RS6 Tuning modifications

"Turn the impressive RS6 into the ultimate supercar beater"

For those looking for the ultimate sleeper then you would be daft to dismiss the Audi RS6.

It's massive heavy body is propelled by a monstrously powerful 450 bhp engine.

If you are not going to reduce the weight then just increase the power to silly figures seemed to be Audi's mantra.

Although a large car the Audi Quattro traction control system really helps the car feel a lot lighter than it is. It creates the illusion of a smaller car when it comes to handling.

If you get the mods right you should get the already impressive 0-60 time down by a second or so!

The large wheels offer massive levels of grip and it would be foolish to try to push beyond the limits of grip on the roads.

So how does one improve such a great car? Suspension mods can sharpen up the handling at the expense of a harder ride. If you do this right though and get the camber and toe right you really can make a big difference to the turn in.

Our aim in RS6 engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end and retain the current cars smooth power delivery through the power band.

Audi RS6 Tuning modifications.

The V8 engine in the RS6 has a twin turbo engine and the turbos would be woth upgrading to larger garrett units with ball bearings. One of the best mechanical mods you can do is to fit a fast road cam.

When pushing up the power you will need to pay attention to the fuelling. More power needs more fuel. An aftermarket fuel pressure regulator will almost certainly give a snappier throttle response than the standard Audi one!

To get sufficient fuel you may need to uprate the injectors on your engine. Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned RS6s uprated injectors.

Audi RS6 Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Now we move on to the intake and exhaust and ensure proper flow through the engine. Get a full stainless steel sports exhaust of around 2.5 inches bore size with a high flow manifold, add in a sports catalyst and you will see the engine flowing a lot better at the top end. Induction kits work well on turbo engines and larger engines (but you must fit this with a suitable cold air feed or air box). Sports exhausts balance the flow of air throught the engine. 

Gas flowing the head will allow you to maximise your air/fuel charge. Leave this to a professional though with a proper flow bench and machine tools Your clutch can seriously let you down if it starts to slip and the standard clutches are only ever good for power gains of upto 30%.

Fit an uprated triple plate clutch to avoid power losses through the transmission. Turbo engines are just begging to be remapped and the RS6 engine is no exception, a remap is essential if you have done other mods but even a standard car can be transformed by a remap. 

Expect power gains in the order of 40-70bhp on a remap alone and upto 100bhp with other bolt on parts. With some internal head work there is no reason not to exceed this by a fair margin.

Audi RS6 Wheel modifications.

Alloy wheels will help the brakes cool down and are usually lighter than the steel ones. The downside to large alloy wheels on your RS6 is that you alter your effective final drive ratio and this will have a detrimental effect on acceleration and performance. Although some people have gone larger we would stick to the 19 inch rim size as the absolute maximum. Larger sizes compromise the handling, dropping to an 18 inch rim should also be considered if you really want the maximum handling and performance.

Now that you've made your RS6 go faster we should urge you to seriously consider uprating the brakes. 380mm vented disks should fit nicely under the front wheels and some RS6 owners have used Porsche derived brakes. You really can't beat ceramic breaks but the high cost puts most people off, aim for a bigger disk and high friction larger pads and calipers.

For more information on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss RS6 options in more detail with our RS6 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.