my previous turbo BMWs. Actually I went from stock->Chipwerke->stage 1->SP->DP. Only DP was truly satisfying as an upgrade.
2. I never did HX with SP but also did not datalog. Anecdotally it did not need it, I was able to keep up with a DP S4 which probably did have heat soak issues.
3. You really need an intake of some sort to get the most out of a stage 2 tune. But I think there are quiet options.
4. I have stock exhaust. If the cats melt, I’ll worry about it then.
5. No fueling issues with pump gas.


My recommendation is go for a giant crank pulley, heat exchanger, and enjoy.


Sent from my iPhone using Audizine

[fstr n u]

GTSJeff...yes a big crank pulley instead of sc and crank pulleys would be the way to go if someone wanted to go that way off the getgo. I've changed my mind and will leave my car as a stage 2 sc pulley only upgrade w hx and allow a future owner to go dp leaving something on tap for them to enjoy, i've loved my car for almost 4 years but know there's something else in the horizon and will reserve any funds for the next juncture

[fstr n u]

Man this pandemic has made people nuts. It's damn hard to find a used car for sale, but i've had people and companies coming out of the works to offer money on my car. Last offer was $35k....turned them down. What would you even replace a car like ours with? It'll be interesting to see what surfaces on the resale once the pandemic quells a bit....

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Posting a pic of my winter setup. I took the Fast Wheels FC04 bronze 18" rims off my sons 2011 VW GTI and threw on my 245/40/18 Nokian Hak 8 studded tires...absolutely incredible tires for winter and the rims are a fun addition for winter.

[fstr n u]

So at 65,000km on the odometer for my 6spd manual transmission B8.5 S4 I noticed a slight gear noise in the transmission in first gear when at low rpms after my son drove it for a couple weeks for work. I had a Merc Racing Hx and CTS SC pulley/IE Stage 2 tune installed approx Aug 2020 with CTS CAI...otherwise stock car. Essentially a daily driver to work and home...little to no highway miles. Brought it in and had an Audi Technician help in diagnosing a Dual Mass Flywheel failure. Mother trucker. Car is now apart and waiting on parts coming in from across Canada nd US to get it back up to speed. Stock clutch was on it's way out with lots of rev hang (only noticed after my son indicated he was spinning tires in first and second gear....nope....that was clutch slip. I have a Southbend Stage 3 Daily clutch and aluminum flywheel with ECS clutch fork, pilot bearing and transmission mount on order. Thinking about test pipes to relocate cats....will decide over the wknd what i'm doing there. The stock DMF has approx 2 inches of "play" when we looked at it out of the car. I also had coolant loss occurring and we saw some indications the water pump was leaking so that would be a likely culprit...so that will get replaced. Transmission is absolutely fine with no issues on any input or output shafts/gears thankfully.

[fstr n u]

Parts have finally arrived...only waiting on one more CTS Turbo CEL Eliminator fitting. Here are the JHM Test Pipes, JHM HFC relocation pipes installed (not the x-pipe version):








And the factory cats/pipe removed:



The Transmission buttoned up and ready for install:

[bhyrman]

So at 65,000km on the odometer for my 6spd manual transmission B8.5 S4 I noticed a slight gear noise in the transmission in first gear when at low rpms after my son drove it for a couple weeks for work. I had a Merc Racing Hx and CTS SC pulley/IE Stage 2 tune installed approx Aug 2020 with CTS CAI...otherwise stock car. Essentially a daily driver to work and home...little to no highway miles. Brought it in and had an Audi Technician help in diagnosing a Dual Mass Flywheel failure. Mother trucker. Car is now apart and waiting on parts coming in from across Canada nd US to get it back up to speed. Stock clutch was on it's way out with lots of rev hang (only noticed after my son indicated he was spinning tires in first and second gear....nope....that was clutch slip. I have a Southbend Stage 3 Daily clutch and aluminum flywheel with ECS clutch fork, pilot bearing and transmission mount on order. Thinking about test pipes to relocate cats....will decide over the wknd what i'm doing there. The stock DMF has approx 2 inches of "play" when we looked at it out of the car. I also had coolant loss occurring and we saw some indications the water pump was leaking so that would be a likely culprit...so that will get replaced. Transmission is absolutely fine with no issues on any input or output shafts/gears thankfully.

