just got a 20v 1.8t (150bhp) - got £2500 to spend on making it as fast as possible :)

[pat15312]

okay okay so it's not actually my car... my pseudo brother-in-law has just bought the car this afternoon and want to get some mods done.
it's a bit old for my modding knowledge but i assume a remap is available along with other bolt-ons (intake/exhaust etc.)
what sort of power can be achieved with bolt on mods and what options are there for hybrid/big turbo conversion?

 

[Oranoco]

Bigger, more efficient intercooler. Larger injectors. Bigger turbo. Decent exhaust system and either a de-cat or sports cat, and then somebody who can write a map for the whole lot.

Before making it go faster I would sort the chassis and get the handling and braking up to scratch before giving it more power.

 

[S4_dan]

What year is the car? Sone older 1.8T's can't be remapped iirc Only chipped, but the chips are few and far from been readily available....

 

[LeeT]

Well someones got to say it, if you had a budget of £2500 for mods readily available, why didnt you buy an s4 to start with?

 

[Talkwrench]

Hate to say it but £2500 won't really scratch the surface, these Audi's are not the easiest/cheapest cars to make truly fast. Have to agree with LeeT, the S4 would have been a better option but you better be a dab hand at removing engines lol.

 

[dest]

Well someones got to say it, if you had a budget of £2500 for mods readily available, why didnt you buy an s4 to start with?

Exactly what I was thinking

 

[B5QUAT]

I went through the same thought process, 1.8TQS or S4. In the end I opted for the 1.8T as my upper limit was 300bhp and I'd rather have a 300bhp lighter, cheaper to insure and cheaper to fuel 1.8T than a 300bhp S4.

Mods wise, I had a similar budget when I bought mine. I ended up eating that up and more besides. As IN2Deep says, £2500 isn't a lot to get good power out of these cars. They are quite expensive to get big power out of as I'm finding out!

I agree with Oranoco, spend the money on a decent set of top brand tyres (if needed) suspension and brakes. I fitted the full Meyle arm kit (£380) and Weitec Ultra GT suspension (around £500) plus a full proper 4 wheel alignment (about £100) along with a set of Eagle F1s (£550) and the car is completely transformed.
Chances are the car is quite old and has done a fair few miles so the current suspension will be well past its best.

Brakes are the next step (what I'm looking at now). Have a look at my thread titled "Porsche brakes". Some good discussion in there and loads of tips on the options available for cheap money.

I'd probably suggest a good service next, unless the car has a really comprehensive service history. Do engine oil, gearbox and rear diff, plugs, airfilter, fuel filter. Pointless going for more power if these are fubar.

Next thing I'd do is get it chipped/remapped to around 200bhp (plenty of places do it) to keep within your budget. You could go for a K04 or other bigger turbo but by the time you've done intercooler, injectors etc etc you'll be well over your £2500.

 

[dest]

So your 1.8t with all mods declared is cheaper to insure than a standard or only remapped S4?

 

[aragorn]

What B5Quat says is the main reason my car hasnt been tuned yet.

Before i add more power i want the suspension and brakes sorted out, even with the standard engine, the handling feels a bit wooly when pushed hard, mainly due to worn out bushings on the entire car. You can feel the front end squirming around and everything moving.

So far i've rebuilt the rear suspension, new OEM bushes on all the wishbones, new tie rods, new bearings, alloy subframe mounts and upgraded diff mounts.
Front end is next on the cards, with new control arms and bearings then a spring kit to fix the ride height and some uprated dampers to keep the springs in check.

Once all thats done i'll hopefully have a car that drives properly but simply needs more power, although ATM i think the transmissions going to need some work at some point, as it doesnt sound very happy.

Most people dive straight in with a remap or big turbo and a suspension kit, but i dont see the point in having more power if you cant properly enjoy the power you already had because the bits attaching the car to the road are all knackered.

 

[B5QUAT]

So your 1.8t with all mods declared is cheaper to insure than a standard or only remapped S4?

Probably slightly yes, cos it's still only worth £1500 whereas the S4 in equivalent condition would be worth about £4k+. Plus the fuel bill is a lot less. I'm averaging 28mpg round town. Can't see an S4 matching that.

 

[Oranoco]

Most people dive straight in with a remap or big turbo and a suspension kit, but i dont see the point in having more power if you cant properly enjoy the power you already had because the bits attaching the car to the road are all knackered.

Amen