# My 3.2 S-line. Mod/Track day thread. *Race PICS and VIDEO*



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Hi all.

So I have been the proud owner of my 2005 TT 3.2 S-Line for a bit over a month now, and love it.
It's my first time to own an Audi let alone anything German, so hopefully it will be less pain than gain 

I live in Japan and Audis in general are very popular here. There are also a fair few tuning shops for them so might check a few out at some stage.

I have spent a lot of years racing cars of various types in various disciplines as well as crewing for some interesting outfits, so track use was always very much on the cards for this car. I have a fairly active YouTube Motorsports channel and will upload videos of my track days with the TT.

For what it's worth, this is what it replaced. Very well sorted, 460 bhp. Did almost 50 track days with it:










Why did I choose a 3.2? I guess a lot of reasons to be honest, but it was a well thought out decision and i'm very happy with my choice. It was exceptionally difficult to find a nice one with most of those available very far from me and also a bit high in mileage. I was very fortunate to come across this one relatively local to me with only 47000 klms on it. It's literally like new, and I will do my best to keep it that way.

So this is when I first saw it:



















The trip home 










First thing I did was change the rear lights. The front ones will stay original. I know they aren't some people's cup of tea, but I really like them.



















Next was get some 18 inch wheels to replace the 17's that are on it. It's a shame because the ones on it are OZ Racing Ultralights but to me it just looks like a skateboard. I was able to get some used old style OZ Superturismo in 18x8 and had them refurbed:

Before:










After (photo doesn't do them justice, they have a ton of clear coat):










Will be fitting them with Michelin PS4 in 225 40 hopefully tomorrow.

The next thing I did was fit a front splitter which has really transformed the look.
The one I chose is for an Audi A3 '05-'08 S-Line, fits really well and should be quite functional at high speed.





































While the car is almost like new, the engine bay looks like a dogs breakfast (typical here, for some reason Japanese NEVER clean the engine bay) so that is being cleaned up now.

I have a list of mods to do including a set of coilovers with Cookbots etc, caster kit, as well as brake rotors pads and fluid, and I will look at induction also. Later on down the track an engine remap, and maybe DSG map but we'll see. Not sure which order I will do them in but I think i'll probably just take it to a Sprint Track standard first and see what it does (and doesn't do) then go from there once I have my benchmark.
I will do objective testing with every mod either on a Dyno or with a G Meter, as well as proper track testing so hopefully it will be a fun process :mrgreen:

Thanks for looking [smiley=dude.gif]


----------



## Spliffy (May 3, 2013)

Really nice looking TT


----------



## rusTTy_racer (Sep 7, 2015)

Good work. Looks like a very clean example! Well done dude


----------



## damien.wrl (Sep 20, 2009)

nice, health to enjoy


----------



## big mike (Apr 15, 2010)

The splitter really suite it


----------



## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Looking good dude!

If you are planning to hit the track hard like it sounds then ask JohnH to add your build thread to the motorsport section too! 8)


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks for the kind comments guys 

Ok so I managed to tackle the dusty engine bay, it's now more representative of the rest of the car.

Before [smiley=bigcry.gif] Massive pollution and dust clouds from China are a big problem here and it gets everywhere, under the bonnet this car had a lot of it:










After  :




























Next was freshen up the grill, which also came out great.










Weather wasn't the best for taking photos, but here's the interior:



















I finally got the new 18x8 OZ Racing wheels on it and I must say i'm really happy with them. Much better :mrgreen:




























Got some appropriate music to play in the car as well :lol:










Last but not least, seeing as cars like this are a magnet for retards in carparks, I got some foam rubber and rubber magnets with double sided tape, and made a pair of these up to throw on the sides whenever I have to park in a shopping center:










Cheers.


----------



## John-H (Jul 13, 2005)

Antthony said:


> ...
> Last but not least, seeing as cars like this are a magnet for retards in carparks, I got some foam rubber and rubber magnets with double sided tape, and made a pair of these up to throw on the sides whenever I have to park in a shopping center:
> 
> 
> ...


Hey, that's my Wak-o-Sausage idea from 2006  :









viewtopic.php?f=2&t=54905&p=592398#p592398


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

John-H said:


> Antthony said:
> 
> 
> > Hey, that's my Wak-o-Sausage idea from 2006  :


Haha wow, I never even knew. I have seen similar ideas but they all looked like something you'd see hanging off the side of a boat so I thought i'd be more stealthy :lol:


----------



## woodybuzz (Sep 22, 2014)

Hi Antthony,

Your car looks great, i used to have a 3.2, lovley car.
I've just bought a QS and am looking for a front splitter.

Could you give me some more details on the one you fitted please, price, where to buy?

Cheers,
Nick.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

woodybuzz said:


> Hi Antthony,
> 
> Your car looks great, i used to have a 3.2, lovley car.
> I've just bought a QS and am looking for a front splitter.
> ...


Hi Nick.

Not sure if they can send overseas but can ask if you like. They also have really nice carbon fibre ones which is what I was originally looking at but I went with the black fibreglass to match the rear wing.

http://www.aero-cobalt.com/?pid=39575015


----------



## Fastasaudi (Oct 10, 2016)

Oooohhh. That is nice... lovely looking motor... 

