On the fence about tuning my RS4

[kpop]

Just saw that APR is having a 10% off sale on all of their ECU tunes through the 26th. For $630 + free installation, I'm on the fence about getting one for my otherwise stock RS4. Instead, I'm thinking of putting that money towards a cat-back exhaust (likely Milltek valved, non-res).

Is anyone here running the stage 1 tune? If so, what do you think? Since this is such a limited car, I'd be very surprised if APR sold more than a few hundred of these tunes.

[B6UltraSport]

My car does not have a tune so I can't comment exactly to your question but I'd recommend getting an exhaust. The tune will provide a negligible power increase, the exhaust will make the driving experience more fun IMO.

[MugelloB7RS4]

Many many RS4 owners have their cars tuned. From the factory the ECU limits torque in the first 3 gears. If at the bare minimum the tune removes those limiters it gives you more torque in those gears. And that's the most basic tunes. I would look at all the options for tunes. Don't get one because you can save $60. Research. Check out APR, check out JHM, check out Revo, eurocharged, UM Tuning. There are a few options.

I have done both tune and exhaust and both have their advantages. In terms of power/performance bang for the buck you cannot beat a tune. The exhaust will sound great too, but the experience will change more with a tune in my opinion.

Also before you do any tune, make sure your maintenance is up to date. These motors are already high strung, being properly maintained can make the biggest difference. You can lose up to 20-30 whp from simple carbon build up. A properly maintained stock RS4 will beat a tuned car that has carbon build up/injector issues any day of the week.

[vdubjetta02]

Gut the pre-cats and get a catback.... you will enjoy the car more and gutting the pre-cats will provide more power than a tune

[caliizaktiv]

Get the JHM full catless resonated exhaust with the JHM 93 tune. I've got 35,000 miles on my set-up with no issues.

[kpop]

Yeah, a cat-back exhaust is definitely on the radar if I decide to keep the car long term. I tend to cycle through cars after a year (e.g., I only kept my E90 M3 for a few months), but there's something special about the RS4 that makes me want to hold onto it.

[kpop]

Thanks for the context. I didn’t realize the stock ECU limits torque in gears 1-3. Is that to protect the clutch?

I’ve had good experience with APR tunes in the past but will check out the others you mentioned. I’ve heard of JHM and Revo but not the others. Agree that saving $70 is not the main driver here, but it got me thinking so the email ad worked :)

As for maintenance, I’m OCD and just spent about $2500 on new OEM rotors/pads (Rock Auto and Europa parts are great), all fluids, engine and cabin air filters, spark plugs, Michelin PS tires, and an alignment. Half of these services were early but I wanted to “reset the clock” on maintenance for peace of mind. The previous owner did the carbon cleaning within the last 10k miles, but I might do it again next year when I get an exhaust. Next up is a full paint correction!

[kpop]

I’m coming from a built, big turbo STI and want to keep the car as stock as possible to avoid the tuner hassles and preserve value, but it’s tempting. Aside from a basic tune and exhaust / drop-in K&N air filter, that’s about as far as I plan on taking it.

[kpop]

I can’t go catless here or I’ll fail emissions - they do a visual inspection. The JHM exhaust is really nice, but I’m concerned it might be too loud for my liking. Is there a big difference between the resonated and non-res versions of that exhaust? I’d like to keep the valves, so that might be a no-go.

[musanoadsaba]

What is you mileage on the car?

[DOCEVG]

Gut the pre-cats and get a catback.... you will enjoy the car more and gutting the pre-cats will provide more power than a tune

How do you pull this off in CO and still pass emissions?

I have a full JHM hi-flow cat, resonated exhaust (+JHM 93 tune) on an RS4, and the only way I "pass" emissions is to find one of the Air Colorado (or whatever they're called) mobile sniffers on a windy day and drive by it on the downwind side. I've passed two rounds of emissions over the past 4 years that way.

To the OP: I have another RS4, with no tune (and a Milltek catback resonated exhaust). The performance of the two cars is night and day different.

