A4/S4/RS4 Audi B8 S4 3.0T Tuning

[ACE]

German Tuner B&B is already offering tuning for the B8 S4. I am waiting for a UK based tuner to offer something similar. I could do with sportier exhaust note and 405hp/540Nm for a few grand.

"Translated" by Google into English:

S4 B8 V6 3.0 TFSI (245 kW / 333 hp / 440 Nm)

Stage 1
BB 8K M85
• Electronics change
• Optimization and revision of the electronic characteristic diagram ignition system
• slight increase in boost pressure to ca.0, 2bar
• Adaptation of the electronic maps to the increased boost pressure
>> B & B S4 8K V6 3.0 TFSI ca.276 kW / 375 hp
>> Ca.490 Torque Nm at 3,100 rpm
€ 1.298, --


Stage 2
BB 8K M86
• Electronics change
• Optimization and revision of the electronic characteristic diagram ignition system
• Increasing the boost pressure to ca.0, 25bar (total)
• Adaptation of the electronic maps to the increased boost pressure
• Optimization of intakes and air tours
• Modification of the ignition and injection system
• Motor coordination
>> B & B S4 8K V6 3.0 TFSI ca.287 kW / 390 hp
>> Ca.520 Torque Nm at 3,000 rpm
€ 1.950, --


Stage 3
BB 8K M87
• Installation of a modified air intake
• optimized intercooling
• B & B sport exhaust system for reduced exhaust backpressure
• custom electronics / control change
• Optimization of intakes and air tours
• Modification of the ignition and injection system
• Motor coordination
>> B & B S4 8K V6 3.0 TFSI ca.298 kW / 405 hp
>> Ca.540 Torque Nm at 3,000 rpm
iV

Link to German site->
Audi S4 8K V6 TFSI Tuning - S4 8K V6 3.0 TFSI - B&amp,B Automobiltechnik - Ihr Tuner für VW und Audi Fahrzeuge

 

[Poverty]

give amd essex a call, they are based by the lakeside shopping center. They should be able to get your car a revo map and its sure a hell lot cheaper than b and b.

where in london are you fro btw?

http://www.amdessex.com/

 

[martinbo]

Hey ACE, have you checked out Chris Harris "oversteering" the B8 S4 on DR TV? It's worth a look as he's full of praises for the car.

As for engine mapping and increased outputs, my advice (not that you asked for it ) is to be very careful in applying these mods especially if your car is fitted with S-Tronic dual clutch gearbox and quattro sport rear diff. Torque is a nasty thing if there's too much of it. First of all, it's obvious that said upgrades will void your warranty but, in my opinion, I certainly feel that too much torque is a recipe for disaster for the torque- sensitive dual clutch gearbox and rear diff. Too much torque has an unpleasant habit of breaking gears and destroying synchromeshes at the very least - especially in AWD cars.

 

[ACE]

give amd essex a call, they are based by the lakeside shopping center. They should be able to get your car a revo map and its sure a hell lot cheaper than b and b.

where in london are you fro btw?

High-performance vehicle tuning, ECU remaps, Exhausts and Servicing - http://www.amdessex.com/

Thanks for the advice, Poverty (is that a relative term since you are driving a 2009 Seat Leon Cupra K1, not exactly starving, 3rd world level poverty is it?).

I gave AMD a call. They haven't done a B8 S4 remap yet but they said they could do the remap for £600. They also called Milltek about the B8 S4 exhaust system. Still in development and 4 weeks away apparently.

I live in Essex, so AMD is not too far. But if you asked me where I was from I would have to say, martinbo's part of the world.

 

[ACE]

Hey ACE, have you checked out Chris Harris "oversteering" the B8 S4 on DR TV? It's worth a look as he's full of praises for the car.

As for engine mapping and increased outputs, my advice (not that you asked for it ) is to be very careful in applying these mods especially if your car is fitted with S-Tronic dual clutch gearbox and quattro sport rear diff. Torque is a nasty thing if there's too much of it. First of all, it's obvious that said upgrades will void your warranty but, in my opinion, I certainly feel that too much torque is a recipe for disaster for the torque- sensitive dual clutch gearbox and rear diff. Too much torque has an unpleasant habit of breaking gears and destroying synchromeshes at the very least - especially in AWD cars.

Just took a look at the DR video (here Chris Harris attempts to oversteer the new Audi S4). Looking forward to doing that myself. Only 400 miles on the clock so I am avoiding the track, for now.

