cueman Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 i've never modified any cars, but out of curiosity, if you wanted to get a meaningful improvement on the acceleration from, say a 30 mph to 90/100 mph time closer to an RS4, putting it in terms of BHP increase, what anyone's guess at to what you'd need. ...and how feasable would it be if you wanted to retain reliability and avoid knackering the engine?? [a general Q, as i have no idea what the actual 30-100 fig is for eith r32 or rs4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 If you want to look at B7 RS4 figures, it's the torque you would mostly care about, but you'd need to consider the power to weight ratio (power being calculated from the combination of engine speed and torque). The RS4 pushes out 400+ bhp and weighs about 1.6 tonnes, so that's a power to weight ratio of around 250 bhp per tonne (400/1.6). Given the R32 weighs just over 1.5 tonnes, using that formula in reverse (250 x 1.5), you'd need to push 375+ bhp. Use the precise figures for bhp and weight for the applicable cars to get an exact answer The only reliable way to get that kind of power is with forced induction - Helfinger's car ran 378 bhp with the Stage 3 VF Engineering s/c conversion, so that's cams, supercharger, increased PSI. How big's your wallet? You'll need the best part of £9K for that conversion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Apparently, the Beemer M3 is faster than the RS4 because of the power to weight ratio. Too many people judge performance on the bhp numbers imo. Imo, times from 30-100 mph are far more meaningful than 0-60. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritey Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 Don't say that Robin, my mini doesn't get much above 60 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark_90 Posted May 23, 2007 Report Share Posted May 23, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Apparently, the Beemer M3 is faster than the RS4 because of the power to weight ratio. Too many people judge performance on the bhp numbers imo. Imo, times from 30-100 mph are far more meaningful than 0-60. [/ QUOTE ] I would imagine that drivetrain loss comes into that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cueman Posted May 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 THanks for the responses guys. I'm thinking of an RS4 avant as the next car at some point. On the face of it, a very different car, but to me, they can both carry 4 in comfort, both 4wd, both relatively understated (cp 911, M3, evo's etc etc), and with the seats down, the r32 has a lot of useable space. At the moment, an (almost)1yr old RS4 is approx 25k more than a 1yr R32 (tho i assume this will narrow over time, as the rs4 dep's more quickly). So i aks myself, is that price diff worth it for a second off 60, and (considerably?) more mid-range acceleration? Hence, if u could narrow the gap in performance in a material way for say £5-7k, then it might be a viable alternative. Having owned a few very expensive cars in the past, i'm all too aware that if 7k wouldn't even cover the 1st year's dep'n. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Very, very different cars, the R32 and RS4. If all you're basing your decision on is 0-60 and 30-100, I don't think that's the right thing to do. As well as handling and practicality, you might also Want to think about the fuel consumption, which will hit you at about 18mpg average. The original B5 RS4 still holds its value fantastically well. IIRC, they were £42K originally and a good example 2001 model will still fetch £25K after 6 years. Immaculate ones go for £30K. I would expect the B7 RS4 to hold its value pretty well also, although they will probably take a dip when the new RS5 and RS4 come out next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cueman Posted May 24, 2007 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 yes, you're quite right about 01 residuals. But the initial 2-3 yrs depn on the latest rs4 will still be high, and esp when the new M3 comes along. Re. mpg... you're right there too... but my last car was an AMG with 5.4th V8 supercharged engine, close to 500 bhp.. so the prospect of 18mpg seems positively frugal! Incidentally, in anything other than a straight line, the R32 is considerably quicker than the amg, despite half the horses. at the end of the day, the R32's almost impossible to better as an all-round car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 That's why I'm having such a hard time making a final decision as to what to replace the Mk4 R32 with. The list is narrowing, but it's still bloody hard to make a decision to get close to the enjoyment I've had out of this car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khutula Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 [ QUOTE ] That's why I'm having such a hard time making a final decision as to what to replace the Mk4 R32 with. The list is narrowing, but it's still bloody hard to make a decision to get close to the enjoyment I've had out of this car. [/ QUOTE ] Any clues as to what is on your short list Mook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Nope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khutula Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Nope. [/ QUOTE ] Will wait and see what you get - whatever it is I am sure its going to be a beast Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rs32 Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Mook - how about a BIALI Motorpsort prepared BMW 320/325 touring, circa 1993 with 150k on the clock £500 for the car then just hire Dan's workshop and Jimmy's pliers for track prep Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Love to Rich, but I've have to find somewhere to store the 1.8T R300 Scirocco But pliers? PLIERS. Please... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khutula Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 [ QUOTE ] Love to Rich, but I've have to find somewhere to store the 1.8T R300 Scirocco But pliers? PLIERS. Please... [/ QUOTE ] Have you given it a run out yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 It's not yet complete. We could go out in it Flintstone-stylee I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
khutula Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Will it be ready for Scumball? Have you put your ECS brakes on it yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted May 24, 2007 Report Share Posted May 24, 2007 Well, yes, that's the theory. But Scumball isn't until August, so it'll probably be the night before we leave that the last bits get bolted on. New cams are arriving next month, to help us get that bit closer to 300 bhp. In an 18 year old car The ECS kits are still on the R32 - they won't be going on the Scirocco until the R32 is sold - if you think I'm taking on the Nurnur-ring then the Spa F1 circuit over the next five days without them, you must be out of your box..! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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