New Q5/SQ 1/4 mile record- 11.72 @ 118.1 (191 DA)

**BG SQ5** · 10-18-2018 08:40 AM

I’m not one to start new threads, but I figured this deserves one, especially since this sub forum could use some more action. My entire 1/4 mile journey has been well documented in the SQ5 0-60 & 1/4 Mile thread though. To summarize- I’ve been holding off on additional mods this year just to see how low I can push a very modest setup in street trim (full weight, street tires and fuel I can get at a gas station). The previous record set 2 years ago (11.78 @ 115.6) was a Q5 3.0T with a 3.36 PR on 104, AMS alpha, long tube headers, etc...

My 2015 SQ5: stage 2 APR 100 oct tune on E30, 187mm FD crank, small MercRacing h/x stacked with the OEM units, modified air box/aFe filter/034 tube, AWE exhaust, 034 driveline inserts, Forgestar 21s w/295s, and the secret weapon- my own tcu tune.

A little background... it went 12.05 @ 113.2 (-224 DA) a year ago with the 93 tune and stock tcu. Then, a few weeks ago on my current setup it did 11.81 @ 116.4 (500 DA) but with traction issues and 75C+ IATs. Since then I tweaked the tcu some more, switched to 90% water for the s/c cooling and re-gapped the plugs countless times. Based on my best 60’ when I’ve gotten traction (1.73), I expect at least 11.65 yet this year in negative DA and a little more tweaking. If I get a chance to hot lap (doubtful based on recent crowds), I think 11.5 is possible. For now I’m happy just to have the 11.72...you know in case it breaks on my way to work today or something, haha.

One of the best things about this journey has been the reactions and intrigue I get from random people at the track. There’s something about an unassuming SUV running 11s that gets the curiosity and respect of a wide range of people. I’ve also learned so much. I consider myself pretty seasoned at this point, but even last night I learned a few more things that will be key in the coming weeks as I push lower. Stay tuned...

**stapan** · 10-18-2018 08:54 AM

This is amazing BG! Thank you for leading the way into the future for the platform and community.

What TCU settings was this with?

What made you go with lower pulley ratio - is there further potential in upgrading that?

**riceboy22** · 10-18-2018 09:05 AM

**bajan01** · 10-18-2018 09:10 AM

Originally Posted by riceboy22

Yeah, well done!

**Silver_Bullet** · 10-18-2018 09:18 AM

Originally Posted by BG SQ5

New Q5/SQ 1/4 mile record- 11.72 @ 118.1 (191 DA)

Congrats!!! Well done sir!!! Nice work with the secret weapon also, I'd like the recipe sometime!

**DonnyK** · 10-18-2018 10:10 AM

Been following your well documented journey for awhile, great to see you still at it and pushing the envelope even further! Congrats!

**VroomVroom** · 10-18-2018 10:14 AM

I love it. Kudos on going so darn fast. I can only imagine the wide-eyed looks from those seeing this for the first time.

About 10-years back I worked with a performance shop specializing in GM drivetrains, and I got to peek at a lot of fun stuff. One truck was an AWD Sierra Denali with a twin-turbo LSX setup. That thing ran in the low 10's, and generated a lot of smiles. That said, in the whole scheme of things I think your results are more impressive.

**q5 dave** · 10-18-2018 10:46 AM

Ripped a good one, congrats! Lower that monster truck and go for another record

**stapan** · 10-18-2018 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by VroomVroom

I love it. Kudos on going so darn fast. I can only imagine the wide-eyed looks from those seeing this for the first time.

About 10-years back I worked with a performance shop specializing in GM drivetrains, and I got to peek at a lot of fun stuff. One truck was an AWD Sierra Denali with a twin-turbo LSX setup. That thing ran in the low 10's, and generated a lot of smiles. That said, in the whole scheme of things I think your results are more impressive.

Nice! Back in the day I had a very very highly modified GMC Typhoon. My favorite vehicle I've ever owned (though awfully unreliable). It would lift up the front end on launch even with 5 people on board and AWD. I would go to the track and be surrounded by people looking at it. Fun times. My Q5 is the closest I've been able to come to that vehicle overall.

**Perry01** · 10-18-2018 01:32 PM

Congratulations. Keep pushing the limits, and setting records.

**sammi_s** · 10-18-2018 01:35 PM

Dude that’s amazing.

