Who bought their RS5 to modify...

**Bullhorn717** · 01-18-2021 06:02 AM

Just reading through how some people seem sort of disappointed with the power output of these cars modified or stock and wanted to see if people really bought these to tear into it and modify it.

I bought the RS model so I don’t have to modify it at all beyond maybe wheels. It’s pretty sick from the factory already. To me, it’s more than fast enough. I don’t track this car or take it to drag strips. It’s just a perfect well rounded car for what it is.

Wondering what most of the owner intentions were purchasing this car knowing there isn’t a lot of aftermarket support to begin with. The offerings I see is pretty pathetic other than wheels and extremely overpriced minus maybe the JB4. Just my thought. I know it’s your car and do what you want with it etc. I’m just curious and bored at work. Lol.

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**coolwater** · 01-18-2021 07:36 AM

Originally Posted by Bullhorn717

Just reading through how some people seem sort of disappointed with the power output of these cars modified or stock and wanted to see if people really bought these to tear into it and modify it.

I bought the RS model so I don’t have to modify it at all beyond maybe wheels. It’s pretty sick from the factory already. To me, it’s more than fast enough. I don’t track this car or take it to drag strips. It’s just a perfect well rounded car for what it is.

Wondering what most of the owner intentions were purchasing this car knowing there isn’t a lot of aftermarket support to begin with. The offerings I see is pretty pathetic other than wheels and extremely overpriced minus maybe the JB4. Just my thought. I know it’s your car and do what you want with it etc. I’m just curious and bored at work. Lol.

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JB4 is great. I will eventually want a flash from home solution. Agree there are slim pickings for next level power (600hp) let alone 2 levels up (700-800hp). Other V6 TT like GTR just are in another league with aftermarket mods. I’m sure COVID is not helping with development times for our platform.

-cW

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**Burrcold** · 01-18-2021 07:56 AM

Similar to you I bought mine as something I would be satisfied with out of the box. It's my daily driver, so there isn't a ton I would want to do anyways. If it was a weekend car, I would certainly modify (although I would not buy an RS5 as a weekend car).

**JohnEnglish** · 01-18-2021 08:11 AM

I mean let's be honest, the most that 99.9% of these cars will ever see is taking an onramp a bit faster than normal. I include myself in that 99.9%. The car as it come is overkill for everyday street use. However, I get that people like to tinker with them and make them their own and bench race HP numbers.

Personally, I'm happy with it the way it is.

**kkl263** · 01-18-2021 09:34 AM

I bought it as a daily that would satisfy me out of the box. I probably will look into a Stage 1 flash and just lowering springs - these cars are pretty quick for a daily.

**mikeman101433** · 01-18-2021 05:43 PM

I used to have a b8.5 s4 went full race car mode ultra charged stage 2+, slammed it suspension ended up riding like shit. Totally got the rs5 so it was fun and fast out of the box and I didn’t have to tear it apart like I did my s4.

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**eightamrock** · 01-18-2021 07:56 PM

Originally Posted by mikeman101433

I used to have a b8.5 s4 went full race car mode ultra charged stage 2+, slammed it suspension ended up riding like shit. Totally got the rs5 so it was fun and fast out of the box and I didn’t have to tear it apart like I did my s4.

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This. Same thing here. I had a B8.5 S4 with the full catalog of parts. I bought the RS5 to enjoy out of the box. Only upgrades I’ve done are 19” rims which was a practicality upgrade and a better sub/amp combo.

I don’t intend on touching anything else. It’s my daily and I really want the warranty to last this time. It’s plenty fast enough, handles like it’s on rails, the exhaust sounds great, and it rides at the perfect height....needs nothing.

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**SSerx_R** · 01-19-2021 12:06 AM

I think that is a matter of the platform, not the tuner or the aftermarket parts.

A RS3 did last weekend 11.0 on the 1/4 with a basic APR Stage 1 (91 oct), so...
M3/M4 platform pushes up to 520-530 hp from 431 and 450 with just a tune with any problems... B9 RS5/4 has problems to reach 490-500 real hp to the crank (from 450) even with 93 oct.

