s4 or rs6?

[Mark00s4]

Trying to decide on to bring my s4 up to stage3 level or get into an c5 rs6. The money is real close on cost of mods vs cost of used car. The rs6 put down some impressive numbers right out of the box. Anyone want chime in.?

[UkuRiSh]

vote for RS6 it's widebody already

[2380S4]

Trying to decide on to bring my s4 up to stage3 level or get into an c5 rs6. The money is real close on cost of mods vs cost of used car. The rs6 put down some impressive numbers right out of the box. Anyone want chime in.?

S4 stg3 will be solid from a maintance wise perspective for the most part, if you have the car already and have taken care of it.

A rs6 used will be a crap shoot on what's been done and what still needs to be done. The maintance on those cars is some times worse then the B5 S4. Again if you can find a solid used rs6 with records and I mean full records that's the only way I would go that route,but expect to pay a preiumum for a well cared for car.

[ddillenger]

If you can afford it, get the rs6 and start buying parts for the 6 speed swap.

[happy2B5]

Can you live with tip? Or better add onto the cost of the used rs6 for swap

[hodrosS42001]

Used rs6 .. 20k+
...
Going stage 3... considerably less... if done right...

... I am also looking into c5 rs6's and in NJ.. I also been looking at v10 S6's...

the one thing l like about the rs6.. is l feel like it will be worth alot someday..

[MikeyB3]

the one thing l like about the rs6.. is l feel like it will be worth alot someday..

I think 6 speed swaps will start becoming a more popular thing now (and thus sought after in the future) that the buy-in price on RS6s is more reasonable.

[ilyafil]

RS6! Only if it's an Avant though!

[S4 00 2.7]

If you can afford it, get the rs6 and start buying parts for the 6 speed swap.

This.

[Mark00s4]

Yeah i would miss banging the gears that would be a big minus, but a 6 speed swap would solve that. Decisions,decisions.

[zatch_303]

only if it's an avant.

[laserwagb5]

An rs6 only if its laser... And DEFINITELY do the 6 speed swap.

[s4chiro]

get an E55 AMG and call it a day

[97B518TQM]

First of all, a stock RS6 is not all that fast mainly due to its weight and tip tranny. Second, a six speed swap in a RS6 is not something people do on a daily basis in their backyard or one car garage. It's quite the project and not that many have done it. Third, a stage 3 S4 can be put together for $12k including the cost of the car and some decent maintenance done to it in the process. Even just a reasonably well put together stage 3 S4 can walk a RS6 anywhere any time. I raced my friend's RS6 from a dig and from a roll; both times to about 120-130. I was on cheap RP K04s. I still walked him and had a 3 car lead on him at the end of the race. Turned out the tune I was running was for 93 gas too and I was on 91. My car was barely making 350whp. A stock RS6 puts down about 330-350awhp on a good day. It weighs over 600 pounds more than an S4. So if you need a bigger car then sure, go for a RS6. If you don't care about the size and just want a fun car it's pretty simple: S4 $12K (already taken care of common issues while going stage 3) vs RS6 $20k+ (plus expensive maintenance on top of that); S4 faster; S4 lighter; S4 easier to work on; S4 cheaper to work on....
If you need a bigger car that is still fun to drive around I would consider an M5 or the E55, although I am not a fan of the MB interior nor the BMW.

[Fourplay]

An rs6 only if its laser... And DEFINITELY do the 6 speed swap.

RS6s were Misano Pearl, not Laser.

OP, RS6s are an absolute nightmare to maintain, especially if modded. If you get one with a 6MT swap done or buy the kit separately, then it might be a good buy. Otherwise, I would stay far away.

Make sure all TSBs have been done (DRC, etc.) and get a heavily optioned car (warm weather package, sound enhancing exhaust, etc.).

[z00lander]

Look up the timing chain interval and price for the rs6 first. It might make your decision easier.

[udcc11]

It has a timing belt.

[Sean4]

Every 30k the timing belt needs to be done on the rs6 and its far from cheap, So yeah I vote stage 3 s4.

[Eurotuned_A4]

I have owned both at the same time, ended up keeping my s4 avant when it came down between the two (babies change things lol).

