What I don't understand is why doesn't an ECU remap give you the same 420 HP as in the R8 and RS4. I was told that the engine in these cars is the same as the engine in the S5, the only difference being that the S5 engine is detuned.
S5 modifications - APS, UK, 15th Feb
All, a number of S5 owners met at the premises of APS in Brackley, Northants on Friday to undertake some of the more popular modifications bing talked about on this forum. Here's a few initial details - I'll post a pictorial diary of the day and fellow owner Ian, sound recordist extraordinaire, has some 'before and after' sound files which clearly show the (marked) difference between stock and Milltek resonated exhaust. To answer the burning question - 'is it worth it and should I wait for a non-res version' - 'YES' and 'NO'. More details later.
Background to the day
As many of you will know, Ian and I had separately approached APS for details and pricing on a series of mods (primarily exhaust and suspension/track). Ian pulled it together via another thread and APS arranged a day for a number of owners to meet and either have the mods performed, or simply view the work in progress and its results. Hence, we met at APS's premises in Brackley, Northants this last Friday 15th.
APS.
Have to spend a few lines commending this outfit. Their premises are immaculate (as you'll see from the pics), their customer service and communication (through partner, Ed Jackson) is beyond reproach and their engineers are not only damn good blokes but at the top of their game. They work in pairs on each car, methodically assisting each other and checking each stage of the work. Gained huge comfort in watching the way they handled my prized possesion. They have a wealth of experience with a variety of VAG models and this is apparent in conversation with them. You'll also find it hard to beet their keen pricing!
The cars
On the day, three cars were to be modified, these being:
So, at one point, close to £250K's worth of S5 all parked up - quite a sight (and sound!).....
The mods - subjective impressions
In summary, the mods make a huge difference to the car and make it, in my opinion, the type of car we hoped Audi would make. Aesthetically, the pictures speak for themselves with the car now possessing a totally aggressive stance - the word that springs to mind is 'menacing'. The Milltek slash-cut exhaust looks tremendous, well-suited to the car and avoiding the Max Power look by virtue of its careful integration with the lines of the rear valance. It could be said that for this benefit alone, the mods are worth the money but what of the drive?
When my car was initially lowered from the ramp and the engine fired-up, I have to say my heart sank and Ian's face fell. At idle, the exhaust note was noticeably more subdued - we both started to wonder if we had done/were about to do the right thing. Then I sat in the car and revved it up. OMG. The sound of the car, most particularly from inside had changed beyond recognition. From the standard burble, the note had changed to a deep but hard-edged growl (check out Ian's comparative sound files for confirmation of this). The car was taken out by Ed for a quick shakedown and upon return, I went out for a quick blast up and down the A43. I didn't stop smiling. Under load, the exhaust just bellow - unmistakably a V8 sound but more akin to a race car. No need to put the back seats down now to get the benefit!
With the window down, it was apparent that the sound that passers-by are subjected too is no less arresting - the car just howls its intent
The ride quality is, as you'd expect, notably firmer and certainly in the UK, it's fair to say that 90% of the time, you'll be completely aware that the car is riding on stiffer springs. That said, it's part of the miraculous metamorphosis of the car from GT to hard-edged sports saloon and totally in keeping. Any trade-off in terms of ride comfort (and there is some) is more than balanced by the car's poise on the road and enhanced cornering ability - roundabouts on the A43 were despatched in one seamless movement, body-roll all but banished and the car still largely unaffected by mid-corner road surface imperfections although on one or two occasions, I have sensed it skip slightly as it encounters bumps and holes, where the previous set-up would have been more tolerant.
Regarding the spacers - can't honestly say I notice any negative impact on steering feel - although there's a sense of additional weight at low speeds. Steering accuracy is unaffected as speeds increase. Both Ian and I (and I think Colli?) decided on aesthetic grounds to go with front spacers as well as rears and whilst we each harboured some concerns about the possible effects on steering geometry, this seem to have been misplaced. We'll keep an eye on the front tyres for any signs of uneven wear, but first impressions are comforting.
