Evan's Q7 Evo Build Thread

[ucsbwsr]

Evan,

Fantastic work! I came from an S6 to this Q7, and have been trying to make it work for me. Would love to hear about your ideas for suspension - this floaty ride is killing me. We spec'd it without air suspension (due to concerns about reliability), although I know wish I had!

Unfortunately there aren't many options. OEM air is ideal IMO but as you mention there CAN be some expensive repairs if the front struts fail as they are one unit but from my experience air suspension can be reliable is properly maintained. Coming from BMWs with rear load leveling 90% of the issues are from neglect. Usually a bag has a small leak and people don't notice the slightly sagging suspension or compressor running when they start up the car, after months/years of this the compressor fails from overuse and they are stuck with a big bill. Everything could have been avoided if they just replaced the air bags for $160 which should be good for another decade. But noooooooooo, lol.

You could explore lowering springs. H&Rs are the main option and from what I gather people have mostly positive things to say about the ride quality and performance. I actually have a set that I probably won't be installing. The H&Rs drop is slightly more aggressive than what I am looking for and now that I am running meatier 285/40/22 tires I have concerns about rubbing during hard cornering or when loaded up with cargo. H&Rs might be just the ticket for you if you find the stock ride floaty. If you are interested in the springs shoot me a message.

Evan

[hanyoung]

Evan - thanks for the info! I'm going to wait for now, I keep on wanting to convert this car into a sporty wagon and I don't think I will be able to. Probably trade in after 2 years. That being said, I'm very impressed with all your work and your other wagons! Avants rule!

[daremo]

Great post! Quick question, what dog carrier do you have/like? I figure as detail orientated as you are, you probably found one that fits the Q7 quite nicely. We have 3 dogs and we got tired of how crowded the Q5 would get when we took them out places.

[BikePilot]

Hi! I too picked up a used Q7 for my wife, and I also need a hitch - but in this case for our boat. (BTW, my other car is a 2016 M235i cabrio with manual trans).

Anyhoo, I'm curious if you did any trailer hitch wiring in the end, and if so can you provide (gory) details? did you install the trailer control module? do you have P/N's to share for the pieces you used, and any caveats?

Thanks!

Dave

[elijahallen]

I'm new in here too, I come from a long line of Audi's and do a lot of work myself so its really nice to see you on here. I have so many questions but since I'm new here I will wait and see if this post is still active. I picked up a 2017 Q7 with every option but the night vision. I went dual pulley stage 2 APR since I have owned several 3.0t's in the past and they all held up very well to the extra power.

[BikePilot]

Hi:

In one of your 1st posts you showed the expansion tank and thought you might have had a pre-existing coolant leak (notwithstanding your later coolant adventures!). Did you ever determine if that was the case, and if so what it was? We just got a 2019 3.0 and the coolant level was low also, so just curious.

Dave

[bobbycollins]

Sent you a message for the VAS


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[Jcq7]

Did you see if this helps brighten your reverse light?
VLEDS 1800lm 5500K White LP-Reverse License Plate Backup Light System Black Satin Finish 72 LED https://a.co/d/aISbDuK

[ucsbwsr]

HI, all. I'm back.

Evan - thanks for the info! I'm going to wait for now, I keep on wanting to convert this car into a sporty wagon and I don't think I will be able to. Probably trade in after 2 years. That being said, I'm very impressed with all your work and your other wagons! Avants rule!

Yessir, Wagons are the best.

Great post! Quick question, what dog carrier do you have/like? I figure as detail orientated as you are, you probably found one that fits the Q7 quite nicely. We have 3 dogs and we got tired of how crowded the Q5 would get when we took them out places.

We have a rear seat "hammock" cover which attaches to the rear + front headrests and also has wings which come up on the sides to protect rear door cards, I got it off Amazon and it has been great. It was originally for my X5 but it works well in the Q7 as well since they are sized similarly. For the Q7 I also got a rear cargo cover which is custom for the Q7 from North American Custom Cargo Covers. This is ....OK. It is custom fit which is nice but it has you install velcro w/ adhesive on the sides of the cargo area (on the plastic just above the carpet and also the loading sill. The velcro doesn't adhere well even after using alcohol to prep the surface so it's always sagging. It works, kinda, but for the price I was expecting more.

I'm new in here too, I come from a long line of Audi's and do a lot of work myself so its really nice to see you on here. I have so many questions but since I'm new here I will wait and see if this post is still active. I picked up a 2017 Q7 with every option but the night vision. I went dual pulley stage 2 APR since I have owned several 3.0t's in the past and they all held up very well to the extra power.