I actually race my SQ here and there and love it.

Recently I thought about taking the air out and making it a static race ready.

Not sure yet though.

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**sammi_s** · 10-18-2018 01:36 PM

I also would love a TCU tune like yours.

And are you only running the 187 crank or
You using the APR S/C pulley aswell ?

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**JD S4** · 10-18-2018 03:22 PM

Congrats Brother!!!! Super fast..

**Dr.Chris** · 10-18-2018 04:23 PM

Smoking! Well done sir.

**soul strong** · 10-18-2018 04:42 PM

That’s awesome! Stage 1 is enough power for me. But kudos for making sure the q5/sq5 doesn’t look like a chump

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**BG SQ5** · 10-18-2018 06:28 PM

Thanks everyone! It has started to become more of a personal pursuit for me, as we don’t have the same hype and competition around our 1/4 mile times as the S4/5 guys do. I think I'm going to start an official Q5/SQ5 1/4 mile list thread with the hopes that more people get out to the track and post times since the current, half-assed list is buried in the original 0-60 & 1/4 mile thread.

Originally Posted by stapan

What TCU settings was this with?

What made you go with lower pulley ratio - is there further potential in upgrading that?

I dialed the launch back to 2900 but raised the shifts to 7400. The details of various other settings get much more technical, and I’m not giving those away for free anyway!

For one, I didn’t want to up the pulley until my IAT’s were well under control...all the time. In my mod progression, I’ve been more focused on value, efficiency and optimization vs. the ‘bigger is better’ approach. DP cars can be a real PITA and often times require w/m injection, killer chiller, or ice box at the strip. Most of those don't carry over well for say a road course either. I've been after more bulletproof performance, which I still need more cooling for in warm weather at only a 2.96 PR. Second, before I added more hardware, I decided I’d make a point to see how low a more modest, bang-for-the-buck setup could go if dialed in properly. I’ve only got ~$250 in cooling upgrades currently, and someone could buy a solid 187mm crank for <$400.

More cooling and fueling is next for me, and I’ll probably only upgrade the pulley if/when I move to the UC...and only because I’ll have to. More pulley would certainly mean more potential but only if the IATs are managed properly. It comes at a cost of being more susceptible in warm weather and longer runs (think 1/2 mile) too though.

Originally Posted by Silver_Bullet

Nice work with the secret weapon also, I'd like the recipe sometime!

Let me know when you're ready! I’ve helped a number of people get setup, and I can't begin to tell you how much time I've got into the SQ5/Q5 3.0T trans tune now. It’s only going to get better as HP releases more capability too. I’ve got an engineering background, so I’m all about continuous improvement and chasing perfection with this stuff.

Originally Posted by q5 dave

Ripped a good one, congrats! Lower that monster truck and go for another record

Ha! I've had brand new COs sitting in my basement for a year and a half now. They'll only hurt my launch as this point though, and I'm definitely not installing them for winter.

Originally Posted by sammi_s

I actually race my SQ here and there and love it.

If you have slips, post them up in the 0-60 & 1/4 mile thread, and we can get you added to the list. Not enough people taking the Qs to the track!

Originally Posted by sammi_s

I also would love a TCU tune like yours.

And are you only running the 187 crank or
You using the APR S/C pulley aswell ?

Shoot me a message if you want help tuning yours. It's not expensive and pretty easy.

187 only

**Shaggymatt** · 10-19-2018 05:49 AM

Originally Posted by BG SQ5

Shoot me a message if you want help tuning yours. It's not expensive and pretty easy.

187 only

Where in PA are you? I'm in Mechanicsburg, recognize Cecil having grown up in Annapolis.

I'd be interested in looking at your setup, TCU and cooling...

**racket** · 10-19-2018 05:52 AM

Would you say the IATs for just the 187mm pulley are more or less under control? I'm looking to replace my crank pulley soon and have seen a few different sizes. I'm also in PA so that Mid-Atlantic summer will be a concern.

**BG SQ5** · 10-19-2018 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by Shaggymatt

Where in PA are you? I'm in Mechanicsburg, recognize Cecil having grown up in Annapolis.

I'd be interested in looking at your setup, TCU and cooling...

I’m just north of Lancaster. If you want to buzz down the turnpike, I’d be more than happy to meet up. You could use my cable for a tcu tune as well and save $300.

