But but he works on high end exotics like Porsches, Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Maseratis, etc and the floors are really shiny! He must know what he is talking about man, just look at how shiny the floors are man!
Some people are a joke dude.
so that’s a guy selling a tune, and he’s trying to take shots at JHM? while providing no proof that his tune does a fucking thing?
and he tuned a B6…cabriolet…tiptronic?
Yeah, sounds like a guy I want to talk to about performance modifications lol. He bought the perfectly worst possible S4 for performance.
When he posts a bullshit video of 1 gear…and then starts saying things like the convertible is 500 lbs heavier than the sedan (it’s about 250 lbs) … and saying that he’s losing 10% power because he’s in a tiptronic…that’s a red flag’
when a guy’s excuses are rolling out before submitting any timed acceleration runs, you know to run away.
Would be great if someone would tune a B67 S4 for performance, but let’s be realistic, about 20 companies have tried, and only 1 has put up meaningful gains. JHM. Everyone wants to complain in that section about the ‘JHM fanboys’…but who the fuck’s fan do they suggest people be? APR? GIAC? The slimeball one-off guys who tune cars that go slower than stock? You’re god damned right everyone is a JHM fanboy in there. They’re the only ones to make the car faster! Same goes for the NA RS4. Same goes for the NA S5.
And who are the guys calling everyone fanboys and complaining?
Guys with ties to JHM’s competitors. Oh, shocker. I’m sure they’re impartial lol. How about Corbett and his buddy starting a business for AMD in Detroit. So Corbett is in there shitting on JHM? Wow, wonder why. How about his best bud Meow the manatee…he’s in there shitting on JHM again? Hmm…not because he’s up Corbett’s shorts, is it? Or the other guy who is trying to sell a tune for the B6…really, he’s antijhm? How about martin00789 or whatever he is. Oh that’s Martin Caca (yugoslavian word for shit I believe)…the other guy with the hand in the AMD detroit business.
Gee those guys are just looking out for the community. What good guys.
Well said. You have a bunch of last place loosers trying to call all the happy well taken care of JHM customers fan boys. While the loosers have nothing to show… they have never accomplished anything other then looking foolish for there bad car choises and slow cars. They are trying so desperatly to ruin the b6 S4 just like they did with the B5 s4 that is now the single slowest car platform in the audi brand because of people like them.
So like most of AZ its someone trying to sell something that is a lessor product . How do you do that on AZ easy just go and bash the sucuessfull company. You start to make outlandish clams and wait for the lower class loosers who hate the sucuess of JHM to chime in. This isnt anything new. Its the same sad old story that is AZ. Everytime some random guy makes a product or wants to make money without advertising. This happens.
I’m not for this guy at all. I am curious what it is he and his buddy concocted. I also said in that thread that you should stick with JHM for a few reasons.
I dont really know anything about tuning and just trying to learn a little myself. My question above was a legitimate response to Justin. Justin mentioned cam adjustment and that guy mentioned cam timing. Are they the same thing? Reading it i would assume they are. I linked the post here mainly because im surprised it wasnt linked here earlier.
TBH the B7 section has really died off lately and AZ is turning into a place where they make JHM fans seem like bullies if you dont own their products and if you try something else your revolutionary and blah blah.
I am pretty new to the B6/B7 S4 category. I’ve noticed coming into it that there are only a select few companies that actually know what they are doing. JHM seems to be one of those. I don’t think that JHM is the end all be all of performance companies, but considering the options, i’d say they are doing quite a good job. I think the only other company i have seen that is doing decent (don’t flame me for not knowing all of the companies) is APR. I follow threads on AZ and here as well. I don’t claim or try to sound like i know a LOT about the platform, but i’m not new to Audi/Volkswagen and have built a decent GTI VR6 in the past. (block up)
The thread on AZ is an interesting one due to me owning a 2005.5 TIP s4. JHM told me that they cannot tune my TCU, so i’ve been looking for some alternatives. JHM obviously has the best (IMO) tune for the car, but that’s an ECU tune. This guy on AZ claims to tune the ECU in such a way that it makes a difference in how the car shifts(changing something with the TC lockup or keeping the RPM’s above 3k…something like that). I obviously would never just run out and have some random joe schmo touch my car without having LOTS and LOTS of successfully tuned/built S4’s.( as JHM has done) i’m curious to see where the “Fabspeed” tune goes. If what the guy says is correct, and he does infact tune lambo’s and ferrari’s, it’s safe to say that he knows how to tune a ecu. Is the S4 much different? I would love more power from my S4, however, reliability is probably the top concern for me due to the cost of the S4 engine. Gaining 15hp is great (not actual numbers, just using an example) but at the cost of a much shorter engine lifespan…ill pass.