Nice, You hardly see 4M Q7 owners doing any wrenching themselves, maybe because it's a relatively new vehicle and people have warranties or the people who buy them can't be bothered with such peasant-like activities like getting their hands greasy? Ha! I have CTS blower pulley and ECS crank pulley which I am yet to install but know that I have moved to Colorado I will eventually get around to it. The goal is to get more torque out of the powerband, the Q7 and it's SC seems to suffer more here at elevation compared to my BMWs w/ turbos.

Hi:

In one of your 1st posts you showed the expansion tank and thought you might have had a pre-existing coolant leak (notwithstanding your later coolant adventures!). Did you ever determine if that was the case, and if so what it was? We just got a 2019 3.0 and the coolant level was low also, so just curious.

Dave

My tank was fine. The pic of the tank was just to highlight that the coolant was low, the cause of the leak was all the stuff I addressed under the blower. The coolant level hasn't dropped at all over the last 6k miles.

Did you see if this helps brighten your reverse light?
VLEDS 1800lm 5500K White LP-Reverse License Plate Backup Light System Black Satin Finish 72 LED https://a.co/d/aISbDuK

Meh, that a decent option I suppose but I got my Diode Dynamics 6" light bar for less that that and it is in a different class when it comes to optics, performance, and (likely) reliability. That VLED thing is just a row of raw diodes, no optics and it just pukes like with no control or throw. Like many other LED manufacturers it's also misleading advertising where they reference "1,800 lumens" which is the theoretical output of all those LEDs combined, it's not an accurate representation of real world performance. For example, Diode Dynamics advertises the light bar I have at 1,400lm -which it is. If DD was advertising like VLED the output would be 2,300 lumens.
My light bar is installed but the relay buzzes when reversing and turning the wheel, my father helped me test different capacitors to eliminate the buzzing but I haven't installed it yet so the light bar currently isn't connected but will be soon hopefully.

[ucsbwsr]

The Q7 has been plugging along during the past 9 months without any hassle which, it frickin better since I did all the preventative maintenance! lol

There is a error code which annoyingly keeps popping up on the dash telling me to stop the vehicle and pull over due to low coolant but my expansion tank is full and hasn't dropped at all over the past 6k miles so I assume it's a sensor so I will explore getting that resolved. My wife has left her mark on the vehicle by handing something on the rear view mirror which swung around and chipped the glass on the rear view mirror, she also struck a concrete pillar in her parking garage at work which damaged the r-rear fender flare (no big deal) and wheel (bigger bummer but whatever).

Upcoming maintenance will include an engine oil change, the last one which will be completely free since Paypal is doing away with their free return shipping program. FCP lifetime warranty + free Paypal return shipping meant free free free. In addition I have the fancy OEM fluid for the center diff which has a friction modifier to keep things quite. It was an oversight by my putting the wrong fluid in there and the result is grumbling while turning, with how quite the Q7 is in general it is really annoying and spoils the otherwise serene ride so it will be nice to correct that. On the upside the center diff is getting a second flush so it should be very clean once the OEM fluid goes in.

My LED light bar reverse light was buzzing while reversing and turning the steering wheel. It has since been unplugged to maintain sanity but my father is helping me test capacitors to get this resolved so hopefully in the near future the functionality of the awesome reverse light will be corrected.

The last Q7 related project has to do with wheels and tires. Since we are now in Colorado the Q7 will be getting a proper winter setup with dedicated snow tires. The 22" SQ7 wheels are running Hankook All Season which are M+S rated and have very high tread depth and should be sufficient for light duty snow driving but the added grip and security of proper snow tires will offer peace of mind when the weather is more aggressive.

While hunting for a Q7 winter setup I stumbled upon a nice deal on some local forged 3-piece wheels, Forgeline CF3C-SL 21x10.5, 5x130 Porsche Cayenne fitment (the Q7 is 5x112). They were such a good deal I bought them just to restore and flip but I will likely run them on the Q7 as a summer setup. The wheels are still being made and cost $2,000+ each. Yikes! I also snagged 2 other sets of wheels for my BMW wagons which will also be restored, enjoyed, and flipped. Forged 1 Split 8s in E92 M3 fitment 19x9.5 19x10.5 and Radenergie R10s in E60 M5 fitment 20x9.5 20x11. I have done some wheel projects in the past but never with 3-piece wheels so I am looking forward to the process.



The original finish on the lips was transparent smoke which you can still see deeper on the step lip but for whatever reason the previous owner though it would be a good idea to use silver Plasti-Dip after curb rash was repaired. Derp. Lips will be media blasted and powder coated in either a dark chrome or chrome-ish finish, I will decide after I see color samples in person. Thankfully the faces are essentially flawless. One barrel was repaired with 2 welds so I have a new barrel on order from Forgeline as well as a new set of "Forgeline" center caps to replace the Porsche ones which are showing UV wear.



