# New Owner - 2011 Audi S4



## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

Hello everyone, 

I am soon to be a new owner of a 2011 Audi S4, fully loaded minus DSG and Cruise control adaption. 

Here is my spec sheet - 










I am coming from a 2010 VW GTI. I went crazy with the GTI to make up for what I felt it lacked from the factory. When I bought the GTI I was in a jam and needed a car, and quickly. So I did not have the time to shop around. Nor did I give myself ample time about what I was looking for in a vehicle. 

At the time of the GTI purchase, I did go to Audi to shop, but did not see anything I liked besides the S4 that was in the showroom. It was Ibis White. While I have always been a car enthusiast, at the time of seeing the S4, I did not think that I would need something of that caliber and price tag. In my mind the GTI would meet my needs. Its a very good all purpose vehicle. 

Soon after buying the GTI, there were a couple categories where I had buyers remorse. Which in the beginning were minor, but soon grew into major once there limitations became more apparent - 

*** 2 Door *** 
- I should have bought the 4 door. While I do not need the 4 door, it makes the car far more practical. especially considering its small size. 

*** FWD *** 
- I did not think I would need AWD. And chances are, I am probably right. But since owning the GTI, I have come to realize that I WANT AWD. Even though I do not need it at all times. With the amount of money I have spent on the GTI, I'm not sure I need to sacrifice not having this option. Which especially bothered me considering I do/did have the money to buy a more expensive car in which AWD was standard. 

*** Color Choice *** 
- 75% of the time, I enjoy the Untied Gray Metallic paint choice I chose on the GTI. The other 25% of the time, I hate it. The color does not scream much of anything. Its a subdued color, and has more of a luxury look to it. While that is great, It made choosing wheels and adding mod's very limited as to what would work with it, IMO. 

*** Quality *** 
- While the GTI is a very well built machine. It only gives you a taste of what VAG is capable of. Leaving me pondering what could have been, had I bought an Audi. There are little things here and there on the car when compared to an Audi, where the price difference is noticeable. Not the biggest deal, but like I stated previously, it was not necessary for me to settle on this , as I had the money to buy a more expensive car. 

So as you can see, some of these issues I had were inevitable considering the platform of the car. While others bothered me just for the fact that I was not in a position that I needed to settle on this specific car. I could have bought an Audi from the getgo. The GTI is a great car, and blows away anything in its class as far as meat and potatoes goes , in the overall package. But considering I had the option to own something else, I was never fully satisfied. Which led me to Audi. 

At first I considered the TTS. I was willing to sacrifice going with the 2 door again, for this car only. I was an inch away from purchasing one. That was until the numbers were presented for it, in relation to the S4. The pricing was very close, which led me to ponder where the hell the 52K dollars was in the TTS. I searched high and low, and it was nowhere to be found. It has the old tech package. The old Haldex qauttro unit. And the 2.0T FSI engine. So where is the other 20K worth of goods ? That might be the reason for Audi bringing the TTRS stateside, in which I hear the pricing will start at 58K. That might be a better deal. 

So I was pushed by a few family members to stop being so impulsive and take a look at the B8S4 

- New Model 
- New Engine 
- New Tech Package 
- New Quattro (with rear diff) 
- superior in its class 

So as the story goes, I went to the Audi Dealer. Looked at the S4. Sat in it. Drove it around the parking lot (dealer said the car was spoken for, But i personally think he saw me and did not think I was serious about buying it) and fell in Love. I do not think I need to explain why, considering i'm in the B8 S4 forum and you guys probably know better than me why the car is great. 

I left the dealer with the deposit, and the car was officially ordered the next day. So here I am, anticipating my new 2011 Audi S4. I wanted to go ahead and start this thread so I can update it , in similar fashion to the GTI thread I made. 

For a little taste of my GTI and build thread, check this out - 

http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.php?4941672-My-*APR-TUNED*-MK6-GTI-Stage-3-Completed-!


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## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

Congratulations on your choice. 

I did the S-Model Audi Experience at Infineon raceway, last summer & drove the TTS, S4 & R8 around the track. After that experience, my thoughts are; the S4 is pretty amazing, the TTS is boring, the R8 drives more like a go-kart compared to the TTS or S4. 