Thanks for the advice, it is always appreciated. I have the 4 door version with S-Tronic and the sport diff. I am aware of the increased torque being a problem with the S-Tronic. In fact just below the prices on the B&B website was the following quote (translated again):

...For vehicles with S-tronic gearbox there is a limitation of the torque value...
B & B factory warranty on engine, gearbox and drive up to 3 years / 100.000km for EUR 148.-/year (according to B & B warranty terms)

B&B are still willing to sell a guarantee on the affected parts so they must have some faith in the "overengineered" tolerances within these parts. Or not?

 

[martinbo]

^ Tolerances are just that, they're engineered in to ensure that the product remains reliable, thus avoiding dissatisfied customers.

Even then, mechanical components can fail and my consideration is this: the value of the warranty in writing is worth nothing until a failure occurs and the warrantor has to effect the necessary repairs / replacements. An Audi S4 is clearly a very special car but it's also fairly new tech. Having bought one in that golden(facetious) window period of a model's first year of production, you're already an early adopter of some new technology that, whilst extensively tested by the manufacturer, has not undergone the full acid test by Joe Public.

I'm a firm believer of running the car for a year in standard trim and then upping the ante after you're more assured that the overall package is free of gremlins. And, in the unsavoury event, at least with Audi warranty intact you'll have access to the best possible recourse for the repairs.

Question is, B & B might offer a warranty, but how are they geared to honouring it?

Personally, I'd wait for a DMS conversion given their reputation and history within the UK market.

My 2 cents...

 

[martinbo]

Oh and by the way...

Awesome ride Dawg. I'm jealous!

Congrats and many many happy & safe miles.

 

[Poverty]

Thanks for the advice, Poverty (is that a relative term since you are driving a 2009 Seat Leon Cupra K1, not exactly starving, 3rd world level poverty is it?).

I gave AMD a call. They haven't done a B8 S4 remap yet but they said they could do the remap for £600. They also called Milltek about the B8 S4 exhaust system. Still in development and 4 weeks away apparently.

I live in Essex, so AMD is not too far. But if you asked me where I was from I would have to say, martinbo's part of the world.

lol your'e not he first to say that to me!

Cool you gonna go with them?

I thought they had actually done a B8 S4 already as I thought I saw one there when I last went!

When you do get it done, keep us updated with a little review or something, as im very keen to hear about how differently it drives. VAG's typically respond very well to remaps, need to get mine remapped for a cool 310hp.

Im gonna for a milltek also, their customer service and quality is 2nd to none

 

[ACE]

lol your'e not he first to say that to me!

Cool you gonna go with them?

I thought they had actually done a B8 S4 already as I thought I saw one there when I last went!

When you do get it done, keep us updated with a little review or something, as im very keen to hear about how differently it drives. VAG's typically respond very well to remaps, need to get mine remapped for a cool 310hp.

Im gonna for a milltek also, their customer service and quality is 2nd to none

I may go with AMD, I'll keep you posted. They told me they haven't tuned a B8 S4 yet, mine was one of the first delivered in the UK, are you sure it wasn't a B8 A4 that you saw? I am not going to do anything until the car has done at least 2000 miles. I will probably get it done in a few months once the Milltek exhaust is available. Also, as martinbo said, it doesn't hurt to run the car stock for a few months to see if I am going to need the Audi warranty for anything. If you go with AMD before me, be sure to let me know how it goes.

 

[thewusman]

Hi Guys,

Just came accross this thread and thought I'd join in.

I've currently got one of the first S4's on order in South Africa for August '09 delivery.

Currrently enjoying my 8P S3 with Revo Stage 2 plus until the more practical family saloon arrives.

Couple of questions/observations.

Has anyone approached Revo to find out their plans for the new 3.0TFSi in the S4 ? Usually their maps are excellent and switchable with the SPS device.

From an STronic point of view - the new 7 Speed derivative as fitted in the S4 and (presumably) forthcoming RS5 can safely handle quoted manufacturer torque limits of 550nm - so I'd venture that B&B
s remaps even at stage 3 are safe.

The 6 speed DSG box that has seen duty so far in transverse applications, although only rated to 350nm, safely handles 400nm plus ... so there are over engineered safety tolerances built in. I wouldn't be surprised to see the new longitudinal 7 speed model handle 600nm with ease.

Anyhow - great to join your forum and will keep an eye on the discussions in this thread with interest.

Hopefully forge come out with a decent intake system for the S4 as well - always good for 10kw extra or thereabouts...

Cheers

Wusman

 

[ACE]

Hi Guys,

Just came accross this thread and thought I'd join in.

I've currently got one of the first S4's on order in South Africa for August '09 delivery.

Currrently enjoying my 8P S3 with Revo Stage 2 plus until the more practical family saloon arrives.

Couple of questions/observations.

Has anyone approached Revo to find out their plans for the new 3.0TFSi in the S4 ? Usually their maps are excellent and switchable with the SPS device.

