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GMP Performance's 2008 Audi A4 Track Day Project Car
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One of the perks of being part of GMP Performance is our ability to go play on the track with our cars. We are a group of racing people here, many of us having been around tracks and race cars our entire lives. It’s a passion and one a lot of us share.
Another passion a lot of us share is a love for BIG projects. The more parts that can go into a car, the more excited we are for the final result. It consumes time, energy, money, and requires more than a fair share of sweat and tears but the end is always worth it. Combine those together and you get this A4: a daily driver track car and our latest project. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 This 2008 A4 2.0T was purchased by us to be a little bit of our everything; it’s a street car for our owner, a track car for our team, a R&D guinea pig for our shop, and a show car for our company when we go to events. We have this running joke here that no one leaves their car stock for longer than 24 hours. The A4 was no exception. First thing we decided was to get some RH Wheels and a set of H&R Springs to add some extra style. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 Parts Installed: Audi A4 B6 (1.8T) / A4 B7 (2.0T) 2-Piece Brake Rotor Nurburgring Rotary Forged Wheel - Gunmetal Audi A4/A6/A8/S4(B5/B6/B7 Chassis) Camber Adjustable Upper Control Arms Audi A4 Lowering springs - 2002 - 2008 - H+R Sport Springs 2WD 4cyl. incl. Avant Audi A4 B7 (07-09) 2.0T Carbon Cold Air Intake Airbox Audi A4/A6/S4/TT Front Brake Pad Sets Audi A4/A5 Stainless Steel Brake Lines Step One: Style and Some Stop Although the plan included only wheels and springs, it hit us that while we had the wheels and tires off anyway, why not take this time to address two big issues that would quickly come up? One being camber arms. This set of our camber adjustable upper control arms would help to get the optimal camber setting for a street car that will be driven at the track. We wanted to put a little bit of negative camber so that we don't roll over the front tires and destroy the sidewalls. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 The second issue we knew would arise was our brakes. Our stopping power would need to be amped up a good bit to handle the pressures of the track time we were preparing to throw it into. So we added it all: rotors, pads, a brake cooling system and new brake lines. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 We really like manufacturers that control their mixes themselves, from beginning to end. It's one of the worst scenarios when you can get a pad and rotor configuration that works wonders, buy a second set and they're totally different from the first. This is easily avoidable when working with companies that have the resources to decide everything, since the mix will always be the same or better. So we worked closely with two manufacturers to get both a set of rotors and a set of brake pads that would both be unfaltering in the quality. Since we wouldn't be at big brake kit tracking levels just yet, we went with some direct replacement rotors that would breathe better and hold up to prolonged braking periods while also being great on the street. We added some stainless steel brake lines and bigger ducting system for additional cooling help. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 Then it was on to the brake pads. And this is also where we were first introduced to what it truly means to have a "guinea pig" track car. The first set of brake pads we tried were a dual-purpose street and track application, with a composition meant to maintain a higher temp with good stop and no noise... They failed miserably. Even for moderately skilled drivers, the car was just too heavy for the pads to handle. They were overworked in no time and they crystallized and glazed the rotors. They weren't much better on the street either, as noise was definitely present and annoying. Seems if we wanted multipurpose brake pads, we would have to have multiple brake pads. Luckily for us, we knew some friends who could help us out. Working closely with their company, we developed a plan that would make the pads interchangeable. Their interchangeability relies on one fact: their mixture. There are 3-4 base ingredients and the % ratio in the mix of each compound determines and friction characteristics and temperature range. The base mixture of the pads is 60% similar across the board. The plus of that simple fact is that the pads are similar enough that you have the ability to swap various compounds on the same rotors without having any compatibility issues or separate set of track rotors. So we picked a pad with a compound suited for track and another with a compound suited for street. Another perk of these was the ease of changing them out. Swapping your pads is as easy as keeping the track set in the trunk, swapping at the track before your day, then swapping when you're done and driving back home on your street pads again. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 We were getting closer to some serious play time. Now that the time had come for the wheels to be prepared for more than just the street, we bumped up their intensity too. Selecting a wheel designed for track usage (it's even named after a legendary track), the TSW Nurburgring wheel is manufactured using a production technique called rotary forging. The rim of the wheels is forged at high pressure while the wheel is spun at high speed. This strengthens the alloy and makes for a much lighter weight wheel, both major benefits to have on a tracking car. We added our classic GMP Tribute Stripes and, looks wise, it was track ready. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 It seemed like the best time to add the APR intake we had planned, because even cars need to breathe. With improved horsepower, torque and throttle response for the track, and improved fuel economy for the street, adding the intake is a bit of a win win for both functions this car serves. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 And the big moment was finally here! Tracking it. We did and it worked fantastically. What also was fantastic? The all new list of mods we came up with from it! https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1371496427 To see the gallery on this build, click here! And stay tuned to see the next BIG step in our project! |
GMP Performance's 2008 Audi A4 Track Day Project Car- Part 2!