In fact the catless downpipes do nothing on our platform, 0 gains over stock.

So, I think is better to improve engine cooling with a Stage 1 and handling with 034 parts or others. It is not a car for a 1/4 mile challenge but for other kind of situations.

**Bullhorn717** · 01-19-2021 06:53 AM

Originally Posted by SSerx_R

I think that is a matter of the platform, not the tuner or the aftermarket parts.

A RS3 did last weekend 11.0 on the 1/4 with a basic APR Stage 1 (91 oct), so...
M3/M4 platform pushes up to 520-530 hp from 431 and 450 with just a tune with any problems... B9 RS5/4 has problems to reach 490-500 real hp to the crank (from 450) even with 93 oct.

In fact the catless downpipes do nothing on our platform, 0 gains over stock.

So, I think is better to improve engine cooling with a Stage 1 and handling with 034 parts or others. It is not a car for a 1/4 mile challenge but for other kind of situations.

It’s shocking to me that the tuners can’t get more out of these cars. I’m not a tuner but usually in my past cars, it was maximizing airflow, more boost, swap injectors, maybe bigger turbos. Not that I plan to tune or change out any pipes here but I wonder what the limiting factor is. I haven’t looked into the individual components in this 2.9TT engine but it’d be interesting to hear from the couple tuner we have for this platform on what the limitation is. With any tune or serious mods comes problems with supporting components. And at least from that OG guy from UK on YouTube...he seemed to have gotten pretty decent power out of this car and blew up his drivetrain gear. And he’s been ghost with that car ever since. I guess some platforms can take it better than others.
But really though, did anyone feel like you’re ever lacking power on the street? This car is scary quick for me at least from stop light and has more than enough on the highway. Blink of an eye and you’re in triple digits. But I guess we always want more and more.

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**RS5fvr** · 01-19-2021 07:21 AM

Mine is completely stock and I intend it to be that way till I give it up. Eventually one gets tired of modifying and dealing with one problem after the next. I don't even have that urge to get more power as the car feels really fast to me especially from a dig. I don't know what I would do with more power tbh. I'd prolly just put myself in more danger as the speed enters triple digits insanely quick.

**chavez885** · 01-19-2021 07:43 AM

Yeah I didn't get this car to make it a 1/4 mile drag car, there are PLENTY of other better options for that. I've got an intake and that's it, might do a tune later if I see better results/more data.

I do go to the 1/4 mile track regularly and plan to do some road course courses for fun. I wouldn't try to make crazy power in these cars, they are 4000+ pounds.

RS5 is a blast to drive, looks amazing, and plenty fast for me. If I got the itch for more speed I'd sell it and get something else.

**SSerx_R** · 01-19-2021 10:34 AM

I believe with the MERC or WAGNER watercooler and radiator kits + new Pierburg pump we can get 15-20 more hp because of the much lower IAT and specially, the stability of the temperature.
Problem: Almost 3.000$ installed but maybe worths it.

**303 Spartan** · 01-19-2021 12:24 PM

Coming from a long line of cars that were modified well above stock levels, this time around I bought the RS5 knowing that, at most, I'd do a "Stage 1" tune and call it good. I made it a whole 1200 miles with the stock tune before doing that. The Stage 1 tune really helped with the dip in mid-range TQ. To me, that was all that was missing when I'd find myself comparing the power delivery to my F80 M3. Now the car is about as perfect of a high-powered DD as I could possibly ask for.

Let's be honest, an S5 or A5 would have been just as good for 90% of my driving. But I always wanted an RS car, so here I am.

If I do get the itch to tinker/modify something in the near future, I'll pickup an M2 CS, or something similar, to supplement the RS5.