Holy cow man, this is a jungle to me . My admiration for you handling all this

[fstr n u]

Going to give these CTS CEL Eliminator fittings a whirl. Primary O2 sensors go into stock manifolds. The secondary O2 sensors go into the test pipes "pre-cat" which doesn't make a ton of sense except for removing the length of wiring needed to fit these into my new JHM High Flow Cat Pipes. We'll see how this goes:





Transmission with Southbend Stage 3 Daily and LWFW installed:



ECS Transmission Mount installed:



JHM Test Pipes V2 Driver side installed:



JHM Test Pipes VS Passenger side installed:

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Southbend Stage 3 Daily with LWFW, throw out bearing and other goodies:



Exhaust - High-Flow Cat Downpipes with Integrated Baffle System (JHM) for the B8 S4 3.0T FSI w/ 2.5" CB Connection

https://jhmotorsports.com/products/e...onnection.html

[fstr n u]

So the CTS CEL did absolutely nothing and after 30 kilometers my check engine light is on...bugger. (might have to extend secondary 02 sensors to post-cat which is 4 feet away...)

Regardless here is a video of my 2015 Audi B8.5 S4 Stage 2 IE with S/C pulley/Merc Racing Hx with JHM Test pipes and the downpipes with baffles.

My car sounds Porsche-like but I have 800kms of driving in city to break in my Southbend Stage 3 Daily/LWFW in... so this is a teaser

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydhIXcikkC8

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https://youtu.be/ydhIXcikkC8

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So update to the CEL light, the Audi CPU checks catalytic converter "readiness' every 300 kms or so. My orange glow light on the dash disappeared. I have a feeling this will be a come and go feature in my vehicle with test pipes and HFC. I'm still breaking in the Southbend Stage 3 Daily Clutch with LWFW and USP Stainless Steel Clutch Line Delete Valve...tho so far all feels great. I'm only 180kms into an 800-1000km break in so have some ways to go! I can tell the exhaust will need some help tho it's already better than stock...i'll figure this out when we get there.

[fstr n u]

With this new Clutch and LWFW upgrade there is a recommended 800km driving period with mostly in city stop and go driving. I'm at 180kms so far and the clutch/pedal feel is brilliant. Southbend has a perfect combo for our B8.5 S4/S5's as best I can tell. We had a USP Stainless Steel Clutch Delete Valve Line installed and the driving feel is more engaging vs stock by 50% or more. Stock was robotic and numb...this combination has brought life to a car that deserves it and super stoked that a LWFW and HD clutch didn't disturb a daily driver feel. If someone got into my car they wouldn't know it wasn't stock if they hadn't driven the car "pre-clutch" install. It's that good. I still have 600kms of driving before I can take my Stage 2 IE S4 above 4,000rpms while breaking this clutch in. Next step is to do dual pulley if the clutch holds up!

For now as our Saskatchewan, Canadian temps are dipping below zero degrees, I installed my Fast Wheels FC04 Bronze 18" rims and Nokian Hakkapeliitta 8 studded 245/40/18 tires for winter driving....these tires are balls out amazing! My son has the the Hak 10 studded on his VW GTI MK6 and wife on her B9 Audi SQ5 a set of Hak 9 studded..we won't compromise on performance or quality...these tires in winter conditions are the BOMB!!!

[fstr n u]

So a couple things:
1. the car needs a spoiler but with winter upon us this will have to wait...thinking lower type spoiler
2. the car needs a crank pulley for dual pulley ratio
3. then a dp tune from IE should get rid of my annoying check engine light from the test pipes
4. thinking i may paint my lower side blades from white to gloss black to match a spoiler...they're getting chewed up from Canadian driving and are down to primer in the front corner anyways
5. needs an x-pipe, removal of stock mid pipe and addition of new mufflers.

Once the clutch repair loan is paid off, i'll start tinkering again with these above items. My other car (98 Camaro ) needs some work but can't afford everything at once. Winter hopefully will give me time to pay the $15k loan off from clutch repair on this beast

[fstr n u]

So couple updates:

1. At idle there is zero extra noise with clutch and LWFW from Southbend Stage 3 daily

2. In first and second gears from idle to 2500rpm there is a subtle sound of cardboard baseball card in bike spoke sound then it goes away
I am just reaching the end of clutch break in period and am waiting for the first time in 4 months to finally give my car more than 4000rpm and full throttle....waiting for another 75kms....

The clutch engagement and feel is 80% of stock but more real/natural and really enjoying it...if the clutch holds full throttle accel without slipping as some people have noted i'll be like a kid in a candy store....i'll report back close to xmas. My drive to and from work is only 15kms so it's taking a bit of time to build up break in miles.

So far i'm 110% happy with Southbend Stage 3 Daily w LWFW and USP Clutch Line Delete.

3. The only 2 mistakes in this build are;

* not getting an x-pipe built into the exhaust. I have CTS DP and JHM Baffled and HFC exhaust leading to stock mid and stock mufflers. The sound is Porsche like at the back end of the car. Inside the car it sounds like the engine is struggling to breathe...this might be in part to clutch break in and keeping rpms low? Not sure yet. I think this exhaust needs an x-pipe and my next step is to sort out a custom version to give this car the final touches.