If I was single, I would get an R8 or 911S. 

The only TT, I would seriously consider would be the TTRS. The other car I considered was the Cayman S, but it is very impractical ( to carry luggage & people) as are the TT & R8 models.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

thx wwhan. good to know your opinion after trying the 2 cars I was debating over. I'm glad I made the decision I did.


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## mhowell2357 (Sep 16, 2010)

*I'm about to order just about the same car*

Mike,

Thanks for the post. This weekend I plan on heading down to my local Auid dealership and ordering the almost identical car.

The only changes to the order are I'm getting mine in phantom black pearl effect and I'm getting an automatic. I've had manual transmissions for the last 10 years and I'm tired of shifting gears.

I'm also getting the titanium pkg and I can only hope the black on black (no chrome) look with tinted windows gives it a super stealth look, I think I've put more thought into the color of the car than any other option/feature. 

So the 90 day countdown for me is about to begin.

Mark.


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## vwfansince4 (Feb 25, 2007)

Mike - I just took a look at what all you did to your GTI and it's pretty impressive. It's funny, the whp you achieve w/ the GTI will be pretty close to what the S4 is packing...but I can guarantee you that power will be put down in a much smoother fashion. 

Congratulations on the purchase. If it's anything like the 2010 model, I will guarantee you will not regret the purchase at all. Plus your interest in APR will serve you well with this car as well :thumbup:

The ONLY downside (and this was the same w/ the Touareg we had before the S) is the car throws brake dust like a mother. But I'm a bit anal w/ keeping wheels clean, so take it for what it's worth...

:beer:


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

mhowell2357 said:


> Mike,
> 
> Thanks for the post. This weekend I plan on heading down to my local Auid dealership and ordering the almost identical car.
> 
> ...


Mark, the black on black looks amazing !! stealth is the correct word for sure ! I saw an S5 in the same combo you just described and was really really impressed with it. It was actually the car that pushed me over the edge to definitely go with the titanium package.

I think it will be a safe bet to go with those colors imo ! keep us posted .


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

vwfansince4 said:


> Mike - I just took a look at what all you did to your GTI and it's pretty impressive. It's funny, the whp you achieve w/ the GTI will be pretty close to what the S4 is packing...but I can guarantee you that power will be put down in a much smoother fashion.
> 
> Congratulations on the purchase. If it's anything like the 2010 model, I will guarantee you will not regret the purchase at all. Plus your interest in APR will serve you well with this car as well :thumbup:
> 
> ...


Thank you.

I am very happy to be starting off with a much more substantial car than the GTI in every way. (pretty corny for me to even compare them)

thx for the tip on the brake dust. Luckily I love maintaining my own cars, so this should serve me more purpose to do so more frequently. 

btw, the car is identical to the 2010. The options are just set up differently.


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## LYKUNO (May 23, 2002)

Congratulations on your decision Mike. You won't regret your choice. We always wanted an S5, but the V8's drawbacks (fuel consumption, gas guzzler tax, and no S-tronic, etc) moved us to consider the S4. We helped finance it with the recent (July) sale of our 2004 R32. It would have been nice if we could have kept it, but it was becoming a garage queen (and only had 17K miles). We're also giving away our old '99 Plymouth minivan in a couple of weeks, so the S4 will be our one and only daily driver. But what could be better than that?


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

LYKUNO said:


> Congratulations on your decision Mike. You won't regret your choice. We always wanted an S5, but the V8's drawbacks (fuel consumption, gas guzzler tax, and no S-tronic, etc) moved us to consider the S4. We helped finance it with the recent (July) sale of our 2004 R32. It would have been nice if we could have kept it, but it was becoming a garage queen (and only had 17K miles). We're also giving away our old '99 Plymouth minivan in a couple of weeks, so the S4 will be our one and only daily driver. But what could be better than that?


really nothing ! awesome ! congrats as well !


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## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

Yeah, the brake dust is pretty bad, but Gun Metal finish wheels hide it pretty well.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

wwhan said:


> Yeah, the brake dust is pretty bad, but Gun Metal finish wheels hide it pretty well.


car looks really good ! 

more pics , side profile please ?