From an STronic point of view - the new 7 Speed derivative as fitted in the S4 and (presumably) forthcoming RS5 can safely handle quoted manufacturer torque limits of 550nm - so I'd venture that B&B
s remaps even at stage 3 are safe.

The 6 speed DSG box that has seen duty so far in transverse applications, although only rated to 350nm, safely handles 400nm plus ... so there are over engineered safety tolerances built in. I wouldn't be surprised to see the new longitudinal 7 speed model handle 600nm with ease.

Anyhow - great to join your forum and will keep an eye on the discussions in this thread with interest.

Hopefully forge come out with a decent intake system for the S4 as well - always good for 10kw extra or thereabouts...

Cheers

Wusman

Hi Wusman, welcome to GCF.

Congratulations on the S4 order. I am sure you will like it. I am very happy with mine. I owned a 8L S3 in 2001 in South Africa myself. I loved that car, it was the first Audi that I owned. I thrashed the crap out of that car and it never gave me a single problem (apart from rapid tyre wear, but that wasn't entirely the car's fault).

I looked on the Revo site previously but they didn't have the B8 S4 on their website yet. The only tuner that I could find with S4 tuning details was German tuner B&B as posted above. I have emailed Revo to ask when they will have B8 S4 performance software for sale. I will let you know when they reply.

How much does the B8 S4 cost in South Africa? What options did you go for? If you have any questions about what options are like etc, I would be happy to provide my opinion on them. Did you see my write up on wheels24 in SA?

 

[Zafiro]

ACE, why dont you post some photos and short review about your car? And perhaps compare it to your Porsche?
It would be appreciated

 

[thewusman]

Hi Wusman, welcome to GCF.

Congratulations on the S4 order. I am sure you will like it. I am very happy with mine. I owned a 8L S3 in 2001 in South Africa myself. I loved that car, it was the first Audi that I owned. I thrashed the crap out of that car and it never gave me a single problem (apart from rapid tyre wear, but that wasn't entirely the car's fault).

I looked on the Revo site previously but they didn't have the B8 S4 on their website yet. The only tuner that I could find with S4 tuning details was German tuner B&B as posted above. I have emailed Revo to ask when they will have B8 S4 performance software for sale. I will let you know when they reply.

How much does the B8 S4 cost in South Africa? What options did you go for? If you have any questions about what options are like etc, I would be happy to provide my opinion on them. Did you see my write up on wheels24 in SA?

Ah ACE - yes - indeed - so that was your right up Wheels24.com.

Excellent stuff - just made me even more eager to want your car !

I will definitely PM you next week to ask a couple of Q's before my dealer confirms the spec and order...

The price of a BMW 335i Automatic with M Sport pack just reached R530,000 in SA, and I'm told the S4 Stronic will start at R545,000 so actually all things considered the S4 looks like the better value option.

Having said that - BMW SA have tons of stock and are heavily discounting the 335i, but Audi SA only have 50 S4 units allocated for the 8 months period starting August this year - so it's a "take it or leave it" car. No discount but maybe a case of really good red wine or bubbly to go with it. Lol.

I'm probably looking at close to R600k with the following spec :

Options in addition to SA spec (PM me your email addy and I'll send you the SA dealer bulletin)
- Sprint Blue (it’s an S car afterall)
- 19 inch RS4 wheels
- Rear PDC
- Quattro sport differential with the “full” drive select system which should consist of:
>>> Drive select
>>> Dynamic steering
>>> Damping Control
- Bluetooth basic/low
- B&O sound upgrade
- Memory seats and folding side mirrors
- Audi Music Interface for Ipod connectivity (does the S4 come with a colour screen in the centre dash as std without having to take Satnav?)
- S "super" Sports seats in Alcantara with black headlining


Only thing that really confuses me is which "bluetooh" option to go - there appear to be 3 and I'm not sure which each has to offer that the others don't. All a bit confusing lol "bluetooth high, low, fat, thin, hot cold etc"

So just waiting for my dealer to confirm estimated pricing and I'll know what I'm in for.

Also - if you're interested - I'm a long time Revo SA customer and actually did email one of their technical heads over in the UK, his name is Kev Hall (Kev.Hall@revotechnik.com).

He said Revo do have an S4 project underway but that with the new Siemens ECU it's going to be worthy challenge for them.

Maybe contact him directly to perhaps get involved in testing ? I'd reckon you could get a free upgrade or big discount lol ...

Anyhow - cheers for now and enjoy that sweet sweet ride of yours !

 

[ACE]

ACE, why dont you post some photos and short review about your car? And perhaps compare it to your Porsche?
It would be appreciated

Not a bad idea. That would take a bit of time though, as I need to get some more photos of the cars and I should probably clean them first! Obviously the S4 is not as good as the Porsche but it can fit my kids in the back.