If you are even considering an RS6 you need to research the issues (DRC suspension, stock trans torque converter, leaky stock intercoolers). All of these are main issues and can be costly if they haven't been fixed already. Plus, take into account regular maintenance and the timing belt does need to be changed frequently and the cost is high. Actually, all costs if quoted the "by the book hours" are extremely high for the RS6. As for a 6 speed swap, it isn't cheap. It will cost you as much as going stage 3. That being said, if mine had been manual to begin with I don't know if I would have gotten rid of it. Everyone I know loved my rs6 and I surprised quite a few muscle heads on the road lol and the car sounded great with just the oem sound enhanced exhaust. Main reasons for getting rid of the rs6 was maintenance. You literally need to change the belt twice as much as B5s, and taking chances to go longer on a cosworth engine isn't something people recommend. There isn't a huge abundance of parts for the RS to replace things if stuff goes wrong so better save the dough. Check out rs6.com if you are serious, slow forum but lots of information on that sight.

[Aggv]

E39 M5

/thread

[97B518TQM]

E39 M5

/thread

Not quite BUT an E39 M5 with one of these things is more like it
http://www.esstuning.com/products/E3...er-System.html

[Mark00s4]

This is why i love this forum, wealth of info some actually is intelligent. I think im just going to mod my s4 even though i love the idea of owning a rs cosworth engine car,it sounds like a whole expensive can of worms. F it ko4's for me.

[z00lander]

Typed chain by mistake. But yeah this is what lead me to no longer want a rs6. It is not meant to be a daily driver with the price of maintenance. And if you find one for sale it probably has 25,000 miles since it's tb was done.

[Eurotuned_A4]

Typed chain by mistake. But yeah this is what lead me to no longer want a rs6. It is not meant to be a daily driver with the price of maintenance. And if you find one for sale it probably has 25,000 miles since it's tb was done.

You will be surprised. There are a lot of rs6 owners that have tons of documentation on their cars. As long as they show proper maintenance was done I wouldn't worry about it. Just like and s4 if they have been taken care of in general the care will take care of you. It's just that the need for big maintenance/service is more common. It's not a bad DD though and if you find one with an upgraded torque converter, intercoolers (typically wagner), and DRC suspension recall done or one with coilovers I wouldn't hesitate to DD. Just don't be surprised when you need to do the TB service and it's maybe twice the price of the 2.7t. Just some insightful information for those on the forum who have considered getting an rs6. For me it's the best RS car the US has gotten recently besides the ttrs. I like the NA 4.2 (rs4/5) but real RS cars have forced induction, but that's just my point of view.

[2380S4]

I have owned both at the same time, ended up keeping my s4 avant when it came down between the two (babies change things lol).

If you are even considering an RS6 you need to research the issues (DRC suspension, stock trans torque converter, leaky stock intercoolers). All of these are main issues and can be costly if they haven't been fixed already. Plus, take into account regular maintenance and the timing belt does need to be changed frequently and the cost is high. Actually, all costs if quoted the "by the book hours" are extremely high for the RS6. As for a 6 speed swap, it isn't cheap. It will cost you as much as going stage 3. That being said, if mine had been manual to begin with I don't know if I would have gotten rid of it. Everyone I know loved my rs6 and I surprised quite a few muscle heads on the road lol and the car sounded great with just the oem sound enhanced exhaust. Main reasons for getting rid of the rs6 was maintenance. You literally need to change the belt twice as much as B5s, and taking chances to go longer on a cosworth engine isn't something people recommend. There isn't a huge abundance of parts for the RS to replace things if stuff goes wrong so better save the dough. Check out rs6.com if you are serious, slow forum but lots of information on that sight.

Some great first hand knowledge!

I looked at about 5-6 of them last year looking for a new dd and I ended up with my DTM B7 S4 instead, even with timing chain possible issues it still made more sense to me, but I did keep my B5 and my build should be done this summer.

[zatch_303]

This is why i love this forum, wealth of info some actually is intelligent. I think im just going to mod my s4 even though i love the idea of owning a rs cosworth engine car,it sounds like a whole expensive can of worms. F it ko4's for me.

Go Franken if you're thinking K04

[1gcrazy]

Go rs6. Why would a timing belt interval be so short?? Belt? Just doesn't make sense.

[ratherb1]

Stage 3 2.7 swap into a c5 4.2 widebody / thread

[2380S4]

Go rs6. Why would a timing belt interval be so short?? Belt? Just doesn't make sense.

I believe from my research it's 30k intervals and 3k to have a shop do it, it's almost a motor pull for the timing belt. Hell brakes on the rs6 run 2k to replace. Maintance is almost double that of a B5S4 in part cost alone and it's even tighter space/more difficult of an engine to work on.