**BG SQ5** · 10-19-2018 08:11 AM

Originally Posted by racket

Would you say the IATs for just the 187mm pulley are more or less under control? I'm looking to replace my crank pulley soon and have seen a few different sizes. I'm also in PA so that Mid-Atlantic summer will be a concern.

With the added h/x and 90% water, it’s definitely under control for any normal, spirited driving conditions. I didn’t run it for very long with stock cooling last year, but it got high at the track. I went 12.15 with the stock cooling and 50% water in 55F air. If it was 75F, it would have been bleeding boost for sure. It’s mainly when you’re at WOT for more than 10 sec or so (and revving to 7000+) in warmer weather that they start to get pretty high. I’d have no problem with a 187 and stock SQ5 cooling (with mostly water) and 6400 shifts as long as I’m not doing 60-130 pulls.

**rusq5** · 10-19-2018 03:53 PM

Congrats on the time! This a huge step forward for the platform.

Originally Posted by BG SQ5

More cooling and fueling is next for me, and I’ll probably only upgrade the pulley if/when I move to the UC...and only because I’ll have to. More pulley would certainly mean more potential but only if the IATs are managed properly. It comes at a cost of being more susceptible in warm weather and longer runs (think 1/2 mile) too though.

Ethanol?

**Silver_Bullet** · 10-19-2018 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by BG SQ5

Let me know when you're ready! I’ve helped a number of people get setup, and I can't begin to tell you how much time I've got into the SQ5/Q5 3.0T trans tune now. It’s only going to get better as HP releases more capability too. I’ve got an engineering background, so I’m all about continuous improvement and chasing perfection with this stuff.

Thanks! I'll definitely reach out to you when your racing season quiets down. I've also got an engineering background so I love the way you are methodically tackling issues and optimizing the platform. It's very similar to the work done by some of the fastest S4/S5 guys. As much as there are great parts and tunes for these cars, you still need to do a lot of logging, testing, developing, refining, etc to achieve these kinds of results.

**BG SQ5** · 10-19-2018 09:26 PM

Originally Posted by rusq5

Congrats on the time! This a huge step forward for the platform.

Ethanol?

Thanks!

Yup- I’d like to increase my current E30-35 blend to E40-45 to try the 104 file. However, what I was specifically referring to was the HPFP which is the first fueling hurdle I’ll run into when adding more power and/or upping the E%.

**BG SQ5** · 10-19-2018 09:53 PM

Originally Posted by Silver_Bullet

Thanks! I'll definitely reach out to you when your racing season quiets down. I've also got an engineering background so I love the way you are methodically tackling issues and optimizing the platform. It's very similar to the work done by some of the fastest S4/S5 guys. As much as there are great parts and tunes for these cars, you still need to do a lot of logging, testing, developing, refining, etc to achieve these kinds of results.

Brother, I appreciate your appreciation, haha. Credit definitely goes out to those guys on the B8 S4 forum too. They blazed the 3.0T trail, and they have been very gracious with sharing knowledge and helping those that have followed.

**MSq5** · 10-20-2018 07:41 AM

Hey, BG, I like your conservative, progressive, "stay safe" approach for a daily driven SUV, and the results are fantastic. You are also managing to do this without blowing your cats!

I'm a good bit behind you, but am keeping IATs reasonable with the smaller 179mm pulley on stock cooling. Running 90% water with RP Ice water wetter is helping. I'm in for TCU reflash, now. I have the HP Tuners dongle and software and will PM you for the next step.

I'm going to let my warranty run, though, before modifying the cooling or exhaust. Once beyond the warranty I'll get more serious, but like you, I want to be able to retain reliable for daily commutes and long road trips.

**Sport Line** · 10-20-2018 04:15 PM

Good stuff!
What is your actual plug gap ? I will be changing mine soon and I should probably re-gap them as well . My combo is 57.7 / 194 ( Fluidampr also plus recently installed iABEED 75mm Bosch throttle body . The only cooling upgrade so far I have the Apr CPS and last log I did my temps where up to 68 Celsius max with 50/50 cooling mix ( Ambient temp was around 20 Celsius) and I was running stock tb . IAT's should be a little less with the new tb and from what I understand a ported blower will lower them some 5-10 C which would be great! I initially dismissed the ideea of a ported blower , but I am now considering every time more . If doing this on top of some extra performance I will get lower IAT's than it is a double win!