[kpop]

Just turned 62k miles. I bought it as a dedicated family-friendly (hence the 4-doors) "fun car" for back road driving and Cars & Coffee runs. With my work schedule and kids, I only get to drive it 2-3 days per month

[kpop]

How do you pull this off in CO and still pass emissions?

I have a full JHM hi-flow cat, resonated exhaust (+JHM 93 tune) on an RS4, and the only way I "pass" emissions is to find one of the Air Colorado (or whatever they're called) mobile sniffers on a windy day and drive by it on the downwind side. I've passed two rounds of emissions over the past 4 years that way.

To the OP: I have another RS4, with no tune (and a Milltek catback resonated exhaust). The performance of the two cars is night and day different.

Yeah, I hear you on emissions. When I had my built STi, I went to great lengths to get it passed (and I had a Vibrant high-flow cat) and was more hassle than I want this time around.

Interesting note on the JHM-tuned car. How would you characterize the difference between your JHM tuned RS4 and the stock one? Any issues with codes or reliability?

I see on your signature you've got quite the stable! I've seen a few RS3's around and they sound very cool. I've heard with basic tune they are on a completely different level from the RS4 - approaching supercar territory levels of acceleration.

[DOCEVG]

Interesting note on the JHM-tuned car. How would you characterize the difference between your JHM tuned RS4 and the stock one? Any issues with codes or reliability?

I see on your signature you've got quite the stable! I've seen a few RS3's around and they sound very cool. I've heard with basic tune they are on a completely different level from the RS4 - approaching supercar territory levels of acceleration.

I live at 7500 feet, and all my driving is between 5200 and 11,000 feet in altitude. I bought and drove the stock RS4 at sea level, where its performance was fine, but at altitude NA engines really suffer and it shows in this car. The tuned car, on the other hand, is a beast and seems relatively unaffected by altitude. Its too heavy to be a quick car, but I'm able to hang just fine with 911s and similar performance cars in the mountain twisties. Never dyno'ed the cars, but butt dyno suggests the tuned car has about 20% more HP and and 30% more torque.
Am letting the RS3 season a bit before tuning it.

[seblove]

I think the torque limiter was for "driveability" purposes if I remember correctly. So I agree that the car is worth tuning for that reason alone, in addition to throttle-body sensitivity and more aggressive timing on almost any shelf tune. Do your research - there are a couple of naysayers for the JHM tune because 'it's too aggressive on timing and can lead to pinging in warmer climates,' but it's all hearsay/confirmation bias and the vast majority of tuned RS4s on here run JHM without any issues so who knows. My mechanic just replaced a blown rs4 motor with low mileage and it was running an APR tune - doesn't mean shit, anyone can get unlucky. A common engine code once you start messing with tune/exhaust will be your O2s running rich - I've cleared the codes a few times over the course of 6k miles on the tune and it hasn't come back for a year or so. Otherwise no issues.

I'd personally only consider Revo or JHM as far as shelf tunes go.

[TPage]

I had a Revo tune put on mine about a year ago and wish I'd done it much sooner. I track with a friend who has an identical RS4 and we got them at the same time - so I can tell you there is definitely a little power increase because I pull away from him a little on the straights now. That's not the biggest deal though. The THROTTLE response is sooooo much better and the car is much more drivable too. I hated 1st gear prior to the tune but now it's smooth and I can ride it much further before throwing it in second. Very, very smooth. I had a Miltek exhaust put on at the same time and, same thing, wish I'd done it years ago. I was at the track this weekend and five people came up to tell me the car sounds awesome. It's really satisfying to hear that V8 open up when you put your foot down or just be able to feel that vibe when you're cruising around. I don't think there's a ton of difference with JHM but you need a good tuner to instal either one. APR is a canned solution. It's a black box and is dialed in more conservatively, according to people I talked to. I have no experience with APR beyond that but can tell you I'm very happy with Revo.

[kpop]

Thanks for the feedback guys! After going back and forth, I’ve decided not to tune it and instead am looking into a cat-back exhaust, either Capristo or Milktek. I’m really not wanting for more power, just a bit more sound that preserves the valves.