Audi 2.7tt engine and transmission for SL-C

I am considering an all Audi drivetrain for the SL-C. I have a few questions:
1) Can the 2.7tt engine and transaxle be used?
2) The 6-speed 2001 S4 transaxle is awd. Can it be modified and used in a 2-wheeled drive configuration?
3) If not, how much horsepower can the fwd transaxle handle? I have found a turbo upgrade kit that produces 460 crank hp, on 93 octane, 550hp on 100 octane, which is sufficient for me.

I have seen the engine for sale on ebay for approx. $3000, transaxle-$750-$1250, and the turbo upgrade kit $5500-$8000.

I wouldnt waist any time trying to make the 4wd a 2wd box, it wont survive. There have been guys that have put 500hp thru the 2wd box and it survive, but they were not thrashing them constantly either but they were driving them hard

Thanks for the reply. Do you know the weight of the 2.7tt engine? It may be cheaper and more reliable to use the engine from a 2001-2002 RS4 --414hp from the factory. Are you familiar with any companies that may have used RS4 engines?

ediii said:

Are you familiar with any companies that may have used RS4 engines?

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Ebay Germany is probably your best bet.

What is it that makes you prefer the 2.7 over a LSx engine? $$/HP you are going to be so far ahead by starting with eg an LS3, NA is simpler and probably weighs less, too. Plus it's a tried and tested package that RCR can provide you help with.

I have owned several Audi's over the years and I like the prospect of having an all Audi drivetrain. A few additional reasons are:

-No adapters should be needed for mating the all Audi drivetrain.
-The Audi engines can easily and reliably handle considerably more power than stock.
-The very low cost of the Audi transaxle should more the offset the cost of getting the motor up to the proper hp levels.
-The 2.7tt/transaxle combination should make for a pretty compact package, possibly simplifying installation.

"The very low cost of the Audi transaxle should more the offset the cost of getting the motor up to the proper hp levels."

Is that really true? I hope so, because I am putting a 3.6 PT in my car (when I get to that point) and I'm running an 016 from a 5000. I have not been able to find much (or any for that matter) performance parts for that engine. Maybe only the newest engines?

I'm referring to Audi's turbocharged cars for the power upgrades. See the following link.

AWE Tuning - RSK04 Turbo Upgrade Kit

See the following link for transaxles.

audi transmission, All matching items for sale.

ediii, The B5 RS4 made 380bhp standard, but with a chip plus a 100 cell cat or pre cat removal, and new exhaust will make 460bhp. To get above this needs turbo changes and engine mods, both of which affect reliability.

An S4 can be made to get close on these figures with a set of K04s and the above mods.

I forget the number, A6 / A8 FWD boxes will mount straight onto the S4 block.

You will pay a premium for the RS4 engine over the S4 engine, simply because there are fewer about, and many S4 (or even S3) owners want to upgrade.

Hope that is of some help. You might like to keep an eye on RS246.com :: Dedicated to Audi S & RS Models for advice & parts.

Cheers,
John. (I own a B5 RS4, amongst other things)

Thanks, John. Very valuable information. Which series A6/A8 gearbox were you referring to? I have a current model A8, which in America, is only available as a Quattro.

forget buying an rs4 engine, heavy premium. Get a 2.7T from ebay and a stage 3 kit from your pick. 450 hp on pump gas, I'm guessing the engine will cost nearly 10k though, LSx is cheaper and bigger potential, audi engines are great though, I drive a 2001 S4 with 330 hp.

I considered the same drivetrain for my SL-C, as I drive a B5 S4 (Stage 2 APR) as my daily driver. The engine is packed with technology, has a very strong bottom end (the block was designed to support diesel levels of torque), is generally very reliable, and can be made to produce gobs of power. And of course, I'm familiar with the engine.

But after considering many different engines, I chose the LS7 instead. It is lighter, has probably twice the headroom compared to the 2.7TT when fully developed, and, at the 500-600 HP level, will likely be dead reliable. For the same level of power, it actually costs less than the Audi- and the LS3 variants are even more favorable from a $/HP standpoint.

The other problem with the 2.7TT engine is that it is only a six, when the SL-C really looks like it needs at least a V8, to my eyes.

But what is ultimately cool about the SL-C is that you can put most any drivetrain in it if you want to. Go ahead and put in the Audi engine if you still want to- it would be your choice and your car!

ediii said:

Thanks, John. Very valuable information. Which series A6/A8 gearbox were you referring to? I have a current model A8, which in America, is only available as a Quattro.

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Hi Ediii,
I think it is the D2 (99 -02 ?) and its follow-on.
The 2.7t was offered in the A6 range in manual 2wd, and I believe the A8 too (not the S8 though - different engine & trans). I have no idea of parts numbers though.
I have a copy of ETKA (the electronic parts catalog) which I know lists the parts numbers, but mine isn't new enough (only does up to 2000).
I therefore suggest you try to source a copy of this. See what google turns up

Cheers,
John.

Remember that with the LS7 one would also enjoy a Ricardo, these two together are not what one would call "cheap". I'm guessing one could do a lot of mods to make the Audi package go fast before reaching the cost associated with the LS7/Ricardo. No?

A side note - Now that Ive sold off my ''fun'' car to support my RCR habit, Ive been looking at the A4 as a inexpensive commuter and as a "I hate putting chains on to get to Tahoe" alternative. There are many 98-2002 for sale at very reasonable prices.