CJ


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Fastasaudi said:


> Oooohhh. That is nice... lovely looking motor...
> CJ


Thanks CJ 

So, chipping away at my list of things to do. Next is painting the brake calipers. 
It took a while to decide on colour. Red is nice but everyone has red and with the silver it looks too much like a Porsche for my liking. Also I will be hitting the track seriously so red would soon become brown anyway. I really wanted gunmetal but couldn't get any so decided to go with good ol' gloss black.

Today I did front and rear drivers side, will tackle the other side tomorrow.
Didn't take before pics but we all know what dirty calipers look like :lol: 
Forgot to take pics of the rear but here's the front, a bit dark but they have an awesome shine. Once I have heat cycled them to harden the paint I will put some decals on.










I didn't bother doing anything with the rotors as both them and the pads will all be upgraded in the next month or two anyway, but I did get a full set of new wheel bolts.










Very happy with how they turned out. Will get some better pics in the daylight once the decals are on.


----------



## Lben0922 (Oct 23, 2016)

Love the look of this


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so the suspension upgrade has been slightly put on hold in favour of a full brake upgrade first. I took the car for it's first really long drive on the weekend out to a Circuit (I was driving the circuit but not in this) and I found that the brakes are terrible once they get a bit of heat in them. The problem is definitely just fluid (probably never been changed lol) or air in the system, and the pads are fine BUT the front rotors are pretty borderline as I was going to replace them before the end of the year regardless. I was going to just bleed out and replace the fluid, but thought bugger it I may as well go the whole hog and get it all out of the way now. Then it's done. 
This unfortunately means a delay of another few weeks before I actually get it on a track, but it would be a waste of time like it is as i'd be lucky to even get 2 hot laps out of it before needing a serious cooldown.

My choices here are limited compared to you guys but I went with the same rotors I used on my Evo for literally dozens of track days, and the same street pads I used on the Evo also so for the TT they should be up to the task as I learn the car. They are actually better than the specs imply and are very popular with the R35 GTR guys, and have a really good feel to them. 
I am also looking at making up some effective brake ducting which will go a long way toward increasing the efficiency of the pads. If I end up out braking these pads then will just run some track pads similar to the ones I used on my Evo which were extremely good, but hopefully it'll be fine (Track pads squeal and dust like a mofo), and with this car I envisage doing a lot more cool down laps than what i'm used to so anyway we'll see 

So the rotors are DIXCEL Heavy Duty slotted:










And the pads are ENDLESS MX72. Should be fine as I learn the car's track manners.










Fluid will be the same ENDLESS RF-650 I have used for years.










There is a wait of a few weeks on the rotors so in the meantime am making up a few versions of brake duct and will test them measuring temperatures of the calipers and rotors to see which I will go for. Will get some pictures up of what i'm doing there when I have some :wink:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Still waiting for the brake rotors, pads and fluid to turn up so in the meantime a few small things.

The original owners manual case was missing so replaced the tacky plastic one it came with with a genuine Audi item.










And after leaving the brake paint for a week to go hard, applied some decals and clear coat. Happy with how it turned out.

Will all look a lot better once the new rotors are fitted, but still a huge improvement over what they were before.




























Quite a bit of dust on the wheels, not from pads but from inside the rotors after giving everything a clean out before painting.

Anyway happy with how it turned out, the black with decals looks great  Hopefully it will survive track days


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Brake rotors and pads finally turned up. Extremely happy to see that the rotors have the same construction as genuine (which I didn't expect).
Hopefully will get them on over the next week then just replace the brake fluid then off to the track


----------



## loremipsum (Nov 6, 2015)

Looking good man! I absolutely love my silver 3.2 as well! How's the DSG treating you? Any funny business with shifting?


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

loremipsum said:


> Looking good man! I absolutely love my silver 3.2 as well! How's the DSG treating you? Any funny business with shifting?


Thanks 

No problems with the DSG, I quite like it. Admittedly I haven't used the 'S' mode much though, pretty well in manual mode all the time. Had intended to have been on the track at least once by now but have had influenza the last 2 weeks which has put a spanner in the works lol. As a result still haven't fitted the new brakes yet [smiley=bigcry.gif] 
Also should probably get the DSG reset at a dealers as well. Need to ask about a couple of things so will ask about getting that done as I take it we can't do that ourselves.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so finally over the damn flu....

And got the new brake rotors and Endless pads on 



















Ok, that's enough photos of brakes lol

And yes they are on the right way :wink:

Will bed these in gradually then next on the list is flush out the fluid and replace it with Endless RF650 then off to the track in the new year (finally).


----------



## TTAS (Dec 12, 2016)

Antthony said:


> Brake rotors and pads finally turned up. Extremely happy to see that the rotors have the same construction as genuine (which I didn't expect).
> Hopefully will get them on over the next week then just replace the brake fluid then off to the track


When I owned my Seat Leon Cupra 280 I put some Endless MX72 pads in when I went to the Nurburgring. They were destroyed after 15 laps due to overheating.

