Turbo or V8? S4 vs. S4
05-25-2004, 11:04 AM
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Turbo or V8? S4 vs. S4 Great Article on AudiWorld.com comparing the new V8 S4 to the old Turbo V6 S4, stock and modified.
http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/b6shootout/
B5 2.7t vs. B6 4.2 Performance
Text and Pictures by: Don Pavlik
Turbocharged B5 S4 or V8 powered B6 S4?
The world got its first look at Audi's 2.7t bi-turbo engine when Audi launched the B5 S4. The engine was an immediate hit among enthusiasts with its deceptively powerful, long, flat torque curve and an advertised 250 HP (265 HP in Europe). With a simple chip/exhaust upgrade the engine was easily tuned into the 350 HP neighborhood and over 430 HP with upgraded turbochargers. Unfortunately, the 2.7t could, at times, also be prone to intake plumbing problems and turbocharger failures.
Jumping ahead to the next generation, Audi introduced the B6 S4 with a shortened version of the 4.2 liter V8 producing 340 HP right from the factory. The lightweight aluminum V8 actually comes in right around the same weight as cast iron block 2.7t, a significant improvement in the power-to-weight ratio. Advantages of the normally aspirated 4.2L: immediate throttle response as a result of eliminating turbo lag, V8 grunt, much easier throttle modulation and, hopefully, improved reliability.
Beyond the quick paper comparison we wondered how the V8 stacks up against the hard working bi-turbo V6 in daily driving? Three cars in various configurations were rounded up for testing purposes and put through their paces on a head-to-head basis (note in one case a B5 S4 was run in two different configurations). At the time of testing there were no performance upgrades for the B6 S4 V8 engine. All cars used 93 octane fuel running fuel specific programs where available.
# Stock B5 S4 6-speed manual
# Chipped B5 S4 6-speed manual
# Stage II+ B5 S4 6-speed manual (chip, downpipes, full exhaust)
# Stock B6 S4 6-speed manual
The following data was collected assuming generally "normal" driving techniques. You won't find any clutch frying 5,000 RPM launches or power shifting in this shootout. Standing starts were done at 2200 RPM with drivetrain friendly launches. The goal here was to replicate the performance a driver would be likely to achieve in daily driving.
As such, the numbers here are sure to cause some grumbling among enthusiasts who will rise up in protest claiming that their car performs way better. Yes, all of these vehicles will achieve better times if driven to wring out absolute performance. Angry mobs, put down your brooms and pitchforks--believe it or not these are real world numbers that "Joe Average" driver is likely to achieve. No, really.
Test conditions were in the 70's, low humidity, 87 feet above sea level. Acceleration runs were measured with a Race Logic AP-22. Engine data logging performed with VAG-COM by Ross-Tech.
0-100 MPH
A quick look at the acceleration curves reveals that a chipped B5 has a leg up on a stock B6 up to a point. By 50 MPH the chipped B5 was 13 feet ahead of the B6 but started giving up distance to the B6 after 90 MPH. In contrast, the stock B5 was just left wheezing and at the back of the pack. The Stage II+ S4 was king in this crowd, having put a whopping 314 feet of distance on a stock B5 by 100 MPH! I fully expected the Stage II+ S4 to be a smidge behind from a standing start thanks to greater turbo lag, but the results clearly proved me wrong..
NOTE: Graphs, pictures and a whole lot more on the Audi world site
http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/b6shootout/ V8, AWD, damn shame the styling is such a snooze as I think this is a great contender against the CTS-V, maybe moreso than the M3.
-Adam
http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/b6shootout/
B5 2.7t vs. B6 4.2 Performance
Text and Pictures by: Don Pavlik
Turbocharged B5 S4 or V8 powered B6 S4?
The world got its first look at Audi's 2.7t bi-turbo engine when Audi launched the B5 S4. The engine was an immediate hit among enthusiasts with its deceptively powerful, long, flat torque curve and an advertised 250 HP (265 HP in Europe). With a simple chip/exhaust upgrade the engine was easily tuned into the 350 HP neighborhood and over 430 HP with upgraded turbochargers. Unfortunately, the 2.7t could, at times, also be prone to intake plumbing problems and turbocharger failures.
Jumping ahead to the next generation, Audi introduced the B6 S4 with a shortened version of the 4.2 liter V8 producing 340 HP right from the factory. The lightweight aluminum V8 actually comes in right around the same weight as cast iron block 2.7t, a significant improvement in the power-to-weight ratio. Advantages of the normally aspirated 4.2L: immediate throttle response as a result of eliminating turbo lag, V8 grunt, much easier throttle modulation and, hopefully, improved reliability.
Beyond the quick paper comparison we wondered how the V8 stacks up against the hard working bi-turbo V6 in daily driving? Three cars in various configurations were rounded up for testing purposes and put through their paces on a head-to-head basis (note in one case a B5 S4 was run in two different configurations). At the time of testing there were no performance upgrades for the B6 S4 V8 engine. All cars used 93 octane fuel running fuel specific programs where available.
# Stock B5 S4 6-speed manual
# Chipped B5 S4 6-speed manual
# Stage II+ B5 S4 6-speed manual (chip, downpipes, full exhaust)
# Stock B6 S4 6-speed manual
The following data was collected assuming generally "normal" driving techniques. You won't find any clutch frying 5,000 RPM launches or power shifting in this shootout. Standing starts were done at 2200 RPM with drivetrain friendly launches. The goal here was to replicate the performance a driver would be likely to achieve in daily driving.
As such, the numbers here are sure to cause some grumbling among enthusiasts who will rise up in protest claiming that their car performs way better. Yes, all of these vehicles will achieve better times if driven to wring out absolute performance. Angry mobs, put down your brooms and pitchforks--believe it or not these are real world numbers that "Joe Average" driver is likely to achieve. No, really.
Test conditions were in the 70's, low humidity, 87 feet above sea level. Acceleration runs were measured with a Race Logic AP-22. Engine data logging performed with VAG-COM by Ross-Tech.
0-100 MPH
A quick look at the acceleration curves reveals that a chipped B5 has a leg up on a stock B6 up to a point. By 50 MPH the chipped B5 was 13 feet ahead of the B6 but started giving up distance to the B6 after 90 MPH. In contrast, the stock B5 was just left wheezing and at the back of the pack. The Stage II+ S4 was king in this crowd, having put a whopping 314 feet of distance on a stock B5 by 100 MPH! I fully expected the Stage II+ S4 to be a smidge behind from a standing start thanks to greater turbo lag, but the results clearly proved me wrong..
NOTE: Graphs, pictures and a whole lot more on the Audi world site
http://www.audiworld.com/news/04/b6shootout/
-Adam