Ah, the glory of high end forged wheels. This is the front wheel which has a much thicker mounting pad compared to the rear wheels so I expect the rears to weigh in about 1lb lighter. This is the wheel which also has 2 welded repairs on the barrel so there are gobs of extra material from the welds. The OEM 21x10" wheels that came on the Q7 were ~42lbs and the current 22x10 SQ7 wheels are ~39lbs so ~29lbs for the 21x10.5 Forgelines will be a nice addition. Shaving 10lbs of unsprung weight from each corner is considerable gain. It should help performance, ride quality, and hopefully the dismal fuel economy. lol


Here are some poor mock up photos of the wheels. 3 piece wheels are a big blingy in general but it's hard to go wrong with a classic 5 spoke and a stepped lip. If I go with a dark finish on the lips it will help downplay the look and with the gunmetal finish on the faces kin of matching the Graphite Gray Metallic paint it should look decent.






Here are some random pics from our drive from CA-CO.

[ucsbwsr]

Colorado weather is a conspiracy, forecast means nothing, trust no weather reporter or weather app. This is a screen shot from my phone at 7:00am Tuesday.


This is what 7% chance of precipitation looks like Tuesday also at 7am....


Winter is upon us so time to switch the wheel setup on the Q7. I ended up finding a set of OEM 21" Q7 wheels. A bit "meh" since I usually like to have more unique wheels but the price was right and after giving them a deep cleaning they are nearly flawless. I also snagged a pair of Michelin Ice-X SUV tires in 275/45/21. Tires were used but barely at 10/32 depth.

Just as I went with a taller aspect ratio tire on the 22" SQ7 setup, I did the same thing with the winter tires and opted for a 45/21 tire instead of the stock 40/21 size. I always like to upsize when I can for added cushion and to visually fill the wheel well. These 275/45/21 are the same 30.8" rolling diameter as the 22s and I know those didn't rub so we should be all good. The only downside of this IMO is the few extra LBs the larger tires carry.

Got the oil change done but didn't have time for the transfer case fluid.



Time to clean and inspect.
Before


After


Before


After


Clean!


I always love my data. 75lbs for the winter setup. For reference the SQ7 285/40/22s were 80lbs


Swapperoo


Before/After



The wheels are very ....silver! I threw the 12.5mmF 15mmR spacers back on with these wheels. This is the first time running snow tires on the Q7 and based off feedback from Q7 owners and those who have used these tires, this should be a beast!



The tires were dismounted from the Forgelines so I got some accurate weights and as expected the rears are lighter with their concave design and thinner mounting pad.
These will be 10-12lbs lighter per corner than the OEM Audi wheels, nice.

[ucsbwsr]

Winter is here!


Which means winter projects! I built a poor-mans wheel building stand which will make it easier to remove and install all the hardware on these 3 piece wheels. Stand was made up of some nylon coated rollers, a cutting board, some rubber feet, and misc hardware.




Previous owner spent $350 to have a local shop weld and repair 2 cracks in a barrel. Meh


$450 for a new barrel directly from Forgeline seems like a much wiser investment. I also bought a set "Forgeline" center caps to replace the Porsche ones.


After not finding any compelling options in the US I ordered some PCD adapters/spacers from Latvia which allow me to fit 5x130 71.6 wheels on my 5x112 66.5 Q7. 15mmF 20mmR gives me the offsets I am looking for. After these arrived I was able to test fit on the Q7 but the adapters have some thread issues where there is binding in some so I am working with the seller to get this resolved.

Q7 was filthy for these photos but I can assure you it was cleaned last night, just in time for the snow coming tonight. :/
As a reminder the lips currently have a weird 2-tone finish thanks to the previous owner with the outer lip being silver but the inner (step) lip next to the valve stem is the original "smoked clear" finish which looks like a gloss graphite, very cool finish and I will likely be sending all lips back to Forgeline to have this finish restored. I like the down-played look with the darker finish and I think it will match well with the Q7's PGM paint!

Test fit pics!

[kneel]

Wow! So glad I found this thread

Huge wagon fan so yes that wagon in your garage is amazing
Send us some pics @avantoberfest. We’d love to share it
Looking at purchasing a #tallroad
White Q7 4m. Seems basic but was looking for a 4L till this 4m says I must have.
Anyway plan to follow this thread as much as I can.

Thanks for the detailed posts!