[ilyafil]

Considering what's been said about maintenance if it's a daily driver I'd go Stage 3 B5 S4, but if it's gonna be a weekend warrior go RS6. It's a rare car, to me that's worth the cost sometimes.

[EuroxS4]

Here just my .02.The RS6 does put down some impressive numbers,if you can find out in good shape its not gonna be cheap.There Is no room under the hood for anything getting access to anything under the hood sucks.Audi pretty much shoe horned that massive twin turbo v8 into that car.

Not to mention It only come in automatic which means extra money spent to convert to a 6 speed.Timing belt needs to be done every 35k miles thats the recommendation by audi and to do just about anything on the motor or trans the whole nose needs to come off and the engine/trans needs to be pulled.The hydralic suspension system is also problematic and if any component fails on the system like an accumulator its gonna cost money to fix.Not to mention when that suspension fails or has a faulty accumulator or a leak in the system car just handles like complete sh*t.

Ill be honest the maintnance costs involved with the RS6 personally to me arent worth the trouble.The car itself isnt much bigger on the inside.Yes it is a bit wider but rear seat area is still kinda small like the s4.

If I had to choose id pick a s4 with a stage 3 kit anyday over a rs6.Mostly because of maintnance costs.Rotor for a rs6 i believe is about 250-280 per rotor for the s4 about 150 or less.S4 has some room under the hood and access isnt great but its definitely bedtter than the rs6.

[DetailersDomain]

this is tough one, I had 3 b5 s4s and 1 03 RS6 - I absolutely love both cars actually considering pick up up another RS6. that being said here are the issues with the car.

Every 30k timing belt service - runs about $1350 to $3k (the later being at a dealership)

If you decide to chip it you will probably run into replacing or rebuilding the trans at 65k - 100k miles.

You will eventually need to repair the DRC so repair it and run the risk of another failure or fix the problem with coil overs.

Front Rotors and Pads - OEM - at the point where I swapped them all out was about $1850.

Have you driven both cars?

[97B518TQM]

Here just my .02.The RS6 does put down some impressive numbers,if you can find out in good shape its not gonna be cheap.There Is no room under the hood for anything getting access to anything under the hood sucks.Audi pretty much shoe horned that massive twin turbo v8 into that car.

Not to mention It only come in automatic which means extra money spent to convert to a 6 speed.Timing belt needs to be done every 35k miles thats the recommendation by audi and to do just about anything on the motor or trans the whole nose needs to come off and the engine/trans needs to be pulled.The hydralic suspension system is also problematic and if any component fails on the system like an accumulator its gonna cost money to fix.Not to mention when that suspension fails or has a faulty accumulator or a leak in the system car just handles like complete sh*t.

Ill be honest the maintnance costs involved with the RS6 personally to me arent worth the trouble.The car itself isnt much bigger on the inside.Yes it is a bit wider but rear seat area is still kinda small like the s4.

If I had to choose id pick a s4 with a stage 3 kit anyday over a rs6.Mostly because of maintnance costs.Rotor for a rs6 i believe is about 250-280 per rotor for the s4 about 150 or less.S4 has some room under the hood and access isnt great but its definitely bedtter than the rs6.

350awhp is not impressive when it is being produced by a nice huge 4.2L V8 with two turbos. A tiny 2.7L engine with miniature snails gets to 350awhp without breaking a sweat. I think a more accurate statement is that the car CAN put done some impressive numbers if you invest $15-20k into it along with a 6sp conversion. In stock form the RS6 is nothing that impressive in terms of power put to the ground.

[Meow]

here is what you do:

combine them!

RS6 Turbos on B5 S4 and RS6 coil packs, lol.

[hots4auce]

if you have some coin do a stage 3 rs6 build like mrc tuning or fluid motor union twin GT30's built motor with a 6 speed swap
now that i would love to see

[Mark00s4]

Yeah with everything to consider i'm just going stick with my s4. Rs6 seams like a money pit worst then the s4.! I would love to dump every dollar into my car,but life gets in the way. Rs6 turbo's sounds interesting.!

[speedlyte]

Rs6 motor in the b5 s4....best combination.

[redge2.7t]

Like this? http://youtu.be/p5LMudFofEY

[hendrj5689]

Like this? http://youtu.be/p5LMudFofEY

[Mark00s4]

Rs6 in a b5 now that would be cool,it's got to be super tight end nose heavy.