Present Modifications

I hate to do this, but......
Disclaimer: This information is provided as a guide. Check, recheck, and check again before attempting any modifications. I am a shadetree mechanic, and some of these are shadetree (not shady) procedures. What works for me, may not work for you. If you don't like the way I do things - too bad. There are certain risks involved in any modification. I am not responsible for any damage caused by these procedures, blah, blah. Oh, and my lawyer can beat up your lawyer. So thbbbbt.

Hmmm...I wonder...


Adjustable Upper Control Arms
Adjustable Upper Control Arms

I got these Arms from David at Custom Performance. Cost was $425, and it replaces all the upper arms on the front. They come with National rod-ends, but Aurora rod-ends are available at an additional cost ($100)


OZ Chronos and Kumho 235/45/R17
Before After
Height comparison side by side
Stock front angle OZ front angle
Stock rear angle OZ rear angle
Stock front OZ front
Stock rear OZ rear
Wheel close-up Another side shot

Now people will stop asking me "It's a 2.8, right?" :) I do need to take a better pic of the whole car, this one is a little blurry.
I got the tires from TireRack, cost was $1494 shipped. A painless experience, I highly recommend them, they even came with new lug bolts. It also came with lug bolt caps, and these post-like inserts for the extra holes in the rim, but I didn't like the way the looked, so I left them off.
My suspension setup in these pics is just stock sport: 3.5 finger gap in the front, 3 finger gap in the rear. I like the stance, I had originally planned on adding Race springs later, but I may just go with sport springs. The front tires are just even with the front fenders. I plan on rolling the fender lip later. I turned into a driveway real fast, and there was a big bump, and the tire came up and caught the inside lip of the fender and pulled a small spot down. A hammer promptly put it back in place.
I think the OZs are supposed to be in the 17-18 lb. range. I weighed the stock and OZs:
Stock w/bald tires: 40.5 lbs.
OZs w/good tires: 44 lbs.
It's kind of nice to be able to see my calipers now :)
My only complaint about the rims is they say OZ on them no less than 3 times on the front. On on the cap, one on the spoke, and one cast in the outer rim.


Water Injection
Pump Pump Feed Tap
TB Hose Plumbed

Just some pics for now, I'll have a write-up soon.


Neuspeed Short Shifter
Shifter comparisons Momo shift knob installed

Finally! A real shifter. When I pulled the old shifter out, there was a lot of "white dust" in the shifter area - the remains of the stock shifter ball.
I mounted the shifter knob based on what SScott (on Audiworld) did, which is to use the top of a 20 oz. bottle. I cut a hole in a freeze plug (available in any Auto store in various diameters) and painted it black. I then cut the top off of the shifter boot so it fit under the freeze plug and super-glued it in place. Then follow the instructionson the pic.
The white spacer on the shaft is also removed.



Brakes
Front brakes Rear brakes Rear stainless lines

My brake pads were almost shot, and the rotors were looking thin as well. I didn't feel like dropping $3000 on big brake kits, so I just upgraded the stock components with parts from Adirondack Auto Brokers
Zimmerman Cross Drilled Rotors - Front $65.00 ea
Zimmerman Cross Drilled Rotors - Rear $59.00 ea
Mintex "Red Box" Brake Pads - Front $51.00
Mintex "Red Box" Brake Pads - Rear $34.75
Stainless Steel Brake Lines $95.00
Pressure Brake Bleeder $44.00
The pressure bleeder probably wasn't necessary, but I figure it will make the job easier (plus it will work on other cars I have)

I got Yellow caliper paint from Legend5 for $29.00 shipped. It comes in two parts that you mix together and brush on.

I then picked up some Valvoline Syntec brake fluid from the local AutoZone for $4.99/quart (I bought two quarts, I hope it's enough)

First, get all four tires off. This is the hardest part. Then clean the calipers with a wire brush and brake cleaner.
The paint from Legend5 comes in two cans that you mix, then brush on. After mixing the two, it's VERY thin. I left the calipers on the car when I did it. Be prepared to wipe up any paint that gets on the rotor, and make sure you have something on the ground to catch the drips. I went around the car 3 times, and there was plenty of paint left over, I even painted the backs of the brake pads. Then I let the car sit overnight.