**elijahallen** · 10-21-2018 05:35 AM

Great job man, good to see your work pay off. Let me know if anyone wants my brand new HP tuner and I will give them a deal. Thanks

**stapan** · 10-21-2018 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by Sport Line

Good stuff!
What is your actual plug gap ? I will be changing mine soon and I should probably re-gap them as well . My combo is 57.7 / 194 ( Fluidampr also plus recently installed iABEED 75mm Bosch throttle body . The only cooling upgrade so far I have the Apr CPS and last log I did my temps where up to 68 Celsius max with 50/50 cooling mix ( Ambient temp was around 20 Celsius) and I was running stock tb . IAT's should be a little less with the new tb and from what I understand a ported blower will lower them some 5-10 C which would be great! I initially dismissed the ideea of a ported blower , but I am now considering every time more . If doing this on top of some extra performance I will get lower IAT's than it is a double win!

Sport Line your SQ sounds awesome and love the mods you have. What are your thoughts on the high pulley ratio setup? Have you done any 0-60 or 1/4 mile performance tests? Very curious what yours is able to achieve.

**Sport Line** · 10-21-2018 12:34 PM

It is awesome

and I am not saying this because it's mine but I love this car for the quite impressive performance can deliver with some proper tuning . It had never seen the drag race since to be honest that had never been my goal. I would't say no to it but it just not a priority . What I want, it is a fast and reliable dd .

Regarding my actual pulley ratio : 3.368 it is a upgrade from my previous 3.177 ( same sc pulley 57.6 with 183mm ) - I love the change! There is a nice bump in tq over the whole band . IAT's basically remained the same and that was what I was hopping for. I know people with a even bigger crank ring like 203mm ( I believe 206mm it is the maximum you can fit in there) but going that big will require playing with higher red line and that's not my goal . I am ok with increasing some of my actual red line which oem it is 6400rpm but will actually shift at 6300rpm ( Auto mode) but I would still stay under 6900rpm max .
I hope EPL will came out with a TCU tune . I know they had been working on it and currently trying to see if remote flashing/ flashing back to eom file would be possible.

My next step and the only left to do it is porting , and I am now also considering buying some forged wheels . I currently have niche suv 22" with 265/35 DWS06 and I know they slow me down 0.2 - 0.3s for sure . They 41+27lbs=68lbs each plus they 744mm diameter vs 737mm oem wheels which doesn't help either . I could shave 20lbs per corner with some forged wheels

Using a couple apps like Launch Timer or Acceleration Timer ( both Android ) , last time I measured my 0-100km/h was 3.9sec . That was with the 183 combo and stock throttle body .
I raced a gle63s with the same set up and I put 2-3 cars distance in between in a short 1st to half of the 3rd gear

Adding the bigger TB and 194mm for sure gained at least 0.1s if not 0.2

My feedback was always based on day to day driving and some logging occasionally .

With a tune update for the 75mm TB and forged wheels I assume a 3.5s 0-100km/h should be a easy to archive number

**bajan01** · 10-21-2018 12:41 PM

Originally Posted by Sport Line

With a tune update for the 75mm TB and forged wheels I assume a 3.5s 0-100km/h should be a easy to archive number

Any word on and update EPL DP tune for the larger TB?

**Sport Line** · 10-21-2018 12:49 PM

Chris said there was a tune update coming for the sq5 . That was on September 23 . That was before me getting the new TB so I did't ask anything about , if the update will include the bigger tb or it is just for the regular dp

**elijahallen** · 10-21-2018 04:36 PM

Originally Posted by bajan01

Any word on and update EPL DP tune for the larger TB?

When my car is together I will be logging for GIAC to see if we can adjust the race file to get some bigger gains from the 75mm TB.

**MSq5** · 10-21-2018 06:46 PM

Originally Posted by Sport Line

It is awesome

and I am not saying this because it's mine but I love this car for the quite impressive performance can deliver with some proper tuning . It had never seen the drag race since to be honest that had never been my goal. I would't say no to it but it just not a priority . What I want, it is a fast and reliable dd .

