Must have mods Rs5

[tymz]

Hello,
I recently sold my stage 2 b8.5 SQ5 and now I’m in a 2019 RS5. What are some must have mods? I am planning on tinting the windows soon IMG_7200.jpgIMG_7200.jpg


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[nefkntym]

Hello,
I recently sold my stage 2 b8.5 SQ5 and now I’m in a 2019 RS5. What are some must have mods? I am planning on tinting the windows soon IMG_7200.jpgIMG_7200.jpg


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Congratulations!! I had a Stage 2 B8.5 SQ5 that was replaced by my RS5 as well. No big mods yet to speak of yet for me. Just put on my old P3 gauge and did window tint and getting ready to swap to black badges.

[303 Spartan]

I agree with nefkntym (3 failed spelling attempts at the name before copy/pasting ). No real initial mods necessary. This is the first car I can remember owning, which didn't really "need" any initial mods to make it perfect. I think that's kind of the beauty of splurging on the RS5. It's already the "modded" version of many of my previous cars.

I did tune mine, soon after bringing it home. But that's only because I have absolutely no self control of my spending or bodily functions.

[nefkntym]

I agree with nefkntym (3 failed spelling attempts at the name before copy/pasting ). No real initial mods necessary. This is the first car I can remember owning, which didn't really "need" any initial mods to make it perfect. I think that's kind of the beauty of splurging on the RS5. It's already the "modded" version of many of my previous cars.

I did tune mine, soon after bringing it home. But that's only because I have absolutely no self control of my spending or bodily functions.

I would really like to check out your tuned RS5.

[wwhan]

My important modification was to have all the windows tinted & I changed wheels/tires to 19".

The RS5 is pretty well outfitted stock.

The subwoofer change is next project.

[IanCH]

I would be really upset if I bought an RS car and felt there was any must have mods. Tint and some exterior protection/detailing seem like a good recommendation.

[coolwater]

My important modification was to have all the windows tinted & I changed wheels/tires to 19".

The RS5 is pretty well outfitted stock.

The subwoofer change is next project.

Show me your 19s. What offset and size? I have 19s from my S5 and still contemplating to sell or just run them for winter.

-cW


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[coolwater]

Agree with everyone else. I haven’t had the urge to lower the car or make any major changes. I added a BMC filter from my S5 and tint. May do PPF in the front, but not sure it’ll look good on a lighter car like nardo. Maybe Wheels too at some point.


-cW


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[tymz]

What is kind of winter set up are you guys running?


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[303 Spartan]

I bought my car at the tail end of this this last winter and hastily purchased 19x9.5 MSW wheels with 265/35/19 Sottozero Serie 2's, to throw on before our last big snow storm rolled through.

However, I had that setup on my car for only a week before concluding that I really don't like how it looks. In Colorado, it's not uncommon to have your winter setup on for 6 months. So, I'm thinking about selling this setup and switching to my OEM 20's for the winter, with some Alpin PA4's or Sottozero Serie 2/3 in 275/30/20.



The 19" setup with a narrower tire and taller sidewall is going to be the better performer, no doubt. But at some point "form" does play a minor role over "function". For me, at least.

With that said, I have seen some people run a 19" wheel with a 275/35/19 snow tire and it looks quite good. Take Martin @ Nemesis Autosport, for example...




Pick your poison.

[wwhan]

Show me your 19s. What offset and size? I have 19s from my S5 and still contemplating to sell or just run them for winter.....

Wheels ACE Alloy AFF02, Black Matte, 19x8.5 ET20.

Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ Tires 245/40/19 (roughly same outside diameter as stock).

[coolwater]

I bought my car at the tail end of this this last winter and hastily purchased 19x9.5 MSW wheels with 265/35/19 Sottozero Serie 2's, to throw on before our last big snow storm rolled through.

However, I had that setup on my car for only a week before concluding that I really don't like how it looks. In Colorado, it's not uncommon to have your winter setup on for 6 months. So, I'm thinking about selling this setup and switching to my OEM 20's for the winter, with some Alpin PA4's or Sottozero Serie 2/3 in 275/30/20.



