the 4000lb heft is noticeable maneuvering. Understeer/push is also troublesome. I’m thinking of getting a stiff front roll bar to tune that out alittle. I was also running factory spec alignment, I will ask to get more neg camber next time. Brake fade was an issue in the later sessions, as I got more comfortable with the car/track and was pushing pace alittle more. Not sure if I want to go the route of NACA ducts, BBK, or both with this car. I am already running slotted 2 piece rotors, HPS 5.0 pads, SS lines, and Motul 600.
Then again, rather than adapting/improving this car’s weakness, I am considering buying a track prepped E30, E36, 350z, or S2000 and calling it a day.
fastest I went was 117mph on the front straight…felt like I was going mach 10! and had to increase my braking zone by a fair bit. it also didn’t help that it was a decreasing radius corner after the straight.
A stiff front sway bar will add more understeer to the chassis, you want a stiff rear bar and softer front bar to get more rotation. I think brake fade will always be an issue if you push the car hard enough. Hard to throw down for a BBK when you’ve already paid for 2-piece rotors, maybe you can get some money from the used market.
I also want an e36 track car, just don’t have the cash at this point. I figure about 6k for a clean 6MT with less than 130k miles, needing another 2k in upgrades (would really like a roll cage) and 1k in consumables. I’ll probably get one a year from now (one more track season on the S4).
Can you give me some feedback on the slotted 2 piece rotors and HPS 5.0 pads?
I was considering nearly exactly that. Stock pads right now with stock rotors. The car simply will not stop!
Have you found any significant change going to the 2 piece with new pads? FWIW I am also adding in SS lines next season.
You should try Castrol SRF if you are having fluid fade issues on Motul 600. Once your pedal starts to get soft on Motul, it’s pretty much a done deal. But SRF will still work–the wet boiling point is some 100f higher than Motul.
I also agree on getting a track dedicated car. There are too many compromises to overcome on the S4–but those compromises is what makes it such an excellent double duty dd/track car. IMO the biggest issue is the brakes. If that can be solved, then the rest is easy IMO. Nothing an alignment can’t fix–even on stock springs and struts.
What springs/shocks/coilovers are you running? The car looks pretty low. Putting a big front bar on will reduce entry understeer, but make it worse for mid corner and on-power situations. Depends on what you are looking to solve based on your preferred driving style!
Drob23, talk to me when you go down the E36 route
I was prepping an E36 big time and am very familiar with solving the “BMW problems” that car has.
IIRC the parts cost was 3k in track prep goodies. This is just stuff to make it reliable for road course duty!
I have a rule that a track car shouldn’t be older than the youngest participant in the event. A 1992 BMW is out. Unless you want to be that guy dumping fluid all over the track with 99 problems on the paddock, like you’re in a Lemons race. It’s expensive to track an S4 but it’s reliable to also.
What a beast. Just wow, the consumable cost is going to be big. But talk about a great weapon out of the box.
No mods needed, it’s already track prepped from factory. My Boss 302 needed literally nothing (well ok, pads and the factory brake ducts to be installed). No oil starve, fuel starve, no temp issues, proper bushings, brakes, tires…even suspension top hats are hardened over the more pedestrian versions.
Give it a nice alignment and be ready to pay for tie rods/ball joints/tires/rotors/pads and you’re set
Stuff happens so quickly in cars like that. Requires a mild brain adjustment to drive well. So entertaining!!
It looks incredible…flat plane high-revving V8, I wonder what the redline will be. Also the cost :o Brakes: 394mm F/380mm R …wow…they sound menacing too. 10.5" wide front wheels and 11" wide rear.
I don’t track so I have nothing to offer, however…never once in my life have I seriously considered owning an American sports car until 2 minutes ago. I’ll go see that Mustang in the showroom when it becomes available.
this is a great colour with dark wheels. Is it Quartz Grey? Was this colour cancelled after the tsunami in Japan? It’s awesome but I hardly ever see any. I’ve seen maybe two. There are a good half a dozen on AR (primetime might be the most famous one).
I have probably about 1000 road miles and 2 track days under that setup. I do think it’s a step up in performance. The reason I got the 2piece rotors (they are OEM size) is to mitigate rotor cracking/warping. My friend who does lots of HPDE events has told me horror stories of his one piece rotors cracking after just 2 track days (he runs in the HPDE level3 group). And one story where some guy’s rotors literally exploded. According to ECS, they are also directionally vaned, so I hope there is a slight reduction in temps compared to stock. Aesthetics-wise, they look pretty good. I do wish that they also offered them in slotted only.
Unsure about longevity, as I run a street performance pad opposed to the more abrasive track pads. Now about the HPS 5.0s. I run the 5.0s in the front and regular HPS in the back. It’s funny, in normal everyday driving, if I get squeal, it’s from the rears. Compared to stock, there is somewhat less initial bite, so they may not be for you if that’s what you want to preserve. But the pedal feel is more linear, so I think modulation is better. The braking force is very proportional to the amount of pedal travel and feels more consistent. At optimum temps, if you are braking hard, with my Hankook Ventus and dry road conditions, you will overwhelm traction and the ABS will kick in. I think they will complement race compound tires nicely.
With my setup: SS lines, ECS 2piece rotors, HPS 5.0 pads, motul 600, I was encountering brake fade towards the end of the session.
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And as i was learning the track/car and finally started to push alittle harder.
If i was going to be serious about tracking the s4, i would definitely get brake ducting done, and probably move to the BBK.
I will be most likely be building a track specific car. I am looking seriously at a 2004 A4 that I am gonna gut the interior and put in a 1/2cage, race seat, harness and wheel. The 2010 S4 sits at 4000lbs, and i can feel its heft in the corners, and it eats rotors/pads.
The A4 i am looking at has pretty sorted engine with the AWE turbo and GIAC tune. It puts down alittle more HP than my Stg 1 B8, and it will be at least 1000lbs lighter.
You mention ABS - I can get ABS to kick in on stock pads also. However, are you meaning to state that the HPS 5.0 are more difficult to modulate, and ABS can come in more unexpectedly, or it can be triggered with less effort?
My issue with stock pads is that initial bite is not the best (for my preferences), and the bite is not proportional to pedal force. There isn’t much bite after you get like 65% into the pedal. Between 65 and 100%, you are only getting what feels like 80% return in bite (vague description is vague, i know :D). Have you tried the old HP+? I wonder how the new HPS 5.0 compare with those. HP+ were noisey, and were only good to like 1000f temps. HPS 5.0 are good to 1200f, but who knows what bite is like at those temps.
i feel like with the ABS /VSC enabled, you can engage the ABS (under dry pavement conditions) earlier with my setup. I am assuming what I am feeling is that the braking forces is overwhelming my tire grip. I am running hankook ventus evo2s…which are a good street tire. I’d like to try a set of heatcycled toyo R888s next. I think they will complement the setup now.
i’ve abandoned the B5/B6 A4 idea for now. I am still browsing for decent track prepped 944s or E36s.
