B7 s4 performance mods

[ryanblair12]

Hello there I own b7 s4 manual 4.2L which I absolutely love. The car had 120k miles on her in excellent condition but I’m wanted to put some mods on her but alsowondering if she’s too old to do much to. I’d love some performance gains but also not at the cost of risking any damage to the vehicle. Ideally I was hoping someone could recommend mods to this car to improve overall performance and even longevity of the car. I was thinking tune chip or possibly performance intake manifold... maybe even exhaust but again I want to keep overall reliability and longevity of the car in mind... just curious if your thoughts, thanks!

[Atomic Avant]

Personally I find no issues with the stock airbox but there is some discussion on here regarding that. People have been able to get lower intake temps as our engine bays tend to get warm.

Common is getting a JHM tune and doing down pipe back exhaust. Personally I would message Matt at Jackel Motorsports and use his tune (what I am currently using). Again there is "discussions" between the two tunes but they turn into fanboy pissing matches pretty quick. But they are worth a read to form your own opinion.

Keeping reliability and longevity in mind I would make sure things like the chains and check valves have been replaced and updated guilds used. With you mileage I would take a good look at your suspension for split or cracked bushings. Also new shock and springs can make an old girl feel new again.

For anything big power you are looking at one off turbo installs or 8k SC kits.

[Zolli]

What Nips said. All of it.

Exhaust is always worth it. Two popular ones are Miltek and Fast Intentions. Downpipes help a lot, in addition to the cat-back. I have fast intentions with 200-cell Magnaflow cats and the punch is more noticeable than I expected.

Reducing rotating and unsprung mass has made the revs climb faster, which has been fun. JHM makes a great lightweight crankshaft pulley and flywheel. Pretty much all of the JHM stuff is exceptionally high quality. Same for 034 Motorsports.

Stiffening up suspension stuff like sway bars and mounts has led to a noticeable difference of getting the power the car makes to the ground effectively. A cool new one is JXB Performance’s driveshaft mount. It’s great. I recently replaced the motor mounts with Stern and was impressed. Power flex makes some replacement bushings, and I’ve been pleased with those.

Don’t forget good tires. Michelin Pilot Sports and Continental ExtremeContacts are my preferences.

I have a VFIZ that helps me keep track of what the engine is up to (especially oil temp - do not go wide open throttle before you’re up to temp). Ross-Tech VCDS is good for diagnosing problems.

Keep up the maintenance. Oil check valves are important. I like Liqui-moly oils, others prefer Motul. Still others have been fine with Castrol or Mobil 1, but my baby likes the Liqui-Moly.

Other enjoyable mods that add intangible HP or smiles per gallon:

Stickers (+99hp each, more if they’re red)
Classic Ray-bans
Kenny Loggins’ Danger Zone in the CD changer since it’s suitably retro now
Radar detector, preferably one that scolds you in a British accent
Empty passenger seat (corner balance the sway bars)
Modern head unit
Removing that dumb arm rest that always gets in the way of my elbows

[ryanblair12]

Thanks for your input guys.. yea maintenance on her is perfect I always keep up with that and just replaced all control arm bushings as they were getting a little worn so agreed there. I was just thinking outside of general maintenance that would add power but also help the overall performance of the engine.. definitely thought of a tune and don’t know much about them I was just worried about putting extra strain on a 13 year old engine... like the idea of sway bar and mounts too I’ll have to look into that. Appreciate the feedback

[ryanblair12]

Also as far as intakes I was reading on here that it’s pointless on the b7 thanks to aux radiator? Curious if this is true? If not any good intake recommendation?

[Atomic Avant]

Also as far as intakes I was reading on here that it’s pointless on the b7 thanks to aux radiator? Curious if this is true? If not any good intake recommendation?

Yes because you end up with the filter sitting right behind the radiator. You can delete that radiator and have a pretty good fresh air source, I think JHM makes a kit.

[ryanblair12]

And there is definitely no extra risk with keeping it cool without aux radiator? 3 radiators does seem like a bit much haha..

[Zolli]

And there is definitely no extra risk with keeping it cool without aux radiator? 3 radiators does seem like a bit much haha..

Most have deleted the extra radiator without any adverse effects to make room for a CAI.

