Ordering next week!!!!!! A few questions.
10-01-2006, 10:08 AM
#1
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Ordering next week!!!!!! A few questions.
I don't know how many of you were around on this website 3-5 years ago, but I used to be regular on the B5 S4 forum. I sold my highly modded stage 3+ B5 S4 back in the spring of '04, to try a different vehicle. Well, I'm back to Audi again. Couldn't resist the RS4.
So.......a couple of questions for all of you who have owned for a little while now.
1. Any major issues to look out for? We all know Audi has 'em, so what are they?
2. Any major disappointments?
3. Is there anything that really NEEDS modding here? I remember when I first drove my B5 S4 off the lot. I knew I was going to have to mod the suspension. Far too much body motion for a car of such power.
4. Any previous stage 3 B5 owners here? Comparisons please.
That's all for now. Good to be back.
So.......a couple of questions for all of you who have owned for a little while now.
1. Any major issues to look out for? We all know Audi has 'em, so what are they?
2. Any major disappointments?
3. Is there anything that really NEEDS modding here? I remember when I first drove my B5 S4 off the lot. I knew I was going to have to mod the suspension. Far too much body motion for a car of such power.
4. Any previous stage 3 B5 owners here? Comparisons please.
That's all for now. Good to be back.
10-01-2006, 11:53 AM
#3
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major dissapointments inside
the steering wheel. that has to be the biggest dissapointment. you will go through several phases of denial before ordering the euro piece 
i won't *need* suspension upgrades, its a matter of taste. i'd like the car to sit a bit lower and a bit flatter on turns, but that is because i am greedy.
hand the car over stock to anyone else with a lesser car and they will be puzzled why you want to upgrade it. everything is relative right?
best of luck. its a grin-inducing car!
i won't *need* suspension upgrades, its a matter of taste. i'd like the car to sit a bit lower and a bit flatter on turns, but that is because i am greedy.
hand the car over stock to anyone else with a lesser car and they will be puzzled why you want to upgrade it. everything is relative right?
best of luck. its a grin-inducing car!
10-01-2006, 01:18 PM
#4
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The answers to your questions......
It was a Nissan 350Z roadster in spectacular Daytona Blue. I don't know if you have ever seen this color but it is truly dazzling. I had also put over $20k in mods into the car including a load of Nissan Motorsports upgrades. I had always wanted a slick, two seater roadster and fell in love with the looks of the Z. I still think it is one of the best looking cars on the road. The handling of the car was also spectacular. Significantly better than my B5 S4 even with Stasis suspension. The shifter and steering wheel were also perfect.
So why the change of heart? First, compared to my old S4, it was definitely slow. 0-60 is 5.5 sec. Quick, but definitely not ****-eating grin fast like the old car. It is also not a very mod-friendly car in terms of extracting more power. The overall feeling of solidity, interior upscale quality was definitely lacking. I knew that going in, but I missed it more than I thought I would. The engine is rough. No smoothness or finesse. The Z had absolutely no practicality whatsoever. That really limited how much I could drive it.....and I LOVE to drive. I have kids and couldn't go anywhere with them in the Z. Even on a beautiful sunny day, I was forced to tote the kids in the Honda Pilot. It was very uninspiring on even damp roads. I also had to go 5 months out of the year without driving it whatsoever since it is really unuseable in the winter and I live in Massachusetts. Anyway, that's the bulk of it.
I am back because the RS4 should give me back all the aforementioned things I lacked in the Z, along with a boost in the straight line performance arena. I'm still probabaly going to give up a little in the dry handling department, but hopefully that will be only when driving at 10/10th, and then too, not much. For all the Z's endearing qualities (it is a MAJOR head turner), The Audi is just a higher level of automobile and I just missed that more than I thought I would.
So why the change of heart? First, compared to my old S4, it was definitely slow. 0-60 is 5.5 sec. Quick, but definitely not ****-eating grin fast like the old car. It is also not a very mod-friendly car in terms of extracting more power. The overall feeling of solidity, interior upscale quality was definitely lacking. I knew that going in, but I missed it more than I thought I would. The engine is rough. No smoothness or finesse. The Z had absolutely no practicality whatsoever. That really limited how much I could drive it.....and I LOVE to drive. I have kids and couldn't go anywhere with them in the Z. Even on a beautiful sunny day, I was forced to tote the kids in the Honda Pilot. It was very uninspiring on even damp roads. I also had to go 5 months out of the year without driving it whatsoever since it is really unuseable in the winter and I live in Massachusetts. Anyway, that's the bulk of it.
I am back because the RS4 should give me back all the aforementioned things I lacked in the Z, along with a boost in the straight line performance arena. I'm still probabaly going to give up a little in the dry handling department, but hopefully that will be only when driving at 10/10th, and then too, not much. For all the Z's endearing qualities (it is a MAJOR head turner), The Audi is just a higher level of automobile and I just missed that more than I thought I would.
10-01-2006, 02:51 PM
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Trust me on a few things...