Love the DD light bar placement BTW. I run a few sets of their lights on my Allroad


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[dropshadow]

Wow! So glad I found this thread

Fancy meeting you here.

[kneel]

Knew you’d be here too! Lol


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[ucsbwsr]

Wow! So glad I found this thread

Huge wagon fan so yes that wagon in your garage is amazing
Send us some pics @avantoberfest. We’d love to share it
Looking at purchasing a #tallroad
White Q7 4m. Seems basic but was looking for a 4L till this 4m says I must have.
Anyway plan to follow this thread as much as I can.

Thanks for the detailed posts!

Love the DD light bar placement BTW. I run a few sets of their lights on my Allroad

TallRoad is a great name. It's an unpopular opinion especially amongst wagon purists but I view the Q7 as more of a wagon than a SUV. Maybe it's because I'm a large human at 6'8" 250 but the Q7 is my A6 Avant and the Q5 is my VW Golf. I posted a photo collage comparing the dimensions of a Q7 vs RS6 Avant and they are more similar than one would think.

If it's in your budget 4M over 4L all day. The only reason to get the 4L would be for the diesel engine, it's a compelling option if you like efficiency and torque like I do but the added refinement and interior appointments of the 4M are hard to ignore. I would strongly suggest getting air suspension, the ride is excellent and you get the added flexibility or selecting ride height. The "dynamic" or low setting, whatever it's called, is essentially how I would run mine for aesthetics. There are also wildly overpriced PNP modules that let you control the air system via phone app and achieve a greater range if you're a slumpy boi.

Diode Dynamics is an awesome company and the owner Paul is all about optics and it shows since his products beat out all the big boys like Rigid and Baja with less power and greater registered output. Factor in the prices are extremely competitive and they are all made in USA it's a no brainer for me. I run 6" LED bars as reverse lights on the Q7, my white E61, and a pair on my X5. I also have an 18" driving bar hidden behind my X5 grill as a supplement high beam.

Evan

[kneel]

Awesome thank you for info.
Plans now are to go up a little maybe to tow the soon to be swapped 3.0t Allroad




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[ucsbwsr]

Awesome thank you for info.
Plans now are to go up a little maybe to tow the soon to be swapped 3.0t Allroad

Love those ski guard boxes. Considering one for the Q7 since my Yakima (which is mainly for the X5) makes a TON of wind noise on the Q7 since the roof of the Q7 tapers down towards the rear so the nose of the box points upwards slightly and the mountain feet are exposed to wind. Drives me crazy.

Clean mounting of the DD bars, nice and subtle. It pains me they didn't make a 24" bar as it would have fit my grill perfectly, 18" or 30" were the options. Paul said they will be updating the 6" bars with the improved optics from their pods which will be killer, hopefully they also come through with the elusive 24" bar. 18" is "sufficient" but 24" will give some better options for pairing different optics and of course more output.

Nice wago you got!

[kneel]

Love those ski guard boxes. Considering one for the Q7 since my Yakima (which is mainly for the X5) makes a TON of wind noise on the Q7 since the roof of the Q7 tapers down towards the rear so the nose of the box points upwards slightly and the mountain feet are exposed to wind. Drives me crazy.

Clean mounting of the DD bars, nice and subtle. It pains me they didn't make a 24" bar as it would have fit my grill perfectly, 18" or 30" were the options. Paul said they will be updating the 6" bars with the improved optics from their pods which will be killer, hopefully they also come through with the elusive 24" bar. 18" is "sufficient" but 24" will give some better options for pairing different optics and of course more output.

Nice wago you got!

Let me know I have some pro cards for SkiGuard boxes left over from this yrs. Avantoberfest.


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[elijahallen]

I'm glad to see you made it back. I look forward to seeing the progress on your build. I wish you had the air suspension as mine is acting up and I am lost on what to look for next...

[EdQ7]

Amazing work! Keep it up Evan!

[ucsbwsr]

I'm glad to see you made it back. I look forward to seeing the progress on your build. I wish you had the air suspension as mine is acting up and I am lost on what to look for next...

I wish I had air suspension too!

Amazing work! Keep it up Evan!

Will do, thank you.

[ucsbwsr]

I finally got around to replacing the fluid in the transfer case. When I did my initial wave of maintenance last year I used some Ravenol gear oil which was listed as an acceptable OEM substitute. Unfortunately it's performance wasn't satisfactory and I was experiencing grumbling during turns which was more pronounced the sharper the turn was. Turns out the OEM fluid has a friction modifier which makes all the difference, very similar situation to the M5 LSD in my BMW wagon. Thankfully the Audi fluid isn't priced like liquid gold like the BMW stuff is.