The 19" setup with a narrower tire and taller sidewall is going to be the better performer, no doubt. But at some point "form" does play a minor role over "function". For me, at least.

With that said, I have seen some people run a 19" wheel with a 275/35/19 snow tire and it looks quite good. Take Martin @ Nemesis Autosport, for example...




Pick your poison.

What is the offset of these wheels? My setup is 19x9.5 ET22 with 265/35 19 mounted.
Should be 10mm more flush than stock.

-cW


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[303 Spartan]

What is the offset of these wheels? My setup is 19x9.5 ET22 with 265/35 19 mounted.
Should be 10mm more flush than stock.

Mine are the same. 19x9.5 et22.

But, to be 10mm more flush than stock, we'd still need 5mm - 8mm spacers, I believe.

[coolwater]

Mine are the same. 19x9.5 et22.

But, to be 10mm more flush than stock, we'd still need 5mm - 8mm spacers, I believe.

Yeah it’s wierd as the calculators show 10mm more flush, but I think the tire width has a lot to do with it also. Got any shots showing how flush it sits with the fenders? Also i think the sportback may have lower offset wheels than the coupe...

-cW




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[303 Spartan]

Yeah it’s wierd as the calculators show 10mm more flush, but I think the tire width has a lot to do with it also. Got any shots showing how flush it sits with the fenders? Also i think the sportback may have lower offset wheels than the coupe...

-cW

Unless I'm off track, the RS5 Sportback OEM wheels are 20x9 et22. Coupe RS5 wheels are 20x9 et26. I'm 99% confident on that. However, I'm sure the guys at Nemesis can provide clarification, if they see this thread.

Here's a pic I found, highlighting the fitment. Despite being 0.5" wider with the same offset, to me, it somehow looks less flush than the OEM 20x9 et22's. But it could just be a placebo. Regardless, they are in desperate need of spacers (assuming I keep them).

If I get bored this week, I may try my 12mm/10mm spacers with the winter wheels/tires to see if it corrects the look. But I'm a bit nervous that 12mm/10mm spacers will be a bit too aggressive for winter, with how much snow/slush will be shooting off the tires as I drive.

[Rob O]

Unless I'm off track, the RS5 Sportback OEM wheels are 20x9 et22. Coupe RS5 wheels are 20x9 et26. I'm 99% confident on that.

This is correct.

As for other fitments, I've run a bunch of different set ups, all aimed at being as flush as possible without rubbing. Happy to help with questions.

And there is one "must have" mod for US-spec (North America spec) RS5s IMO ... and that's Euro-spec (ROW spec) rear headrests. Totally worth the money. ;-) Otherwise, it's a great car right out of the box and perfectly fine stock if you aren't inclined to mod. That said, there are a lot of good enhancements that make a great car even better. :)

[BCT]

I used to live in Chicago, so one thing I would do for sure is protect the front of the car with X-Pel or Sun Tech PPF. Not sure if I would call it a mod but PPF, Ceramic sealant would help to keep your ride looking good all year round. Definitely a winter wheel/tire set up not only for traction but a bit of protection from potholes which as you know, can get pretty bad.

[IamRacer X]

My Sportback is my daily and I have a track toy that consumes my car spending, but I tinted the windows with 16% and the windshield with 80%. Also added 12mmF and 15mmR spacers. Next up did the black badges. I normally lower every car I own, but this car sits pretty perfect. Not sure spending all that money to lower it for maybe 1/2 inch is worth it. Also I’m not a huge fan of the black optics wheels as they look similar to a lot of lessor cars... but for now I keep them.

[coolwater]

My Sportback is my daily and I have a track toy that consumes my car spending, but I tinted the windows with 16% and the windshield with 80%. Also added 12mmF and 15mmR spacers. Next up did the black badges. I normally lower every car I own, but this car sits pretty perfect. Not sure spending all that money to lower it for maybe 1/2 inch is worth it. Also I’m not a huge fan of the black optics wheels as they look similar to a lot of lessor cars... but for now I keep them.

Which spacers? HR or ECS? Got some pics?

-cW


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[303 Spartan]

Which spacers? HR or ECS? Got some pics?

Here's mine with 15mm rear / 12mm front







15mm/12mm is about as perfectly flush as you're going to get with the OEM 20" wheels on 275 tires. I purchased the spacers through the guys at Nemesis Autosport. I'm not sure what brand they are.

I've got a new set of 20x9.5 et25 wheels + 285/30/20 tires on the way. I ordered some 10mm spacers for that set from Nemesis, as well. I'll let you know the brand when the spacers arrive.

[coolwater]

Here's mine with 15mm rear / 12mm front







15mm/12mm is about as perfectly flush as you're going to get with the OEM 20" wheels on 275 tires. I purchased the spacers through the guys at Nemesis Autosport. I'm not sure what brand they are.

I've got a new set of 20x9.5 et25 wheels + 285/30/20 tires on the way. I ordered some 10mm spacers for that set from Nemesis, as well. I'll let you know the brand when the spacers arrive.

Looking good. I’ve always avoided spacers cuz of the possible vibrations, but the stock wheels do look a lot nicer spaced out.

-cW


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[303 Spartan]

Looking good. I’ve always avoided spacers cuz of the possible vibrations, but the stock wheels do look a lot nicer spaced out.

Eh, that used to be a concern of mine, as well. But I've now run spacers on my last 3 cars for well over 100k miles and triple digit speeds. Never an issue. Hub centric spacers solve any vibration problems as the fitment is so precise, they can't be installed incorrectly, causing vibration.

The other key factor is making sure you get the proper size longer wheel bolts to accommodate the spacers. The guys at Nemesis will always pair you up with the correct size longer wheel bolts for whatever spacers you buy.

With that said, 15mm is about as large as I'd ever comfortably go. With my new wheels, I'll be using 12mm/10mm spacers and might even drop down to 10mm/8mm if the fitment seems too aggressive with the wider wheel/tire.

[penguiNET]

Eh, that used to be a concern of mine, as well. But I've now run spacers on my last 3 cars for well over 100k miles and triple digit speeds. Never an issue. Hub centric spacers solve any vibration problems as the fitment is so precise, they can't be installed incorrectly, causing vibration.

The other key factor is making sure you get the proper size longer wheel bolts to accommodate the spacers. The guys at Nemesis will always pair you up with the correct size longer wheel bolts for whatever spacers you buy.

With that said, 15mm is about as large as I'd ever comfortably go. With my new wheels, I'll be using 12mm/10mm spacers and might even drop down to 10mm/8mm if the fitment seems too aggressive with the wider wheel/tire.

can't wait to see your new wheels. I wonder if you could go up to 295 on the rear wheels and do a staggered setup with 275 or 285 up front.

[303 Spartan]

can't wait to see your new wheels. I wonder if you could go up to 295 on the rear wheels and do a staggered setup with 275 or 285 up front.

I actually had that staggered setup on my F80 M3. 295/rear and 275/front. But that car was RWD and needed as much traction in the back as physically possible, just to prevent from spinning the tires all the way through 3rd. With AWD, 295's in the back would definitely be overkill. Though, it would look real mean from behind.

Thanks to that low-end TQ improvement from the APR tune, the stock 275 Conti's do slip quite a bit more in 1st gear. But the 285 PS4S's should easily take care of that.

Martin at Nemesis told me the wheels/spacers should be here tomorrow and my tires are already waiting for me at the local tire shop. I'm hoping to get an appointment scheduled for Saturday to get everything mounted/balanced. Worst case, it'll be Monday.

I'll get some 'after' pictures posted soon as soon as it's done.

[Nox05]

For me the two must have mods were tints and an exhaust. I came from a heavily modded B9 S4 where I basically ran out of things to do. My RS5 feels like where my S4 left off but just a couple of pegs higher. I have a HAS kit I need to get around to and some 034 goodies I'll hit up Mops for but I haven't gone crazy this time around.

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[nefkntym]

I came from a heavily modded B9 S4 where I basically ran out of things to do. My RS5 feels like where my S4 left off but just a couple of pegs higher.

I had a modded SQ5 that I came from, I feel the same way.

I need to hit up a couple people to do some stuff as well and I have some things laying around that need to go on.