Project RS4: More Traction, Less Roll
It’s Been A Minute

Where the heck have the past seven months gone? It was May when I last brought forth an update for Project RS4, although it barely feels like it was last month.

The car had been in the care of Regal Autosport who had eked out another precious 40hp from the 4.2-litre V8 courtesy of a good old carbon clean, a bit of intake work, and an ECU remap.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-3086

With 420hp on tap and the engine feeling super lively and responsive to boot, I spent much of the year putting miles on the old gal. The whole reason I opted for an RS4 in the first place was for its practicality and fun – a car that I could load all of my camera kit in for shoots during the week, put the dog and bags in at the weekend, and also drive just for the fun of it when the opportunity arose.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-2842

Was I asking too much? No! And yes, a little bit.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters--2

As a workhorse the Audi swallows all my kit without bother, but it’s not the most practical thing in the world specifically for my job. The uprated suspension and low-profile tyres make it a little on the firm side when I’m doing tracking (rolling) shots, but it’s manageable. The main headache I face is trying to keep it nice and tidy with dragging kit in and out, and with myself and journalists climbing in and out during shoots and generally using it like a bin. Thanks, guys.

On the flip side, I love how this thing drives. It’s got enough power to make me churn through far more fuel that I need to on pretty much every journey, the noise is addictive, and there’s not really anything I can do to upset it in the bends. I’ve always maintained that if you have a spill in any RS model then you’re pushing far too hard for the road.

Having said that, since swapping the stock DRC suspension out for KW Variant 3s, I have noticed a tendency for the front end to push slightly in corners. As the stock suspension is dynamically and opposingly linked between corners of the car, the OEM sway bars are somewhat under-specced. So once you remove the DRC the stock sway bars aren’t as effective as they need to be – we’ll address that shortly.

Wider Is Better
Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-1343

The summer was spent driving the RS4 between shoots, UK-based events, and parking it at airports. All was going well up until this year’s Festival of Speed. If you’ve already read my year in review story you’ll know that I suffered a rather big and scary puncture on the motorway on the way back to the hotel, just after a ‘spirited’ and not slow run.

Luckily it happened A.) on the the slip road, and B.) within a reasonable distance from Regal Autosport. The guys there took the car in at 10pm, stuck me in a courtesy car, and got me back to the FOS for the following two days. They are utter legends.

IMG_6096

Rather than mess around with replacing a single or pair of Pirelli P-Zeros to match the rest, I stuck by motto of using any and every eventuality to upgrade something. After doing some research online and chatting to people in the know, I opted for a full set of Michelin Pilot Sport 4S.

IMG_6044-Edit

I also chose to step up a tyre width with the replacements, going from the OEM 255/35R19 to 275/30R19 all round. I’d never struggled for grip, but more is always better, right?

IMG_6047

I also have in the back of my mind that I’ll be swapping the OEM wheels out in the foreseeable future, and have my eye on a set of 19×9.5-inch or 19×10-inch square setup, which will benefit from the wider rubber.

IMG_6046

Regal slapped on the new tyres for me and set the car up with a fast road alignment, as well as raising the height slightly at the back.

IMG_6095

The Pilot Sport 4S have been fantastic in the wet and dry so far, although frustratingly I’m yet to get the RS4 on track for any meaningful length of time. It will happen in 2019.

Getting A Grip
Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5094

Fast forward a few months and I got chatting to the guys at 034Motorsport about improving the OEM sway bar situation. They suggested leaving the OEM front sway bar in place and upgrading the rear to their solid adjustable item. Set to its softest setting it offers a 100% increase in sway bar rate over OEM, while at its stiffest setting it’s a 125% boost.

Alongside the sway bar, I also ordered a pair of 034’s billet rear diff carrier inserts to help tighten up the rear end.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5083

A few days later and the parts had made their way from California to sunny (ha!) England and were in the hands of Regal once again for a simple installation.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5197

With the stock sway bar off the car it’s clear to see just how much larger the 034 item is. It’s supplied with some swanky urethane bushings and billet brackets too. While Regal were replacing the bar it made sense to install a set of fresh OEM drop links as well.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5227

Installation is as straightforward as removing the old sway bar and drop links and installing the beefier items. The bar is adjusted between ‘soft’ and ‘stiff’ by simply mounting the drop links in one of the two sets of holes over the other.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5131

While this was happening I had the chance to peruse the current residents in the workshop, most of which were V10-powered and boasting a supercharger. A manual, supercharged V10 R8 in Misano Red is pretty much the dream.

The diff carrier inserts were installed at the same time. These billet discs fill the shaped voids in the OEM rubber bushings, reducing the amount the rubber can compress, and in turn reducing diff movement without adding any noise or vibration into the cabin. Fitting them was literally a case of loosening the diff carrier bolt, slipping the insert in, and tightening it up again.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5216

It’s one of those small upgrades that’s not going to completely change the feel of the car, but is a step in the right direction when it comes to tightening everything up without making it unpleasant to drive on the road.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-

The rear sway bar, however, is an upgrade I’m really happy with. Instantly the car feels tighter and more flat in corners, and the tendency to wash out at the front has all but disappeared. This upgrade, combined with the KW V3s and the 275-width tyres gives the RS4 an insane amount of grip through corners, with none of the stereotypical Audi understeer bias that some RS models have.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5088

Obviously with good news comes bad news, and the bad news here is that my clutch now needs replacing. With almost 90,000 miles on the clock it’s not done bad at all, so I can’t be mad at it. I’d played with the idea of fitting an upgraded item, however it’s unlikely that I’ll be pushing much more power, and with the OEM item having a decent lifespan I’d rather maintain comfort and drivability.