Pulley time! I went with a CTS SC pulley and a ECS crank pulley, these pulleys give the same over-drive ratio as APRs pulleys (but these cost less) so it seemed like a good match for APR's software. A 7pk1320 belt was fairly elusive to get my hands on and I had absolutely terrible experience dealing with 034Motorsports it was a bunch of smoke and mirrors, they made mistakes, underdelivered, and didn't take responsibility for their mistakes. Very disappointing.

Anyway, finally got the belt so it is time for install.


SC pulley installed. Make sure to get new bolts as these are stretch bolts, 20nm+90. The bolts don't have a crazy high toque spec but you will need a counter-hold, I had BMW special tool which is essentially a large metal bar with squared edges and worked perfectly. You could probably get away with a beefy screw driver.



Stock left, CTS right


Crank pulley is a little more involved but thankfully the Q7 offers decent clearance and we don't have to disassemble the front end like all the S4 owners. Also, there was no trimming of the engine block required for the EA837 engine.


There are a couple things you want to pay attention to during install, the main one being the crank pulley has an offset bolt which is marked on the OEM pulley with the 2 dimples. Before pulling the OEM pulley stick your phone up there with the camera on so you can see where the offset hole is located. You could manually turn over the engine to position it at 12 or 6 o'clock which might be helpful but either way you need to know where this offset hole is otherwise .....your gunna have a bad time.
My OEm pulley only has a few thousand miles on it but debris always collects in the bore, since this is the mating surface for the ECS pulley (and others) make sure it is clean.




The bolts for the larger pulley are long and you won't have room to install them since the radiator/fan will be in the way. Best practice is to remove OEM pulley, install the aftermarket pulley and bolts, and then install the complete assembly. It is a little cumbersome and it might take some fiddling to get everything lined up with the offset hole but just be patient.


The other tip I have is to make sure your accessory belt is in position over the ribs of the OEM pulley where it will reside, the belt doesn't have to be tensioned. I made the mistake of having the belt off and out of the way, I then installed the aftermarket pulley and hand-tightened the bolts, only to find that there wasn't room to slide the accessory belt on. The ECS pulley sits VERY close to an idler pulley so make sure the accessory belt is in position before tightening the crank pulley bolts.


Straight forward from this point, tighten and then torque in a star pattern. These crank bolts are also ~20nm +90. I wasn't able to fit my 6mm allen socket + ratchet due to head clearance so I used an allen wrench with a bar for leverage when applying the +90.


Since I was torquing beneath the car I needed an extra set of hands for the counter hold, this came in the form of an old bottle.



I only have a short test drive under my belt but initial impressions are very positive and the performance bump is as-expected. Low end response is noticeably improved and the powerband overall is very linear. I will try to collect some Dragy 0-60 and 1/4 mile just for fun. The way my wife drives she won't be capitalizing on the performance, although even putting around at low RPMs there is more "eagerness" with the Q7. But when you lay the hammer down there is more performance when you need it, power is "safety." :)

Oh, blower wine is also more pronounced and with my custom intake is sounds pretty good. I must say the EA837 sounds decent for a V6 too with a nice growl that turns into an enthusiastic wail. Decent engine note + blower whine = satisfactory. It's not loud or annoying from the outside, you get plenty of noise inside when you're on it, and there isn't any stupid synthetic noise being pumped through speakers.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Vz26m3BFRMI

[elijahallen]

I added a BMC filter to mine this fall. It added a little more sound without being obnoxious. I’m using the APR 186/57 dual pulley with APR stage 2 tune. Here is a dragy run and a picture of the filter upgrade.
IMG_1399.jpgIMG_1396.JPGIMG_1397.JPG


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[ucsbwsr]

I added a BMC filter to mine this fall. It added a little more sound without being obnoxious. I’m using the APR 186/57 dual pulley with APR stage 2 tune. Here is a dragy run and a picture of the filter upgrade.

Thanks for sharing, there isn't a whole lot of info floating around on 4M performance so it's always nice to see what the other enthusiasts are doing with their vehicles. I saw those filters earlier when I was shopping for a new unit, seems interesting but I had a hard time with the price and with the considering the OEM filter is so large I just purchased the OEM filter from FCP so I will change it often (for free) to keep things clean and flowing well.

<5 second 0-60 is what I was expecting with these mods, the Q7 seems to launch really well. The performance of dual pulley tuned EA837s in A7s is pretty eye popping, they are running mid 11s but they do weight 1,000lbs less than the Q7s.

