Audi SQ8 Tuning

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Tuning the Audi SQ8 and best SQ8 performance parts.

We examine SQ8 tuning and report on the optimum upgrades. Audi SQ8s are awesome to work on and with the ultimate uprated upgrades you can dramatically improve your driving pleasure.

The SQ8 is a awesome car tuning project to carry out. With the right mods your SQ8 can be transformed into a stunning project. Don't waste money, do your homework and follow our unbiased guides to each performance upgrade to avoid disappointment.

See our video which covers all the principles of tuning your Audi.

SQ8 Handling/Suspension upgrades

Many SQ8 owners uprate the handling of their cars with sports suspension parts as a priority, this will certainly increase your enjoyment of the car.

Fully adjustable suspension allows you to fine tune the handling of you SQ8 substantially improving your drive.

We suggest that you fit uprated suspension and lower the car by 28mm - 37 mm. Larger drops require arch work - especially on models already equipped with uprated suspension.

Specify the carbon ceramic brakes for the ultimate stopping power.

Our aim in SQ8 engine tuning should be to increase peak power and Torque at the top end.

SQ8 make good sleepers if you debadge them and fit the most powerful engine mods and handling mods you can !

To be completely frank and honest, on the more modest engine sizes you are wasting your time spending money on modifications, so if this applies to you get yourself an engine swap then apply the following mods.

SQ8 Tuning modifications.

These mods sports upgrades are usually fitted by our members, decide how far you wish to go in your tuning project before you get going.

The twin turbos sit close to the engine within the V. We would say the diesel engine is the one to go for here, and this is the only version offered in some regions.

But it is so well suited to this big heavy car and delivers peak torque from around 1250 rpm it is a great choice.

Cleverly only one turbo is used as low rpms, with both coming on stream as required.

Diesel engines

• 4.0-litre Biturbo V8 mild-hybrid diesel  429bhp and 663 lbft

Petrol engine

• 4.0-liter Biturbo V8 500bhp and 568 lbft (US market)

Getting the right uprated upgrade kits for your planned usage of the car is a time and money saver. Stage 3 (competition) mods just won't work well on the road making the car difficult to drive.

Please watch our video which covers the 5 principles of tuning your car. Be sure to keep up with our latest YouTube content and subscribe.

Best Engine Mods for your SQ8

1. Engine Tunes - engine tuning/remapping provides the most advantage in terms of cost savings,  aftermarket ECUs, and piggyback ECUs are all alternatives.
2. Fast road cams are one of the most significant mechanical changes, but they must be installed by someone who knows what they're doing and they are not always easy to source but you might find a local firm to regrind a stock camshaft.
3. Intake and Exhaust - Note that on their own these mods will NOT ADD POWER in most cases, but they can help enhance power after other mods by removing the restriction.
4. Upgrades to turbochargers and superchargers - forced induction is the most efficient approach to increase air supply, allowing you to burn more fuel and make more power. It is one of the most costly upgrades but provides the best gains.
5. Head work - The goals of porting and flowing the head are to get air flowing into the engine while removing flow restrictions and turbulence.

SQ8 Tuning stages

Typical stage 1 mods often include: Lighter flywheel, Alloy wheels, Sports exhaust, Suspension upgrade (drop 28mm - 37 mm.), Panel air filter, Remap.

Typical stage 2 mods often include: Ported and polished head, fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injector, Power/Sport clutch, Fast road cam.

Typical stage 3 mods often include: Sports gearbox, Engine balancing, Internal engine upgrades (pistons/head/valves), Competition cam, Adding or upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger).

You really need to keep as much low end torque as possible and aim for a wide power band across the rev range rather than a narrow top end power spike.

The whole aim of our pointers is to give a starting base of tuning modifications and point you in the right direction, our forum is best place to go if you need more detailed advice and tips on your modified car project, the best performance kits and all aspects of modding cars.A fast road camshaft is generally one of the best NASP power mods you can do with a single part fitted to your engine.

The intake and exhaust durations play a huge role in your cars power band, but be careful here, getting this wrong can upset the idle and make the car challenging to drive in traffic. You'd need to follow a camshaft upgrade with other mods and finish with a performance chip for the best performance gains.

Don't forget to increase the fuelling when you are increasing the power - it makes the car more thirsty.

A tune/remap on the Diesel version should yield power figures in the region of  510 bhp and 710 lbft increase the turbos and injectors for earth rotation changing levels of power.

If you find you get flat spots and power surges after your parts you should check the fuelling and try a higher octane fuel as well. Increasing the injectors is another beneficial modification and will deliver sufficient fuel.

Uprate the fuel pump to cope with the extra fuel requirements of your tuned SQ8's uprated injectors.

Intake and Exhaust Tuning.

Breathing mods are usually next up. Air induction kits are only beneficial to add power if your air intake is struggling! Adding an induction kit to most low power engines will see NONE OF A LOW END POWER GAIN AT ALL. If you have heavily modified your engine and it's need for air INCREASES DRAMATICALLY then an induction kit is the answer and will help remove this restriction.

For most SQ8 engines TorqueCars would suggest you just go with a washable panel air filter. On heavily tuned engines and turbo vehicles an induction kit will help release the power providing you address the problem of supplying cold air.

Sports exhausts increase the flow of gases through the engine. But if your exhaust is too big, ie: it's over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose a great deal of your flow rate and end up sapping power and torque.

Airflow through the head can be dramatically increased with some professional flowed (porting and polishing). These should match and be setup to take into account any other engine mods. A good fast road performance clutch will help to keep that power going where it should. Never cut corners or ask a standard clutch to cope. The best mods we would do for your SQ8 are a tune/remap especially on a turbo, a fast road camshaft and sports exhaust, with a good air intake.

Remaps offer significant power gains on all turbo charged cars. On NA (naturally aspirated) engines the benefits are doubtful. However a flashed ecu on a NA (naturally aspirated) engine will help unleash the potential if you have done a lot of mods. The most significant power gains for NA (naturally aspirated) engines usually involve the addition of forced induction. It is usually simpler to add a supercharger than it is to fit a working turbo. Turbos increase power in exponential proportion to increasing engine speed and this can make mapping difficult.

Superchargers however will give a boost which is correlating to engine speed so is simpler. Alternatively you could perhaps add water injection to control knock.

SQ8 Alloy wheel upgrades.

The benefits of alloys include reducing your unsprung weight and more efficient brake cooling. Pay attention to your choice of tires (tires) for your car, a good track legal slick tire can really enhance your cars handling. Large SQ8 alloy wheels can decrease performance. If you get big alloy wheels you will be changing your final drive ratio.

Due to this we would advise sticking to a maximum wheel size of 21 inches, although we know some of our members have bigger wheels with no problems and the 22's look great they do compromise the ride quality.

If you would like to know more, or just get some friendly advice on Tuning your car please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss SQ8 options in more detail with our SQ8 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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