quattrorings22

Last Summer i sold my 01 Lexus is300
for a 2004 Audi A4 1.8T Quattro which is obviously
(imo) a much nicer looking car thats much better in the snow, significantly
better on gas and the interior and exterior is just better built overall.
But dropping down from a 215hp i6 to 170hp i4 is just so hard to get used to
this car feels incredibly slow and heavy almost as if it cant get out of its own way. I thought i was doing myself a huge favor by getting the 4 cylinder
but apparently this was a fast purchase and i dident do much research and now i think the 3.0 would of been a much better decision.
Which car do you guys think is better the 1.8T or 3.0?

Gingerbread man

This has been beaten to death already. Just chip the A4 (stage 1) or chip + injectors (stage 1+) and you're faster than the 3.0 or the Lexus. IMO, 1.8T is a lot sturdier engine than the 3.0.

quattrorings22

Just checked out Apr's website and some pricing. I will be most likely going with the stage 1+ tune in the near future, well worth the money for the power gains.
thanks for your help.

W261w261

If I read the APR site correctly, the B6 is a straight software upgrade through the diagnostic port. I like the ability to return to the stock tune with a few clicks of the cruise control switch.

What is the weak point of​​​ a stage 1 or 1+ mod? Will the turbo fail sooner?

A4Audi4Fun

If you beat up on the motor while cold or motor is in poor condition already, odds are high that failure will occur sooner. If motor is already well maintained and you continue with regular maintenance (synthetic oil changes and proper cool down after hard driving), unlikely to fail any sooner and you will have a smile on your face when driving.


Software upgrade is best bang for buck for performance improvement unless you are already at Stage 3.

W261w261

Ok thx

huntings

What do you mean proper cool down after hard driving this is the first I heard of that.(newbie)

A4Audi4Fun

Ref cooldown - when you drive the car hard, the turbo is spinning at an extreme rate of high RPM. Engine oil is used to lubricate the turbo blade bearing and remove heat. If you turn engine off immediately after hard driving, there's no oil being pumped around but the turbo blades continue spinning until it eventually stops; without oil pressure, that bearing is more likely to sustain extra wear.


If you wait a little (around 2 mins seems to be a good consensus) or drive slower before shutoff, you are ensuring oil is flowing during the turbo spindown time, reducing the likelihood of bearing wear and coking.

Nausforatu

I have an 04 A4 and thought the same thing. And these gents are right, there is no better upgrade for your money than the stage 1 or 1+. You do have to understand though with a stage 1+ because you use larger injectors you are still slightly lowering your MPG even if you swap to the stock profile. I didn't want to change my MPG at all in mine since it is a commuter and was blown away by the stage 1 tune. All I have in mine was an K&N drop in filter and the APR DV. You will need some kind of aftermarket DV with either tune as the stock one is already a prone failure point adding boost doesn't help that problem much. Many people say they are happy with the Forge 007 or even the 710N. Most don't want to shell out much more for a DV like the APR cuz its 50-100$ more than the 710N and does the job just as good. However you certainly DID NOT make the wrong choice of engine. I am very good friends with employees at the largest import shop in my city and every time I am over there and we are talking about Audi's the consensus is the same: the 1.8T engine is the best engine Audi has ever produced. This isn't my opinion but that of these employees who have been working on these things for decades. Was it the most powerful engine Audi ever made? No. But as far as maintaining and reliability; the mechanics at this shop believe it is the best engine Audi has ever made. I routinely go over to this shop and see half the vehicles in the rack are either 06 or newer Audi's or BMW's. The redesigned that Audi made on engines after the B6 Generation according to them are extremely poor. They routinely have them fail between 60-100k miles. Is that to say that it's impossible to get more than that before an engine replacement? No and I am sure plenty with 2.0T and the other newer engines have gotten farther than that. I just find it interesting that I see less B5/B6's on their racks than I do B7/8/9. Also I choose to listen to professionals who say things like that and have decades of proof and experience backing up their claims.

Gingerbread man

I'm coming up to 100K miles and I've had stage 1+ with the factory everything (except injectors and DV), no problems. If you heat it up and cool it off properly and employ proper maintenance (VW 502 oil at 4000 miles and all the rest), it be just fine. Maintenance and driving habits are key. There are guys here with way more miles than me and no problems. I think Lyle's 1.8T got totalled at 300K miles IIRC. The newer ones are more problematic, the old 1.8T is a tough cookie.