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So we had better stopping power, better breathing, and better looks, and took to the track. With lots of long-term big projects, every time you really get to test out your vehicle, you're always overly aware of all the little noises, the feel, the overall experience. You revel in the areas that are clearly improved but there will always be that tiny part that noticed the areas that are still lacking. And that's exactly what our track time did. The biggest area we noticed: suspension.
The H&R springs we had outfitted our A4 with were fantastic but for track times, the OE shocks just could not keep up. Like nearly everything else on this car, we spent a fair deal of time making sure that what we got would be multipurpose, like the car itself. That brought us to our good friends at Bilstein who made a kit that would not only help the shocks but also equip us with some progressive springs suited for what we wanted to do with this Audi. Parts Installed: Bilstein PSS9 for Audi A4 Coilover kit Stern Audi A4 4 Cyl/6Cyl Pro-Mount Engine Mounts JHM 4:1 Audi Center Diff Upgrade (Manual Trans Only) Coilovers Straight, or linear rate, springs are excellent for the track, solid and predictable, but stiff and there is a clear sacrifice in comfort levels. The plus of a progressive spring versus a linear spring is that the car will be responsive to what you're doing and react to match. It keeps the comfort as you drive about, day to day, but shifts to a more aggressive style when thrown into a situation where handling is the superior requirement. The PSS9s also come with the feature of a manually adjustable monotube gas shock absorbers, which features 9-stage precise compressing and rebound settings, from comfort to competition. The Kit https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 All the H&Rs in place https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 Time get those out and in with the Bilstein. (Its a fun plus that the blue also matches the tribute stripes a litte! :D ) https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 The end result https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 The Center Diff During all this, an upgrade to the center differential came into the conversation. The factory differential on the A4 has a 2:1 torque distribution rate between the front and the rear. This enables the end of the car that still has traction (most of the time the rear) to deliver double the torque to the tires with traction. This set up is great for straight shot racing styles like drag racing but for a style that is defined by corners like road course racing, the guys are JHM have found that the ratio that excels is a bias ration of 4:1, similar to the RS4. Considering that road courses are what we do, this was a great upgrade for us to have. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 Tracking It, Part 2! After sending it out for modification and re-installing once received, we took it back out to the track to feel the progress and reassess our direction to be sure we were happy with it. We were. We could feel that the steps we had taken were improving the car big time and liked how it was both handling the track and the street. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 There was just one thing... So far, the modifications we had covered handled a lot of the beginning stages of track-car improvement. Now that we were pleased with its current state, we knew the time had come for bigger leaps. That meant more POWER! Maintenance Time We wanted to be sure that the engine was prepared for our new plans, which meant maintenance and a good once over for the engine. We replaced the timing belt, water pump and valve cover seals, for security. We never like to just replace the belt so it was done as kit, complete with tensioner and rollers. Taking out the old https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 The new kit laid out and getting it in place https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 With our minds on maintenance, we began to look over the engine. And it was a good thing we did... Damage! :eek: https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372093240 Part 3 Coming Soon! To see the gallery on this build, click here! And stay tuned to see the next BIG step in our project! |
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One of the most frustrating things for any car owner is inspecting their car's engine and finding damage that was there before you bought it. A pre-purchase inspection is crucial but sometimes, even for us, a lengthy and thorough one can get overlooked for one reason or another. Sometimes, you get by okay. Other times, this happens.
We had tracked the A4 a few times and we noticed a faint rattling in the top end of the engine. The Audi was due for a new timing belt as well so it seemed like a good time to investigate while we were in there anyway. Initially, we thought the rattling was coming from the chain tensioner between the two camshafts and when we pulled off the rear timing chain cover, we found evidence that some sort of metal had passed through the cover, damaging it. Uh oh... Not a good start. We then removed the camshafts to inspect for other damage and found that the camshaft bearing journals in the cylinder head had been scored pretty badly. We knew at that point that we’d need to replace the head. With this discovery, the decision to just rebuild the engine was made. The more we tore into, the more interesting things we found. When we removed the oil pan, we found parts of a damaged high pressure fuel pump. What made this even worse in the big picture is that the pump that was in the engine wasn't missing any parts. We had to believe that the car had previously had a catastrophic cam follower/HPFP failure and somebody simply replaced the cam follower and pump without addressing the other damage. During the dis-assembly and inspection, we found the oil pump to had also been damaged by metal passing through. On this engine, the oil pump is integral with the balance shaft assembly. We had heard about people doing a 1.8t oiling system conversion and upon investigating, we found the cost to be similar to replacing the OE pump, but with added benefits of removing the balance shafts and increasing the car’s oil capacity by over two quarts. Balance shafts are essentially big weights that are mounted on one side of a spinning shaft. They are there to counter act the engines natural vibrations and cancel them out. For a performance car, the increase in vibrations is hardly noticeable, but you get the same benefit as using a light weight flywheel by removing this rotating mass. Since we were rebuilding the engine and adding a big power upgrade at the same time, we decided to future-proof the bottom end of the engine by using IE connecting rods and all APR hardware. While the stock bottom end will support up to Stage 3 power levels, anything more requires upgrades. By upgrading the bottom end now, we can later increase the power to Stage 3+ and beyond without needing to remove the engine again. Since we know we like to play and push our cars to the limit, it was a good move for us to make to pre-game for the future. Parts Installed: LOTS of hard work! The inspection and damage :( Damaged injector pump https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Worn cam from injector pump https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Oil pump gear damage https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Timing chain cover damage https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Damage from fuel pump failure https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Parts of the fuel pump found in the oil pan https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Cylinder head damage https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Inspecting the balance shafts https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Rod bearing inspection https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Main bearing damage https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Removing the engine and tearing it down https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 A bit like the old phrase, what comes up must come down, in our case it was what comes apart, must be put back together. But getting put back together would be the best part, thanks to a special addition. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1372862609 Part 4 Coming Soon! To see the gallery on this build, click here! And stay tuned to see the next BIG step in our project! |
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The time had come! We had torn our poor engine down, ordered all the parts we'd need and some extras, and prepped the car. Once the parts got here, we immediately went to work. We have an awesome event coming up, hosted by Grassroots Motorsports Magazine. It's called the Ultimate Track Car Challenge (many of you may already know about it) and we were determined to be there, just like last year. But, different from last year, we didn't plan to bring the S3. We planned to bring this soon-to-be bad boy. So with impatience and a lot of drive, we set to getting it better than ready!
