GreyGoblin

I have been contemplating replacing my beloved S4, but concluded that I'd rather upgrade the performance. It's a 6 speed 2012. I am no buff and admittedly am not sufficiently knowledgeable to even select the best systems, let alone do any of the work myself. I'm looking for a reliable/trustworthy shop to guide me on appropriate upgrades and to do the work. I have less than 35k miles and am still under warranty.
1) What is the most reliable way of increasing power while minimizing likelihood of complications?
2) If I take this step, will I need to upgrade the exhaust, brakes, suspension etc?
3) Looking for shops in the NYC/Long Island area.
4) Any idea how long I will lose the vehicle?
5) I understand that there is probably a big range, but any idea on how much I should expect upgrades to cost?
Thank you.

DrGP

Easiest and cheapest way to upgrade performance is with a Chipwerke piggyback B8.5 S4 stock versus APR Stage 1 tune versus Chipwerke piggy back.... It will cost you around $400 and can be easily removed for service leaving no trace that it has been installed. Thus avoiding a TD1 designation. No need to change anything else in the car. But you can do so to further improve performance.

AerotusX

The Chipwerke piggyback is very tempting for the price vs performance gain, plus ease of installation. I am interested to see how long term reliability is for this simply mod. Any idea how long this thing have been in the market now?

DrGP

No, but if you want to read all 50+ pages of posts on AZ, that info may be posted there.

westwest888

Stasis was the safe option. REVO is the same code branch. I've had no issues with many days on track.

B8 S4

Dont get the chipworke if you want to properly tune your car. Chipworke is for people who want to retain their warrabty or dont want to dish out the money for a proper tune. Some people are running a good amount of knock with this on some cars ecspecislly those at higher altitude. Go for a real tume from GIAC, APR, or Revo

AerotusX

Ok, I read most of the tread on AZ and the verdict is still out for long-term effect. Knocks are definitely not acceptable and would stay away until it is resolved. My S4 is a DD and I plan to keep it for a long time. I personally plan to do the APR stage II + pulley upgrade in the future, but thought this Chipwerke is a possible mod for now until I save up for the Stage II.