The JHM tunes are in fact smart enough to hold back power if it means saving the engine/system. In addition, JHM has the fastest Audi cars running down the quarter mile strip. So whether you want reliability, or whether you want performance, JHM tunes have you covered.
Using your example - and I mean this constructively and respectfully - adding 15hp on a dyno sheet amounts to squat in the real world if a tuner doesn’t post repeatable times in the quarter mile sprint. The competition’s extra horsepower numbers don’t seem to translate into making a faster quarter mile pass. I’d be much prouder of a faster car than I would be of a bunch of dyno hype.
The specifics of the above quote are a little foggy, and this is starting to stray from the original topic, but I thought this info would help you.
Does your 2005.5 Tip have a six speed automatic? Or a five speed automatic? I can’t remember if the 2005.5 is the B7 S4, or if it’s the B6 S4 with a facelift. I think the 2005.5 is the B6 (with a five speed auto).
When talking about locking up a high stall torque converter, “stall” refers to when the car is in drive, but the brakes prevent you from rolling forward. You will still idle along as normal when you release the brakes with a high stall torque converter. “Lock up” is when there is no more “stall”, and the engine is basically coupled with the transmission. Think of “stall” as a slipping manual tranmission clutch. Think of “lock up” as when the manual clutch is fully engaged.
I’m not sure what JHM can do for the older Tip’s, and maybe it is in fact a dead end for the older platforms, but as an example, they can change the torque converter lock up on a C6 platform V10 engine S6. In this case it goes from a stock torque converter lock up at 1500rpm, to JHM setting on the torque converter to lock up at 2400rpm.
A high stall torque converter means that you can increase the rpm (and engine power) before that engine power is transferred to your transmission. This allows you to rev up for more power at launch without destroying anything in your transmission, by limiting the power seen by your transmission until the rpm reaches the higher lock up value. Depending on the car, you can sometimes double the torque output at launch (or more) by changing the stall from locking up at 1500rpm, to locking up at 2500rpm. The idea is to get the rpm up high enough in order to get near the peak torque value, for max pull at launch. This is why you see people rev up a performance built manual transmission and dump it for a better launch. This peak torque value is usually realized around 3000rpm, which is why you recall “changing something with the TC lockup or keeping the RPM’s above 3k…something like that”.
So since the “high stall” value can be thought of as a slipping clutch, you can imagine that fuel economy WILL suffer if you go ahead with a high stall on your torque converter. Usually high stall torque converters are a drag-race-only kinda endeavor, or, used on a second vehicle that isn’t driven daily. Ya know. And, anyone driving a Lambo doesn’t give a flying fink about fuel economy.
BEWARE: Higher torque converter stall speeds mean the converter makes a lot more heat than stock, from the hydraulic fluid friction inside the converter (it is a fluid coupling). A high stall converter could cause enough heat to quickly and easily destroy your transmission if you hold it on the line long enough. That red light traffic light, waiting for the green light launch, could be a grenade about to go off inside your transmission. So if an upgraded transmission fluid cooler isn’t part of the initial offering by this guy on AZ, then you might wanna run for your life. Maybe for Lambos, and for all the ultra exotic stuff he says that he works on, maybe for these cars, the transmission cooling setup is amazing already, so maybe it’s not a concern (?). Our four door cars are not purpose-built race cars. If your stall is gonna be above 3000rpm, as you mentioned, then you would wanna source an appropriate sized auxiliary heat exchanger and find a place to put it. If you do pursue this guy, then don’t mention the additional transmission cooling to him. When you start pricing, please pay close attention as you get into the nitty gritty of all components involved. I suggest not mentioning it to him because if he doesn’t specify physically upgrading the transmission cooling as part of this 3000+rpm high stall plan (during the pricing details), then he may indeed have life experience with tuning exotics that don’t have transmission heating problems, but he may not be a hot rodder of normal street cars. And/or his exotic car customers may be having transmission problems down the line, that either he isn’t advertising, or that aren’t being brought to his attention. BIG caution on this “upgrade” if you’re not experienced.
A much better idea in my opinion, instead of pursuing a high stall torque converter, would be to ditch the five speed auto, and do a six speed manual transmission conversion, or, cut your losses and change to a newer platform to get the six speed automatic in the B7. If you go for the high stall converter, and your transmission melts, then you may be facing this crossroads eventually anyways. Worth considering. When it comes to transmission upgrades, six gears can simply run faster down the quarter mile than the five gears in the B5/B6 Tiptronics. The B7 platform has a six speed automatic. Think of the extreme example of two guys facing uphill on bicycles. Guy number one is on an 18 speed mountain bike, on “easy gear”, and guy number two is on a BMX bike with one small gear. Who launches faster, assuming all other factors equal? It’s the guy with more gears, right. You will get a LOT more of what you’re looking to accomplish if you do the manual six speed transmission conversion, with a solid shifter, and a performance clutch (JHM can help with all of this). Or, if you wanna keep the stock look and feel of the automatic, then I suggest the B7 platform. I chose the newer gen B7 platform for my project (oh the heart ache of letting go!!), since the six speed manual conversion with performance manual clutch rides a bit like an on/off switch for the drivetrain.