Parts Installed: APR Longitudinal 2.0T FSI Stage III Turbo Upgrade Kit DXD Stage III Daily Clutch APR 2.0T FSI High Pressure Fuel Pump Upgrade APR Intake Manifold Runner Flap Delete Just some of the new parts, all laid out before install https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 And most importantly, the Stage 3! https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 With all the parts in hand, the build was underway Fuel lines installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Coolant lines https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Timing belt https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Pistons Installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 New oil pump drive chain tensioner https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Crank Shaft https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Measuring the main bearing oil clearance https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 and rod bearing oil clearance https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Setting the ring end gaps https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Removing original oil pump drive sprocket https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 New sprocket installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Intake runners before removal https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 APR Intake Runner Delete Kit https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 1.8L oil filter adapter and housing installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Oil pump and drive chain installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Water pump installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 New cylinder head https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 New injectors installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 Intake manifold https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 APR Stage 3 Turbo charger installed https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 With everything in place, it was time to reinstall the engine and make the A4 whole again https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1373298232 We had tackled power upgrades. We had tackled engine security. We had tackled clutches and suspension kits and wheels. But our brains are always turning and there was still a few upgrades we felt our Audi needed before we took it to go play with the Grassroots Motorsports crowd... Part 5 Coming Soon! To see the gallery on this build, click here! And stay tuned to see the next BIG step in our project! |
That's one sweet build!
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Wow, that's quite a project! You guys sure are thorough.
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Great project!
Just wondering, how does the car feel after changing the center diff? Was understeer reduced dramatically? And is it possible to slide the tail out like a rwd? |
Originally Posted by formula1guy
(Post 3903722)
Wow, that's quite a project! You guys sure are thorough.
Originally Posted by Innotech
(Post 3904718)
Great project!
Just wondering, how does the car feel after changing the center diff? Was understeer reduced dramatically? And is it possible to slide the tail out like a rwd? That being said, the car has noticeably less understeer and handles much better. The unit is basically set up the same as the RS4 is from the factory. |
thats awesome
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Originally Posted by johnwen
(Post 3905657)
thats awesome
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awesome build.
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Originally Posted by colt45
(Post 3911682)
awesome build.
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29 Attachment(s)
We had two things left before track time: race seats and racing harnesses. With Recaro seats and some Schroth racing harnesses already in hand, all that was left was to install it all and then excitedly wait for the day to arrive.
Parts Installed: Recaro PROFI XL Race Seat Profi II ASM FE Scroth Harness Belts We started by removing the back seats, a quick and super effective way to drop a lot of weight, and fabricated a temporary harness bar for the track event. Then came time to get the new Recaros in! https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 Since we would be be fabricating custom brackets for this job, we had a little bit of extra work ahead of us. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 Putting it all together https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 The weight of the stock front seat https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 Versus the weight of the Recaros. Can you say savings! https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 With the passenger side swapped over as well... https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 and our custom brackets painted black for a sleek, discreet look... https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 It was on to the harnesses! (We're a bit partial to blue here at GMP. [;)] ) https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 The time we were waiting for had finally come. https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 The Ultimate Track Car Challenge!! The UTCC is always incredible fun and this year was no exception. This year, it was more than just fun for us; it was testing. This was the first time our A4 hit the track with all its new additions so we viewed the event as a critical learning experience. The car performed well and we got a great idea of where we were headed with the project. But mainly, we enjoyed every minute we spent with such awesome car enthusiasts! https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/...ine=1376406593 Part 7 Coming Soon! To see the gallery on this build,http://gmpperformance.com/index.cfm?...6#imageSet_725 And stay tuned to see the next step in our project! |
Great write up! What kind of lap times did you turn at the UTCC?
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