The 280 was standard with the standard sliding calipers so the heat dissipation was poor. The pads were amazing though, great feel, bite and even when they were hot still had great stopping power. I used Castrol SRF brake fluid with the pads to great effect.

I didn't notice the brake pad wear or condition until I got home and took them off, they had discoloured around the edges and became flakey.

I will say that due to trying to get heat in the tyres (it was around 2 degrees celsius) I did do 4 laps back to back at one point. No doubt this caused some damage to the pads.

So no doubt your set up will be great just be careful of brake temps in an attempt to not damage them.

I've used Pagid RS29 in my E92 M3 and Civic Type R track car and they have easily been the best pad I've used for track and they work on the road as well.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks for the comment 

Yes they are really good pads with a great feel, I have used these same pads in the past and they are much better than the specs infer  Will be interesting to see how they fair on a TT.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so an update on the suspension situation.

I had decided on KW V2 coil overs after a lot of research and deliberation and was set to get them this month.

Unfortunately my son has unexpectedly gotten absolutely dismal results at school to the degree that if he doesn't get private tutoring over the winter break and make a 100% improvement he might not be able to go to senior High School (which is BAD in Japan). So unfortunately the KW money went the way of tutoring for my boy [smiley=bigcry.gif]

However, I still wanted to do something about the damn ride height at least, so again after a lot of thought I decided to get some H&W lowering springs to use until I can again afford coil overs. Interestingly the spring rates are better than I thought and importantly the same in the rear as the KWs so in theory these should improve the handling quite a lot. The car is very low mile and the roads here are billiard table smooth so the factory S Line dampers should be fine with the 25mm drop. We'll see I guess  
They are on order and I will hopefully see them around new year.

And today these turned up from 'murica. Haven't seen anyone else use these but very well made, simple and clever idea. 
An extra 1 degree neg camber and 1 degree caster will go a long way towards killing understeer.










Also have some Cookbot lower arms heading in my direction so hopefully some time in January I can get it all fitted!


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Went for a drive down the coast on an awesome day, copped a great view of Mt Fuji from the road


----------



## CollecTTor (Jan 17, 2014)

Antthony said:


> And today these turned up from 'murica. Haven't seen anyone else use these but very well made, simple and clever idea.
> An extra 1 degree neg camber and 1 degree caster will go a long way towards killing understeer.


I run these as well. You can't get the camber and caster together however, it's one or the other or a combination based on what position you rotate the bushing to. These along with Mk2 ball joints gave me -3.8*/-3.9* front camber.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

CollecTTor said:


> Antthony said:
> 
> 
> > And today these turned up from 'murica. Haven't seen anyone else use these but very well made, simple and clever idea.
> ...


Cheers for that. I thought that might have been the case. Normally i'd take the 1 degree caster over the camber, but in this case with TTs already having a lot of caster I might set it for camber. We'll see.

New goodies turned up today from Germany. Just waiting on the Cookbot lower arms now then i'm ready to get into it


----------



## wez-li (Nov 2, 2016)

That's a very nice 3.2TT, bet there aren't many knocking around in japan.

Loved the tommi too


----------



## Squeeze bang (Jun 6, 2017)

Hello there.
Please keep this thread going as I'm very interested in this project and I'm already learning from what you are are doing here.
I'm not going to hijack your thread but start one of my own.

Regards.
Rich.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Squeeze bang said:


> Hello there.
> Please keep this thread going as I'm very interested in this project and I'm already learning from what you are are doing here.
> I'm not going to hijack your thread but start one of my own.
> 
> ...


No worries Rich. Life has had me super busy so far this year and I had to spend a ton of money on my kids, but will hopefully be back into it soon and intend to keep the thread going


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so life has slowed down a bit finally and it's time to start playing again 

So, after originally intending to custom make an induction set up for the car, I gave it a big rethink and decided to just go with a 'WAK BOX' mod. Despite common thoughts on it, I think it's possible to see a minute improvement in torque and I was wanting a bit more induction noise anyway as it is so damn quiet lol. SO tonight I got into it.

Managed to get the base out without touching anything of the top part. Was a bit surprised how dirty the 'foam' on the bottom of the filter was. I actually pulled it off as I tend to replace filters reasonably often anyway and it might get me an extra 0.67 hp with it gone.










I didn't want to butcher it so decided to use a cutter knife;










All done, came out nice and neat so if I ever want to glue it back in it will be easy and snug;




























Popped it back in, 100% stealth you can't see it at all, and went for a drive with windows up and down, and a couple of tunnels thrown in for good measure.

Bloody hell it sounds good now, _very_ happy with it. It honestly felt punchier mid range as well but whatever, it sounds Boss now so i'm happy 










Will post a video soon.

Might try the flapper mod next [smiley=gossip.gif]


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

This is just the Airbox done, haven't tried flapper mod yet 

Yes the windscreen was very dirty


----------



## wez-li (Nov 2, 2016)

That noise :twisted:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so I finally made a decision what to do about the horrible factory shifter which really lets the interior down.