The Ricardo is very expensive, but a g50 should be able to handle a stock LS7, or definitely any of the other LSx engines. I know Ultimas that run the G50 with over 1000 hp for quite some time now with no reported trans issues. The Ricardo is definitely the way froward but a G50 will do the trick.

If a more of a budget drive train is desired I would say LSx with a G50 is the best $/hp ratio.

I would say a reliable 450hp 2.7T would run about 10k maybe more (turbo kits get expensive), you can get a N/A LSx engine with the same hp in crate form for less.

If you don't want American V8's, Frans initial build of a turbo Lexus V8 is a great route, easy 500+ hp, or how about BMW or Merc V12, Toyota Supra Inline 6 twin turbo can make well over 1000 hp in drag form, I would love to see a rx7 turbo rotary in one, especially a three or four rotor! Lots of options, but for the money I think there are better alternatives than the 2.7T even from Audi, twin turbo 4.2L Audi V8 (from the mid 2000's RS6) makes like 650hp in tuned form, and the difference between a 2.7T engine and a 4.2 is probably not much. The turbo kit would require a little more know how though as it is not a turbo from the factory,and finding a real RS6 engine might be tough, but neither was the Lexus V8 Fran has turbos on now.

Mesa,
A4's are cheap and widely available, APR does an ECU upgrade to get like 250 hp I think, maybe a little less, but you can get near to 250 without upgrading the turbos, something like 350 with upgraded turbos.

The quattro system is a blast in the winter, incredible control in all weather conditions, I love my S4, same all wheel drive system.

It's a great car and you can go from stock tune to boosted tune with the flick of a switch.

Hi guys, I am new here but thought I would chime in.

The S4 engine/trans would not be my first through third choice for this vehicle. For the record, I own an 01 S4 stage 3 with RS4 turbos, etc. I also have a Noble M12 with bigger turbos, custom map, over 500hp. And then also have NA cars; a 360 coupe and an M6.

While I really love turbo applications, the 2.7TT simply doesnt make sense for this vehicle. As mentioned there are so many good V8 choices, and natural aspiration at the same price and same or more power is always better (in general, reliability, complexity, etc). The modified S4 engine will be near its limit, without head/valve work, stand alone ECU, etc. You will indefinitely have problems with Bypass valves, timing belts, cam seals, boost leaks, etc etc.. Nature of the 2.7TT. From experience, and I'm sure from many others, the simplest route is usually the best.

I am very interested in this car, once its track capabilites are proven. I will probably go with LS7. And I am not an "American or nothing" kinda guy. It just makes the most sense (or LS2/3). And I am a turbo/euro/ guy. Hell, the damn car will probably get 30 MPG on the highway!

For sure, the total weight will be higher with the S4 engine, and you will have to deal with intercooling and heat soak, which will destroy your power if not properly engineered and planned. Now, if you were wanting to add turbos to increase your power beyond what is readily available, then by all means!

Theres also something to be said by doing what others are doing, that seems to be tested and proven, with regards to support and help. You might be pioneering with the audi setup, but then again that may be the satisfying aspect of it for you.

If I really had my way, I would have a 3.0L Cosworth V8 with about 550hp, at a reasonable price, oh and of course reliable.. that sweet sound at 10k RPM! Alas, not in the budget I dont think.

On this car, I'd love to put a 26b 4 rotor in it. I've already priced the engine from Pineapple Racing and you can have a fully built one for $12k - $20k depending on how crazy you wanna go with it. Personally, I'd go with a twin turbo setup on this engine for quick spool and great power for street use & road course racing. For all out power and drag racing, single turbo is the way to go.

Now as far as the Audi setup, I think it'd be sweet. Fran has engineered this car so there's plenty of acreage in the ass end of this thing for pretty much anything you can wrap your creative little mind around. An Audi V6 twin turbo would be killer, as would the V8 twin turbo. If you wanna go nuts, you can always find a Nissan Skyline RB26DETT engine on ebay or as mentioned before, a Supra 2JZGTE engine. It's all about YOU and what YOU wanna do with YOUR car. If you wanna go with the Audi setup, have at it!!

There's many ways to go about routing turbos and intercoolers. Fran has left lots of room for that kinda stuff. Check out his twin turbo Lexus engined car. He has provisions for intercoolers on each side of the bodywork. As for feeding the turbos, you can always graft NACA ducts into the bodywork, or I'm pretty sure you could get Fran to do that for you before he ships you the car. You could just go big single turbo and get some custom headers made to feed a single monster. With turbocharger technology as it is today, it's very easy to run a single turbo car with enormous HP on the street. It's all about what you want to do with the car. My doctorine of thought on turbochargers has always been this...

Big single turbo - huge hp potential, mainly drag racing
Twin turbos - huge hp potential, mainly street or road course racing

But then again, as I said, turbocharger technology has come a loooooong way in the past 10 years, and a big single turbo is much simpler (plumbing) and more efficient when it all comes down to it.

Fran is amazing at what he does and extremely accomidating. He built this car to be his version of a supercar. He also built it so that it can be personalized by each individual owner/builder. So I say, do what you want with your car. We'll all love it however you do it. I'm always one who doesn't follow the crowd and goes with something different. But that also means a lot of work and money spent on R&D. LOL Another doctrine I follow closely is this...

Speed is money, how fast are you willing to pay?

Good luck and keep us up to date with your project!!!

Brian