I’m in Phoenix, famous for 100+ degree temperatures that last for 100 days, so I’ve opted to keep my auxiliary radiators. Instead, I got the JHM intake manifold spacers, lots of DEI’s reflecta-cool stuff, and high-volume fans from Flex-a-lite, all of which helps keep intake air temperatures to about 10- to 15-degrees above ambient temps, so I’m pretty satisfied with that.

[Jdsb6s4]

Thanks for your input guys.. yea maintenance on her is perfect I always keep up with that and just replaced all control arm bushings as they were getting a little worn so agreed there. I was just thinking outside of general maintenance that would add power but also help the overall performance of the engine.. definitely thought of a tune and don’t know much about them I was just worried about putting extra strain on a 13 year old engine... like the idea of sway bar and mounts too I’ll have to look into that. Appreciate the feedback

Extra strain on a 13 year old engine? I have been tracking my car for 6 seasons now and the only issue I ever had were non engine related. I am going to break it down for items that you should do without breaking the bank.

Tuning: Jackal Motorsports

They are the top company in the game currently for our platform. Best in customer service as well and will provide you options to your tuning. Since you are N/A they will just bench flash your ECU and have it back to you in no time. They are also into making tunes for forced induction 4.2s as well. They are #1 out there

Exhaust: Fast Intentions from JHM

Best sounding exhaust out there and I might be selling mine soon cause I have a company willing to build me a Ticon titanium exhaust

Intake: K&N Filter

The factory setup runs just fine and if you are one that believes in dropping the AITs for more power than add a WMI kit and tap into intake tube

Intake manifold upgrade

It could be an advantageous upgrade with Jackal tuning but I never went that route cause I have a supercharger in its place :)

Suspension

If you dont wanna break the bank and have something that is sporty, yet comfortable, I would buy a set of Bilstein shocks and H&R sport springs. They will lower your car at a tasteful ride height and the Bilstein shocks are not harsh at all but will give you less body roll. Add a rear solid sway bar in from 034 along with their front and rear end links and you are good to go. Maybe take a look at your snub mount too. If its OEM its probably crumbling apart.

[ryanblair12]

Well I just mean as far as it being a 12 year old car and extra strain is that my mechanic who specializes in German imports advised against getting it tuned and exhaust because it’s an older car and could hurt more than it helps?? Ido I’m def no expert on these cars. Bottom line I want more power but no risk hahaha tough ask.
But thanks for your response very thorough. I’m leaning more and more towards intake man and tune with exhaust soo... if you really do sell your exhaust.. let me know! Appreciate it

[ryanblair12]

Like the idea of spacers. I was thinking whole intake man but spacers sounds good. I’ll be moving to Moab In a week which also gets hot as hell so maybe I’ll keep the aux as well Haha

[Jdsb6s4]

Well I just mean as far as it being a 12 year old car and extra strain is that my mechanic who specializes in German imports advised against getting it tuned and exhaust because it’s an older car and could hurt more than it helps?? Ido I’m def no expert on these cars. Bottom line I want more power but no risk hahaha tough ask.
But thanks for your response very thorough. I’m leaning more and more towards intake man and tune with exhaust soo... if you really do sell your exhaust.. let me know! Appreciate it

My car is a 2005 and I have put it though some heavy abuse. I wouldn’t worry about strain. Like what others mentioned, stay on top of oil changes, service the check valves once you start getting a cold and warm start.

Other things to consider that fail on these cars besides the infamous “guide” is the ABS Control module, frail and exposed wiring on knock sensors, PCV, coolant elbow off the upper radiator tends to break, radiator will crack on the plastic reservoirs on sides, AC compressor, rear motor for trunk latch, and side engine mounts will start leaking over time.


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[Jake@JHM]

Feel free to let us know if you have any questions. We can guide you through the entire performance process of your vehicle and supply you with just about every modification from the ground up. Shoot an email to [email protected] and someone from our Sales Team can answer all of your questions in-depth and get you on the path to getting the level of performance and reliability you desire out of your S4.


Jake

[QIKRNU]

Feel free to let us know if you have any questions. We can guide you through the entire performance process of your vehicle and supply you with just about every modification from the ground up. Shoot an email to [email protected] and someone from our Sales Team can answer all of your questions in-depth and get you on the path to getting the level of performance and reliability you desire out of your S4.


Jake

I was wondering when you were going to join here.

[Jake@JHM]

I was wondering when you were going to join here.

I'm a busy man now'days!

[QIKRNU]

I'm a busy man now'days!

Ahh; the life of a salesman. I know it well.