That's it for now - in the office today and have to do some proper work - will post some more pics in follow-on posts and more later from I and others.....
Background to the day
As many of you will know, Ian and I had separately approached APS for details and pricing on a series of mods (primarily exhaust and suspension/track). Ian pulled it together via another thread and APS arranged a day for a number of owners to meet and either have the mods performed, or simply view the work in progress and its results. Hence, we met at APS's premises in Brackley, Northants this last Friday 15th.
APS.
Have to spend a few lines commending this outfit. Their premises are immaculate (as you'll see from the pics), their customer service and communication (through partner, Ed Jackson) is beyond reproach and their engineers are not only damn good blokes but at the top of their game. They work in pairs on each car, methodically assisting each other and checking each stage of the work. Gained huge comfort in watching the way they handled my prized possesion. They have a wealth of experience with a variety of VAG models and this is apparent in conversation with them. You'll also find it hard to beet their keen pricing!
The cars
On the day, three cars were to be modified, these being:
- Mine (Meteor Grey), in for exhaust, spacers, springs and Sportec pedals
- Ian's (Phantom Black) in for the same less pedals, although having seen them, quickly added to his list
- Colli's (Ibis White), intended to have re-map, spacers springs and pedals done, with exhaust next week. As it turned out, springs hadn't arrived so he'll be back for those with the exhaust.
So, at one point, close to £250K's worth of S5 all parked up - quite a sight (and sound!).....
The mods - subjective impressions
In summary, the mods make a huge difference to the car and make it, in my opinion, the type of car we hoped Audi would make. Aesthetically, the pictures speak for themselves with the car now possessing a totally aggressive stance - the word that springs to mind is 'menacing'. The Milltek slash-cut exhaust looks tremendous, well-suited to the car and avoiding the Max Power look by virtue of its careful integration with the lines of the rear valance. It could be said that for this benefit alone, the mods are worth the money but what of the drive?
When my car was initially lowered from the ramp and the engine fired-up, I have to say my heart sank and Ian's face fell. At idle, the exhaust note was noticeably more subdued - we both started to wonder if we had done/were about to do the right thing. Then I sat in the car and revved it up. OMG. The sound of the car, most particularly from inside had changed beyond recognition. From the standard burble, the note had changed to a deep but hard-edged growl (check out Ian's comparative sound files for confirmation of this). The car was taken out by Ed for a quick shakedown and upon return, I went out for a quick blast up and down the A43. I didn't stop smiling. Under load, the exhaust just bellow - unmistakably a V8 sound but more akin to a race car. No need to put the back seats down now to get the benefit!
With the window down, it was apparent that the sound that passers-by are subjected too is no less arresting - the car just howls its intent The ride quality is, as you'd expect, notably firmer and certainly in the UK, it's fair to say that 90% of the time, you'll be completely aware that the car is riding on stiffer springs. That said, it's part of the miraculous metamorphosis of the car from GT to hard-edged sports saloon and totally in keeping. Any trade-off in terms of ride comfort (and there is some) is more than balanced by the car's poise on the road and enhanced cornering ability - roundabouts on the A43 were despatched in one seamless movement, body-roll all but banished and the car still largely unaffected by mid-corner road surface imperfections although on one or two occasions, I have sensed it skip slightly as it encounters bumps and holes, where the previous set-up would have been more tolerant.
Regarding the spacers - can't honestly say I notice any negative impact on steering feel - although there's a sense of additional weight at low speeds. Steering accuracy is unaffected as speeds increase. Both Ian and I (and I think Colli?) decided on aesthetic grounds to go with front spacers as well as rears and whilst we each harboured some concerns about the possible effects on steering geometry, this seem to have been misplaced. We'll keep an eye on the front tyres for any signs of uneven wear, but first impressions are comforting.
That's it for now - in the office today and have to do some proper work - will post some more pics in follow-on posts and more later from I and others.....
