S6 Tuning

"The S6 - the ultimate street sleeper supercar slayer!"

The S6 was, in it's time, the flagship Audi. The interior was trimmed with carbon fibre, long before it became a popular aftermarket option.

It offered fantastic performance and still looked like an ordinary accountant/architects car!

There were only a few engine options which varied from region to region. The 2.2 (ANN) Turbo was pretty rare with more of the 4.2 V8 (AEC) engines being sold. in 1999 the 2.2 Turbo was dropped and only the 4.2 V8 was offered.

This is a shame since the 2.2 is a great tuning base to work on.

The lineup was further revised in 2006 with an uprated 5.2 V10 (BXA) engine derived from the Gallardo!

Improving the handling should be your first priority in your S6 tuning project. Drop the car by as much as 35mm and fit stiffer dampers, bigger drops will need other modifications in most instances.

Our aim in S6 engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end.

The NASP engines not provide much of a return in terms of power to cost when it comes to S6 tuning so the 2.2 Turbo represents a better base unless you are prepared to do a full rebuild.

Audi S6 Tuning modifications.

Your aim when tuning should be a nice flat torque curve and a wide power band. When it comes to the NASP engines a set of fast road cams will be one of the best power mods you can do mechanically to your engine.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Induction kits work well on the 2.2 turbo engines but only (if supplied with a suitable cold air feed or air box to shield it from the high engine bay temps.

In most cases when it comes to filters for the S6 engines a sports panel air filter made from cotton will suffice. A good sports exhaust is essential to balance your freer flowing air filter, just adding a better flowing air filter will do little to increase your power.

Getting a professionally flowed head with larger valves can fully release the engines power. In nearly all cases of S6 tuning, where power is increased by over 30% your clutch will start to slip and this needs to be uprated - read our article on clutches for more information.

NASP engines do not achieve big power gains if you remap them, unless you have done extensive modifications already.

With the 2.2 turbo engines this is another story. A remapped turbo will give phenomenal power gains and take full advantage of the strength of the block. Ideally you should get a hybrid or uprated turbo to maximise your engine power gain with the remap. 

The turbo is the weak spot on the S3 and a larger, uprated or hybrid turbo will dramatically increase the power and driveability of the car.

The largest power gains for NASP engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. Although hard to find there are a few supercharger kits around for the NASP S6.

Turbos are harder to add than supercharger. It is harder to map a turbo as the boost comes on exponentially with engine speed. It is easier to map a supercharger because the boost is proportional to engine speed on a linear curve. Adding forced induction will usually require a lower compression ratio or water injection.

Audi S6 Wheel modifications.

 Large S6 alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio. For this reason we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 17 inches, although we know some of our members have gone larger than this with no problems.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss S6 options in more detail with our S6 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Audi tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Audi. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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