**pwdrskr** · 01-19-2021 01:32 PM

I intended to leave my RS5 unmodified beyond suspension and wheels and use it as my daily...until I started driving it regularly. Like almost all Audis I've owned/driven, throttle tip in is pathetic. The delay between pushing the accelerator and the car doing something is terrible. So much lag its nearly dangerous and definitely ANNOYING. I tried adding a throttle modifier (e.g. Pedal Box, etc.) but that just made the car too "twitchy" for my liking. The APR Plus tune solves this for me in spades. The HP gain is marginal to be sure. Torque is more noticeable. The tune does smooth out the power delivery. All that said, the improved tip in is worth the tune on its own in my opinion.

I don't want to push the limits of the engine's performance anyway. This makes the APR tune the right option for me. I went with Plus for that sense of security.

So, to answer your question, I didn't buy it to modify it, I modified it to make it a better driving borderline supercar... I'd do it again without hesitation.

**AR_Motorwerkz** · 01-19-2021 02:13 PM

Seems most people do indeed buy these cars to be enjoyed as is, or with a tune and some bolt-ons at most. Nothing wrong either way. Really it makes more sense to simply buy a faster car if you need a huge bump in power over stock.

**tymz** · 01-19-2021 02:35 PM

I am looking forward to a stage 1 tune from home solution for the RS5 platform.

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**Bullhorn717** · 01-19-2021 03:11 PM

We are all on this forum likely because we love cars and we are enthusiasts. I started with a camaro iroc z in high school. Then eclipse gsx. Went all out and modded the crap out of it. Eventually crapped out and parted out everything. Next was 330ci. Put an ESS twinscrew supercharger. Wanted it to be a M3 I couldn’t afford. Lol. Literally blew a gasket. G35 was next. Kept it stock and traded it for a e92 M3. Did exhaust, intake and numerous cosmetic mods. Bought a Ford Edge Sport. Tuned it with livernois tune. Was a great car but got bored and was hard to shake my business partner calling it a chick’s car. Up next was a legacy GT. Modded the hell out of it. Downpipe, bigger turbo, e85 tune. Was pushing over 350 at the wheels. But with all the mods and pushing that kind of power on EJ motor...smell of corn with e85 in the cabin and chasing leak after next. And here we are. Lol. I’m sure if the aftermarket was reasonable in price and was available to make more significant power, I’d be all over it. I guess there is RS tax of sorts. Everything costs so much more. It’s all SS but when it’s for this car even small intake pipes to turbo cost over $1000! Anyway, that’s my story to share too. At the end of the day, this Rs5 makes me proud to have made it in life? I came from literally nothing and to drive this makes me happy.

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**joeyoro** · 01-19-2021 08:56 PM

I bought it to tear into it. Due to the small market I've been making parts for it. It's my hobby, not necessarily to be the fastest but to tinker and to increase the "if I want to, I can" factor. It appears the stage one and done is exactly what the average buyer is looking for with the RS5. While the S5 is more of the tuner of the two.

Fastest B9 went to the S5 and still holding for the time being and it is apparently due to that market demand. So don't line up with any highly modified S5's unless you want to get humbled. 😂

That being said I've taken it to the track and what it can do is impressive. With an increase in power it punches above it's weight pretty easily.

**thadoggfatha** · 01-19-2021 11:32 PM

This may be off topic a bit but Arnon just made over 600AWHP on his RS5 im sure there is more to come in the future. Check out his IG page @importeknika
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKAmUJ2n...on_share_sheet

Also lets not forget there is more drivetrain loss on our cars in comparison to other cars(C63s, M3).We do get the traction advantage though at least we put all that power down. It also seems the pandemic is having an impact on the availability of aftermarket support. It was only early 2020 when the ECU was cracked, sure its been a year but remember with the pandemic there are a-lot of delays.

**JohnEnglish** · 01-20-2021 05:25 AM

Originally Posted by thadoggfatha

This may be off topic a bit but Arnon just made over 600AWHP on his RS5 im sure there is more to come in the future. Check out his IG page @importeknika
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKAmUJ2n...on_share_sheet

Also lets not forget there is more drivetrain loss on our cars in comparison to other cars(C63s, M3).We do get the traction advantage though at least we put all that power down. It also seems the pandemic is having an impact on the availability of aftermarket support. It was only early 2020 when the ECU was cracked, sure its been a year but remember with the pandemic there are a-lot of delays.

