Just bought an after market diff mount and bushes for the diff bracket. Not fitted them yet, and after watching this video I am not so excited to install as before. Although I am keen to eliminate the driveline knock when you change gear with a modicum of aggression. I have modified the suspension over the years, H&R coilovers and power flex street bushing all round and the NVH definitely increased to the detriment of the ride quality, however, the handling also considerably improved. To be honest it is fine except on badly surfaced roads. The S4 is still (after 20 years) my daily driver and I love the engagement it provides, but I don't enjoy bouncing around on uneven roads. My concern in modifying the S4 is that it moves away from the car I know and love, which is always the risk when undertaking 'improvements'. Audi engineers spent considerable time and money to make the B5 S4 what it is (or more accurately was).
With a previous car I went through the poly / solid mounts everywhere phase and it was too much. On this S4, I have 034 Street Density motor mounts, OEM trans mounts, DTS bar using the rubber mount, aluminum subframe bushings, 034 rear diff mount bushings (the two small ones), stock (but new) suspension bushings, H&R coilovers, 034 rear sway bar, and good tires. I can take the car up to any speed on the highway ; ) and it's as smooth as it rolled off the lot in 2001. Holds corners amazingly well at all speeds and stays very flat (a very subjective assessment). I used to say that you needed everything else to be perfect to run a poly rear diff mount for it to feel nice, but after this latest experiment I think it's just a really bad spot to put a poly mount in, no matter what. Of course everyone has a different acceptance level for the NVH and mine just happens to be very low. Nothing worse than having to explain to passengers why the car is vibrating or making whining noises all the time!
Thanks! Yes, same here. I purposely just tack glued it in a few spots in case I wanted to remove it easily (if I didn't like it). If I took the time to apply glue to the entire mating surface I think it would be fine, as long as the 50A durometer rubber sheet doesn't disintegrate! Still in the experimental phase.
Nice i to have been wanting to eliminate the clunk i think ill give this a go i have alot of spare material laying around.also im in the middle of rwd converting my b5 a4 1.8t but im considering the 4to1 diff mod. But curious as to how rwd it feels. Cause i do indeed want rwd in my car but winter is approaching witch is givng me the idea of maybe sticking with the 4.11 but im curious if ill be able to drift nothing insane but will i still have the ability to slide every now and then car has supporting mods over 300whp). I have welded diffs both center and rear i biught for the car but i was thinking i could switch to the a8 rear end witch i hear people do as its lsd and 4.11 and then do the center diff mod. Sorry, I'm getting slivhlty off topic, but if you dont mind me asking, how do you like the diff mod compared to stock?
I like the diff mod, I can snap the back end around in first on dry pavement, or kick it out in second in a roundabout pretty easily. Haven’t driven the 4:1 mod in winter, but all the other Quattros I’ve driven (B6A4 1.8t daily +many more) drift easy in the snow, no issues. Having the center and rear diff welded might make it drive weird?
Can you link info about fitting an A8L differential to the B5 A4|S4? Having LSD in the rear would be fantastic. I've had a RWD B5 A4 1.8t Avant 058 AJL, 01A 5 speed, with welded differential and welded Torsen. Wasn't happy to use as a daily driver, but on loose surfaces, was a bit of fun. It's now been reverted back to quattro. 4:1 Torsen Mod is on my "to-do" list for my current project.
I know they make a bushing that clips around that exact spot. I have one that is on the diff mount that came on a different rear diff I picked up. Kind of an odd looking thing. Feels like hard rubber. I'll see how it feels when the 6 speed conversion is done. Keep up the videos.
That’s the aluminum stern power ring if I’m not mistaken, but to install it you cut those nubs off and it completely fills the void, which transfers NVH almost like a solid mount. I haven’t driven with one but some reviews I read online describe NVH similar to a poly mount. If you remember, once you get your conversion going please let me know how the mount feels!
@PBGarage I can do that. Everyone's setup seems to be different. I think the awe drivetrain stabilizer seemed to help with the driveline tightness back there. Don't know if they make those anymore. I just wonder how much the trans is moving vs rear diff shifting and knocking in those cases. Bit of a domino effect maybe.
I picked up my AWE DTS in 2021 new, but haven’t checked availability since then. I have the rubber mount for it. I ran the poly mount and I didn’t like the NVH. But yeah, everyone has a slightly different setup, so lots of variables at play!