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## vwfansince4 (Feb 25, 2007)

Mike - just for inspiration, here's are 2 pics of our S. Sorry it's not a color match for what you're getting, but I think you'll agree these cars are beautiful in any skin 

Shortly after bring it home:










We decided the dealer didn't clean it well enough:










Again congratulations and good luck w/ your S4. :beer:


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

vwfansince4 said:


> Mike - just for inspiration, here's are 2 pics of our S. Sorry it's not a color match for what you're getting, but I think you'll agree these cars are beautiful in any skin
> 
> Shortly after bring it home:
> 
> ...


very nice ! how does the car feel ? make's good power ? dealer only let me drive theres in the parking lot. they almost lost my sale because of this, but i did not want to be stubborn and I knew this was the car I wanted.


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## vwfansince4 (Feb 25, 2007)

yeah, it's kind of surprising. You can drive it perfectly normal and never realize what it's packing. But once you really start leaning on the pedal, it just pulls. We have the 6 spd and don't regret it at all. 

Again, with everything you did to your GTI, you may not feel the big difference in power like we do switching from the R32 to the S. But I have to imagine w/ zero lag and a lot of immediate low-end grunt, you'll be very pleased, maybe even surprised based on the stats they publish. :laugh:


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## [email protected] (Dec 12, 2001)

mikeg6045 said:


> very nice ! how does the car feel ? make's good power ? dealer only let me drive theres in the parking lot. they almost lost my sale because of this, but i did not want to be stubborn and I knew this was the car I wanted.


These make really nice power, even stock. Very smooth, even delivery. Things do fall off a bit higher in the rev band, but that's pretty easily solved. I've had a fair amount of time with the Fourtitude 4 Season S4 project car, and can tell you that with the APR RSC exhaust and their ECU tune, things are just about perfect. The exhaust _really_ makes the car sound like it ought to from the factory, and is totally drone-free and comfortable at cruising throttle while sounding like a beast when you step on it. The ECU tune _really_ wakes the car up, especially higher in the rev band, and it pulls like a freaking train. It goes from a fast car to a _FAST_ car with those two mods alone. I have to say I am lusting after an S4 something serious now.



mikeg6045 said:


> car looks really good !
> 
> more pics , side profile please ?


I'll attach a couple of (crappy, iPhone 3) pictures from when I had the Fourtitude car a while back...

Enjoy it when it comes in!

-Tim


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

SilverSLC said:


> These make really nice power, even stock. Very smooth, even delivery. Things do fall off a bit higher in the rev band, but that's pretty easily solved. I've had a fair amount of time with the Fourtitude 4 Season S4 project car, and can tell you that with the APR RSC exhaust and their ECU tune, things are just about perfect. The exhaust _really_ makes the car sound like it ought to from the factory, and is totally drone-free and comfortable at cruising throttle while sounding like a beast when you step on it. The ECU tune _really_ wakes the car up, especially higher in the rev band, and it pulls like a freaking train. It goes from a fast car to a _FAST_ car with those two mods alone. I have to say I am lusting after an S4 something serious now.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sweet Tim, thank you for the insight.

I already got the exhaust waiting at my shop. Just waiting to get the car. as far as tuning, I'm not one to be afraid to take some risk's in that area. 

as far as RSC, I'm sold on it, and if its made for my car, I'll buy it everytime !


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

Just got word back from Audi.

My car will here on January 17th.

That would make it about 11 weeks from the day of the deposit. 

very anxious !


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

*The car is here,*

I have some pretty unique plans for this car. we'll see what the future brings, at the moment i'm very happy with it.

also , I think i'm the first guy to photo the color of the magma red correctly. as those pics are spot on. the other photos online are horrible as far as how bright the red is photoed.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

bump, 

my new car is here ! any input from the forum ?

(lol, i know i'm being needy, but I would enjoy your guys opinion's)


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## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

Very Nice.....

I like the wheels, wish mine was Titanium package (had to do the Psuedo Titanium package & different wheels). Nice color always looks good in Ibis. 

Now just need to get a VAGCOM cable (from RossTech) & set the ADS to default to Individual, turn off seat belt chime, tuen on laptime/oil temp, make the DIS indicate gear in D/S.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

thx man,

not in love with the wheels. but they are growing on my some.