It'll be interesting to see what the G80 M3 with AWD can do. I know that the current M3 will break 600 HP at the crank with a tune, intercooler, intake, and charge pipes.

**303 Spartan** · 01-20-2021 08:28 AM

Originally Posted by JohnEnglish

It'll be interesting to see what the G80 M3 with AWD can do. I know that the current M3 will break 600 HP at the crank with a tune, intercooler, intake, and charge pipes.

Yep. The only issue the F80 has is traction. If it had AWD, I'd still be driving it. I may be optimistic but I truly believe the Xdrive G80 M3 is going to be a sub-11sec car with nothing but a tune.

I'll be keeping my eye on the AWD G80 as a potential RS5 successor in 2-3 years. That's for sure. Until then, the RS5 is plenty fast to suit my needs.

**Lethalsouls** · 01-20-2021 08:50 AM

Enjoying the car stock. May get a stage 1 tune down the line. It seems quite engaging as is though.
2 tanks in, getting 13 mph per on board. Fairly typical for mostly sport mode?

**sammo** · 01-20-2021 01:39 PM

Mine is only 12 months old and I waited to see what tuners were achieving before going ahead, so the answer is 'yes' from me and I knew what to expect. Modest gains compared to the 2.5T however as mentioned the earlier throttle tip-in and mid range is worth the money alone. You have to remember that this is an 1800kg car with a luxury ride (not really an RS car). It's a fabulous GT-like car that hooks up very nicely through twisty mountain roads, not an all out traffic light queen (buy a Hellcat for that).

**dpcompt** · 01-20-2021 05:21 PM

Originally Posted by sammo

Mine is only 12 months old and I waited to see what tuners were achieving before going ahead, so the answer is 'yes' from me and I knew what to expect. Modest gains compared to the 2.5T however as mentioned the earlier throttle tip-in and mid range is worth the money alone. You have to remember that this is an 1800kg car with a luxury ride (not really an RS car). It's a fabulous GT-like car that hooks up very nicely through twisty mountain roads, not an all out traffic light queen (buy a Hellcat for that).

Just curious, what current Audis do you consider. an "RS" car ( other than an R8 )?

**thadoggfatha** · 01-20-2021 06:57 PM

The G80 is great and all but man its tough from an aesthetics standpoint. I really think they dropped the ball on the front end, not to mention the "m performance upgrades" they have for it. Im sure its going to be a beast.. But it also weighs in at 1805KG for the competition package and looking at the offering as a whole i'm not convinced to jump on board.

I am also going to remain optimistic regarding aftermarket support as I have contacted some companies who plan to release stuff for our cars.

**thadoggfatha** · 01-20-2021 07:00 PM

I agree with the GT aspect of the car. But I wouldn't go as far to say this is not an RS car... I really think in terms of balance that Audi nailed it much better than Mercedes and BMW which are not as "confidence inspiring".

**JohnEnglish** · 01-20-2021 09:01 PM

Audi literally described the RS5 as a GT car during its introduction. The RS cars have always been about a good blend of performance and comfort; never as crazy as AMGs nor as track focused as M cars.

**wwhan** · 01-20-2021 09:46 PM

I bought the RS5 to leave the engine stock till at least the warranty is over. I wanted enough power to enjoy the stock engine, otherwise I would have bought a S4. I went from a Stage 2 B8 S4 to stage 1 C7.5 S6 to the B9 RS5 over a period of 9 years.

**V6Quatt** · 01-21-2021 02:59 AM

Good views on RS5 makes sense

**Bullhorn717** · 01-21-2021 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by thadoggfatha

The G80 is great and all but man its tough from an aesthetics standpoint. I really think they dropped the ball on the front end, not to mention the "m performance upgrades" they have for it. Im sure its going to be a beast.. But it also weighs in at 1805KG for the competition package and looking at the offering as a whole i'm not convinced to jump on board.