Fabulous solution to reduce play in the driveline/suspension. How's it holding up after 4 months? I'll be looking for some converyor belt material, or multiple layers of thinner rubber, glued together, so the slits are laminated. 👍
Just bought an after market diff mount and bushes for the diff bracket. Not fitted them yet, and after watching this video I am not so excited to install as before. Although I am keen to eliminate the driveline knock when you change gear with a modicum of aggression. I have modified the suspension over the years, H&R coilovers and power flex street bushing all round and the NVH definitely increased to the detriment of the ride quality, however, the handling also considerably improved. To be honest it is fine except on badly surfaced roads. The S4 is still (after 20 years) my daily driver and I love the engagement it provides, but I don't enjoy bouncing around on uneven roads. My concern in modifying the S4 is that it moves away from the car I know and love, which is always the risk when undertaking 'improvements'. Audi engineers spent considerable time and money to make the B5 S4 what it is (or more accurately was).
With a previous car I went through the poly / solid mounts everywhere phase and it was too much.
On this S4, I have 034 Street Density motor mounts, OEM trans mounts, DTS bar using the rubber mount, aluminum subframe bushings, 034 rear diff mount bushings (the two small ones), stock (but new) suspension bushings, H&R coilovers, 034 rear sway bar, and good tires. I can take the car up to any speed on the highway ; ) and it's as smooth as it rolled off the lot in 2001. Holds corners amazingly well at all speeds and stays very flat (a very subjective assessment).
I used to say that you needed everything else to be perfect to run a poly rear diff mount for it to feel nice, but after this latest experiment I think it's just a really bad spot to put a poly mount in, no matter what. Of course everyone has a different acceptance level for the NVH and mine just happens to be very low. Nothing worse than having to explain to passengers why the car is vibrating or making whining noises all the time!
Nice! It’s a good solution, I’m keen to see how it holds up to abuse and whether the glue is gonna let go over time.
Thanks! Yes, same here. I purposely just tack glued it in a few spots in case I wanted to remove it easily (if I didn't like it). If I took the time to apply glue to the entire mating surface I think it would be fine, as long as the 50A durometer rubber sheet doesn't disintegrate! Still in the experimental phase.
Nice i to have been wanting to eliminate the clunk i think ill give this a go i have alot of spare material laying around.also im in the middle of rwd converting my b5 a4 1.8t but im considering the 4to1 diff mod. But curious as to how rwd it feels. Cause i do indeed want rwd in my car but winter is approaching witch is givng me the idea of maybe sticking with the 4.11 but im curious if ill be able to drift nothing insane but will i still have the ability to slide every now and then car has supporting mods over 300whp). I have welded diffs both center and rear i biught for the car but i was thinking i could switch to the a8 rear end witch i hear people do as its lsd and 4.11 and then do the center diff mod. Sorry, I'm getting slivhlty off topic, but if you dont mind me asking, how do you like the diff mod compared to stock?
I like the diff mod, I can snap the back end around in first on dry pavement, or kick it out in second in a roundabout pretty easily. Haven’t driven the 4:1 mod in winter, but all the other Quattros I’ve driven (B6A4 1.8t daily +many more) drift easy in the snow, no issues. Having the center and rear diff welded might make it drive weird?
Can you link info about fitting an A8L differential to the B5 A4|S4? Having LSD in the rear would be fantastic. I've had a RWD B5 A4 1.8t Avant 058 AJL, 01A 5 speed, with welded differential and welded Torsen. Wasn't happy to use as a daily driver, but on loose surfaces, was a bit of fun. It's now been reverted back to quattro. 4:1 Torsen Mod is on my "to-do" list for my current project.
I know they make a bushing that clips around that exact spot. I have one that is on the diff mount that came on a different rear diff I picked up. Kind of an odd looking thing. Feels like hard rubber. I'll see how it feels when the 6 speed conversion is done. Keep up the videos.
That’s the aluminum stern power ring if I’m not mistaken, but to install it you cut those nubs off and it completely fills the void, which transfers NVH almost like a solid mount. I haven’t driven with one but some reviews I read online describe NVH similar to a poly mount.
If you remember, once you get your conversion going please let me know how the mount feels!
@PBGarage I can do that. Everyone's setup seems to be different. I think the awe drivetrain stabilizer seemed to help with the driveline tightness back there. Don't know if they make those anymore. I just wonder how much the trans is moving vs rear diff shifting and knocking in those cases. Bit of a domino effect maybe.
I picked up my AWE DTS in 2021 new, but haven’t checked availability since then. I have the rubber mount for it. I ran the poly mount and I didn’t like the NVH. But yeah, everyone has a slightly different setup, so lots of variables at play!
you nailed it ... congratz... ''scrap'' silicon hoses maybe more robust
Thanks! Never thought of using silicone hose material, something I may consider if this rubber fails at some point.
Fabulous solution to reduce play in the driveline/suspension. How's it holding up after 4 months? I'll be looking for some converyor belt material, or multiple layers of thinner rubber, glued together, so the slits are laminated. 👍
I was under the car last weekend and it’s still 100% intact. I have about 2k KM since install.
super helpful.
Good to know, thanks!