I had purchased a brand new one from a new TT S but after thinking about it decided I didn't want to go down the route of permanently modifying the linkage, so decided to instead go with a 'Power Ranger's Leg' :lol: by Black Forest Industries.

Black Forest themselves were not too keen to send to me in Japan and while they have an agent here they didn't have the exact one I wanted (black leather and polished aluminium). 
ecstuning.com has them and will sent overseas so I was all set to purchase from them but then changed my mind about which one I wanted and so just got it from a local vendor. Very happy with my choice of the Black Forest Industries billet DSG shift knob.

Test fit:










Got a new bespoke leather gaiter for a manual TT from EBay, the leather is a bit too thick for my liking but the quality is superb and worked fine:










Fitted up and adjustment and Loctite (important) of grub screws. I tried it without the aluminium shift plate but the gaiter sits much better with it there so put it back on. The only really fiddly part was making new holes in the leather as I went to better position the stitching to my liking:










Sorted



















Looks a million times better! Goody gumdrops 










It came with a nice metal badge / coin to sit in the top recess of the knob, but i've gotten a custom made on on it's way and will update when it arrives


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok boyos the custom badge arrived and it's perfect 




























The photos *really* don't do it justice, it looks factory. Very pleased with the result  [smiley=dude.gif]










Went for a nice drive Saturday night as well to the famous Daikoku Parking area in Yokohama, the cruising Mecca of Japan.


----------



## Seansy (Apr 9, 2012)

This is an awesome thread so far man. I'm excited to see what you do.

Did you see that MK2 TTS in Japan that was built for track days? Small mini feature that Dino did for Speedhunters. Was quite influential I thought.

S


----------



## stevov (Jun 15, 2016)

Hi mate we're you ever on the MLR


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Seansy said:


> This is an awesome thread so far man. I'm excited to see what you do.
> Did you see that MK2 TTS in Japan that was built for track days? Small mini feature that Dino did for Speedhunters. Was quite influential I thought.
> S


Thanks mate  
You mean the blue TTS? Haven't seen it in the flesh but I know the article you mean.



stevov said:


> Hi mate we're you ever on the MLR


Still am [smiley=cheers.gif] 
Had a bit of money left from the Evo and need a car, these things are ridiculously good value for the money and i've always liked them so here I am.

Ok so couple more small things crossed off the list.

Was a bit disappointed in the standard headlights not only the 'old' colour but the brightness (lack of) as well. Got me some el cheapo LEDs for the parking lights and some PIAA Arrow Star White H7's for the high beam. Had used these in my previous car and was quite happy with them.

Colour with the parkers is spot on, very white, but a little dim to what I wanted so have ordered a different set which should be brighter, but these are ok for now and much better than the 'brownish white' of the originals.









Have yet to go for a drive (raining cats and dogs at the moment) but these are much brighter than the originals. Standing up looking at it the originals seemed to have a wider throw, but squatting down in front of the car the new PIAAs are _MUCH_ brighter, literally blinding. The colour is spot on and matched the white of the HIDs


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

More small stuff checked off the list.

This time LEDs for the rear number plate. To be honest the ones I got are maybe actually too bright :lol: but will see how I feel, might get some weaker ones and use these in the boot but anyway we'll see.










Nice colour and much brighter









Before and after.
Too bright, or ok ? ?










Looks much more modern anyway.


----------



## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Too bright? What does that mean?! :twisted:

Looks spot on mate, I'd stick with them!


----------



## Horlixx (Aug 13, 2017)

Antthony said:


> Ok boyos the custom badge arrived and it's perfect


Hi Antthony
I love your build, you have some really nice touches. Could you explain a bit more about the badges you had made for the gear shifter (they definatly look sweet as) - how were they made, how could i source one here in the UK (what kind of business produces such an item) etc etc
Thx


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Horlixx said:


> Hi Antthony
> I love your build, you have some really nice touches. Could you explain a bit more about the badges you had made for the gear shifter (they definatly look sweet as) - how were they made, how could i source one here in the UK (what kind of business produces such an item) etc etc
> Thx


Thanks mate 
They were made by this company: http://beststickers.net/index.php?route=product/category&path=33_70
Service was good and turn around was pretty quick. Just do a search for Audi stickers, then when you find the design you like, just order them in the size you need and they make them up for you.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok boyos so getting the last of my light upgrades done, this time the 'foglights'.

Went for PIAA again this time the 'Northern Star White'.










This is the difference fresh out of the box with the original one still in the left headlight. They should get a little whiter and brighter after a little use. The colour is very close to the HIDs.










The following pictures are with the original one left and the new one on the right side.










Much better colour and good light, and seems to be a more even light. Again should get a little better after a while.
Still, was surprised the original one was so good.










. . . . and some random shots while I was at it 

One day i'll get some daytime photos :lol:














































Love this shot 










Ok no more posts on lights I promise :roll: :lol:

Now looking for somewhere to fit my suspension, flush and change the brake fluid, and do wheel alignment. I always fit my own suspension etc etc but am _really_ busy and am having trouble finding the time to do anything at all so will see how much the local Audi Tuning shops would sting me to do it all then take it from there.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

My young fella helped me do the wheels the other day. Bless


----------



## 1781cc (Jan 25, 2015)

you know this doesn't qualify as a daytime shot!