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## [email protected] (Dec 12, 2001)

mikeg6045 said:


> bump,
> 
> my new car is here ! any input from the forum ?
> 
> (lol, i know i'm being needy, but I would enjoy your guys opinion's)


It looks nice!

Light colors, like Ibis and Suzuka really look great on the B8, I think. It may be the way that it brings out some of the body crease lines and other highlights. Nice choice of options as well - I think the Titanium pack really makes this car, and that and the Sport Diff would be my two "must haves" if I was going to order a personal one. I also like that the CF Supercharged badge is available as an order item now. When we put it on the Fourtitude S4, we had to order one out of the A6 parts catalog.

All in all, really nice car! Make sure you keep us updated on what you're doing with it!

-Tim
(SilverSLC from above, just using my Fourtitude account.)


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## vwfansince4 (Feb 25, 2007)

Mike - not sure if you're going to be using the S as a DD, but if you will and are going to leave the wheel/tire combo as is, all I can say is be careful when it snows. We left on the stock 245's on there and what a difference in the handling/control between that and our R with the winter set up (205's Conti Winter X-treme). 

With that said, the S has to be a monster w/ narrow snows, because it holds it's own even w/ such a disadvantage.:thumbup:


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> It looks nice!
> 
> Light colors, like Ibis and Suzuka really look great on the B8, I think. It may be the way that it brings out some of the body crease lines and other highlights. Nice choice of options as well - I think the Titanium pack really makes this car, and that and the Sport Diff would be my two "must haves" if I was going to order a personal one. I also like that the CF Supercharged badge is available as an order item now. When we put it on the Fourtitude S4, we had to order one out of the A6 parts catalog.
> 
> ...


Thx Tim, i'm really happy with everything. appreciate the feedback.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

vwfansince4 said:


> Mike - not sure if you're going to be using the S as a DD, but if you will and are going to leave the wheel/tire combo as is, all I can say is be careful when it snows. We left on the stock 245's on there and what a difference in the handling/control between that and our R with the winter set up (205's Conti Winter X-treme).
> 
> With that said, the S has to be a monster w/ narrow snows, because it holds it's own even w/ such a disadvantage.:thumbup:


I have a Jeep grand cherokee as a DD, so the S will only come out when its relatively nice out. Thx for the advice.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

just got back from a drive., my god this car is so amazing. 

what a difference from the GTI, lol. Its so smooth and quiet , and the seats are comfortable in almost any position (unlike my GTI) , and my knee's are completely unobstructed (unlike my GTI, and the BMW 5 series).

The ADS is a very interesting feature and I must say, the modes make a significant difference. Mostly the engine mode, and suspension. 

The diff mode makes a difference, and I am finding that when "just" comfortably cruising, I like it set on to its least aggressive mode. I can feel the car tracking forward differently between the setting. 

So if anyone is wondering, YES, the ADS is a sensitive system. That makes very noticeable difference's in the driving dynamics of the car.

We (my shop and myself) have been in touch with KW Germany, and they sent us (my shop is a KW dist.) out some suspensions upgrades to go along with the ADS, that we are going to be trying out. I believe I will be the first "reg" customer with the unit in the country (USA). or possibly the first person , period (in the USA).

I will be posting more information on that within the next couple weeks.

If you have seen how my GTI was setup, you can see that I am very adventurous with my vehicle's capability's. And have no problem swaying from the "usual" upgrades.


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## [email protected] (Dec 12, 2001)

mikeg6045 said:


> what a difference from the GTI, lol. Its so smooth and quiet ,


That RSC exhaust will take care of that (in a GOOD way)!



> and the seats are comfortable in almost any position


Yes, they definitely are. The first time that I got to drive one was after a long day (well, ok, let's be honest, it was long but fun!) of testing cars, doing a photoshoot, etc. Plopping myself into those Recaros just did wonders for a sore back.



> The ADS is a very interesting feature and I must say, the modes make a significant difference. Mostly the engine mode, and suspension.