I am also going to remain optimistic regarding aftermarket support as I have contacted some companies who plan to release stuff for our cars.

Totally agree with you. That front end is way too polarizing like a girl with hot ass body but fugly face. Maybe if she’s great at everything else, I can put up with the face? Lol. I think the RS5 is that perfect all around gal for now until the next best thing comes around.

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**pwdrskr** · 01-21-2021 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by dpcompt

Just curious, what current Audis do you consider. an "RS" car ( other than an R8 )?

Isn't it any car with a "RS" is the model name? RS3, RS5, RS7, TTRS, etc...

I don't think I've ever seen an official definition from Audi for what an "RS" moniker means. To me it simply means improved performance over over vehicles in the same model family (e.g. A5, S5, RS5) and that it was designed and built at a different location than the "lower" level models.

I also don't know that there is an industry standard any given vehicle has to meet to be compared to another car. Its not NASCAR where every car has to meet certain requirements. I look at it as each mfg. designs a car that meets their individual specs. Then the public and journalist put them into categories and compare. Yes, the mfg. might cite another brand as a competitor. Each buyer selects the car they like, meets their design, performance and budget needs. One person wants the fastest 1/4 mile time. Another handling in the twisties, another its all looks. Obviously there's tons of grey in there too.

In my case, the combination of the design aesthetics along with performance (power and handling), budget and my intended use land me squarely with Audi. I seriously considered an AMG Mercedes too, but the price for the car I would have chosen made it a no go for us. BMW design has just gotten worse and worse over the years. Once upon a time I had a 335xi sedan with the twin turbo inline 6. That was a fun car. In the end though, I needed a something else that would meet my single car needs. The led me to a X3 35xi, then to a B8.5 allroad that I heavily modified. The BMW design peaked with the e-series model I owned and has been going downhill relentlessly as each update comes out. The current "kidney" grills are hideous. Can't really call them kidney grills anymore, unless they are deformed or tumor riddled kidneys...

If I had the money I'd be driving an RS6 and nothing else. In my humble opinion, a performance wagon is the ideal one car quiver option...certainly for my needs. Alas, since the RS6 is out of our price range, we've decided to suck it up and get an A6 Allroad to replace the B8.5 allroad. Don't worry, I've joined a support group to help deal with my disappointment and ego hit over having to compromise...

The reality is I'll almost never utilize the full potential of our RS5 in stock form, let alone now that it is tuned. I have no interest in taking the car to the track. As I said earlier in the thread, the tune was more about fixing the throttle tip in delay than about HP or torque gains.

All kidding aside, its all a personal decision...except those awful kidney grills, those should be illegal...

**chi_marketing** · 01-23-2021 08:37 PM

The head of Audi sport mentioned the RS5 sport back was designed to be a GT car. The power delivery is very linear and smooth. However, I purchased the RS3 for its mod ability. The RS5 really doesn’t have much mod capability in terms of performance compared to the RS3.

The RS5 sport back is my favorite daily driver GT car under $100K. The RS3 is the car you want if you want a super car killer. The RS7 is what you get if you want more room than the RS5 again both are GT cars and there is nothing wrong with that. Ironically, the RS3 is completely sold out because of the 2.5 Evo. Atlas the 2.9TT on the RS5 sport back is a great engine but it’s used throughout Audi and Porsche :/

**thadoggfatha** · 01-23-2021 10:04 PM

I agree with the fact the RS5 is a great GT car(mainly because of weight) and a fun daily. I think the fact the engine is shared the in Macan turbo and other Porsches only will enhance the opportunity for modding in the future. I also think bespoke engines are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Take a look at the F10 and F90 M5 there was hardly any changes to the motor itself from generation to generation. There also have been "rumours" for a more upgraded version of the Toyota supra to be running the S58 featured already in the M3 G80 and X3M/X4M. The RS3 is killing it with modifications as I think there is just more drivers for those cars. But it shouldn't be long before we see the RS5 with some support, i truly believe there is a-lot of potential to be had with this 2.9TT engine.