Super clean car by the way, tasteful mods, very nice


----------



## D11ps (Jul 24, 2017)

Any more updates??


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

A small one yes 

Just today I got my hands on a mint condition original AUDI cover for the TT.
Trial fit over the present cover for now.



















Also plan to go to a Circuit either this month or in January, and will finally be getting the suspension parts fitted.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Have been using the car a LOT the last few weeks, did my first really big drive down to Osaka and back, holy shit I CANNOT believe how good these things are on fuel  . . . . . I thought the trip meter was taking the piss until I stopped for fuel and the amount it took conformed the reading on the LCD. I had gone 360 klms and it only took about 15 litres. Nuts!

On the way down to Osaka going past Mt Fuji.




























Then off to Tsukuba Circuit on Tuesday;


----------



## 1781cc (Jan 25, 2015)

Lovely scenery, I was in Fujikawaguchiko, Odawara and Hakone a few years ago whilst passing from Tokyo to Kyoto/Nara. Such a lovely part of the world. Fuji is way bigger than you expect it to be, especially when you are tipping upside down on the Fuji-Q.

Car looks lovely as always. Whats all the boxes in the front window? radar?


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

1781cc said:


> Lovely scenery, I was in Fujikawaguchiko, Odawara and Hakone a few years whilst passing from Tokyo to Kyoto/Nara. Such a lovely part of the world. Fuji is way bigger than you expect it to be, especially when you are tipping upside down on the Fuji-Q.
> 
> Car looks lovely as always. Whats all the boxes in the front window? radar?


Thanks 
Oh yes that is a beautiful part of the World for going for a drive isn't it! And the wide angle of the camera doesn't show how big and close Fuji was.
You're gamer than me going on _that_ Rollercoaster lol 

The boxes are drive recorders, one facing forward and one facing back.


----------



## 1781cc (Jan 25, 2015)

yeah, its a pretty hairy experience, but my argument was that the Japanese are so good at design and meticulous in their engineering that whats the worst that could happen? plus, the seats are designed for smaller natives rather than 6' 4" gaijin...

I always fancied living and training there, my old instructor Lee Hasdell lived out there for years, really loved the place, always told me some great stories and experiences, said that although he was there working, living and training for such a long time, he always felt there was a little secret he was never allowed to see.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

1781cc said:


> yeah, its a pretty hairy experience, but my argument was that the Japanese are so good at design and meticulous in their engineering that whats the worst that could happen? plus, the seats are designed for smaller natives rather than 6' 4" gaijin...
> 
> I always fancied living and training there, my old instructor Lee Hasdell lived out there for years, really loved the place, always told me some great stories and experiences, said that although he was there working, living and training for such a long time, he always felt there was a little secret he was never allowed to see.


LMAO small world, Lee came over here and fought at around the same time as I was retiring (for the first time) in late 1995. I had 21 professional Kickboxing fights here in the early to mid 90's. I've been here a while haha.

http://bodysouljapan.com/profile

(scroll down, some pics from fighting on Japanese TV etc back in the day)


----------



## 1781cc (Jan 25, 2015)

Small world indeed, I trained with him for about 5 years before moving under Danny Batten, MMA rather than kickboxing but Lee always had that kickboxing/Shoot crossover mentality, he fought in Holland after all before hitting the rings network. He cornered me for my earlier fights, still a beast nowadays but he's mellowed out a lot with age (thankfully)

Kickboxing in those days was classic, Ramon Dekkers was brutally technical, amazing striker. So much of that is lost now.

Long topics for other days in other places. I'm back in nihonbashi muromachi in May, can't wait!


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

1781cc said:


> Long topics for other days in other places. I'm back in nihonbashi muromachi in May, can't wait!


Hit me up when you're coming over


----------



## 1781cc (Jan 25, 2015)

Antthony said:


> 1781cc said:
> 
> 
> > Long topics for other days in other places. I'm back in nihonbashi muromachi in May, can't wait!
> ...


Will do bud, thanks!


----------



## noc231073 (Jan 26, 2018)

Nice motor


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

noc231073 said:


> Nice motor


Thanks bud 

Went for a nice drive with my son on Sunday to the cruising Mecca.
Was a decent turn up for a cold and cloudy Sunday afternoon.




































































































etc etc :lol:

Found a workshop close by that maintains old school race cars and have booked the car in Wednesday to have the brake fluid properly 100% drained and replaced with Endless RF650 racing brake fluid then i'll hit the track properly in the following weeks (sooner rather than later). Might ask them for a quote to fit all the suspension parts I have and do geo (if they can) and if it's cheap enough i'll get that done too to save me the massive ball ache of doing it 

Getting closer now boyos :twisted:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Chipping away at the list.

AEM filter turned up, very happy with it and I honestly don't think there is need for anything more unless pushing a lot more power. I will probably fit an extension to the factory cold air intake in summer, but otherwise this is now done.

Also got a spare airbox just because 




























And something arrived from Germany . . . .










