'01 Audi RS4
Driver: Marc Kalaydjian
Horsepower: 351.70hp
Torque: 357.55 lb-ft
Quarter-Mile: 12.319sec @ 113.13mph
Contact Info: Achtuning, 877/7-ACHTUNING, www.achtuning.com
Engine: 2.8-liter twin-turbo V6, AMS ECU
Driveline: six-speed manual
If you've ever heard of Achtuning, you know they love the B5 Audi S4. What they love even more, however, is the RS4. Josh Decker, the owner of Achtuning, has been on the Audi scene for many years and has made quite a name for his company by upgrading the 2.7T motors to produce RS4-power output. He's adapted a number of RS4 parts to work with the 2.7T American version and has a beautiful S4 flagship that flaunts all of his goodies. We think he wanted to mix it up a bit, as he brought out an authentic RS4 Avant that was imported from Germany and is still being federalized.
The RS4 was a stock car, with the exception of an AMS chip and a sway bar, but it was an attention-grabber nonetheless. The Titanium silver paint and exaggerated fender extensions were absolutely beautiful. The car was equipped from the factory with the optional Sport Package, so it came with an uprated suspension and larger rear brakes. The stance was a bit more aggressive than your average S4's, and the motor's growl had a slightly different tone than we were accustomed to hearing.
Dyno
As Josh started the car, most of the other participants wandered over to the dyno to see what these mythical cars really produced. The RS4 probably drew a little too much attention, because when the time came to unlock the rollers and get some numbers, the car got loose. Now we aren't talking about "getting loose" in a good way. We are talking about watching your $100K car come off the dyno at almost 100mph. It was nerve-wracking to say the least. All the straps were tight when the run started and none of them were broken when the smoke cleared afterward, so there must have been a problem with the way it was tied down.
The reason we mention all this is that when the two left wheels came off the dyno, the car threw a fit and dropped itself into some type of restricted map on the ECU. Sadly, we never got a full run on the dyno before it came off. We didn't realize this had happened, and the car dyno'd at significantly less than it had on previous days. Nobody thought anything about it. Later that evening, when Josh and Marc were looking the RS4 over at AMS, they decided to clear the ECU and dyno it again. According to Achtuning, the car picked up 40-plus horsepower at the wheels. But alas, the dyno competition was over.
Drag Race
With the second-worst reaction time of the day (4.956sec), Achtuning's RS4 took home the title of the second-fastest trap speed of the day. Amazingly, Achtuning blasted down the dragstrip in 12.319sec in a largely stock car. As it turns out, the Audi RS4 is nothing to sneeze at, and while the beefy wagon isn't exactly designed to dominate the strip, it does prove itself as a worthy opponent wherever it goes. All morning the car was clicking off 12.4 and 12.5sec passes, with a 12.3 coming just after the lunch break. A couple of 12.6 passes followed within minutes, but before long the midday heat got the better of the car and it could do no better than a 12.9, so the Achtuning team called it a day.