Re: quattro-digest V3 #1279

[dan_masi@MENTORG.COM (Dan Masi)]

On Oct 28, 11:02am, Jon K. Hancock wrote:
> Subject: Re: quattro-digest V3 #1279
> hello audi fans,
> as a new owner of a '96 2.8L/5spd A4Q (and a longtime lurker to
> the list), i'd like to find out more about "throttle body"
> modifications.  is this a viable route to improved performance?
> should this be done in conjunction with any other mod (ie, k&n
> filter)?  if this is a good way to go...who should i buy from,
> what cost/installation time can i expect, and what gains can
> realistically be had?

Hi, Jon-

A repost of my long TB mod diatribe will follow, since a couple
of q-listers have asked me for it.

Here are the short answers.  First, the "who" question is
Schaumburg Audi, in/near Chicago.  They're the only ones (AFAIK)
that do it.  They've purchased machining tools to do this, and
they take the stock throttle body and bore out a restriction.
The person to talk to there is Craig Jones, 847-843-9975.
Ask your dealership about it; it seems that most people who have
had it done have had their service department do it.  I did
my own, but it's not trivial.

Cost was (for me) $295, or $325 with a K&N panel filter drop-in
replacement.  I got the filter.

Installation time: it took me a good 2 to 2.5 hours.  This was
mostly because I had never seen the engine, never worked on
an Audi, had no idea what to expect when I took the engine cover
off, and the engine was still a bit toasty.  I'm sure that
doing it again would take maybe an hour, and I'm sure that a
dealership could do it in 45 minutes at the most.

As to the question of gains... well, the difference was *very*
slight on my car.  It makes it a bit stronger in the mid-rpm
band, but nothing that's gonna give you whiplash.  Schaumburg
Audi doesn't claim any hp increase (I assume they mean any
*peak* hp increase).  An unscientific test running uphill in
2nd at full throttle, from 1500 to 4000 rpm, showed that I
hit 4000 rpm about 1-2 car lengths sooner post-modification.
Gas mileage also got better, by roughly 5% (Schaumburg says
that others have claimed the same).

Hope this helps.

Dan Masi
'96 A4Q