* With the test pipes and relocated high flow cats down stream has come a check engine light and Integrated Engineering isn't able/willing to untune this code so i'll likely delve away from IE and move to another vendor which I wasn't intending to do, but I cannot and will not continue driving this vehicle with a glaring check engine light after all the money poured into it...seems not right to do so. Next step will be to figure out which tuning company i'll move to next (APR, Unitronic, Revo, etc) My plan is to go dual pulley and will keep with CTS parts but need the tune for ECU and emissions to help.

[fstr n u]

Update 90i0kms or 550miles in:
1. Integrated Engineering will not tune out the CHECK ENGINE light that is coming from a relocated High Flow Cat but relocated downstream. If I would have known this I would have gone with another vendor as this build was going Dual Pulley and would need exhaust mods once I crossed a certain threshold. The CTS O2 spacers coupled with JHM Test Pipes allow for very sporadic CHECK ENGINE lights to go off...but it's for a couple ignition starts or two, then the CHECK ENGINE light stays on for another 200-300kms before popping off for a millisecond.
**If I can figure out how to disable this check engine light due to relocated HFC i'll stick with IE as they are a great tuner....however
**If I can't, I'll disable the IE tune and sell the tuning cable and source a vendor that will allow for this progression of this Audi B8.5 car with a High Flow Cat but relocated and go from there.
****In the end, buyers should know limitations or potentials of the tuning platforms they are dealing with. I had no idea this was going to be an issue...lesson learned.

[fstr n u]

Now that the clutch/lwfw is broken in i'm looking at exhaust options. Thinking Vibrant 2.5" Resonators and x-pipe then maybe a set of unknown mufflers to compliment the exhaust.

[fstr n u]

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/stBhHmtKqLI

this is a better quality cold start up video...next up revving video with this setup

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https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a9tjMYnFBCI

As promised here is the revving with a warm motor....

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Exhaust search changed a bit....i'm looking to go from the CTS Test Pipes to Integrated Engineering DP w Baffles to Stock Mid Resonator to Stock Mufflers which i currently have and vids support.

Next stage planned is the same as above however changing the Stock Mid Resonator to a Magnaflow Tru-X Enclosed X-Pipe Muffler 2.5" with a set of Corsa Mufflers on each end with custom tips....

A local company we've worked with for decades is ready to get this build going and would be a step done before next stage upgrades.....
https://g8only.com/product/magnaflow...-pipe-muffler/

When this xpipe muffler is installed we'll do so with clamps as these mufflers can "blow out" so we'll make it easy to replace if needed....

[fstr n u]

i'll try and nab a video of acceleration with JHM Test Pipes/Down Pipes w HFC and integrated baffles to stock mid and stock rear mufflers before any more work is done to see what it sounds like. I've actually never heard my exhuast before at WOT so this will be fun to do over the next couple weeks...sucks it's still cold as heck outside and i'm on studded tires. But it is what it is here in Canada.

[fstr n u]

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-maxton-d...s4-b8f-cap1~m/

I just received our Maxton design batwing spoiler in gloss black for my 2015 B8.5 S4....as our temps are still sub zero, I'll have to wait to install this until temps are more spring like. Can't wait to help make this S4 look a bit sportier.....

[fstr n u]

1. Here is a video of the car from a standstill:
https://youtube.com/shorts/2j0PcnHerX4?feature=share


2. Here is a slightly different angle and acceleration as a drive by:
https://youtube.com/shorts/ekO2njqkZQk?feature=share

[fstr n u]

Ordered a Canadian made Maxton Design gloss black bat wing for the S4 and wanted to install now that the outside temps are getting nicer. Needed to wash the S4 and do a Fallout/Iron remover to get those little bits of metallic brake pad slivers off the paint...digging the aesthetics that this spoiler has added to this sleeper.

[bhyrman]

Nice work sir !! All of it

[fstr n u]

TY Bhyrman....enjoying this particular build. I don't often keep cars after a year of ownership and i've had this one for 5 years...so that says something.

Next up custom exhaust
Magnaflow 2.5" mid muffler/resonator to Corsa Mufflers and tips
If the sound is too aggressive, we'll add in another set of resonators...booking is on May 17th!

[fstr n u]

So stock mid and rear exhaust gone.
Now tied in is a full 2.5" exhaust from the JHM Test Pipes, JHM DP w HFC to Magnaflow resonated x-pipe to Corsa Mufflers. Work was done by Competition Muffler, Saskatoon, SK, Canada and sounds great.
Posting pics first then will do vids.



Inside the Magnaflow x-pipe:


Inside the JHM DP with Integrated Baffles: