Keep fully tuned 3.0T A7 or buy an S7?

[Bmccarti]

I have a bit of a dilemma. I am about to invest a lot of money into fully upgrading my 2016 A7 3.0T.

APR Stage 2 tune, dual pulley, upgraded throttle body, AWE exhaust, APR heat exchanger, and even a cold air intake are on the list.

Was wondering if I should instead invest in an S7. The shop said I should keep the A7 due to turbo problems with the S7, and that the 3.0 supercharger was a very reliable motor.

Thoughts?

[Nick_elgy]

Up to you! If you’re chasing numbers I don’t think the s7 is the best value as an upgrade but if you just like the v8 then go for it! Lol


2016 Audi A6 prestige black optic. No mods yet

[430hps4]

Can save a lot of money by not going with APR, and still get over 400whp

[nick1980]

Hey we're in the same boat
Im upgrading my a7 soon
Same plans apr stage 2 dual pulley

I recently bought a crank pulley from a member on here so that was a big help
You can save some money buying from others here
I have a few other things to gather before I do it but I'm more worried about the cats ,
I have a post looking for oem cats either gutted or normal to remedy that issue

Just something to think about that should be on your list

I bet the a7 will be plenty fast and reliable


I personally waited a long time to find one with all the options I wanted . It didn't matter if it was an a7/s7 etc but I wanted it to have the driver and innovation package among other things
Depending on what's important to you, that's what decides if I buy or sell a car to look for something else.
The performance mods can always be added after but it's actually pretty hard to find fully loaded c7's

[Bmccarti]

Nice! Ya mine’s fully loaded too. Prestige, driver assistance package, black optic package, s line sport package with 20” wheels, and the cold weather package. It’s really in mint condition considering it has 56k miles

[byoungin]

A7 with stage 1 and tcu tune is more than enough for my daily driving with some spirited times.
Seat cooling, although it's pretty weak, I still like over sport seats
Then there's higher cost for S7, repairs, insurance, blah blah

I think it boils down to if you want to pay the money for more performance

[tnjed]

My A7 Stage 2 (SP) was enough car for me. But the power wasn’t what made me trade up (yes it was) - it was the styling and interior mostly.

But also the power.


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[Bmccarti]

Hahaha awesome

[Bmccarti]

WhereÂ’d you get the tcu tune? I canÂ’t find a company that does it.

[paul-g]

WhereÂ’d you get the tcu tune? I canÂ’t find a company that does it.

Melen does tuning and i've been super happy with it.

[WatchMeSpend]

Don’t watch YouTube videos of turbo replacement on an S7 or S6, If you want one. There are a fair amount of them. Anxiety will prevail.

[MattyMarkey]

All depends how your bank account looks and what’s important to you.

The S7, after preventive maintenance to save your turbos, is extremely reliable. The cost for repairs/maintenance really isn’t that much more than an A model - they are both over engineered German cars.

S7 will handle and stop better. Unless you’re also planning to upgrade the brakes and suspension. It will also handle mods better. Sport Diff and air suspension do make a big difference. You can go down the rabbit hole on either - yes, the S variant will be more costly down that rabbit hole.

I owned a MY16 A6 and they take care of all the short comings on the S model in stock trim, IMO. (No surprise there).

S7 also is highly desirable right now. Based on the market, I could sell mine for more than I paid for it a year ago.


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[mpk1996]

Or step up to an RS7!! Its really up to you. I have a loaded S7. great car. but i do plan to upgrade it in a year or so to a RS7. why? why not. My stage 2 S7 right now is prob faster than a stock RS7, but its not the RS

so if you want the exclusivity (and a few of the extra options) of having a S or RS, then upgrade. If you want just a fast car, build yours out. you will have less money into going crazy with the lower model (A to S or S to RS) to get the same speed.

[A665]

so if you want the exclusivity (and a few of the extra options) of having a S or RS, then upgrade. If you want just a fast car, build yours out. you will have less money into going crazy with the lower model (A to S or S to RS) to get the same speed.

You nailed it. It's really a question of whether you want the extra level of exclusivity/options. Nothing wrong with that, so if that's what floats the OP's boat, then go for it.

I don't want the most exclusive car in my neighborhood or my area. That that would make me nervous about driving it and leaving it in the parking lot when I go out---I'd have anxiety that someone would scratch it or ding a door. I'd rather have more of a sleeper: low-cost, nicely outfitted, comfortable, easy to own/maintain, won't give me an anxiety attack and still plenty quick.

[wambatu]

Nice! Ya mine’s fully loaded too. Prestige, driver assistance package, black optic package, s line sport package with 20” wheels, and the cold weather package. It’s really in mint condition considering it has 56k miles

NOT FULLY LOADED WITHOUT B&O!

[Bmccarti]

Ya I’m definitely leaning towards keeping the A7. It really is a great car

[Roboticus]

NOT FULLY LOADED WITHOUT B&O!

Not relevant to this thread, but I'm looking for an A6/7 or S6/7 and the number of people selling "Fully loaded" cars with no HUD, no B&O, no ACC is too damn high!

[nick1980]

Once you get adaptive cruise ,hud, night vision etc you won't want to go back

I just drove from ct to fl in 24 hours and I kept it in acc 99% of the time
It made the drive so much more bearable

I encountered everything from plain boredom to New York City insanity and then florida drivers that go 100mph haha

[ichi d]

upgrade to a A7 comp you get all the S goodies with the 3.0T engine.

[byoungin]

WhereÂ’d you get the tcu tune? I canÂ’t find a company that does it.

I have the 034 motorsports beta tcu tune, also really happy with it. $250, quick shifts, D mode actually usable, really just makes the car drive a lot better I can't go back to stock.
I'm local to them but they just mail you a dongle($150) with instructions and you flash at home

[A665]

I have the 034 motorsports beta tcu tune, also really happy with it. $250, quick shifts, D mode actually usable, really just makes the car drive a lot better I can't go back to stock.
I'm local to them but they just mail you a dongle($150) with instructions and you flash at home

Same here, and the tcu tune is great. I picked up their Stage 1 tune a week later, as it was on sale, and it's just about all that I want/need in terms of throttle response and drivability for my A6.

[gkott78]

One thing we aren't taking into account here is the refinement.

Yes a tuned up A6 / A7 will certainly be fun, and I love mine. However, all those upgrades are pushing the car, and things do break. I haven't had any issues, but while upgrading my car it has certainly become louder, stiffer, less refined, etc.

Purchasing a stock S7 and putting on a simple stage 1 tune keeps does give you plenty of performance and keeps that Audi feel. I think if I had to do it all over again, I would buy an S car and call it a day. I don't have access to a space big enough to work on my car, nor all the tools to do everything I wanted to. So I paid a shop to install my DP, HX, test pipes and exhaust, springs etc. If you aren't doing the work yourself, take into account the cost of labor. I have spent THOUSANDS on labor. My last bill was almost 5k. That consisted of exhaust install, which the test pipes drove the cost high, spring install, motor mounts, cooling flush, drive train inserts, alignment, two timing covers, etc. Outside of the motor mounts, it was all labor.

For what I have invested into this this A6 with my parts, labor and cost of the car, I could have bought a used S7 and tuned it easily with money in my pocket. Heck, I could have grabbed a used RS7.

[Roboticus]

Ya I’m definitely leaning towards keeping the A7. It really is a great car

I'm looking for a C7 (or 7.5) to purchase and have driven a number of the cars. I have loved all of them, for me it is now surprisingly coming down to the options. If I find an A car that has the electronics I want, I feel it will be equally fun (and equally expensive) to add the go-fun bits to both an A or an S.

If you have a car you love and you know I'd say keep it and tune it. Knowing the quirks of a car (and what might fail) has an immeasurable monetary value in terms of peace of mind...