Importhope

Hey there gang, I wanted to share my build project, as well as inquire for help and feedback from fellow members. In December I purchased my first Audi, a 2011 Q5 2.0 with the Premium Plus package... love the clean body lines and simple and subtle elegance, but i'd like to make it my own with a few tweaks and enhancements... As you can see from the build ideas below, they are primarily cosmetic upgrades as I realize this platform is a luxury SUV... it would be very expensive, as well as difficult, to achieve the performance and handling that would truly satisfied me. The "performance" upgrades I intend are targeted more for supporting the efficiency and longevity of the motor.

Exterior:
-LLTEK RS Grill
-S-Line Front Bumper (searching for a used one, let me know if you have one or any leads...)
-S-Line side skirts (searching for used as well...)
-Charactere Rear w/exhast (on order)
-Enco Hood (maybe... not sure how it would look with the S-Line front end.?)

Suspension:
-H&R Springs (on order)

Wheels & Brakes:
-HRE FF01 20x9 ET30 (Brushed Tinted Clear) I'd like the wheels to be flush with the fenders would a 20x10 be to wide?
-Hankook VENTUS V12 255/45ZR20 XL
-RS front & rear brakes (wavey design)

Performance:
-FMIC (front mount intercooler... AWE?)
-ECU Upgrade (GIAC or Stasis?)
-Hi-Flow Cat (034 or Eurocode?)

Thoughts and recommendations?

D_Frost

Looks like you've got quite the project planned

One word of advice, be cautious when pairing up any HFC and the Caractere exhaust (which really is made by Remus but has custom tips for the valance) as it could likely cause excessive droning.

The Enco hood could be interesting...

With all the other items you have planned, you shouldn't encounter any issues, though I would just go with the full Caractere body kit if you're replacing the bumper and side skirts. (of course used would cut the cost down quite a bit)

As for the wheels, 20x10 is possible but you may want to run extended wheel arches (part of the Caractere kit) and be very careful with offset as you will notice that the front suspension area (where the control arm is) doesn't have tons of room. Just for reference, I'm running 20x9.5 with offset in the teens (I have the wheel arch extensions).

You're welcome to check my build thread as it seems many of the items you've listed are in my build

Good luck!!

A3gotBAK

Congrats on the car and good luck with the build thread. Keep us updated

I am also starting my build thread after my 5k service. focus on OEM+ look, Handling focused, slight power upgrade, and among others things

don't forget to add in some VCDS mods too

Importhope

D Frost- Thanks for the advice about the HFC, I definitely want to avoid excess cabin noise... I've just read that our CAT is quite small and that replacing the CAT will help her breath.

The Enco hood doesn't seem to have allot of fans on here, but I think it adds a little aggressive look to the elegant lines on the hood.

The Charactere front end is nice, I'm just not a big fan of the wheel arches and I'm not sure how the kit would look without them... Have you seen the Charactere kit without the wheel arches? I've looked for other front ends, but there doesn't seem to be alot of options... the S-Line front bumper is alot better looking then then non.

Interestingly, I was at HRE today talking to them about wheel ideas and sizes and they showed me the only Q5 they knew about that resembled the look I was going after with the P40SC... and it was yours.

D_Frost

Yeah, worked with them to get the correct custom offset since I had wheel arch extensions...

These threads should probably give you a good idea of what you're planning in white:

https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2775361
https://www.audiworld.com/forums/sho....php?t=2778387

Good luck!

BirdmanQ5

Sounds like you took a bit of everything for ideas! Definitely looking forward to it. You got ThunderDent who could tell you about performance mods, D_Frost for body mods, Maximum for STaSIS info, myself for visuals stuff, and Spijun is an encyclopedia of information and knows everything there is to know technical-wise.

Happy Modding!

Alex

Importhope

Thanks Alex. During my search for parts I kept being directed to this forum and its members cars... ordered my first batch of parts (Charactere/Brakes/LLTek Grill/Enco Hood).

D Frost (or others with Charactere kit)- Do you think painting the leading raised edge (like the pic of the Porshes white accents on the rear end) would look good on a Ibis white rear Charactere kit? I like the way it complements and balances the rear end of the Porsche...

Has anyone powder coated there AWE FMIC? I don't like how much it stands out through the grill in AWE's pics... i'd want it blended. I've heard painting the surfaces (especially the fins) diminishes the cooling effects of the air on the surface.

Importhope

Ordered my HRE Wheels today... went a different route then the FF01's, I couldn't get the custom sizes and look I wanted with the FF01. I went with P40SC (Front 20x9 ET24 / Rear 20x9.5 ET 20 brushed tinted clear)... of all the parts I'm installing, I'm really looking forward to installing the wheels/brakes/springs... That will be the most drastic change. ETA 4-5 weeks

*And if anyone is interested in my stock front & rear Bumpers/Hood/Grill/Side skirts/Wheels feel free to PM me... they should be available mid-May.

A3gotBAK

Love the wheels and finish. Can't wait to see you mods on the car.

REMUS4myAudi

Q5 enthusiasts: These REMUS Sport Exhausts are back in stock here in the U.S. (West Coast) with back up stock as well.

They have worked well on both the 2.0L T and the N.A. V6, however, on the V6, a bit of cabin low end rumble was reported. Not to be confused w/ negative "drone".

PM me if you'd like to learn about our ongoing AudiWorld forum member incentives. Thanks!