Hope this helps you with your decision VinnyS4!
I saw that thread too. I think the OP on AZ was highlighting that logging a JHM tuned S4 showed overall timing advance, but his logs also showed that the JHM tune doesn’t utilize cam phase changes. So he was saying theres potentially power left on the table from not modding cam phasing from the stock.
Great post boatmobile
Eddie I didnt think you were buying into what the guy in that thread was saying. I basically was pointing out that some guy trying to sell something that already has an AX to grind is trying to post his bias oppinions as fact. For several reasons the guy shouldnt be trusted but I wouldnt trust his assesment of anything
From logging any car his or a JHM car. My car and several other peoples cars picked up over twice what that one guy is talking about after getting JHM tuned.
Boatmobile… in order to not just quote everything you have said, ill just reply to it. Thanks for the information on that topic. I wasn’t trying to stray this off from the original topic (transmissions vs downpipes), just adding a little information from another source based on the replies given.
I do infact have the 2005.5 (facelifted) with the 6 speed Automatic (not 5 speed). Trading it out for a manual would leave my lady learning how to drive a stick and it would leave me with the cost of a clutch replacement (or two depending on how long it takes her to get the hang of it.) Not quite what i’m looking for. I enjoy the vehicle i have (even though i would love a much faster car) and i plan on keeping it for a while.
I know what Torque converter lockup is…wasn’t talking about changing at what RPM’s it stalls at or even swapping the TC out for a different one with a different numerical RPM lockup point, just giving a little (un-useful obviously) information on what the guy was talking about. The guy posts are super long and i didn’t feel like posting that much useless information on this site. For a better understanding, please feel free to go read the topic (i can get the link if you want).
a few quotes from the guy’s post:
" The only one that I’ve changed that’s had any significant effect is the cam timing, both on the V6 and the V8. However, based on logs that I’ve seen of their V6 tune, I know for fact that they didn’t touch them on that file. So I have no reason to believe that they did on the V8 either. That’s why I would really like to see some logs, because if they left them stock, then there’s definitely power being left on the table. " (he is talking about JHM’s tune)
"I can confirm that they do not re calibrate the cam timing. Where the tune makes power is by adding timing, and LOTS of it (between 5-8 degrees depending on load). (in addition to the usual re calibration of the torque structuring/throttle/and a little bit of fueling control) I’m not going to get into the specifics of how they do it, but there, that’s where JHM makes their gains. "
"As I said, on m model year (2005) there’s no way of reprogramming the TCU short of pulling it out and separating the EEPROM from the Mechtronic board. The 2006 and up TCU can be reprogrammed via the OBD port, but there are no self tuning options available for Audi’s at the moment. "
"Finally, I want to be clear, I didn’t say that this tune made the car shift any faster. That’s squarely a function of the TCU as you said. However, what you CAN do, if you scale things right, is cheat and force the ECU to demand load values that at least get the transmission into lock-up faster. At least there, the car will respond to throttle inputs rather than just slip the TC around like a CVT. "
“I’m not claiming that the tune makes a tip shift any faster, just that it’s easier to summon downshifts and that the motor is more inclined to stay above 2000 RPM and therefore in TC lock-up, which makes transient responses much cleaner and crisper).”
"Regarding the interaction between the TC and throttle, my understanding is that they’re interrelated. But no matter what, above about 2500 RPM the converter will lock. Below that, the TCU determines the slip rate. So the trick is to make the ECU request enough torque to get you into lock-up sooner.
That said, there’s only so much you can do before the TCU will start limiting the torque output.
The workaround that I came up with was to make ‘S’ mode more usable by making it less jerky off the line"
In the end i could care less who makes a “better” tune or whose tune gives a numerical number that is higher than another’s. 2 cars that make 500 HP aren’t exactly going to accelerate at the same rate if the area under the torque curves are different. If i tune my car, i’ll go JHM. They told me they cannot do anything for the TCU on the 2005.5 models due to (iirc) it being located inside the transmission, So when i saw someone claiming they can manipulate the car into acting like you have done something to the TCU without doing anything to it, i was interested.
Now back to the damaged DP discussion.