Messages

1

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Best Exhaust ??

« on: December 14, 2007, 10:49:31 AM »

Exhaust is truly a matter of personal opinion and many liking one hate another that a whole other group of people like.
Are you 1.8T?
If so, I have Neuspeed with test pipe and love it.
I've heard Thermal Race live and like the sound but feel it's a little on the loud side. Thermal Street I've not heard but if keeps the tone of the Race and tones down some volume, I'd think it would be great. AWE and Thermal Street are supposedly identical.
Milltek is too quiet for me and sounds too close to stock. It does open up nicely as you lay on it, but quite honestly, too soft for me.
Neuspeed has nice purr at idle. Very deep. At WOT, it growls without any raspyness.
Drone is important to many since they have to drive the car every day and done want an annoying sound in the cabin while they drive.
I've heard some claim the Thermal does drone. The Neuspeed does only when under load. If cruising at normal highway speeds, it is pretty quiet.
I think one of my favorite exhausts is the APR (I've heard it live), but it's always so expensive. And if you really wat baller status, the MTM video I've heard is great, but that is REAL expensive.
As far as high-flow cat or test pipe.... I've run both. I wouldn't run anything but a Milltek personally on a stock turbo. The cell count is good and you won't get a CEL. The other common HFC options throw CELs, unless you are flashed with a chip that tells the ECU to ignore it.
I've run both the APR HFC and then APR test pipe on the APR stage 3+, and I like the test pipe. The sound does get a little louder. Some complain of smell with test pipe. I have not noticed any on mine and that may be something the stock guys get that I just don't have.
With that all said, if you are stock, a test pipe isn't going to do much for you. It was even shown that a HFC doesn't do anything for you. I ran an HFC when stock and didn't really notice much but a sound change, which of course makes it seem like you're faster... but it didn't pull any harder or anything in reality. As you add chipping or bigger turbos, going to HFC and then ultimately test pipe does make a noticable difference.
But I can't stress enough that concerning sound, one person's "Rice" is another's "Awesome".... so listen to as much video as you can on good speakers so you can hear the low end. And hear as many as you can live. A video on a computer usually doesn't cut it for what they really sound like. Many on the forums wil defend their own exhaust to the death. So you're going to get very opinionated answers.

2

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: 19" Wheels and Tires

« on: December 04, 2007, 09:29:39 AM »

I run 19" with 245/35 tires and offset of et34 on lower vogtland coilovers. No rub ever. My ket was like noted above, ditch the plastic tab and screw at 12 o'clock in front wells, and cut out about 3" of carpet liner in the rears. Voila; no rub.

3

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: K04 Questions ?

« on: November 28, 2007, 05:50:28 PM »

What file are you running? Even on 93 file, I'm not sure if K04 is supposed to be holding up over 20psi for APR. My stage 3+ with GT28RS on 93 file is 20-21 psi.
So, I would tend to think you are now running where you should be, and that's why you go in to limp mode if you try and MBC it up to 23psi.
Find out what APR's files shoot for for K04, regardless of what it was when you first got it.
If you have access to VAG COM, log requested vs. actual boost and see where that puts you. Regardless of what you do with MBC, if the ECU is requested X mbar, you are going to go limp mode if you exceed it that much.

4

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Dual horn BOV

« on: November 27, 2007, 02:16:03 PM »

Thanks, but I do not know enough myself to be respected. I learn something new every day, and learned from you, too. I don't see dual horn valves or that RS valve much on the other forums so I don't know much about them. So, you taught me.
This car is my first forced induction car so it's hard for me to apply some things that people learn from outside of our own little Audi world to our cars. Good to see someone close to my age posting, though.
You've got a great car; you'll be happy with it!

5

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Dual horn BOV

« on: November 27, 2007, 01:18:42 PM »

For every article you show that reads that (especially ones not dealing with the longitudinal 1.8t), I'll show you a different A4 owner for each article that runs a BOV without any problems.
I'm not condoning running a BOV. I personally think they are ricey. IIRC, Martini, who runs this site, does run a BOV (or has run one, or uses a hybrid, or something like that). Not sure on that. But that's his choice and I wouldn't knock it just because it's not mine.
I ran one with no problem but then decided I don't want to sound like every turbo'd Asian import. I got sick of every high school kid drooling over my BOV without having a clue about the rest of the car. These days, kids think the car is fast if they hear the woosh. So, I'd prefer to be faster without the woosh. So, I run a Forge 007 DV that makes pretty much no noise between shifts.
But, if someone else chooses to run a BOV, that's their choice, and I'm not going to talk them out of it using the "running rich" theory, because we've got data logs and real world experience showing that on a longitudinal 1.8t, you can run a BOV without worry.