Alongside getting the clutch replaced over the winter break I’m also planning on bringing the infotainment system up to date with a few upgrades. I spend a lot of time in the car, and up to this point have solely been using my phone to navigate and play music through a crude Bluetooth add on. The RS4’s satellite navigation was designed circa 2005, around the same time as the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and two years before the original iPhone, so it’s old.

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-4992

With some help from the lovely people at Kenwood UK, I’ll be bringing it up to date with the addition of DAB, Apple CarPlay, and some other clever toys. More to come on this in near-future update…

Project Audi RS4 by Jordan Butters Speedhunters-5081

I’m also still deliberating on wheels, and I can’t actually believe I’ve still not painted the OEM ones silver in the meantime. In fact, I was pretty much ready to pull the trigger and order some replacements when the clutch news came along and ate my wheel budget. That’s a change for early next year then.

There’s the odd bit of paint and bodywork that needs doing to tidy the exterior up, but other than that I’m really happy with where the car is. I keep playing with the idea of changing it for something else, but there’s nothing out there for the money that will do everything this one will. At a minimum, whatever replaces it will need to come with a more sensible ‘daily’ car purchase alongside.

For the time being, I’m sticking put.

Jordan Butters
Instagram: jordanbutters
jordan@speedhunters.com

ADVERTISEMENT

Comments



Comments are closed.

16 comments

by Oldest
by Best by Newest by Oldest
1

Was so happy to see an update on this car! Keep them coming :)

2

Can't believe its been that long since the last update. Shame you couldn't make it on track with us at Rockingham.

3

hold up, 2 compact subs? i feel like you and paddy are the only speedhunters here who actually care about audio on their project cars lol. but its cool because i believe shit audio detracts from the driving experience.

4

I think Jordan's RS4 & my GTI are very similar on a spiritual level. He just has four more cylinders, more boot space and two extra driven wheels. They are both red, though.

5

All those tasty suspension related upgrades must be more difficult to notice this time of year though given how greasy conditions are now. I know I understeer for days in my Type R this time of year!

6

I drive quite a few different cars in this job and on the contrary I can’t believe how much grip this thing has compared to the other cars I’ve driven recently, which is amplified in these conditions I think.

7

Awesome wright-up! I enjoy reading about your updates on this project ever since the carbon clean for your intake, similarly on Paddy's GTI updates. These simple upgrades are the life-breath of us Speedhunters; the "day-to-day" challenges to squeeze more sensible performance out of our machines, tastefully and within one's budget.

Myself, like many of us who come to read these articles have likely owned their fare share of cars in the pursuit of the driving experience. Though, I have never owned an Audi, I know the challenges through ownership and track time of almost every platform whether it be, AWD, RWD, FWD regarding driving dynamics. I'm impressed by the simple approach the shop took to address your front end push issue. One does not need a plethora of parts, which are often disharmonious requiring more time to balance them - than installing and jumping in the seat, to deliver a great driving experience.

First by switching your staggered to non-staggered setup, this does make a large difference for turn-in response. When I first read about the fresh tires, it struck me, thinking hopefully this isn't all they would do...as minimal as it is, the handling characteristic will change with tread ware. Then delighted to read the shop changed your rake by increasing the rear height, further complimented by the rear sway. For a daily especially, by utilizing just the rear >adjustable< sway, one can really see improvements and dial-in the response you're seeking let alone the other supportive mods. This will keep it balance even after tread ware.

These are all simple yet affective mods, if applied appropriately on each platform many of us Speedhunters can do to extract some excitement from our chassis. It's not always about the power figures, but the balance of the chassis that can really boost your driving experience and let you stay on that "loud-peddle" a little longer. Cheers!

8

I love Audi
They are like the badass VW

9

The PS4 are horrible. I drove a Performante on these tires and it was sliding all over the place. Dreadful bits of rubber those.

10

These are PS4S, which are the successor to the PSS, and a completely different tyre to the PS4 - confusing nomenclature for sure.

11

ok. I thought the ps4 was the ps4s now that makes a lot more sense. ignore my comment then.

12

It’s cool - that’s exactly the thought I process I went through when buying them - I’m not sure why they didn’t call them the PSS2 or something.
It was between the Cup Sport 2 and the PS4S for me, but seeing as I’ve not yet made it on track in this, and it’s my daily through winter I’m very happy with the PS4S. The grip is astounding in the wet and dry.

13

Hey Jordan how do you find the rear sway bar for NVH? I'm reading 100% increase as 200% / double factory stiffness?

14

It surely depends on the application? I've found the PS4 excellent as an all-round daily tyre on the GTI. They're not the last word in outright performance alright, but they're far from dreadful.

15

pss does all that and has a lot of grip. not horrible but on a performance car pretty bad.

16

2 shallow subs??
My STi's dream...

OFFICIAL SPEEDHUNTERS SUPPLIERS