I really don't have much intent to push the performance of the Q7 past what it is ....however, I would like to explore the possibility of a flex fuel system. The EA837s are primed for it with dual direct and port injection, the may need an upgraded LPFP but if there was an ethanol sensor in the system it would be awesome to have the option to run pump, blend, or full ethanol. The gains would be considerable, something like +75whp and +50wtq. Although APR would NOT be the ideal software to run since you have to flash tunes for every fuel file, lame. A tuner like Integrated Engineering where you can remote flash would nice. Having a tune which adjusts to fuel without flashing would be ideal!

Flex fuel capability, a nice ZF8HP tune, and air suspension. That's the dream for the 3.0T The real dream is getting a SQ7 TDI in the US.

[elijahallen]

Thanks for sharing, there isn't a whole lot of info floating around on 4M performance so it's always nice to see what the other enthusiasts are doing with their vehicles. I saw those filters earlier when I was shopping for a new unit, seems interesting but I had a hard time with the price and with the considering the OEM filter is so large I just purchased the OEM filter from FCP so I will change it often (for free) to keep things clean and flowing well.

<5 second 0-60 is what I was expecting with these mods, the Q7 seems to launch really well. The performance of dual pulley tuned EA837s in A7s is pretty eye popping, they are running mid 11s but they do weight 1,000lbs less than the Q7s.

I really don't have much intent to push the performance of the Q7 past what it is ....however, I would like to explore the possibility of a flex fuel system. The EA837s are primed for it with dual direct and port injection, the may need an upgraded LPFP but if there was an ethanol sensor in the system it would be awesome to have the option to run pump, blend, or full ethanol. The gains would be considerable, something like +75whp and +50wtq. Although APR would NOT be the ideal software to run since you have to flash tunes for every fuel file, lame. A tuner like Integrated Engineering where you can remote flash would nice. Having a tune which adjusts to fuel without flashing would be ideal!

Flex fuel capability, a nice ZF8HP tune, and air suspension. That's the dream for the 3.0T The real dream is getting a SQ7 TDI in the US.

I hear you with flex fuel but I have the RS3 for the fun car so this one just needed a little bump in power to make it less boring. I did a Vast TCU tune but it was so aggressive I had them dial it back and just keep rev limit high. Its perfect now. I got lucky with finding one fully loaded, it has everything but the night vision. It even has the incredible B&O system which is worlds ahead of the B&O in my other past audi's. As far as the BMC filter the car ran a 5.1 0-60 before and consistent 4.9's after. The weight of this thing just kills it right after launch. Tires squeal and you get all excited then you feel the weight and it feels slow compared to my past 3.0T's. I'll be curious what tune you end up with and how it performs. I'm with you on the TDI SQ7, that would be the ultimate but I've never seen one imported so my hopes are low. I have been watching the SQ7 market though and could see one of those in my future if they come down in price as miles get high on them.

[ucsbwsr]

I hear you with flex fuel but I have the RS3 for the fun car so this one just needed a little bump in power to make it less boring. I did a Vast TCU tune but it was so aggressive I had them dial it back and just keep rev limit high. Its perfect now. I got lucky with finding one fully loaded, it has everything but the night vision. It even has the incredible B&O system which is worlds ahead of the B&O in my other past audi's. As far as the BMC filter the car ran a 5.1 0-60 before and consistent 4.9's after. The weight of this thing just kills it right after launch. Tires squeal and you get all excited then you feel the weight and it feels slow compared to my past 3.0T's. I'll be curious what tune you end up with and how it performs. I'm with you on the TDI SQ7, that would be the ultimate but I've never seen one imported so my hopes are low. I have been watching the SQ7 market though and could see one of those in my future if they come down in price as miles get high on them.

Yea, SQ7 wouldn't be imported, it would have to be built. Source all the parts from Europe and have them shipped over, not a small project but boy would it be cool. Long term reliability is a little unknown with the EA898 engine since it's relatively new but and it's a fairly complex tri-compressed setup. More of a day dream build at this point but that's how real builds start! SQ7 is an obvious obtainable option, 4.0TT is proven at this point but the fuel economy would be a bummer, although my wife's 3.0T isn't particularly fuel efficient.

I didn't know VAST had a tune but from your description it wouldn't be what I am looking for anyway. I would mainly want faster downshifts and crisper shifts in general, a balance of performance and efficiency. I know raising the rev limiter is a common thing and yields performance gains but after hearing stories of ppl destroying catalytic converters with dual pulley setups it has me weary to raise the limiter and introduce all that additional heat. I will let you continue to test that for me and for the rest of the 4M community.