**DCB1951** · 01-24-2021 02:43 PM

Originally Posted by pwdrskr

Isn't it any car with a "RS" is the model name? RS3, RS5, RS7, TTRS, etc...

I don't think I've ever seen an official definition from Audi for what an "RS" moniker means. To me it simply means improved performance over over vehicles in the same model family (e.g. A5, S5, RS5) and that it was designed and built at a different location than the "lower" level models.

"RS" stands for "Renn Sport", which in English means "Racing Sport".

**DCB1951** · 01-24-2021 02:54 PM

I agree with chi_marketing in post #32 and thadoggfatha in post #33, except that power delivery is not smooth until the RPM >= 2,000, when the engine reaches maximum torque (443 ft-lbs or 600 Nm) right through 5,000 RPM. In normal daily driving, especially in the Drive transmission map, there is a lot of throttle lag until the turbos spool up >= 2,000 rpm, so power delivery is sluggish and uneven until then. That's why I'm thinking about APR+; I've read on Audizine and Audiworld that real-world daily driving is vastly enhanced with APR+.

**dpcompt** · 01-24-2021 05:23 PM

Can you pass a CARB? smog test with this modification

Originally Posted by pwdrskr

I intended to leave my RS5 unmodified beyond suspension and wheels and use it as my daily...until I started driving it regularly. Like almost all Audis I've owned/driven, throttle tip in is pathetic. The delay between pushing the accelerator and the car doing something is terrible. So much lag its nearly dangerous and definitely ANNOYING. I tried adding a throttle modifier (e.g. Pedal Box, etc.) but that just made the car too "twitchy" for my liking. The APR Plus tune solves this for me in spades. The HP gain is marginal to be sure. Torque is more noticeable. The tune does smooth out the power delivery. All that said, the improved tip in is worth the tune on its own in my opinion.

I don't want to push the limits of the engine's performance anyway. This makes the APR tune the right option for me. I went with Plus for that sense of security.

So, to answer your question, I didn't buy it to modify it, I modified it to make it a better driving borderline supercar... I'd do it again without hesitation.

**pwdrskr** · 01-24-2021 05:26 PM

Originally Posted by dpcompt

Can you pass a CARB? smog test with this modification

Yes, I passed CA emissions with the APR tune. Got the tune in Washington State. Had to remove the Eventuri intake though. That would have failed had I left it on.

**Dan99** · 01-26-2021 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Bullhorn717

Just reading through how some people seem sort of disappointed with the power output of these cars modified or stock and wanted to see if people really bought these to tear into it and modify it.

I bought the RS model so I donÂ’t have to modify it at all beyond maybe wheels. ItÂ’s pretty sick from the factory already. To me, itÂ’s more than fast enough. I donÂ’t track this car or take it to drag strips. ItÂ’s just a perfect well rounded car for what it is.

Wondering what most of the owner intentions were purchasing this car knowing there isnÂ’t a lot of aftermarket support to begin with. The offerings I see is pretty pathetic other than wheels and extremely overpriced minus maybe the JB4. Just my thought. I know itÂ’s your car and do what you want with it etc. IÂ’m just curious and bored at work. Lol.

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My previous daily driver was a B8.5 S4. I drove it stock until the the warranty ran out then went to APR Stage 1 (ECU & TCU). It was OK but nothing special. I then went to Stage 2 (crank pulley only) and the car was an instant delight to drive. When it was time to replace that car I did not want to wait another 4 years to get that level of performance so I went with the RS5 SB. On paper it had about the same horsepower as the tuned S4, and more torque. In practice, though, the torque is not as immediately accessible as the tuned S4 and this detracts from day to day driving for me. Part of that difference is due to supercharger vs turbo, and some is due to DSG vs ZF transmission, so I am not sure how much a tune can overcome on the RS5. Regardless, I will tune the RS5 when it's out of warranty. I'm looking to improve mid range response in day to day driving and this appears to be what APR addressed in the current tune for the RS5.