GReddy Turbo Timer
Initial disassembly View
Another view Finished

It is installed, but I am not done mounting it. There is a great FAQ on Audiworld on how-to install the turbo timer. It's in the Tech section. A big thanks go out to the author of this FAQ on Audiworld. Check it out here
The only addition I made was hooking the parking brake up. Tap into the brown/white wire coming off of the parking brake switch (should run up to the instrument cluster - check the wiring diags to find it)
I'll get more pics when I have finished mounting it.

Electric Fan
Note: There is a How-to available for this mod.
Electric vs. belt driven front Electric vs. belt driven rear
Size Comparison Installed (almost)

I bought the fan from Jegs for $69.99 + S&H (total was $88.98)
Here are the specs:
part number: 1986
Diameter: 12"
Flow: 1400 CFM
RPM: 2300 RPM
Current Draw: 10.3 Amps
Depth: 3.09"
Height: 13.25"
Width: 12.60"

The benefit is less drag on the motor, especially at higher RPMS. It should allow the motor to rev a little bit easier, but with the super heavy stock flywheel, it probably won't be as noticeable. It also saves a little bit of weight, not much, but every little bit counts, right?

GIAC (Garret) Chip
I replaced my TAP Stage II chip with a GIAC chip because I wanted more power. The car doesn't seem to have as much boost as I thought it would. Perhaps I have a bad hose or something, but it still goes like stink!

APR Performance Snub Mount
Note: There is a How-to available for this mod.
Front view Top view

I bought it as a result of APR's holiday sale for $49 + $10 shipping, which I thought was excessive - $10 to ship a tiny lightweight box from Alabama to Michigan? Anyways....

Before the install, if I was creeping along in gear in heavy traffic, the car would start to "jerk" at lower RPMs. I am happy to say this is now gone. The car doesn't jerk even when creeping along at idle in 3rd gear.
Before, the shifter would move back and forth when getting on and off the throttle. This is now gone also.
The shifter was also sloppy. This, sadly, is still the same. It is slightly better now when running it to redline to shift, due to the fact the on/off/on throttling doesn't affect the shifter anymore.
And lastly, letting off the throttle in 5th gear at higher speeds use to cause a thunk, which is now gone.

Forge Bypass Valve
Side view Another side view

I got this from Stratmosphere. Plan on scraping some knuckles putting this in.


Scorpion Exhaust
This was part of the TAP stage II kit, but since I don't have a TAP chip or filter, I can't say I have TAP Stage II anymore. I really like the dual curved tips (I'll take some pics, I promise) It is a 2.5" stainless steel system. The only bad thing is it is a downpipe-back and not a cat back system - but this a good thing for me, when the time comes to put make my high-flow cat and downpipe.

Stereo System
My system:
Eclipse 55060 Head Unit
Rockford Fosgate Punch 400a4 amp (50x4)
Rockford Fosgate Punch 500a2(500x1 bridged)
Infinity Perfect 12.1 12" subwoofer
Polk 5.25" DX components (front)
Polk 6.5" EX coaxials (rear)

I have 4 gauge power wire, 3 pairs of RCA cables, ran speaker wire from the rear to the front, the front crossovers are under the knee bolsters, and I used the factory door speaker wires to pull the new speaker wire through. I am using the MB Quart adapters in the front doors, a piece of wood is sufficient for the rear.
Original amp setup New temporary setup

RS4 Grill
By far, one of the easiest modifications to do. Pop the old grill out, and put the new one in.
Grill Uninstalled Bad pic of installed grill


NR Automotive White Face Gauges


This was also put in by a previous owner. Now all I need is a white face boost gauge.


Momo Shift Knob
This was also put in by a previous owner. There is a threaded spacer that goes on the shaft that was removed. The collar on top of the shift boot threads into this. With the spacer, the shift knob is on way too high, but without it, the shift boot won't stay in the collar. I plan on trying some duct tape or something under the boot to hold it in place.

VAG-COM
This is more of a tool than a modification, but it proves very handy in fixing problems. The VAG-COM is an interface to the computer. It can be used to get DTC (trouble codes), read sensors, and other things. You can get more info here: VAG-COM There is also an e-groups email list for support here.

Bentley Publishers Audi A4 Official Factory Repair Manual
Like the title says, it's the factory repair manual. It is available on a CD-ROM. This contains a list of all the DTCs and how to trouble shoot them. A must for shadetree mechanics.
More info is available here: Bentley Publishers Audi A4 Official Factory Repair Manual
I ordered mine from Adirondack Auto Brokers for $89 + shipping
The next day I found that New Dimensions had them for $79.99 + shipping
Oh well...