My old faithful helmet was due for replacing so I decided to get one of these beauties direct from Audi. Very happy with it, great fit and so light!


----------



## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Nice helmet!


----------



## tt ted (Nov 28, 2009)

Been meaning to catch up on this thread.

Awesome thread - do keep it going - makes me feel guilty for just using my TT and not developing it like this!

J


----------



## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

Helmets appear to be a genuine Audi accessory http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Uvex-Jet-Helm ... 2479106877


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok boyos back from a day at the track.

I took it to the Tsukuba 1000 metre sprint track (my favourite) which is _very_ hard on brakes and tyres, with many tight corners so is a good track to really see what a car is capable of and where it's weaknesses are. Big fast cars like R35 GTRs and Skylines in general are fairly useless on this track.










Anyway, to say I was shocked is an understatement. I was *4* seconds faster than a time that I would have been happy with. 4 seconds is massive on a track like this. I was lapping faster than Subarus, Skyline R34 GTS', Toyota 86's, Honda S2000s, and MX5's wearing semi slicks. 
I have a lot of experience on this track and know what benchmark times are here for standard cars and this was quick. To put it in perspective my time was the same as I did years ago in a lightly modified Lancer Evo.

Funnily I posted on the Facebook pages about the day, also saying that anyone who says these cars handle shit is an idiot or simply can't drive, and low and behold I already have 'experts' telling me it's not possible that it did as well as it did. 
Do I need to ask them which they are? :lol:

Anyway I did 3 sessions with the first in manual mode with ESP on. The second in sport mode with ESP on, and the last with ESP off and in sport mode. All to set benchmarks and learn how the car behaved. With each session I dropped at least a second of the previous best time.
The instant and constant torque and quickness of the DSG were major contributors to the good lap times i'm sure. Corner exit speeds were very impressive. A track like this really favours the power delivery of these cars.
Will be interesting to see how it goes on the 2000 metre track 

I've got some video I will post up later on, but here are some general pics of the day.


----------



## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Absolutely brilliant mate! Can't wait to see the video!


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

The Toyota 86 keeping with me was on semi slicks, the MX5's were on full slicks. Over all i'm very happy with how it went for a basically standard car and I see loads of potential for a real sleeper.
Fun times ahead 






*cars tend to look 'slow' on this track due to it being so open and flat and especially when filmed from up high. Even my 460bhp Evo looked miles different if in car video, or filmed from outside.

The only slight disappointment was how quickly the Michelins went off especially being winter. Will see if they fare better when the new suspension is on which if all goes well will be on the 16th.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

In car footage from the drive recorder. My fastest two laps.






Only gonna get faster from here :twisted:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok update time.

H&R lowered springs are fitted, along with Cookbot rear control arms, and camber plates on the front.
Drop is about 20mm front and 15mm rear, I expect a little more, hopefully in the rear.
The difference is interesting and I am very happy with it. Driving on good quality roads, it feels no different other than a _little _more tyre noise, ride quality is still quite nice. Bumpy roads and you obviously feel it more, but it's not near as severe as what the spring rates would suggest. 
Just goes to show how insanely undersprung these were from the factory.
To quote somebody else, the car now feels like it should have from the factory.

Geometry has been set at -1.36 deg front -1.24 deg rear for now, toe is 10' out in the front, and 30' in at the rear.
While I have not been for a really hard drive in it yet, I have thrown it hard at a couple of challenging corners that I used to often test my Evo on, and quite frankly it really surprised me at how quickly an easily it went around, especially with these tyres. The rear springs clearly push it round much better and combined with the geo it turns very _well_ for what it is. Way less understeer than say a Subaru WRX. Am very keen to see how good we can get it now.










_So_, I have since ordered some parts I was probably going to get eventually anyway, another set of Cookbot rear control arms, and for the front Cookbot inserts and 3397k Superpro bushes.
As soon as they arrive (hopefully later in the week) I will get them fitted up and then the fun starts 

Looks wise also, to me this is pretty much perfect.

Before and after.


----------



## SiW (Apr 20, 2017)

Very nice!

Remind me are they 18" rims?

Are you using standard shocks with the lowering springs?

I have some Eibach springs but not sure if I should change the shocks as well as they are still OK.

I have Powerflex bushes all round, but the caster correction Cookbots or Superpro's are tempting me!

Simon


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

SiW said:


> Very nice!
> 
> Remind me are they 18" rims?
> Are you using standard shocks with the lowering springs?


Hi Simon. Thanks yes they are 18x8 rims. It had 17's on it when I bought it but it looked like a skateboard.

And using the original shocks correct, the drop isn't enough to be an issue on these and my car is still fairly low mile. Definitely no bump, binding or bottoming out and feels really good.

Personally i'd only change them if the old ones are showing signs of failure or have done a lot of miles.


----------



## SiW (Apr 20, 2017)

Antthony said:


> SiW said:
> 
> 
> > Very nice!
> ...


Cheers - I need the top mounts doing anyway so with the cost of labour I'm wondering whether to get it all replaced but the shocks would be £579 for Bilstein B8s and £300 for fitting 

If just changing the springs do you think an adjustable rear tie bar is required or should there be enough camber adjustment still available? Guessing you replaced yours to give you specific camber angles on your setup for the track.

