1. I like the 2.73's actually, my car is bone stock. It destroys the 255-40-16's (dont ask) yokohama's off the line already. So i don't think i want any more tire decimation.
Nitto drag radials on order already to help with the tire situation.

2. My first mods are: hooker catback, tsp lid, holley air filter, and nitto drag radials.

One option suggestion: BMR panhard,some sort of brace bar (Boxed), and two other rear suspension pieces (i forgot what my bro said). Good idea or spend the $400-500 elsehwere? I chose the nitto's first since well they could be more fun.

Should i leave the rear suspension alone (above),and focus my savings on:

cam, headers, cat elimination, ypipe, stall (3500 for 2.73?), transgo, then get it all tuned by an ls1edit expert or buy the program myself.

I do have a portable wideband and experience tuning bosch, but never automatic tranny tuning. ? Advice?


I want the car drivable daily, i want it to kick some *** and still get decent mpg, although 99% of the driving i do will be stoplight (City) driving i may need to use this car for trips to florida, so no, 4.10's aren't happening.

I don't really want to cook anything, either.

Fellow 2.73 A4's, give this newb some insight on what to choose, what you have, what you didn't like,or found to be wasteful in money. And what you wished you had done right.

Coming from a poorly geared previos car (vw) where 1st gear was pure granny (fwd 150wft/lbs@2000rpm), i did not like smoking tire all the time. Seems wasteful, and the lenox mall cop who saw me chirp the tire twice (ie no smoke, no rubber on ground) though i was WRECKLESS, NO INSURANCE, NO TAG, and took my beater for a tow. so that's definitely not what im aiming for.

I would like guidance to pick the most cost effective parts, and of course run mid 12's on nitto's. If that means i gotta go 3.42 then so be it.

If you don't mind, list your options for those who stuck with 2.73's and perhaps your reasons. Would using 2.73's decrease the life of the tranny as well? Car has 65K miles on it and was meticulously maintained, however that doesn't say much about how the po drive it.

If nothing post your mods and times.

Btw, what is the cost to switch 2.73 to another gear? I hear you need some other parts as well plus labor? In my mind, keeping the 2.73's and making more power seems to make more sense.

I drove a 3.23? (Gu5) optioned car, it did seem snappier, but it had 26K miles and blew blue smoke out on startup (RAN LIKE HELL!). Someone dogged that car out bad, its up as nash chevrolet in b-**** georgia, pewter, don't even buy it! they musta dogged the hell out of it!


lastly, gimme an idea on what my 1/4 mile might be with the basic bolt ons i have, to give me some hope:
TSP LID,holley filter, hooker catback, nittro 245-50-16's.

Can i hit lower 13's with that? and a good launch?

 

With an A4...here's ur plan of attack...get you into the 12's faster than you'll ever think. Get the GM Motive 373 series 2 carrier so you don't have to change carriers and they're quite BEEFY.

But first and formost get you a stall converter. I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend the 3disc Vigilante @ least 3500 stall. No ur fuel economy won't go down noticably cause it's still a lock up converter. I only lost 3rwhp locked vs unlocked w/my multidisc vig and it cut almost .5 seconds off my ET just doing to converter swap.

The converter and gears will put you squarely in the mid to high 12's depending on how the altitude is and how much your car weighs and traction. Also...forget the exhaust till you get headers get a cutout..35bux...best bang for buck mod.

My 99 went 12.9 with nitto drag radials cutout, 1/4 tank of gas, and the extra weight (Jack, spare) out.

Hope this helps!! AND NEVER EVER MANUALLY SHIFT UR 4L60...put it in 2nd gear to do ur burnout...then bump it up to OD to do the full 1/4....it'll last forever that way. I've got 110,000 miles on mine as a testament. and I'm running H/C and N20. Only now is it startin to go.

 

Ok, I don't have 2.73s but maybe you'll allow me to comment on a few things.

2.73s aren't as bad as some might think once you have a good TQ converter. You could run 11s internally stock and NA with them even without weight reduction. Get a hard hitting (HIGH STR!) 3500-3800 stall and you'll be giving those Nittos all they can stand.

2.73 gears are physically stronger than numerically higher gears.