6

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Boost Control

« on: November 27, 2007, 01:11:05 PM »

It's been while since I had basic chipping so I'm not sure what it is these days. Usually, most tuners call stage 1 just the chip, and stage 1+ a chip and bigger injectors.
I'd advise going straight to 1+.
Most of the forums will say to use the chip tuner that is closest to you. GIAC, REVO, and APR are all good companies, and although the dyno and a/f graphs can show differences between them, and slightly different power curves, but all in all, at the 1+ level, they're similar enough that your best bet is to use the one that is closest to you so you have the follow up care and tech help for your car.
I'd stay away from other tuning companies, although I hear Unitronics is doing some decent stuff.
To get an idea on cost, try http://www.goapr.com. I'm not endorsing them, but since I have APR I know their website from memory. I'd guess the others are within the same price range for Stage 1 and 1+.

7

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Boost Control

« on: November 27, 2007, 12:29:19 PM »

You can buy whatever you'd like and install it, but the benefits of an EBC won't be anything until you get the mods that matter. There is a kind of order in what you should get, so the next mod builds upon the last mod. You're not really following it; you're putting the cart before the horse, so to speak.
You have to throw out what you may know or have been told about other brands of car, and do some research on the various Audi forums (ALL of them; use the ones linked from a4mods.com home page), and then put together a list that makes a logical progression. Getting an EBC or a turbo timer or even a blow off valve or something like that makes no sense if the car isn't modified in other ways first.
It may be "cool to have" to friends with Asian imports, but it really isn't doing anything to help your car go faster. The money you'd spend on an EBC, turbo timer, and BOV could've been spent on a chip and injectors and then you'd really feel the difference.

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Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Dual horn BOV

« on: November 27, 2007, 11:29:25 AM »

I have no idea on the knock off stuff and can't make a recommendation on a product not really designed for our car.
Quite honestly, I'd try to sell it an buy one of the many options available that are made to work with the 1.8t engine.

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Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Boost Control

« on: November 27, 2007, 11:27:22 AM »

But then what about fueling? What about timing? There is more to it than just cranking the boost is what I was trying to say.
MBC's spike too much; I don't like them. EBC's control a lot better and have a smoother power curve, but still, how is it "fooling the ECU"?
The MBC/EBC is just another way of doing what the car's stock N75 valve already does, but having more control doing it.
But if you don't have upgrades that a chip provides to account for the increased boost, then it's really not a good mod and you'll go into limp mode.
You could try the diode mod, but I've heard too many horror stories about what that can do to your car.

10

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Turbo Timer

« on: November 27, 2007, 11:21:38 AM »

Also, if you drive mostly out of boost your last few minutes, you'll be fine. Especially with stock turbo.
Turbo timer is not a mod you must have as one of your first mods. Just drive your car like a normal person the last minute or two, and then let it idel a few seconds after you've arrived at your destination. And you just saved the money on a turbo timer to be used on something that will help you go faster.

11

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Wastegate

« on: November 27, 2007, 11:19:06 AM »

Stock K03 wastegate is internal. Why would you replace it if it isn't broken? K03's are dirt cheap these days. If your turbo breaks, then either replace it cheap, or make that your kick in the but to get a real turbo.

12

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Dual horn BOV

« on: November 27, 2007, 11:12:03 AM »

No one has proven the info you'd read. Mainly, it;s Audi people not wanting others to "rice out" their car by using a blow off valve, and backing it up with theories that haven't been proven.
I ran a Forge 004 for a long time with no problems. VAG COM logs from people running straight BOV show no rich conditions.
All you do is plug the Turbo Inlet Pipe with a cork or something and clamp it. It isn't under pressure so you don't have to worry too much about what you clamp it with.
Just don't cheap out on the BOV. It MUST be one that stays closed at idle, or you WILL see rich conditions.

13

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Dual horn BOV

« on: November 26, 2007, 06:29:32 PM »

I'd have to research further to even know what the heck you're talking about as a "dual horn" bov.
Many run BOV on the 1.8t without any problems, as long as the BOV is in a normally closed position during idle.
While much of the propaganda calls for a BPV or DV, many have run a BOV without any rich conditions or problems. With that said, if this "dual horn" BOV you speak of is normally closed at idle, then why not run it as a straight BOV?
Or, just get a Forge Splitter that is made for the car in the first place.

14

Additional Questions - Non Writeup Specific / Re: Boost Control

« on: November 26, 2007, 06:26:57 PM »

Boost can be turned down with Lemmiwinks or Unitronics, but not up.
VAG COM can not adjust boost.
There are more factors involved as well. You can't just turn up boost without ECU knowing what you are doing. If you crank boost above what the ECU is calling for, you will go in to limp mode as a failsafe.
Get chipped.