It definitely does. The first time I tried ADS was at an intro event for the B8 A4, at Summit Point Raceway. They have a "karousel" turn there that has concrete banking just like the one at the 'Ring. I was following an instructor around the track, and turned ADS from Comfort to Sport a lap before he said to do it. He was able to tell just from watching the different way the car acted at the lip where the concrete transitions back to asphalt at the exit from the turn, and I could _definitely_ tell from the way it acted.

Enjoy the car!

-Tim


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

Got that front plate off , and put on the audi part that they would not ship me installed on the car due to state regulations. 

looks SO much better. The front plate KILLS the look of this car. (which is why I avoided front on pics)


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## Dtrain12 (Aug 14, 2010)

very nice!


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## Kandiru (Jun 15, 2004)

The simple black and white combo really brings out the aesthetic attributes of the B8 S4 design. The interior alone is worth waiting for.

Awesome, absolutely great ride, may you enjoy her pain free for many years to come!

Regarding the GTI, if i wait for the Golf R in December that would make my 3rd Golf. Just can't resist hot petites, 6'4" here


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## eniamor (Jun 18, 2007)

Damn your gonna kill with that car. keep them coming with the mods. Wanna see how your car will look.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

THANKS GUYS !!!

I snapped some more pictures. My camera sucks and I need a new one, but here goes anyway,

ENGINE COMPARTMENT



















EXTERIOR COLOR SCHEME 










NEW "OEM" AUDI B8 S4 "ALL WEATHER" FLOOR MATS



















COCKPIT



















DASH


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## S5 (May 10, 2007)

I'm in love with your car.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

S5 said:


> I'm in love with your car.


thanks


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

scheduling an appt. for tune, exhaust and suspension for early march likely.


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## bboomer (Feb 17, 2011)

*Good Luck Mike*

This is my first post to this board.
First I want to wish Mike congratulations...looks like a beauty.
I just put a deposit down on an S4 at my local dealer today.
Here is my configuration:
Brilliant Black/Nappa Tuscan Brown/Birch Wood
6-speed
Prestige Pkg
Sport Rear Diff
Lane Assist
Rr Sun Shades
Supercharger Badge (bush league that they charge for this)...but I negotiated pretty well with dealer - $1890 over dealers cost.


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## bboomer (Feb 17, 2011)

*Clutch travel and clutch stop*

I think the clutch travel is a long one.
It seems the car engages about 3 to 4 inches from the bottom of the floor.
Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket clutch stop?
The car has a hydraulic clutch.
Thanx.


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## bboomer (Feb 17, 2011)

*Swapping out Titanium Sport Wheels...*

I would have loved to get the black out trim that comes with the Titanium Pkg, but do not like the wheels.
I do love the 19" five-tri-spoke wheels that come with the Prestige Pkg.
The delaer said Audi would not swap them for me, either as policy or possibly the offsets are different.
Anybody have experience with this?


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## trueunion (Apr 15, 2008)

wow congrats that is a great combo for that car how do you like the ADS system the car is just amazing for the price you get performance stability and safety.
eace:


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

bboomer said:


> I think the clutch travel is a long one.
> It seems the car engages about 3 to 4 inches from the bottom of the floor.
> Does anyone have experience with an aftermarket clutch stop?
> The car has a hydraulic clutch.
> Thanx.


Most modern cars have a long clutch travel. The trend for performance/luxury cars has been more of this lately than less. And I have driven just about every new car in this class. Including the BMW, which is another car with a great clutch setup. and its very similar. 

I do have experience with aftermarket clutch setups, and its just that, an aftermarket clutch. Pick your poison, there is no inbetween. IMO, the clutch in this car is very competent, and you have to remember this is a 4K pound car with All Wheel Drive. And even than, the clutch feels light and fantastic. To compensate for clutch feel, Audi designed the clutch so that the rev's drop extremely fast. On par with a single mass flywheel setup. This improves clutch feel and semi-fast, crisp shifting. You will be hard pressed to find a quality aftermarket setup that will make more than 1% of the new S4 customers happy in the long run. 

And just to add this is an opinion from a guy who buys a car for the engine configuration alone. So things like this mean a LOT to me, and I truly feel the clutch feel is near- perfect in this car. Fortunately its not soft and will buck around if you do not drive with awareness to its responsiveness. This is better than shifting a setup that takes a crap on your in every gear after takeoff. 