RS3, mmmmmmm. Lovely. Big fan of them, being 6'8" I with they were bigger. In my day-dream folder of awesome swaps to do, which include: SQ7 TDI, BMW M57 swapped E61 wagon, and a high performance street-oriented minivan. lol There is also a 2.5TFSI swapped Golf Sportwagen as well. It would be the ultimate performance wagon. Both MQB platform and the Sportwagen has interior space/volume without being too big and heavy. Gut it, swap over the RS3 engine and drivetrain and reinstall the VW interior, skip the unnecessary RS3 luxury appointments that add weight. The throw all the bolt-ons at the 5 cylinder and you would have a 800awhp 3,500 wagon that would be dusting all the 4,800-5,000lb RS6 Avants and E62 AMGs. Not even close!

[elijahallen]

Yea, SQ7 wouldn't be imported, it would have to be built. Source all the parts from Europe and have them shipped over, not a small project but boy would it be cool. Long term reliability is a little unknown with the EA898 engine since it's relatively new but and it's a fairly complex tri-compressed setup. More of a day dream build at this point but that's how real builds start! SQ7 is an obvious obtainable option, 4.0TT is proven at this point but the fuel economy would be a bummer, although my wife's 3.0T isn't particularly fuel efficient.

I didn't know VAST had a tune but from your description it wouldn't be what I am looking for anyway. I would mainly want faster downshifts and crisper shifts in general, a balance of performance and efficiency. I know raising the rev limiter is a common thing and yields performance gains but after hearing stories of ppl destroying catalytic converters with dual pulley setups it has me weary to raise the limiter and introduce all that additional heat. I will let you continue to test that for me and for the rest of the 4M community.

RS3, mmmmmmm. Lovely. Big fan of them, being 6'8" I with they were bigger. In my day-dream folder of awesome swaps to do, which include: SQ7 TDI, BMW M57 swapped E61 wagon, and a high performance street-oriented minivan. lol There is also a 2.5TFSI swapped Golf Sportwagen as well. It would be the ultimate performance wagon. Both MQB platform and the Sportwagen has interior space/volume without being too big and heavy. Gut it, swap over the RS3 engine and drivetrain and reinstall the VW interior, skip the unnecessary RS3 luxury appointments that add weight. The throw all the bolt-ons at the 5 cylinder and you would have a 800awhp 3,500 wagon that would be dusting all the 4,800-5,000lb RS6 Avants and E62 AMGs. Not even close!

Heck yea, I hope you do one or all of those swaps. My 2018 built motor rs3 was a blast but almost to fast for what I used it for so I ended up selling it for a new one and plan to just do bolt ons with this one.

My swap days are over. I did an AAN into a 91 coupe years ago for a track car. It was fun but I was always chasing something.

As far as burning cats out that’s more how you drive than anything. I’ve owned 4 dual pulley 3.0t’s and only did test pipes on one and it wasn’t worth the extra rasp and smell you get. I never had a cat fail and had 170k miles on one of them. I also track most of my fun cars so they get put to the test pretty heavily.

Anyway back on topic, I love the in depth of this project. Wish you had the air suspension and four wheel steering so I could follow any updates you had there. I’m chasing a air suspension malfunction with no luck and it’s getting really old but our dealer sucks here so I hate to resort to taking it to them and replacing parts that aren’t broken.



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[q7seeker]

At the same time as the hitch install I received my Diode Dynamics SS6 (fog/wide) LED light bar which I will use as a reverse light. The OEM back up lights suck and the output after upgrading the bulbs still sucks. I run this light bar on my other 2 vehicles and it's amazing, it's like having a rear-facing headlight when reversing. The DD SS6 in the fog optic has a very flat and wide beam pattern, perfect for reversing. The way I have it set up the light illuminates everything from the waist down. No need to illuminate the tree tops or blast people's faces with light when reversing.

If you don't mind can you recall how you wired this in? I'm taking some inspiration and doing the same on my 2015 q7, I know its a different year but I'd bet its similar or close.

[ucsbwsr]

If you don't mind can you recall how you wired this in? I'm taking some inspiration and doing the same on my 2015 q7, I know its a different year but I'd bet its similar or close.

I followed the instructions included from Stealth Hitch. You might be able to find documentation on their website.

[q7seeker]

I followed the instructions included from Stealth Hitch. You might be able to find documentation on their website.

For the light bar?

[ucsbwsr]

For the light bar?

Sorry misread. I used a relay harness for power and tapped the trigger into the OEM high beam.

[q7seeker]

I planned on doing the same but tying into the reverse as trigger. Although I can see the thought behind the high beam. Need more light hit the high beam.

