dahktahjay

I am looking to buy another A4 but can't decide on wether to get a 1.8t or a 2.8. Id like to hear opinions about driveability, reliability, and maintenance cost differences, parts availibility etc. etc. I.e. Get a X.8 because its easier to work on and parts are cheaper. or Get a x.8 because it has less problems than the y.8. I know of the performance differences and that the 1.8 would be easier to 'supe up because turbo upgrades are fairly common but I have allways felt more cylinders the better but if the 30v has some of the same problems as the 12v I would prefer the 1.8. Thanks!!

Sejo5

thats its a great car it has plenty of power to move around. audi 1.8t is the car of choice around here they chip em, stick in new turbos and they fly hehe lol well anyways i gave u my oppinion.

A4X4

look mo betta...your missing some things

SilverA4Fun

2.8 is a simplier engine desing and thus less possible issue than a 1.8. A base 2.8 has 190hp vs either 150hp(97-00) or 170hp(01) base for the 1.8t. How ever the 1.8 is easier, funnier and cheaper to mod engine wise to exceed the 2.8s power. A chip and intake yeild minimal gains on a 2.8 comapred to a 1.8t. But if you want to spend some $ then you can supercharge your 2.8. Not certain about hp/trq/spd vs K04/Stage 3 1.8. Like anything part of the decision process comes down to what you want to do with the car and what you're willing to spend.

TropicGreenA4

its just that they're not as common and easy to find. I mean there's the PES charger, chips, USR4's MAF mod, exhaust, intake, headers, and others

A4X4

Both are excellent, 1.8 is cheaper, 2.8 is nicer...shades of gray though.

Fastfwd

I finally decided to go for a 2001 1.8T.
Reasons for 1.8T...
- Easy to add performance later
- 170hp not far from 190hp
- Less weight
- Better fuel mileage
- I hate the wood interior of the 2.8

for 2.8
- Power driver seat(girlfriend is shorter, must adjust seat frequently)
- Less temptation to mod and lose extended warranty

Greg PAW

I'm assuming you don't have an A4 right now. if you have one and want a NEWER one then disregard this right now.

if not... (although I doubt _anyone_ on the forum will agree with me)

the 12v is by far the most reliable engine in my opinion as audi has used the 2v/cyl design for well over a decade in 5 and 6 cyl engines. the 2.8L 12v engine itself has done service for (i believe) almost a decade in various models (in different versions however, latest being the AFC).
The simplicity of the 2v/cyl and SOHC makes it very reliable and actually much cheaper to tune when it comes to engine internals (fewer valves, fewer camshafts, bearings, valvetrain components, etc). It's my belief that once you get over the negative issues (No chipable bosch ECU (hitachi) means you have to replace the whole ECU and map it yourself) and lack of availability of bolt-on turbos (expensive to make custom), the engine can put out the most power of any other A4 engine including the new 3.0L.

basically I think it's _the_ one to go for if you're looking for a) just simple all out reliability in it's stock form, or b) all out intensive engine tuning.

If you want a lightly tuned car to the tune of no more than 300 HP then you're likely better off with a 1.8T. I would rank the 30v 3rd when comparing the 3 engines. only advantage it has over the 12v version is it's chipable which will only yield a lousy 6HP or so. the cost of tuning engine internals on the other hand is about doubled due to engine complexity.

My 2 cents

KingNY

2.8 because REAL leather, PES Supercharger, no turbo lag, and not many ppl have them

QCRAZY

I agree.....I too think you are nuts :-)