orangecrush

I had a couple of questions that I thought would be best answered in one thread.

1. What is your list of the best performance upgrades/dollar?

2. What is the most current aftermarket chip available?

3. Where do you do most of your parts shopping and why?

Landseer

Depends on year of car.

Leon Speed

0. What model/year do you have?

1. X-pipe
2. Depends on your model/year
3. There are four parts vendors on this board: 928sRus, 928 Specialists, 928 International and 928 Motorsports. All are good, try em out to see which you like best. Most people here spread their money around. Then there are other/specialty vendors, such as Hooked on Cars, Paul Champagne, Black Sea R&D, Porken. Did I forget any??

orangecrush

87' s4 5 speed

928autobahndreamer

Lets please not start the favorite 928 parts supplier thing again. Any of the sponsors here are fantastic to work with 928 International, 928 Specialists, 928 Motorsports, 928sRUs. I have used them all and have not had a bad experience. I want all of the suppliers to do well, as the more options we have the better.

In terms of best upgrades, the best thing to do is make sure everything is working as good as it was when it left the factory. There is a lot of HP and performance that is left on the table when little things are not working (knock sensors, Hall sensor, MAF, O2 sensor, etc.......)

After that, depending on model year there are a lot of options. If it is an 85-86, look up PorKen. He has done some fantastic work on these cars with development of some very cool parts, tools and chips.

Otherwise, an X-Pipe is a good bang for the buck option.

For big HP it is definately a supercharger.

928autobahndreamer

Wow, several people posted while I was composing that.

Franks928s

Orangecrush-you may want to look at Porken regarding the chips if you have an OB model. Lots of positive posts in this forum regarding them.

To add to Aryan's list, Classic Nine is also a leather/vinyl/interior vendor, as is Paul Champagne. They both are very credible. Also, don't be afraind to stray from the crowd a bit. Sometimes vendors have some 928 stuff but market primarily to the 911 crowd. Vertex is an example.

Lastly, play with the search engine on here. It's addicting and , if you are like me, you will burn hours reading a lot of good stuff when you were planning on 10.

Frank

hopwood

Forget about upgrades unless you KNOW the car is running right and putting out factory power. MAF, leads, engine mounts (not related to HP but still important) etc etc.

Joel - ex 87 S4 manual. What was the first thing I bought for it? X pipe. Total waste of money! MAF was toasted...

GlenL

A half-hour of dyno time. Find out how the car is running. Then fix what's wrong.

I'll suggest new plugs and having the fuel injectors cleaned as the best bang per buck.

mark kibort

headers and exhaust, and if you are talking 2 valvers, going to euro intake and cams

Gretch

"Bang fer buck"?

How big a bang? How many bucks?

in ascending order: (Yes, AFTER the car is brought up to factory spec)

RMB

X pipe & hi-flow cats

"Supershark"

orangecrush

Thanks for the tips on getting the car ready before actually buying extra performance parts.

Is autoauthority still the best chip available for the 1987 S4?

Also, my car will probably move to California next year. I need to have cats on the car to pass smog. Doesn't the x-pipe remove the cats? The car already has an RMB.

I may just go for the stage 1 supercharger kit form 928 motorsports in the near future. Before I do that, I will have the car running like a fine tuned fiddle.

Leon Speed

X-pipe can be fitted with or without cats, there are cats with different cpi available. Maybe somebody from California can chime in on what's required to pass smog over there.

redpathtribe

I agree with the others that the very best bang for your buck is to make sure everything is working as it should. You'd be amazed at what a new set of plugs and wires can do, especially if wires are original!

I notice you're location says Phoenix and you've only posted a few times. If you're new to your S4 and you need a professional to look at it in town, I would highly recommend having Dan Warner at Exotic Motorwerks give your 928 a good once over. If you're already a decent hands on kind of car guy, and you know 928's, then you're all set.

Agree with the x-pipe being the next big step if you already have an RMB. You can get them with high-flow cats that only lose a couple horse power compared to running without.

For overall performance, bang for your buck, a decent set of wheels and good tires can make a huge difference in feel and handling of your S4 too.

orangecrush

Redpathtribe, how did you get your rear wing painted? Is it smooth or rough in texture? Any recommends? How do you like your 19" wheels for everyday driving?

Thanks for the tip on a repair shop...I live in north Phoenix, what part of Scottsdale are they located?