Ceramic coated longtube headers
My JHM longtube headers have made it back from Performance Coatings! They've recieved a satin black ceramic coating to dramatically reduce radient heat.
We're looking at a 110-120 degree temperature reduction in the engine bay; this should be good for a 11-12% increase in engine efficiency. Gotta love free horsepower!
For a 450-500HP motor we can expect a gain of 50-55HP. Show me a better mod for the money!
Thanks to Performance Coatings and JHM!
JHM stage 4 clutch and lightweight flywheel
Thanks to the guys at JHM! My stage 4 clutch and lightweight flywheel combo have made it safely to the shop. One of my concerns when I was planning out my motor mods was the ability of the OEM clutch to handle the additonal power of the supercharger; after speaking with JHM we found a perfect soultion.
Using a ceramic/kevlar clutch we've gained an extra 400 ft/lbs of clamping pressure over OEM. This clutch should have no problem handling the added power. The 13lb lightened flywheel should help with some of the parasitic loss caused by the 26lb OEM flywheel.
18×10 Volk TE37s and some Star Specs
My tires finally came in from TireRack and Steve at Hartmann Wheels was gracious enough to help me get everything mounted. All I can say is, "WOW...my stars have somehow aligned!" because everything has worked out perfectly. The setup is a set of Volk's 18x10 TE37 with 265/35/18 Dunlop Direzza Sport Z1 Star Specs. This is the literally the absolute widest tire I could fit on this rim. That being said, this tire fills the wheel PERFECTLY. The fronts have approximately 2mm of clearance on the inside and fill the front fenders perfectly; the rears have approximately 10mm of clearance on the outside to play with, and quite a bit on the inside (though the tire makes contact with the inner fender when the rear end is in ...
JHM longtube headers have shipped!
I received word from JHM that my longtube headers have shipped. The JHM longtube headers replace the OEM headers and downpipes; other cars have been seeing both 20-50 ft/lbs and 20-50 AWHP gains throughout the powerband. JHM reccomends wrapping the headers with an exhaust wrap, I choose another route.
Performance Coating in Auburn, WA will be coating the headers with their satin black ceramic coating; we expect to see a temperature drop of 110-120ºF.
Read more about the headers on JHM's site.
Stock B6/B7 headers:
JHM prototype headers:
034 Motorsport dyno of stock headers and JHM headers; note the vehicle dynoed was an auto. Click image for fullsize.
Re-pinning OEM Audi plugs
The taillights on the B7 have different plugs than the B6; the B7plug is a tad deeper than the B6 plug. The new B7 plug utilizes five of the six available pins, while the B6 uses all six. The extra pin on the B6 connector is for the rear fog light; I'm still trying to figure out how to make it work on the B7. You will save yourself a lot of trouble if you just pick up a de-pinning kit; I was using two flat head screwdrivers and cussing up a storm. After I found the tool kit, everything was a breeze. New pin layout for driver side connector. Keep in mind, your wires will be flipped on the passenger side connector (e.g. pin #1 should ...
Video of completed exterior
After picking up the car from JMI Motoring I stopped by Achtuning to use their VAG tool to clear some codes and decipher some of my fault codes. Here's another quick clip from my iPhone, apologies for the crappy quality.
Carbon fiber bits
Maybe I've watched the Fast and the Furious a few too many times, because I REALLY love carbon fiber. It's just so...sexy. What I don't love is it's price tag. I've always been a DIY kind of guy, so I figure I'd give this a shot. I did a wet lay of the RS4 front lip and my existing B pillars. Let's just say...it was a learning process.
Note: the spoiler on the RS4 is not mine, just a photo for inspiration
18×10 Volk TE37s
My 18x10 Volk TE37s track wheels came in today. We had a chance to test fit the Alcon kit, and everything clears! The TE37 weighs in at 19.45lbs without the center cap.
STaSIS/Alcon brake systems
My brake system upgrade arrived at Achtuning today. I choose to go with the STaSIS/Alcon 370mm (14.5") 6 piston front kit and the 305mm (13.0") rear rotor upgrade. The kit includes rotors, pads, Motul 5.1 fluid and Goodridge stainless steel lines, and necessary hardware. I took the time to weigh the new brake system components: Front carrier - 1.4lbs Rear carrier - 0.6lbs Front Alcon rotors 14.5" - 14.5lbs B6 S4 OEM 12.25" - 26lbs Rear Alcon rotors 13.0" -13.3lbs OEM 10.0" - 9.4lbs Front Alcon 6 piston calipers: 7.8lbs