Regarding my actual pulley ratio : 3.368 it is a upgrade from my previous 3.177 ( same sc pulley 57.6 with 183mm ) - I love the change! There is a nice bump in tq over the whole band . IAT's basically remained the same and that was what I was hopping for. I know people with a even bigger crank ring like 203mm ( I believe 206mm it is the maximum you can fit in there) but going that big will require playing with higher red line and that's not my goal . I am ok with increasing some of my actual red line which oem it is 6400rpm but will actually shift at 6300rpm ( Auto mode) but I would still stay under 6900rpm max .
I hope EPL will came out with a TCU tune . I know they had been working on it and currently trying to see if remote flashing/ flashing back to eom file would be possible.

My next step and the only left to do it is porting , and I am now also considering buying some forged wheels . I currently have niche suv 22" with 265/35 DWS06 and I know they slow me down 0.2 - 0.3s for sure . They 41+27lbs=68lbs each plus they 744mm diameter vs 737mm oem wheels which doesn't help either . I could shave 20lbs per corner with some forged wheels

Using a couple apps like Launch Timer or Acceleration Timer ( both Android ) , last time I measured my 0-100km/h was 3.9sec . That was with the 183 combo and stock throttle body .
I raced a gle63s with the same set up and I put 2-3 cars distance in between in a short 1st to half of the 3rd gear

Adding the bigger TB and 194mm for sure gained at least 0.1s if not 0.2

My feedback was always based on day to day driving and some logging occasionally .

With a tune update for the 75mm TB and forged wheels I assume a 3.5s 0-100km/h should be a easy to archive number

Get Dragy for your time/speed/distance metrics. It is almost dead on with quarter mile time slips. Gives you 0-60 and any other custom acceleration range in addition to all the customary drag strip time slip info. It even has roll out built in the timeslip, but not for 0-60. It is GPS satellite based. It won't let us cheat with downhill runs, either. Before it validates a run you can't have more than 1 degree negative slope, because it measures altitude change during the run.

This will be far more accurate than your current phone apps.

I'm EPL tuned, but am not waiting for a TCU tune for the ZF8 from them. I'm following BG's lead with HP Tuners self tuning OBD-II port dongle and laptop software for the ZF8. I hope to get the file done with help this week or next and learn to self tune for tweaks. It does permit saving the OEM base file and flash back.

**Sport Line** · 10-22-2018 07:08 AM

Originally Posted by MSq5

Get Dragy for your time/speed/distance metrics. It is almost dead on with quarter mile time slips. Gives you 0-60 and any other custom acceleration range in addition to all the customary drag strip time slip info. It even has roll out built in the timeslip, but not for 0-60. It is GPS satellite based. It won't let us cheat with downhill runs, either. Before it validates a run you can't have more than 1 degree negative slope, because it measures altitude change during the run.

This will be far more accurate than your current phone apps.

I'm EPL tuned, but am not waiting for a TCU tune for the ZF8 from them. I'm following BG's lead with HP Tuners self tuning OBD-II port dongle and laptop software for the ZF8. I hope to get the file done with help this week or next and learn to self tune for tweaks. It does permit saving the OEM base file and flash back.

Yeah I know drag strip time is the best but the aps are not extremely bad either . I can use it as a base line, always on the same spot , finds at least 5-7 satellites . It's better than nothing. Actually ,I was thinking of getting a V Box . Did you ever used one?

**tastic** · 10-22-2018 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by Sport Line

Yeah I know drag strip time is the best but the aps are not extremely bad either . I can use it as a base line, always on the same spot , finds at least 5-7 satellites . It's better than nothing. Actually ,I was thinking of getting a V Box . Did you ever used one?

None of the phone gps or obd2 dongle apps are accurate. The sample rate is just too low. Vbox, pgear and dragy are the only accepted devices currently with high enough sample rate to be accurate. On average, you can assume it is underestimating your 0-60mph time by about 0.4s.

Get a dragy. Most affordable, lines up to timeslips, and has huge database to post up and compare to others automatically

**Perry01** · 10-22-2018 08:55 AM

Only $149 and worth the money

http://www.godragy.com

**maniac33** · 10-22-2018 08:57 AM

Originally Posted by BG SQ5

I’m just north of Lancaster. If you want to buzz down the turnpike, I’d be more than happy to meet up. You could use my cable for a tcu tune as well and save $300.

I was just thinking that looks awfully like Cecil! I'm a hop skip and jump away from cecil myself. next time you head that way i'd be interested in seeing your runs in person!