IMO.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

trueunion said:


> wow congrats that is a great combo for that car how do you like the ADS system the car is just amazing for the price you get performance stability and safety.
> eace:


Thank you,

I wrote a small post about the ADS and it read like this ,

"The ADS is a very interesting feature and I must say, the modes make a significant difference. Mostly the engine mode, and suspension.

The diff mode makes a difference, and I am finding that when "just" comfortably cruising, I like it set on to its least aggressive mode. I can feel the car tracking forward differently between the setting.

So if anyone is wondering, YES, the ADS is a sensitive system. That makes very noticeable difference's in the driving dynamics of the car. "


Will I praise or down the ADS system. Probably not. My opinion of the ADS system is summed up in one word, "interesting". I'm really not fully sure what to make of it for a guy like myself and what I usually want and look for out of a car. Luckily the system makes functional changes that are noticeable behind the wheel. 

Hope that helps (although I feel it probably does not, as this is a very subjective topic IMO)

I'm not one of those guys that convinces myself to love something just because I paid for it.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

quick update

Did a few things to the car

- APR 93 octane tune
- APR RSC exhaust
- APR Black exhaust tips
- KW V3 coilovers with ADS electronic loop - (from KW Germany, specific for the B8 S4)

There will be a more lengthy review on each product coming shortly. And further information on the KW suspension and its availability in the states.

The end game is that the car looks fantastic now. The ride height is perfect. If I had to guess I would say we lowered it about 1.5 inch's. and kept the original ride height angles front to rear.

The exhaust sounds great. Zero Drone, quiet idle, and quiet inside the car. Just a more pronounced engine note. I am very surprised with how well behaved the exhaust sounds. I had the RSC system on my GTI and the S4 exhaust sounds more refined and even less obnoxious.

The ECU tune is very impressive as well. Again, more refined than what the GTI tune's felt. The S4 tune is very very smooth, and the power is very linear without any noticable high points. It basically removes the drop off in the higher rpm's, so if anything it feels more linear than the stock OEM Audi tune.

Again, more detailed information and build pics will be posted shortly. Thanks for looking !


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## hsjoe (Mar 28, 2005)

I see your happy with the S4, is there anything you miss from your GTI? Thanks.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

hsjoe said:


> I see your happy with the S4, is there anything you miss from your GTI? Thanks.


sure,

I miss the entire thing. I really like the GTI. obviously there two entirely different cars with different purposes but the GTI is a lot of fun and easily a better overall choice than any car in its class and many in the class above it. I liked that the GTI was small, it made a lot of power, the turbo lag and than giant power was fun also. it was a very raw car how I had it set up.

hope that answers your curiosity.


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## LYKUNO (May 23, 2002)

It looks great Mike! I love the contrast with the magma seats. RE the your filler plate: There's currently a petition underway in Ohio to eliminate the front plates, and if it goes through I'll be getting the filler plate for mine. Unfortunately when I installed my front plate I used 4 screws and the lower two went right through the vertical grill ribs. I never thought it would be an issue until I heard about the petition a week ago. If it doesn't pass the legislature I won't worry about it, but if it does, I'll have to do some careful epoxying of the screw holes that will be exposed. Not a big deal.

In the meantime, I just sold my Ti wheels this week. For winter, I went with 18" BBS RGRs and Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3s - they're super in snow. And my new summer wheels are in transit from Tire Rack and due to arrive Monday. I opted for 18s in those too, but this time the BBS RS-GTs, with Pilot 3s. The wife isn't keen on replacing a perfectly good OEM exhaust with an AWE or APR, so it's going to be a few years for that. And holding off on a tune for now as well. Despite being stock (with with the exception of the wheels), this is the best car I've ever owned (and I've had many!).

Enjoy that beautiful car of yours, and keep is posted on progress. Appreciate your detailed reports!

