Audi S4 B5 - Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge

Only Days Before The Top Car Challenge Takes Place, We Take A Closer Look At Mike Ghaemi's 700WHP Audi S4.

We'd like to thank everybody who applied to contest the upcoming Castrol Syntec Top Car Challenge on our behalf. It was a tough decision to make, but we found a car with the power, spec and experience we hope can take the crown - the B5 Audi S4. Equipped with a twin-turbo V6, all-wheel drivetrain, four doors and good looks, the S4 had it all. Not to mention, the B5 S4 succeeded in nearly every eurotuner Grand Prix in the past.

So when Mike Ghaemi sent us an application with his '00 S4, we were confident his S4 would perform well on the road course, quarter-mile and dyno, as well as score high for power-to-weight ratio, emissions and endurance in traffic.

With a drag racing background driving Buick Grand Nationals, we were surprised when Mike told us he's owned eight B5 S4s in his lifetime. "When I was moving away from domestics, nothing else was twin-turbo and all-wheel drive with a six-speed like the S4. So I was drawn to Audi for that reason," he told us.

Mike's latest S4 is perhaps the most complete he's conceived. With his vast experience, he already knew the perfect formula of parts to build his ultimate road machine. "I wanted to build a car that performed like a racecar but in full street trim," he explained.

Wicked Motorsports show/play...

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The 2.7 V6 30v motor was rebuilt at Wicked Motorsport in Van Nuys, CA. The block was bored to 2.8 with JE pistons and Cunningham rods. Compression was dropped from 9.3:1 to 8.8:1 in anticipation of higher boost. The heads were ported and polished for better airflow. Mike then upgraded to cams from the naturally-aspirated 2.8 liter Audi V6 to help with top-end power once the new turbochargers arrived from Autospeed Performance.

The new setup used twin Garrett GT28RS turbos, a new exhaust manifold, high-flow downpipes and Motronic software. A set of 630cc injectors, 5-bar fuel pressure regulator and inline Bosch fuel pump would address the thirstier motor. More heat would obviously be a problem with the larger turbos, so two Evolution Racewerks side-mount intercoolers were fitted with the company's carbon fiber shrouds.

There's also a Vast Performance water/meth injection kit, but Mike had to remove it to comply with the rules of the competition...

Bored and built 2.8 liter...

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With this setup, Mike dyno-tested the car at more than 700whp using C16 fuel. Unfortunately, the challenge rules don't allow this gas, but Mike's hoping to get close with the permitted 109-octane fuel after ignition timing adjustments.

The six-speed manual remains, with the inclusion of polished gears and a Tilton twin-disc clutch from Autospeed.

For suspension, Mike chose Tracksport coilovers from Stasis Engineering, which utilize Koni linear-rate springs and adjustable dampers. Additionally, Stern control arms were supplied by Pure Motorsport, as well as a Neuspeed rear sway bar and AutoPower four-point roll-bar.

Stopping power will be critical for the overall balance of the S4, so Mike continued his relationship with Stasis by picking up a pair of 328mm (13") Alcon front brakes. The two-piece rotors with six-piston calipers are lightweight and have performed well for Mike in the past.