Simon


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

SiW said:


> Cheers - I need the top mounts doing anyway so with the cost of labour I'm wondering whether to get it all replaced but the shocks would be £579 for Bilstein B8s and £300 for fitting


Exactly how will you use the car and what condition / miles are your current shocks?

I think people are mad paying that much for Bilstein B8s to be honest _unless_ that is a similar price to what standard ones are (I wouldn't know). I would wager that 95% of people couldn't tell between a new set of standard shocks and the Bilsteins. It's amazing what placebo / expectation can do 

If they are a similar price to standard though then of course go the Bilsteins. OR make a big jump to a *quality *set of coil overs like Ohlins or KW.



SiW said:


> If just changing the springs do you think an adjustable rear tie bar is required or should there be enough camber adjustment still available? Guessing you replaced yours to give you specific camber angles on your setup for the track.


I asked this a million times myself, and the answer was generally "it depends on the car". Some apparently need them and others supposedly don't, but again use of the car, or how sensitive the driver is comes into play a lot.
I think getting a set is wise and will cover you just in case. If you are particular about geo like me then I would definitely advise it. They are also a lot more robust than the standard ones 

Cheers.


----------



## SiW (Apr 20, 2017)

Thanks for the advice - it's only for (fast) road driving.

Just back from service and the top mounts need doing so looks like Eibach springs and existing OEM shocks for me!

For the price difference of sports shocks vs coilovers seems that coilovers are a no brainer if they need replacing.

Simon


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so after a wait, the final components have arrived from Cookbot Automotive Solutions 

Another set of rear control arms and bushes, front caster kit, and front Cookbot defcon inserts. Hopefully will all be installed next week. Can't wait :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:










Also my son had been asking me to take him to Audisport HQ over here so we finally got these on Sunday. He was made up, and has decided he's not going to get an R35 GTR now, he wants an R8 or TTRS. Bless.



















He had to settle for a cup today :wink:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok so i've been busy!

Everything is fitted up, geo set at -2.3 deg camber front with a little toe out and over 8 deg caster, rear -1.3 deg camber with factory toe in settings. For now, it is much, much better, feels like it has a quicker steering rack lol. The Cookbots are worth it, caster kit is good.

Cornering as i've tested is way beyond expectations and am keen to see how it goes around a track. As I don't intend at this stage to change anything else, it will now be a matter of finding the right geo settings and tyre pressures for the track which will hopefully not take long, but we'll have to wait and see.

In the meantime I have bi yearly inspection coming up at the start of next month so in preparation for that am taking it to AUDI on Friday to get the brake pressure switch and water temp sender replaced. Time is not on my side so will just get the dealers to do it and take the hit. Not sure if time and money will allow a track day this month but again we'll see.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Bout time for an update lol, i've been slack :roll:

Ok so took it back to the same track and the result was it getting the same time as before *however* the ambient temp was 15 degrees c higher and the tyres were going off _much_ quicker and staying greasy. Having run at this particular track probably 15 times over the years I am fairly confident that in the same conditions it would have been _at least_ a second quicker. It definitely felt better in the corners and there was less roll, so overall the suspension mods were a success and for now I will leave the geo as it is.




























*Big news*, i've been invited by Audi Sport Japan to race at Fuji Speedway on the 22nd in an all Audi 10 lap race :twisted:

It's a very long, high speed track and being the peak of summer i'm a bit worried about oil and water temps but will monitor what I can via OBD link and back off it it gets too nasty.
The weekend is a round of the Blancpain GT series so there will be a lot of international teams there, gonna be epic :mrgreen:

https://www.blancpain-gt-series-asia.com


----------



## SiW (Apr 20, 2017)

Epic - well deserved.

Simon


----------



## alexgreyhead (Oct 12, 2015)

Wow!

I love this car - great to see a V6 doing so well on the track, too. :mrgreen:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks guys 

Got the entry list the other day . . . . some pretty serious cars lol.










:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Should make for some great in car video though!
I will do my best to represent :twisted:

Also these goodies arrived today 










Counting the sleeps now.


----------



## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Awesome!! I think you'll win your class at least! Good luck with all those R8's mind you!! :lol: :lol:


----------



## Pukmeister (Dec 27, 2017)

Go kick some ass !!


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Ok boyos, incoming :lol:

Where do I start? Well the day was 40 bloody degrees c and 80% humidity so I was worried about the engine temps and brakes.
But, they were fine. I removed the front grills to allow a bees dick more air in and made some brake air guides last week.
I also used OBD Link to monitor water temp and surprisingly it never went over 112 degrees c.
Admittedly I could have braked much later than I was but decided to err on the side of caution and wait until cooler months before trying to put some good times down. But considering that I was lapping only a second slower than the A1 Cup race cars that were on semi slicks and whose driver's know the track like the back of their hand (was my first time on the track), I was satisfied with how I went 

Also regarding the car, several of the new Audis including a TTRS were really feeling the heat and a couple of cars were in limp mode at the end, so the ol' 3.2 Mark 1 did itself proud I reckon.