[ucsbwsr]

I planned on doing the same but tying into the reverse as trigger. Although I can see the thought behind the high beam. Need more light hit the high beam.

Jeez, I am all over the place. I responded to this thread thinking it was the one for my BMW X5 which has Diode Dynamics light bars front (high beam) and rear (reverse). My bad.

The light bar on the Q7 is setup the same way; wiring relay for power and I tapped into the OEM reverse wiring. It works but the relay I have buzzes when you turn the steering wheel while reversing. I need to get a capacitor installed to rectify the issue, but haven't yet.

[ucsbwsr]

Not too much to report, the Q7 had been handling it's duties well in Colorado.* Just rolled over 93,000 miles.* It's been reliable (it better be with all the work I've done) and a very comfortable vehicle to spend time in.* *Fuel economy is pretty "meh" but I am spoiled with my diesel E70 X5, which recently got 35.5 mpg over a 660mile from Flagstaff, AZ* over the Rockies to Denver, CO.* That's a 800+ mile range if I drained the tank!* * Such a shame VW Dieselgate had to happen and we didn't get the diesel 4M stateside.* *It does make me want to import the 4.0 TDI engine from Europe and build a SQ7 TDI.* The supercharged V6 is an interesting engine but I always think about how the effortless thrust and relaxed manner of a diesel engine would compliment the demeanor of the Q7.

Winter stuff!


In other news, 034 Motorsport is giving the 4M chassis some love.* They have released some lowering springs and have plans to develop other goodies for then platform.* *
I bought a set of springs and will get them installed in the near future, I am currently waiting on some backordered Bilstein struts (it's been over a year) as I want to install springs/sturts at the same time.* The drop of the 034 Motorsport springs looks great, gap is minimized but they are not too low.* *H&Rs looked a little low in the front and gave a weird rake.* *I haven't had the best experience with lowering springs in the past (H&R) but I am an optimist and love to test things out.* *Here is a collage with the 034 Motorsport Q7 up top which is running 21" wheels but large 315/40 tires.* The rolling diameter of these tires is the same as my 285/40/22 shown below so this should be an accurate portrayal the the drop/fender gap I will have once the springs are installed.*


Those Forgeline wheels I snagged a few months ago have been disassembled and the lips are off to Forgeline for refinishing. They will be done in their original "translucent smoke" finish. Fresh lips + a new barrel, and these things should be like-new here very shortly!

[ms4cd]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Why did you decide to install the dual pulley as in CA we actually lose HP with that setup due to 91 craptane.

[ucsbwsr]

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Why did you decide to install the dual pulley as in CA we actually lose HP with that setup due to 91 craptane.

Torque and better drivability with the improved (lower) powerband. This engine likes to lug around at super-low, diesel like RPMs so it's nice to have more usable torque down low. The way we use the Q7 it enhances the experience. It's also nice have enhanced performance at lower RPMs since when the revs are high the engine and blower create a bunch of heat which could be detrimental to performance and reliability.

[dubjager]

Love reading through your thread. I just picked up a 4M - replacing a Stage 2 SQ5 that I've loved, but the family has just outgrown.

Looking forward to see what you do suspension wise - fighting the urge to mod this new arrival!

[ucsbwsr]

Love reading through your thread. I just picked up a 4M - replacing a Stage 2 SQ5 that I've loved, but the family has just outgrown.

Looking forward to see what you do suspension wise - fighting the urge to mod this new arrival!

I have a set of 034 Motorsports lowering springs which I will install test out. The plan was to wait for a set of backordered front Bilstein struts to arrive so I can assemble the springs with the strut, top hat, etc. and install as a complete unit but who knows when the struts will be available (it's been over a 1 year wait). The drop of the 034 springs looks good and more of what I was after relative to the H&Rs but being on static suspension with no air for load leveling raises concerns about the Q7 loaded up people/cargo while running the lowering springs and potential rubbing issues. I haven't had luck with lowering springs in the past on other vehicles (BMWs) so I am not very optimistic these will be an ideal solution for me but given their modest cost I will give them a go to experience them for myself.

My long term plan is to retrofit OEM air suspension since that would appease both of my desires for improved ride quality and better aesthetics.

[dubjager]

Totally get where you are coming from. I couldn't find a q7 that worked for me options wise (and price wise) with the adaptive air.
That said, I am curious how these springs will be able to work with the stock struts, especially given the level of drop in the rear. Definitely looks great - but I too would be worried if I were towing or had the car filled to the brim in the back.

I am a big DIY kind of person and the videos I've seen of replacing the front suspension look like a lot of disassembly in the engine bay. Wonder if that was just those few folks or just the way it is. Thankfully I do have a lift at home.