Recommended upgrades for a new to me 2015 SQ5

[Dishums]

Hello everyone, this is my first post as I just joined the Audi club with a newly purchased metallic blue 2015 SQ5. My uncle gave me a deal and the car is in immaculate shape with only 35k miles. The only non-stock part is a K&N air filter.

Upgrades! I would love some advice and to know if what I’m planning is reasonable.

Intended Driving conditions/values: This will be my daily driver, but I love speed/performance. My values in the vehicle will be reliability>>performance>comfort>noise>cost of modification with installation. I intend to run 93 octane pump gas which is readily available here. Road quality in my area is mediocre. I had budgeted significantly more towards a new vehicle than I ended up spending, so cost is less of a factor. I’m not technical with cars. The most I’ve done (other cars) is change air intakes, charge pipes, and ECU/TCU tune. I do not want it to become a project car. I want to get all the mods I’ll ever get for it right away and be done.

I am think an aftermarket intake and stage 1 ECU/TCU tune. I am mostly looking at the 034 motorsports one but could be swayed if people think another brand is a better deal.

Main questions, what are the best handling upgrades? I see transmission insert and rear sway bar mentioned a lot. I am pretty unsure if I want the car lowered. I know it helps drive dynamics but roads are not the best in my area so concerned about ride quality and if lowering springs would wear the shocks out.

What is a single good sound upgrade? I would like the car to sound like it has some power, but definitely do not want it to be obnoxiously loud when I circle up and down the parking deck at work.

Thank you

[Discipulus]

I think once you start it will be difficult to stop. The upgrade itch come strong on this platform because it's so well supported and easily modded.

That said...

- Stage 1 tune from 034
- Rear sway bar from 034
- Full drivetrain inserts (trans, rear diff, and rear diff carrier) from ecs tuning is my preference because they're poly instead of metal and should have less chance of adding noise. Go 034 if you dont mind very slightly increase noise
- upgrade the cross brace, whatever brand they're all similar performance. I went with ECS cause it's cheaper and I can't tell a difference with a more expensive version.
- whatever air intake you prefer, they're all just about the same performance wise. All of them will add a lot of supercharger whine and noise compared to stock.

For exhaust, you'll have to research it and look around. I kept mine mostly stock and just moved the factory cats downstream with JHMotorsports high flow resonated cats. I don't like the sound at all, even though the factory mufflers and center muffler is unchanged now it sounds raspy under acceleration.

Suspension on the SQ5 I hear is pretty tall and stiff, though I've never driven one myself. Coming from the stock Q5 setup, I went with European SQ5 springs paired with Bilstein B8 shocks and it's the most comfortable sports suspension ive ever felt. The Euro (ROW) springs are 1" lower compared to the USA SQ5, and I believe the springs are also a bit softer too. Handles wonderfully without being bouncy or hard. It's not cheap but in my opinion it's the best setup if you want factory ride quality and a sporty feel without getting aggressive.

Lastly, don't forget tires and wheels! They play a huge part in the overall comfort and handling. If comfort is a priority you might consider going with 19" wheels and larger rubber, instead of the factory 20". I'm currently on 20" but I upsized the tires to 265/45 instead of the factory 255/45 and that gave it just a bit more cushion. A smaller wheel would make a bigger difference though.

Oh! Forgot to mention, above all else you'll want to get a ross-tech VCDS cable to diagnose and make changes to the car settings that you can't do otherwise. There are some pretty cool features that come with the car which you can only unlock with VCDS. Also you can't even reset your own oil change reminder without this so it's kind of mandatory when owning an Audi.


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[Dishums]

Thank you Discipulus! I had not heard about the other drivetrain mounts, and that’s look really affordable.

Since your setup is only 1” lower and sounds like it’s benefiting from the rear sway bar and cross bracket, I will add in those too. I think I’ll hold off for now on tires and sound changes for now. And I’ll do more research into shocks/springs. I think 1.5” lower would be perfect. 2.5” lower looks great, but with the rough roads and a lot of tall SUV’s/trucks in my area, I kinda want that slightly higher perspective on the road, but want to talk corners at a brisk pace. Sounds you’ve figured out the right combo at 1” lower.

Are those other drive train inserts easy enough to do with a vehicle lift and some YouTube videos?

[Discipulus]

Absolutely you can do the drivetrain inserts yourself. Just put the car up on ramps or jack stands and follow the included instructions. No special tools needed. Should take less than 1hr to do all three.

If you don't mind something slightly more time consuming, the cross brace is really easy too. Just takes a bit of finagling to figure out how to install and remove the under belly trays if you've never done those before. This also requires more tools, specifically Triple Square sockets, a set of torx sockets, and a torque wrench.

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[Dishums]

Can I get away with the $200 one from Ross-tech? or which model is recommended?

https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/cat/vcds/

[Discipulus]

Can I get away with the $200 one from Ross-tech? or which model is recommended?

https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/cat/vcds/

Yep, the basic $200 cable is all you need. That gives you a license to use it with 3 vehicles, which is the cheapest/lowest option available.

You'll go through all three licenses faster than you think. Friends/family who want help or a new car tends to just Pop up somehow right after you buy the cable.

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[xRenesis]

Ross-tech is the actual maker of VCDS. Also, look through the B8 S4 section, a lot more popular and a good handful of stuff applies to us as well.

You'll get conflicting thoughts on 034 when you dig down.
Less the SQ stuff/appearance, my list is more or less
Springs/spacers
Intake
PCV relocation, CNC'd thermostat (Merc racing/GPS)
Test pipes
Heat Exchanger
Tune
All the extras - wheels, tires, exhaust, grill, paddle steering wheel

[taarobaap]

Can I get away with the $200 one from Ross-tech? or which model is recommended?

https://store.ross-tech.com/shop/cat/vcds/

What about obdeleven? Have you looked in it yet?