The stock suspension works just fine for 11 second A4 cars and slower. I would install a set of LCA relocators, possibly an airbag in the right rear side, and maybe disconnect or loosen the front swaybar if you still need traction. BTW, I pulled consistent 1.6s with the stock suspension. The only addition is the LCA relocators. I've never even disconnected the front swaybar.

In a way, 2.73s can be easier on the transmission because you'll make the dreaded 2-3 shift (that's the one that most often leads to friction material failure) less often than if you were running numerically higher gears.

 

"put it in 2nd gear to do ur burnout"

He has an '00 which has second gear start (your '99 doesn't.) He'll find it terribly hard to do a burnout in 2nd gear and it would be hard on his tranny temps even if he can.

Put the tranny in 1st to get the tires spinning. Manually shift it into 2nd when you get the RPMs up. Or, just leave it in 1st with the 2.73 gears. You can get pretty good tire speed in 1st gear with 2.73s. Make your passes with the tranny in OD.

 

what do you guys thing about the tci 3500? its like $524, are they crap? or just a new product thats cheaper than the vigilante? any proven facts on which is better?

 

Why would you put it in OD not D? My car seems so much slower in OD (VS D) with my converter...

 

It's not slower in OD. You have better line pressure in OD and thus it's easier on clutches. Try it at the track and see. It may seem faster because the shifts will artificially be higher with the extra slippage. Shifts should be controlled with programming, not through extra clutch slippage.

The TCI 3500 is the best converter for the buck. I run it in my '02 Z28. It ran 11.82 at full weight and internally stock with stock gears.

 

Thanks for the info, I'll try that next time. Wish someone would have told me about the TCI before I bought my Vig 3200... But hopfully once I go again the weather won't humid and I'll throw my 16's on their; I can hopfully hit 12's, actually I'd like to see mid-12's, but I don't feel like that will happen with the 2inch drop and full system.

 

You should get a set of LCA relocators to get your rear suspension angles back right with the lowering kit so that you can hook. They're cheap and they work.

 

I just installed a TCI SSF 3500 in my 2.73 car yesterday. First impressions are great. will be at Norwalk on monday should a new best time.
Colonel: what are your thoughts on the need to break a coverter in. Ive seen alot of talk about this. I had never done this in the past?

 

There is no such thing as "breaking in" a converter. I think they're smoking crack. Seriously, it's a FLUID power coupling.

 

Ask PI and the ask you to let the lock up clutch do it's thing 50x's before you truly abuse it. Don't believe me CALL THEM.

 

Josey, how do you abuse the lockup clutch when it only locks under partial throttle? It doesn't lock at WOT. In your "letting it do it's thing 50x", are you not in fact just using it normally in the process? Going to WOT would have absolutely nothing to do with it. So, how is making the clutch lockup and unlock "breaking in" anything.? It's going to lockup 50 times before long one way or another. The only way I can see to abuse the lockup clutch would be to manually lock it at WOT or at least close to WOT. But that's hard on a clutch no matter what.

Yep, they're smokin' crack!

 

I know it doesn't lock up under wot...but to properly break in the lock up clutch they recommend you run it thru the lock up cycle 50 times. Just like breaking in a Manual clutch...you wouldn't put it in then go to the drag strip..you'd drive it around breaking it in. that's what they're referring to. Not everyone is hard core like you and i when it comes to their vehicles I'm trying to give the best and most accurate advice for the average Joe.

Now if you put a new converter in ur stripped out C5R motor'd camaro...**** break in go race....I agree. hell I had N20 on my car 3hrs after I left the parking lot w/the damn thing.

 

thanks for clearing that up for me. I couldnt figure out how a hydraulic turbin could have to BREAK IN. I did drive it easy till i was sure the fluid level was right and checked the lockup operation a couple of times. Colonel: i really like this TCI 3500 I hope to have it at the track monday. After the problem with my TCS it was nice to install something and have it work "RIGHT".

 

Actually that was one of the 1st things I did after the drop. A adj panhard since my axle was off center quite a bit. And then I'm running the stock LCA's.

 

In reguard to keeping the 2.73's would there actually then be a benefit from going to a 3.42 or a 3.73? cause i was wanting to go to a 3.73 with a stall and a shift kit.