Don


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

LYKUNO said:


> It looks great Mike! I love the contrast with the magma seats. RE the your filler plate: There's currently a petition underway in Ohio to eliminate the front plates, and if it goes through I'll be getting the filler plate for mine. Unfortunately when I installed my front plate I used 4 screws and the lower two went right through the vertical grill ribs. I never thought it would be an issue until I heard about the petition a week ago. If it doesn't pass the legislature I won't worry about it, but if it does, I'll have to do some careful epoxying of the screw holes that will be exposed. Not a big deal.
> 
> In the meantime, I just sold my Ti wheels this week. For winter, I went with 18" BBS RGRs and Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3s - they're super in snow. And my new summer wheels are in transit from Tire Rack and due to arrive Monday. I opted for 18s in those too, but this time the BBS RS-GTs, with Pilot 3s. The wife isn't keen on replacing a perfectly good OEM exhaust with an AWE or APR, so it's going to be a few years for that. And holding off on a tune for now as well. Despite being stock (with with the exception of the wheels), this is the best car I've ever owned (and I've had many!).
> 
> ...


The car is fantastic stock. The tune is nice but it just amplifies what the car already is. Its not the end of the world at all to not change anything on this car. As for exhaust I'm really happy with the APR. I almost wish it was a little louder (which is usually a good thing in the end).


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)




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## fastgti69 (Apr 26, 2009)

Super clean man, I want to **** your ride . Great mod list, you always know how to make it awesome, and be agressive in performance.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

fastgti69 said:


> Super clean man, I want to **** your ride . Great mod list, you always know how to make it awesome, and be agressive in performance.


thx man, appreciate your input !


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## giovanni0330 (Dec 15, 2007)

bboomer said:


> I would have loved to get the black out trim that comes with the Titanium Pkg, but do not like the wheels.
> I do love the 19" five-tri-spoke wheels that come with the Prestige Pkg.
> The delaer said Audi would not swap them for me, either as policy or possibly the offsets are different.
> Anybody have experience with this?


I CANNOT STAND the titanium package wheels either - I think they just throw off the total look of the car no matter the color, combination, etc... 

Wheel Swapping is a dealer by dealer thing. They all fit the same it just depends whether your dealer wants to hastle with it. Some say directly "no" and others give you options.

I would not take those wheels if they were free.


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## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

I like the looks of the titanium package wheels, but since they are 19" and pretty expensive, I purchased the VMR V708 18"x8.5" Gun Metal wheels (RS4 B7 reps).


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

wwhan said:


> I like the looks of the titanium package wheels, but since they are 19" and pretty expensive, I purchased the VMR V708 18"x8.5" Gun Metal wheels (RS4 B7 reps).


got any pics ?


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## vwfansince4 (Feb 25, 2007)

Mike - great job so far! I don't drive the S much (really it's more the wife's car), but man I can't imagine it w/ the tune and exhaust, let alone the new suspension set-up. I like how you describe that the tune amplified the performance. Certainly from the vids that APR put out, that amplification is definitely backed up w/ solid performance gains. 

Now that our R is paid off, it certainly would be nice to do the upgrades, but alas the house needs fixin' so that's not going to happen for some time 

Very interested as you move forward w/ other mods. It's great to see how this already great car can become even better :thumbup:

Ryan


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

vwfansince4 said:


> Mike - great job so far! I don't drive the S much (really it's more the wife's car), but man I can't imagine it w/ the tune and exhaust, let alone the new suspension set-up. I like how you describe that the tune amplified the performance. Certainly from the vids that APR put out, that amplification is definitely backed up w/ solid performance gains.
> 
> Now that our R is paid off, it certainly would be nice to do the upgrades, but alas the house needs fixin' so that's not going to happen for some time
> 
> ...


thx Ryan, hopefully I can continue to move forward with some more changes with the car. At the moment I'm not very interested in what the market has to offer as far as aftermarket for the car. 

I'll be waiting to see what APR offers up next as far as engine performance. 

Carbonio's intake looks great and I will getting that.

As for the high flow headers and cats, at the moment I'm not sure I'm desperate enough for power bump to deal what comes along with installation as well as fine tuning the exhaust sound with them. I'm gonna pass on that and wait to see what APR comes out with. I do know that they likely wont come out with a stage2 tune unless THEY make a matching part to go along with it. There history has shown that they will not make tunes or products to compliment JUST someone else's product.

we'll see.