Driver's briefing










Ready for action





































This happened in practice [smiley=bigcry.gif]












































Was bloody hot!




























Scored a drive in a brand new R8 plus too  Took my son for a fang.










*Check it out! *  :evil:


----------



## Tuscan12 (Mar 3, 2018)

Looks like you had a great day! 3.2's are pretty quick in the right pair of hands. How did your tyres hold up?


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Tuscan12 said:


> Looks like you had a great day! 3.2's are pretty quick in the right pair of hands. How did your tyres hold up?


There was a ton of rubber and crap on the track like i'd never seen.
These are the tyres from one of the others in the race lol:










But I think this guy was driving off line a bit too much aye  :lol:

So yeah it was greasy but the tyres weren't as near bad as i'd feared and I think in cooler months they'll be fine on that track.


----------



## Pukmeister (Dec 27, 2017)

Wow, much respect to the old V6, out there playing rough with the big boys and putting in a good showing. 

Your car is a credit to you mate.


----------



## NickG (Aug 15, 2013)

Just watched it all on the Tellybox... awesome video! What a brilliant opportunity, glad the car smashed the day mate and you done the TT racing crew proud! 8)

I have one small negative... chewing gum while racing... you bloody madman!! :lol:


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks guys 



NickG said:


> I have one small negative... chewing gum while racing... you bloody madman!! :lol:


Haha yeah I don't normally do that


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Added a Fuji Speedway license to the collection today.










Had a run on the track in the afternoon and despite it raining the whole time I managed to better my 2:23 of a few weeks ago by 8 seconds (2:15) and was pretty happy with that.










2:15 was best lap. most were 2:17.









The front brake pads weren't liking having to pull the car up in sub 200 metres from 225 kmh downhill, so some Endless CC38 track pads will be on order for next time and I should hopefully be able to brake at the 150 meter mark consistently


----------



## TTSingh (Feb 14, 2015)

Looks awesome!


----------



## kanapa_dh (Dec 23, 2016)

holy moly  well done mate ! that is awesome! we have in Polish KlubTT.pl one guy who rebuild 1.8 to race and he already won few of races  here is link to his topic (i know is in polish :/ ) https://www.klubtt.pl/showthread.php?17 ... tro/page26

However really great JOB !!!


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Thanks for the kind words 

Apologies for being quiet, have had a lot of heavy personal stuff going on the past several months, but looking to get back on the track asap this year once the smoke eventually clears.
I was offered a drive in the Audi Sport cup one make series for this year but had to put that on hold for the time being. I have also kindly been offered a possible drive in an RS3 LMS later in the year so hopefully that eventuates at least. We'll see I guess.

The car is getting used a LOT though and my son helps me clean and detail it when the weather permits so it's still getting plenty of love and running completely faultlessly.

Such a great little car and always a pleasure to drive.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Looking at the date and time of the above post..., that was literally an hour before I got in the car and headed up to the Hospital to see my fiance. Unfortunately when I got there she had passed away. Fkn Hospital didn't call me like they were supposed to.

She had been battling cancer for a couple of months and is what had been taking all my time up and is why I have been quiet on here and why my part time drive with Audi Sport hasn't started, I had completely stopped working and everything else to be with her all day every day at home and then in Hospital because literally nothing else mattered. 
FML

Really really feel lost now and can honestly say that my car hobby is pretty much all that is helping me get through the days.

New FIA spec helmet for the new season.










So I have been doing a few small things when I feel up to it, touching up minor paint damage, and decided to attack the dreaded sinking headliner which had not been an issue on this car until last summer being at the track so many times the constant long sun exposure. Was a turd of a job to get the headliner out without damaging anything but was successful in the end. It wasn't difficult, to get out, but putting it back in was a pain.

This is what it was like :roll:



















Got some of this







as it seemed the most appropriate, I didn't bother with replacing the sponge sheet as it would have been a mission to get for a start. It did mean that the headliner material fit was slightly different going back on, but if you don't know you probably would never notice.

Don't know what i'm going to do moving forward, I love this car, but sitting in it now and my lady not being next to me kinda stings and I really don't want to drive it. Maybe that will ease over time, I don't know.

Sorry for the depressing post, I wanted to update the thread but i'm still feeling a bit lost, and we had some great memories with this car.


----------



## GARAGE HERMIT (Mar 7, 2015)

anthony, my condolences to you,


----------



## BrianB (Apr 15, 2016)

Very sad to hear Anthony, my condolences to you.


----------



## Antthony (Jul 29, 2016)

Just wanted to update and say that after a couple months of Soul searching I decided to part company with the car. 
It's a shame as I loved that car and enjoyed surprising people with it at the track, but it was just one more thing that reminded me of my loss and it took the enjoyment out of driving it and it literally just sat that under the cover for months.

Cheers.


----------



## desertstorm (Apr 25, 2017)

So sad to read about your fiance, life is anything but fair some times and you have to wonder what you have done to deserve it. But you have your son to look after and you must move on, and I can see why you would not want to keep the car, hard to enjoy it like you used to. Look forwards and not back too much,Just like racing.


----------