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You forgot the biggest downside, (which is the only reason I probably won't do a remap) if something happens to your engine, and Audi catches you with an ECU remap, they can refuse to cover the repair of your car under warranty.Professor Ian here!
Remap... short answer... It's a new piece of software for the ECU, designed to improve responsiveness and power output from the engine. It's called a remap, because in the ECU is a piece of software that 'maps' (converts) the inputs from the various sensors on the car onto a set of engine controls, such as the ignition timing, injector timing and fuel charge. This is the heart of a modern engine.
How does a remap improve power and responsiveness? Well simply that Audi can always get more power out of the engine, but there are trade-offs with emissions, fuel economy, engine wear and driveability. What a remap does is replace the 'mapping program' with a new one that changes the mapping and trades a few things for a little more power. (something always has to give... it's the laws of physics and chemistry!). However, one of the easiest things to do with a remap is to change how the car responds to throttle input... a little more throttle, a lot more power... this doesnt actually make the car faster, but it feels faster and more responsive... especially after a gear change because as you apply a little throttle, the car applies full power.
What are the downsides of a remap? ...It depends on the exact car and remap... however, usually fuel economy and changes in the ability to drive smoothly... not a problem for Colli because he rags it everywhere! Ultimately, it's a bit more strain on the engine, so the engine will not be as reliable as designed in the long run, however, I really would not expect any issues in the normal lifetime of the car (up to 60k miles). But it also depends on how it's driven!
Prof. Ian signing out!
...agreed. It's also a more 'delicate' part of the car than suspension or exhaust.
BTW.. what the hell kinda time is this to be posting from New York... it's got to be 3am?
BTW.. what the hell kinda time is this to be posting from New York... it's got to be 3am?
You utter, utter b*stards! All of you! Yes, you as well Colli!
LmaoYou utter, utter b*stards! All of you! Yes, you as well Colli!
Go on, get it ordered
dice were well found ian,,still waiting for ess5 to upload some pics of the dice in his car??
not a happy camper, milltek have not delivered my exhaust to aps so had to cancel going down on friday,supposed to be this coming week ,late week. it better had be or will cancel,dont like it when folk dont make delivery dates...especially when i have paid up front..
ian have you still got 15mm spacers on the front and any issues??also does the 10mm make yours look any different ess 5?
have any of you guys looked at daytona for karting ,i cant progress without were to race and i am keen to organise as i would relish the opportunity to whoop ess 5 rear end....
not a happy camper, milltek have not delivered my exhaust to aps so had to cancel going down on friday,supposed to be this coming week ,late week. it better had be or will cancel,dont like it when folk dont make delivery dates...especially when i have paid up front..
ian have you still got 15mm spacers on the front and any issues??also does the 10mm make yours look any different ess 5?
have any of you guys looked at daytona for karting ,i cant progress without were to race and i am keen to organise as i would relish the opportunity to whoop ess 5 rear end....
i don't know about the fuzzy dice, isn't he more into badges? maybe something more like this:
![]()
'dice were well found ian,,still waiting for ess5 to upload some pics of the dice in his car??
not a happy camper, milltek have not delivered my exhaust to aps so had to cancel going down on friday,supposed to be this coming week ,late week. it better had be or will cancel,dont like it when folk dont make delivery dates...especially when i have paid up front..
ian have you still got 15mm spacers on the front and any issues??also does the 10mm make yours look any different ess 5?
have any of you guys looked at daytona for karting ,i cant progress without were to race and i am keen to organise as i would relish the opportunity to whoop ess 5 rear end....
Looks like the spacers weren't the problem - a little grease needed somewhere else! SO both cars still have 15s on all round and no problems... Except needing to beat-off admirers with a sh!tty stick!!
Karting looks great... any venue works for me... Milton Keynes is nearest, but is an hour's drive for me, 1.5 for Ess and 3 fopr yooz... if we have Sandown or Manc, then one of the three of us doesn't have to drive far and one has to drive f*ng miles!
61 - 80 of 169 Posts