In the mean time. I have done a review of my S4 with a few photos for wheels24. See link
Wheels24 - Error
Be warned, it may upset the BMW fan in you!.

 

[Zafiro]

Be warned, it may upset the BMW fan in you!.

Lol dont worry about it I would probably pick a S4 over 335i as well. The 335i is just another 3-series. S4 feels more special than a regular 3er or A4 and S4 also comes with LSD. Unless BMW doesn't release a 335ti, the S4 is a sportiest option right now.

 

[ACE]

Wusman, PM me and I'll be happy to answer your questions.

For the record (in case anyone else has any questions) I have
- S-Tronic (automatic throttle blips during gear changes sound awesome btw.)
- Silver - (Sprint Blue was my second choice)
- 19 inch RS4 wheels
- Parking system plus (was only £200 more than "Rear PDC" which gets you front PDC and visual display on the MMI screen. My wife drives this car during the week so I consider it a good investment)
- Drive Select which consists of
>>> Quattro sport differential
>>> Dynamic steering
>>> Damping Control
- Comfort pack (which includes Memory seats and folding side mirrors and a few other bits. The memory function links to the key remote as well so the mirrors and seats get into your preferred position when you open the car with your key)
- Black "super" Sports seats in silk nappa leather with black headlining. My kids get taxi'd around in this car, Alcantara doesn't wipe clean like leather!
- The S4 does come with a colour screen in the centre dash as std without having to take Satnav. I am pretty sure that applies to SA spec as well because I hired a B8 A4 1.8T when I was in SA in Dec and it had no satnav but it did have the colour MMI screen. Check with your dealer to confirm.
I don't have:
- Bluetooth (and that's the one option you want to know about!. I don't use this car for work and I don't like talking on the phone while driving)
- B&O sound upgrade (thought about it, but the standard 10 speaker system is good enough for me. So far I have enjoyed listening to the S-Tronic gear changes at 7200 rpm and hardly had the radio on at all.)
- Audi Music Interface for Ipod connectivity (as above)
- Satnav (I have a plug-in satnav that costs about 1/10th of what Audi asks for their system. If I need a satnav, in either car, I plug it in and it works just fine, Audi satnav is not as easy to use, it's expensive to update and doesn't work well with the radio on. If they made it much cheaper I might consider it but at the cost of a pretty decent home entertainment package, I'll pass on the Audi satnav).

I think having too many options can overcapitalise the car. You won't get the money back come trade-in time... and also to bring the thread back on topic it leaves some cash for "tuning" upgrades.

 

[martinbo]

Ah, ACE, so it was yooo...!

Great write up on Wheels24. Kudos. I didn't post a response to the inane commentry under your article - my local correspondent, ghusheshe, was supposed to put in a good word for the 335i LOL.

And Wusman: welcome! Jeez, so we've got two South Africans packing S4's. Frag, I must be doing something wrong. Keep us informed about your S4 experiences please chaps.

... oh and ACE, your S4 should be run in now - time for you tell us how she goes when stonked!

Cheerio
Martin

 

[ACE]

... oh and ACE, your S4 should be run in now - time for you tell us how she goes when stonked!

Yip, took it out and thrashed it today. Did a little write-up 'cos I am getting a few requests.

http://www.germancarforum.com/my-car-owner-galleries/29254-audi-s4-b8-3-0t-saloon.html#post381092

 

[thewusman]

Excellent stuff ACE !

4.2s ... that's wow factor right there.

Now tell me - does it have "launch control" of any sorts ??

All my research is telling me the S4 has one hell'uva good powetrain to transmit it's bhp/killerwatts into real world power. Seems to put it all down with ease.

Take a C63 for that matter ... even with ECU remap, intake and headers pushing it up to nearly 400kw it simply CANNOT put the power down without the driver being the equivilent of the Stig ... go figure.

Imagine what it's going to do with a remap, intake and sports cat ! Woot!

 

[ACE]

Now tell me - does it have "launch control" of any sorts ??

Hey Wusman. No traction control on the S4. I guess Audi don't want the warranty issues from people abusing the system (like the GTR). With the faster throttle repsonse in Dynamic mode it's pretty reasonable off the line, there is plenty of torque at low revs, so you don't really need to wind it up before engaging power like a small capacity naturally aspirated manual.

All my research is telling me the S4 has one hell'uva good powetrain to transmit it's bhp/killerwatts into real world power. Seems to put it all down with ease.

I am a big fan of AWD for that exact reason. I don't like being bogged down with wheelspin and/or traction control light. AWD, comes with a weight disadvantage but the benefits outweigh the disadvantages imo.