I'm going to be doing wheels and tires sooner rather than latter though. But I am going to have to find the right set. The only good thing about the titanuim package wheels is that they are significantly lighter than the regular S4 Tri-spoke wheels, so finding a wheel that match's or beats there weight, but also looks good will be a small challenge.


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## mweller (Oct 6, 2003)

Love the looks of the car including the wheels. I had configured a car on Audi's web site almost identical to your car. :thumbup:


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## vwfansince4 (Feb 25, 2007)

> I'm going to be doing wheels and tires sooner rather than latter though. But I am going to have to find the right set. The only good thing about the titanuim package wheels is that they are significantly lighter than the regular S4 Tri-spoke wheels, so finding a wheel that match's or beats there weight, but also looks good will be a small challenge.


 GL w/ the wheels and rubber. Based on what you did w/ the GTI and already w/ the S, I'm sure you'll come up w/ a great combo (taking advantage of both looks and function). 

Until then I'll keep an eye out on this thread for updates! :thumbup:


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## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

mikeg6045 said:


> got any pics ?


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

Picture were taken by Patrick at Redline Speedworx in New Jersey while the car was in the shop having APR's software and exhaust installed, as well as the suspension. 


- Front KW V3 Coilover spring and shock with EDC module - 









- Rear KW V3 Shock - 









- Full on shot of APR's RSC exhaust system for the B8 S4 - 









- Rear section of APR's RSC exhaust system for the B8 S4 - 









- The S on the floating stands making adjustments on the KW V3's ride height - These stands help the suspension geometry's stroke freely move around, basically eliminating any bind up that would caused by the tires. In a normal scenario (without these stands) rolling the car back and forth would eliminate the binding. 









- Another picture of the S4 on the floating stands - 









- And another picture of the front end of the car on the stands -


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## Kandiru (Jun 15, 2004)

Blessed are the endowed 

I envy you badly!


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

Kandiru said:


> Blessed are the endowed
> 
> I envy you badly!


 Thank you, although I do not like the fact of being envied.  

For me its a simple formula : hard work pays off.   I work a job that most people would probably enter the gates, take a look, and proceed to turn around and run back to there car.


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## wwhan (Apr 12, 2010)

mikeg6045 said:


> Picture were taken by Patrick at Redline Speedworx in New Jersey while the car was in the shop having APR's software and exhaust installed, as well as the suspension. .... - F*ront KW V3 Coilover spring and shock with EDC module* - ...


 What is the EDC module? Is this a bypass for ADS cars?


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

wwhan said:


> What is the EDC module? Is this a bypass for ADS cars?


 yes


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## OC=OrangeCrush (Jan 26, 2011)

looks great! I love the titanium package. Oh and BTW awesome floor mats!


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

OC=OrangeCrush said:


> looks great! I love the titanium package. Oh and BTW awesome floor mats!


thank you. the mats are available from ecstuning. I accidently stumbled upon them there. 

The only thing thats annoying is that they are a sensitive rubber material, so it leaves foot marks on them with the slightest bit of dusty feet. being as nitpicky as I am, I have to clean them more than I would any other type of mat. Its all good though. 

The S4 comes with some realllllly cheesy mats from the OEM. lol.


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

OC=OrangeCrush said:


> looks great! I love the titanium package. Oh and BTW awesome floor mats!


I was checking out your sig. Nice set of cars, and nice colors as well.

I have a question. 

as for performance, which car feels faster ? the S4 or the TTS ? in depth insight would be really appreciated. I was wondering this. 

lmk, thx,
mike


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## [email protected] (Dec 12, 2001)

mikeg6045 said:


> as for performance, which car feels faster ? the S4 or the TTS ? in depth insight would be really appreciated. I was wondering this.


FWIW, Mike:
When we had both our long term B8 S4 and a TT RS last spring at a couple of the shows, the S4 was able to run pretty closely with the RS in a straight line, and that's with only the APR exhaust on the S4.

-Tim


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## mikeg6045 (Apr 14, 2010)

[email protected] said:


> FWIW, Mike:
> When we had both our long term B8 S4 and a TT RS last spring at a couple of the shows, the S4 was able to run pretty closely with the RS in a straight line, and that's with only the APR exhaust on the S4.
> 
> -Tim


interesting. Thanks for sharing that , Tim.


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