The RS4 will turn more heads in a one month span than any Z in a full year. The number of compliments, gawks, questions, near crashes, puzzled looks and sheer hysteria that my wife and I have witnessed while driving/parking/cleaning this car has easily got to be nearing a thousand (no exaggeration) and I've only had it for two months.
I had an M3 owner drive out of a parking lot I was idling in (after doing a double take) then drive across the street. He then got out of his car (as I watched in my rear view mirror), crossed traffic on Route 1 and walked all the way back to where I was idling (not sure why he didn't drive back) to come up and tell me how amazing the car looked and ... "what is that? not the s4 right? bla bla bla"...
Don't take my word for it, ask others here. And that is to say nothing of the number of adults who I've caught taking cell phone photos of the car as pull up behind me or beside me at lights.
As far as the handling in the dry. I don't know, I've never driven a Z. But it is a roadster, I have to imagine the chasis is not as stiff as the RS4 and even though its lighter I have to imagine that the RS4 is better handling on almost every level (braking, steering)
Maybe it's not fair for me to imagine since I never drove a Z roadster, better for you to tell us after driving both. So hurry up and drive one!
Best of luck, you will not be dissapointed!
I had an M3 owner drive out of a parking lot I was idling in (after doing a double take) then drive across the street. He then got out of his car (as I watched in my rear view mirror), crossed traffic on Route 1 and walked all the way back to where I was idling (not sure why he didn't drive back) to come up and tell me how amazing the car looked and ... "what is that? not the s4 right? bla bla bla"...
Don't take my word for it, ask others here. And that is to say nothing of the number of adults who I've caught taking cell phone photos of the car as pull up behind me or beside me at lights.
As far as the handling in the dry. I don't know, I've never driven a Z. But it is a roadster, I have to imagine the chasis is not as stiff as the RS4 and even though its lighter I have to imagine that the RS4 is better handling on almost every level (braking, steering)
Maybe it's not fair for me to imagine since I never drove a Z roadster, better for you to tell us after driving both. So hurry up and drive one!
Best of luck, you will not be dissapointed!
10-01-2006, 04:09 PM
#7
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Re: Trust me on a few things...
<center><img src="http://pictureposter.audiworld.com/561/dsc00130.jpg"></center><p>Hey, if the handling is just that good, then great!!!! I guess I was really comparing the Z with the Nissan Motorsports suspension/sway bars/forged 18lb wheels compared to my old B5 S4 with Stasis coilovers. That's really the only valid comparison I can make.
If the head turning factor is there, that's great too. I've never seen a real live RS4, so I can't judge. I've heard pictures don't do it justice while the particulars of the Z lend itself very well to photographs.
BTW, what color RS4 do you have. Even with the 350Z, the color had a lot to do with the head turning factor. Here's a nice shot of my current 350Z roadster.
If the head turning factor is there, that's great too. I've never seen a real live RS4, so I can't judge. I've heard pictures don't do it justice while the particulars of the Z lend itself very well to photographs.
BTW, what color RS4 do you have. Even with the 350Z, the color had a lot to do with the head turning factor. Here's a nice shot of my current 350Z roadster.
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10-01-2006, 04:34 PM
#8
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Re: Which STaSIS suspension did you have? Also, did you have a high bias center diff and rear LSD?
If I remember correctly it was the track sport 600F/700R. All drivetrain components were stock.
10-01-2006, 04:36 PM
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well..
First your car is beautiful. I am not a fan of Japanese cars, but I make exceptions for Nissan and Mazda. I don't know why, I just like their best offerings. Your car is very sharp looking.
To give you perspective, my RS4 is Daytona Gray. I know, you're thinking how can that color turn heads. It's not the color on the RS4, it's the car.
And for more perspective, I had an 05.5 S4 for a year. I bought it because I *didn't* want heads turning. And by and large the S4 went unoticed.
Then the RS4 came home with me. Lights out.
I don't know if it's the rims, the tail pipes, the side skirts, the better paint, the front grill, or what?!?!
It's that good looking. It doesn't have a bad angle or a bad line.
I'm not sure how it will compare to your custome suspension. I am eager to hear how you like it. Some of us are mulling a suspension upgrade, but not because stock is bad, it may be a little too luxury oriented, but compared to the S4, forget it. The stock RS4 beats the stock S4 (B7) handling without a second thought.
To give you perspective, my RS4 is Daytona Gray. I know, you're thinking how can that color turn heads. It's not the color on the RS4, it's the car.
And for more perspective, I had an 05.5 S4 for a year. I bought it because I *didn't* want heads turning. And by and large the S4 went unoticed.
Then the RS4 came home with me. Lights out.
I don't know if it's the rims, the tail pipes, the side skirts, the better paint, the front grill, or what?!?!
It's that good looking. It doesn't have a bad angle or a bad line.
I'm not sure how it will compare to your custome suspension. I am eager to hear how you like it. Some of us are mulling a suspension upgrade, but not because stock is bad, it may be a little too luxury oriented, but compared to the S4, forget it. The stock RS4 beats the stock S4 (B7) handling without a second thought.