Bart247

What do you guys think of a Software upgrade for the S8?

APR gives you 471hp and 427ft/lbs but also gains of up to 26hp in some area of the rpm range. It costs $925

APR Audi S8 5.2L V10 FSI - APR ECU Upgrade

Is it worth it?
Is the increase felt?
At what cost... engine lifespan?

mishar

I would have to see that engine on a test bench before and after in order to believe.

If it is true I am not sure that it would make noticeable difference. On top of 450 HP you need at least 100 more to feel a real kick. Any improvement on a naturally aspirated engines (assuming that Audi engineers know what they are doing) can come at the consumption price. That one you can fell easily.

1Wasserwerks

I had thought about the APR tune and a Milltek exhaust for my 09'. Turns out I guess I am old now and enjoy the car pretty much as it is, acoustic glass and near quiet interior. Besides, the V10 is enough of a fuel hog, I'd hate to see this thing at 8-9mpg. Yeesh. Good luck if you decide to get it. For me, at this time, I'll give it a pass.

tx170754

510 HP on my CL and what really makes a huge difference is the torque, you will not even feel 20 HP more.

mishar

Is it 5.5 liter turbocharged V12?

Bart247

I was suggested the Milltek exhaust also, but I don't like the sound. I like the quieter and deeper S8 sound. Milltek seems great for a sports car, But the S8 is not really a sports car and the stock exhaust suits it perfectly.

I inquired about the software upgrade and they told me the fuel consumption will increase but only at higher revs. When I drive the car conservatively I shouldn't notice a difference. But for $925 I would like to notice a power difference.

I am getting the Carbon deposits cleaned out next week and that should show a significant improvement. I bought the car used with 120K so I have no idea how the intake valves look, nor do I have a reference to know if the performance is lacking. It feels great right but I don't know if it's supposed to be even better!

I'll share the before and after pictures taken of the valves.

tx170754

it is

mishar

That makes it all different case. Turbocharged engines can get quite a bit power by ECU reprogramming. Price is lower millage and shorter engine life, but who cares.

1Wasserwerks

What kind of a bill will you be receiving for this job? I know it needs to be done on mine at some point. I am almost at 70K now, but haven't noticed any sort of loss of power yet.

dcc1433

Hi relatively new s8 d3 owner, had carbon clean when I bought my 2007 with 44k on it and it was about $800 hand scraped from J Ellis Audi here in Atlanta area. Noticeable improvement.

Also re APR ECU-upgrade, I stopped at their corp HQ in auburn Alabama on a trip to see my son who is in school there, ( actually to get my s8 back from him lol) and the upgrade was $799 with No guarantee that it would not throw any CEL codes. They typically offer $100 off several times a year on the $799 price. Not sure where $1200 above came from.

Hope that helps