jsausley

Hey guys. My Golf R is up for sale and I'm weighing options on my next ride. Audi is at the top of the list, obviously, but I'm considering the S5 (current), B9 S5 (when it comes out) and the MKIII TTS (though only in a manual, which may not be available).

First question: These have been around for a while now and I'm sure there are a lot of people who have done the supercharger pulley upgrade. Are there any major recorded issues with this kit, or is it pretty much bulletproof?

Secondly, I'm trying to determine how the S5 will feel to me in acceleration. I know the S5 is much more car than my Golf R, but at the same time I don't want to make a downgrade in acceleration. I want a car that is at least as fast as my outgoing car, preferably faster. My Golf R is quite stout, it's APR Stage 2+ so it's putting down about 370 crank HP, so if I go with an S5 I'd be jumping on the pulley upgrade, intake, exhaust and tune pretty quickly to get it back to what I'm used to.

What worries me is that I saw AWE claims the record for the world's fastest S5 at 11.8 @ 116 on 93 octane. This is on a car with the DSG transmission, which is already at an advantage (I will only buy a car with a manual). A Golf R runs 12.5-132.2 @ 106-109 MPH depending on the driver and mods, so I'm thinking at best case scenario most manual S5s will probably be doing the quarter in about 12.2-12.7 @ 108-110 or so. This is only slightly faster than my R. Is that what you guys have seen from your quarter mile times or acceleration times? Do these Stage 2+ kits really put down close to 400 AWHP like APR and AWE claim? The S5 is a lot of weight to move.

My other option is the new TTS -- but again, I only want a manual. The Golf R with REVO software in Europe has put down some staggering numbers (12.1 second quarter mile on Stage 1!!) and the TTS will be lighter than that, so it will definitely be faster than the S5 just like the current S3 is faster than the S4. That little 4-banger is a great engine.

Rumors have been going around that the B9 S5 will be up to 200 lbs. lighter, which would be the perfect choice for me, but it could be 2-3 years before that car is stateside.

jsausley

One more thing -- are the coolant (intercooler) upgrades pretty much necessary if you go with intake, exhaust, pulley and tune on these engines? I know you'd lose power to heat soak probably on repeated pulls, but I was wondering if it's as big of a deal as they claim.

Josh/AWE

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