An Autospeed drivetrain stabilizer keeps transmission movement to a minimum, while an APR snub mount tries to do the same at the front of the motor.
The original shocks and springs were replaced with a set of Stasis TrackSport coilovers, featuring 700 lb front springs and 800 lb rears. The coilovers are based on Koni adjustable shocks with double digressive damping, and do a great job of keeping the RS4 on the straight and narrow.
A 19mm Neuspeed sway bar resides in the back, while a stock S4 item sits up front. Some Don Istook control arms ensure camber can be zeroed-in exactly where Paul needs it - something that's especially important with the super-wide wheels he's currently running.
Those wheels came from Vince Wong at iForged who built massive 19x10" Sprints for this application. "When I spoke to Vince, we decided to go really aggressive and he offered to get them as close as possible, and it worked out pretty good," Paul said. "It's got a 4" lip in the rear and 2.5" in the front. I have maybe 1mm of clearance between the spoke and the rear caliper, if that."
Although most people wouldn't drive a car like this at ten-tenths, let alone do donuts in it, Paul does, and quite often. "I spend winters in Florida and summers in New York so do lots of high-speed runs from Florida," he mentioned. "I'm part of the DubAudi Gruppe and when I'm in Florida we do runs. I maxed the speedo but a laptop told us we'd hit 201mph," he said.
Although we can't verify those claims, the car certainly has the power to get there, and more importantly, it can stop from triple digit speeds almost as easily. Huge 355mm StopTech brakes sit up front with four-piston ST40 StopTech calipers, while the rears are a Stasis kit. "It has the S4 caliper with the S8 hanger to accommodate the bigger Stasis rotor and hat," Paul explained.
Inside, it was kept pretty simple, with Paul opting for a few tasteful accessories from Oettinger, plus the stock RS4 steering wheel and door sills. A pair of Recaro Top Line seats replaced the stock S4 seats, while Schroth harnesses keep the driver anchored during those high-speed runs.
Things aren't going to stay simple, though. Paul has plans to take the car off the road for further upgrades. "I actually want to change the whole interior. I want to fit Recaros in the rear and do the door cards in different colors. In fact, I might redo everything black. The car is going in this winter to have a makeover."
With big horsepower, big wheels and wide fenders, Paul had to ensure the stereo would meet his high standards. "I needed music to go with the power, and I've won a lot of shows with this stereo system."
Audio-wiz Harry Shasho at 212 Motoring in Brooklyn, NY, built the award-winning system. It features JL amplifiers and MB Quart speakers with an Alpine W200 head unit. "I broke the system loose on a launch so now its welded in, but the welds were still broken and the unit fell back," Paul said. "It's a violent car."
After building his RS4 sedan in the States, Paul is looking to get the car back on European soil and has found the perfect chance to do so: The Gumball 3000. He's entered the high-speed/high-dollar rally once before. "It was a good time. Actually, all the DubAudi guys are looking to do an event in Europe. It's good to do it in the US, but we all have US driver's licenses so it hurts us if we get into trouble. In Europe it's better so we're gonna ship the car over and run it."
Sounds like it'll be quite a homecoming for this Audi.
Tech Spec
Paul de Rushe
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Location: Great Neck, NY
2001 Audi S4
Engine: 2.7 liter 30v V6 RS4 motor with Champion Motorsports block, rods and pistons, two Innovative hybrid KO4/K16 turbos, 2.8 V6 NA cams, EPL software in standard ECU, RS4 motor mounts and intercoolers, APR snub mount, Kooks custom headers, 2.75" downpipes and 2.75" to 3" to 3.5" single pipe, Forge 007P bypass valves, alcohol injection, Siemens 60 lb injectors, RS4 fueling system, 90mm MAF housing, Evo Motorsport intake system, GReddy turbo timer
Transmission: stock '01 RS4 transmission, Toy Guy short shifter, Autospeed drivetrain stabilizer, RS4 transmission mounts, stock RS4 clutch, AWE flywheel
Suspension: Stasis Track Sport coilovers with 700/800lb springs, Don Istook control arms, 19mm Neuspeed rear sway bar, stock S4 front sway bar, CPP rear sway bar links
Brakes: StopTech 355mm front brake kit with four-piston ST40 calipers, Stasis 298mm rear discs on Audi S8 carriers, stock S4 calipers, Mintex Redbox pads
Wheels & Tires: 19x10" iForged Sprint wheels, 265/35-Z19 Toyo T1-S tires
Exterior: RS4 body panel conversion with brushed aluminum mirrors and Euro xenon headlights with city lights, SPP foglights, Fiber Images carbon hood, window tints
Interior: Recaro Top Line seats, Schroth four-point harnesses, UUC Rob Knob, Autospeed alcantara shift boot, A-pillar boost gauge, Oettinger pedals and dead pedal, RS4 steering wheel and door sills
Audio/Visual: Alpine IVA-W200 head unit, MB Quart Q-Series 6.5" speakers all round, JL Audio 10W6 V2 subwoofers, one 300/4, one 250/1 and two 500/1 JL Audio amplifiers
Thanks/Contact: Kooks Customs, Champion Motorsports, dubaudi.com, 212 Motoring, Tony at EPL Tuning, John at Storm Audi, iForged wheels, Jeff Moss at Torque Factory, Jimmy at Rojo Collision, Sal at Elite Motorsports, LI crew, Patsocal, Josh Decker, S4orce