kilian tuning
January 4th, 2013, 10:33
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/522265_527788860582458_1884667395_n.jpghttp://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/SebTcertified.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_11.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_12.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_13.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_19.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/RdAtl_S6_9.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/RS6Essen_04.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosMisc09.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosRace06.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosRace09.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosThur6.jpgThe RS 6's four-wheel drive gives it a healthy advantage at every start. We tested the acceleration of all the cars to 60 mph. The other rear-wheel-drive cars got there in about four seconds, but the RS 6 was in another league—the best time achieved by hired shoe Michael Galati was a stunning 2.7 seconds. As a result, during races the RS 6 usually leads the first lap. But the Audi guys are quick to point out that that advantage also comes with a major Achilles' heel: poor weight distribution. To make room for the four-wheel-drive components, the RS 6's twin-turbocharged engine must sit far forward, so the car has a greater percent of weight in the front than the other cars, which hurts braking and cornering performance.
Audi has created something of a legacy in World Challenge, winning the 2001 and 2002 drivers' championships with Galati driving an S4 and the 2003 drivers' title with Randy Pobst in the RS 6. It's an impressive record considering the series tries to make sure one car doesn't dominate. So the paddock is filled with speculation: Are the competition adjustments skewed to favor the Audi? That, of course, depends on whom you ask. We don't think there's any favoritism, but there isn't a clear answer and the record does make one wonder.
The RS 6s were built by Champion Racing, a race shop and car dealership in Pompano Beach, Florida. Although Champion would sell an RS 6 to another competitor, so far, no one's asked, and the two Audi-sponsored cars are the only ones in the series. Each costs about $210,000, much of it the result of preparing the car's unit body. To make the body stiffer, the areas where two metal panels meet are carefully seam-welded. The engines are built by Cosworth and make 525 horsepower, just 75 more than you'll find in a standard RS 6. Champion's RS 6s use larger intercoolers and radiators, but the turbos are stock, as are most of the engine internals.
The RS 6 found at Audi dealerships has an automatic transmission, so the race version has to make do with the six-speed manual from the Audi S4 (http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2010-audi-s4-vs-2009-bmw-335i-comparison-tests). Even though that transmission was not designed to handle 525 horsepower, it has been surprisingly reliable. The same can't be said of the ball joints, which wither under cornering forces and must be replaced every weekend—at $1000 a pop. That's a pitfall of racing based on production cars: Parts are used that were not meant to handle high levels of stress.
The carbon-fiber body has fender flares that jut out 1.5 inches beyond the stock fenders at every corner, to make room for wider tires. Those flares increase aero drag, so the team has tried to compensate by experimenting with different front fascia designs. "What you see today is revision No. 45," laments crew chief Louis Milone. There's not much a front fascia can do to change the fact that the RS 6 punches a huge hole in the air.
And it felt big and burly on the track. Whereas the rear-drive cars required precise driving and careful throttle inputs, the RS 6 felt a little more relaxed and compliant. The steering, the brakes, and the clutch all had a light feel, and with the traction of four-wheel drive, we could just stand on the gas and rocket out of corners.
If we punched the gas too early in the corners and before the car had straightened out, the rush of power would cause the car to dramatically move off the intended line. We've never been in a car that slid so easily into perfect four-wheel drifts. Rather than carve through a curve, the RS 6 preferred a more aggressive approach. It was more like throwing it into a drift and jumping on the gas as soon as it straightened. "Fun" doesn't begin to describe how it felt.
But sliding will eat up lap times, so Galati had to resist the car's natural tendency and keep it more locked to the pavement. We'd be happy to struggle with the assignment.
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_11.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_12.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_13.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/LS04S6_19.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/RdAtl_S6_9.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/RS6Essen_04.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosMisc09.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosRace06.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosRace09.jpg
http://i1229.photobucket.com/albums/ee469/mavada1/S6MosThur6.jpgThe RS 6's four-wheel drive gives it a healthy advantage at every start. We tested the acceleration of all the cars to 60 mph. The other rear-wheel-drive cars got there in about four seconds, but the RS 6 was in another league—the best time achieved by hired shoe Michael Galati was a stunning 2.7 seconds. As a result, during races the RS 6 usually leads the first lap. But the Audi guys are quick to point out that that advantage also comes with a major Achilles' heel: poor weight distribution. To make room for the four-wheel-drive components, the RS 6's twin-turbocharged engine must sit far forward, so the car has a greater percent of weight in the front than the other cars, which hurts braking and cornering performance.
Audi has created something of a legacy in World Challenge, winning the 2001 and 2002 drivers' championships with Galati driving an S4 and the 2003 drivers' title with Randy Pobst in the RS 6. It's an impressive record considering the series tries to make sure one car doesn't dominate. So the paddock is filled with speculation: Are the competition adjustments skewed to favor the Audi? That, of course, depends on whom you ask. We don't think there's any favoritism, but there isn't a clear answer and the record does make one wonder.
The RS 6s were built by Champion Racing, a race shop and car dealership in Pompano Beach, Florida. Although Champion would sell an RS 6 to another competitor, so far, no one's asked, and the two Audi-sponsored cars are the only ones in the series. Each costs about $210,000, much of it the result of preparing the car's unit body. To make the body stiffer, the areas where two metal panels meet are carefully seam-welded. The engines are built by Cosworth and make 525 horsepower, just 75 more than you'll find in a standard RS 6. Champion's RS 6s use larger intercoolers and radiators, but the turbos are stock, as are most of the engine internals.
The RS 6 found at Audi dealerships has an automatic transmission, so the race version has to make do with the six-speed manual from the Audi S4 (http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2010-audi-s4-vs-2009-bmw-335i-comparison-tests). Even though that transmission was not designed to handle 525 horsepower, it has been surprisingly reliable. The same can't be said of the ball joints, which wither under cornering forces and must be replaced every weekend—at $1000 a pop. That's a pitfall of racing based on production cars: Parts are used that were not meant to handle high levels of stress.
The carbon-fiber body has fender flares that jut out 1.5 inches beyond the stock fenders at every corner, to make room for wider tires. Those flares increase aero drag, so the team has tried to compensate by experimenting with different front fascia designs. "What you see today is revision No. 45," laments crew chief Louis Milone. There's not much a front fascia can do to change the fact that the RS 6 punches a huge hole in the air.
And it felt big and burly on the track. Whereas the rear-drive cars required precise driving and careful throttle inputs, the RS 6 felt a little more relaxed and compliant. The steering, the brakes, and the clutch all had a light feel, and with the traction of four-wheel drive, we could just stand on the gas and rocket out of corners.
If we punched the gas too early in the corners and before the car had straightened out, the rush of power would cause the car to dramatically move off the intended line. We've never been in a car that slid so easily into perfect four-wheel drifts. Rather than carve through a curve, the RS 6 preferred a more aggressive approach. It was more like throwing it into a drift and jumping on the gas as soon as it straightened. "Fun" doesn't begin to describe how it felt.
But sliding will eat up lap times, so Galati had to resist the car's natural tendency and keep it more locked to the pavement. We'd be happy to struggle with the assignment.