cooper1965's---2018 LT 2.0T
 

03-07-18
Just took delivery of this last night.
2018 2.0T A8 LT with Bose. That's it.
Should be an interesting road. I have a pretty clear plan and direction I want to go with the car, thanks to all of the good information from the guys in the LTG performance section. I'm always open to questions, opinions, and learning more!

Reserved for exterior modifications:

GM blade spoiler 84016431 (GAZ) color----DONE 3-10-18
GM grill kit 84160086 (GBA) color-----.....DONE 3-11-18
GM wheel 22998080 (ABDU) low gloss black---DONE 3-10-18
Side emblems removed: DONE 3-9-18
GM clear side markers 23169179 & 23169180: DONE 4-11-18
GM black/chrome bowtie front 84219485: DONE 4-11-18
HP3 LED side marker bulbs from diode dynamics: DONE 4-12-18
Optilux by Hella H11 Xenon headlamp bulbs: DONE 4-12-18
Gm dark taillights: DONE 5-5-19
Clear side and rear marker modification:DONE 5-5-19
25 MM wheel spacer's: DONE
19"ASA GT14's: DONE
Other Mods: P3 vent gauge---- DONE 5-24-18

more to come:

Reserved for performance modifications:


Vermont tuning 93 tune---DONE 07/05/18
Flex Fuel Sensor---DONE 07/10/18
True Flex Fuel capability---DONE 07/12/18
NGK 6510 plugs----DONE 07/22/18
327 LSD swap----DONE 09/18/18
JacFab boost-o-lator---DONE 10/18/18
TCM unlocked---DONE 01/16/19
True Flex Fuel capability in HPTuners by ME--DONE 02/11/19
TCM tune finalized by ME--DONE 05/22/19
BNR Cattless Downpipe--DONE 06/12/19
Modified ZZP CAI--DONE
Tracy Lewis braided catch can system--DONE
Rev9 Hot side pipe--DONE
Gibspeed Automotive Solutions 6th port injection system--
Lightweight wheels and tires--DONE
Full custom exhaust using stock suitcase--DONE
20G Hybrid turbo--DONE

Very cool, glad to see you couldn't resist staying with us. :thumbsup: What's your plan?

Looking forward to seeing what you do with this blank slate. :headbang:

Thanks man, blank slate is right!! More like boring slate right now lol..
But I plan on fixing that shortly!! Got a few goods in today along with this..

Very nice!! Welcome back!! :)

First oil change today, 500 miles already. Finished up the blade spoiler install, and threw on the low gloss 20's at work. Did a quick detail. Looking 100X better IMO!!

Back at home with a better view of GM's blade spoiler!

Nice clean barn for the "beast"

Looking good.

I wanna do some appearance upgrades myself just been to focused on performance mods. Light bar is coming off the body shop i used to replace my front bumper ripped the wiring right out of the bar. I know that was a controversial mod for many people given how headlong i jumped into performance and drag racing Have you noticed any other weird differences between model years?

I got soo much respect for how quick that 500 mile oil change!:respekt:

congrats on the new ride:happy0180:

I really should go get that transmission update before i get my TCM tuned and do a before after and tuned review. I have 2nd week production 2017 A8 lol

Heh glad you finally realized how slippery that car mod slope is nice having you back.

OP which grill did you order? The bowtie doesn't come pre attached?

I'll be ordering laser jammers for mine soon and have to install three heads in the upper grill. One needs to be dead center. So I was planning on ordering the flowtie grill but if I can get something more affordable that has that honeycomb type design I'd get it. Either flowtie so I can have a jammer head in the middle of the flowtie or the grill you have.

NVM...I see it's the SEMA grill. Didn't realize they come without the emblems attached.

Hmmm $315 cad for flowtie upper grill or $750 cad for SEMA grill.

Both are tough to swallow :(

Hey bud. The grill I ordered is actually from GM. I ordered it in black, but you can order it with color matching inserts pre painted also. It comes with both upper and lower grills, and you do have to attach your emblem along with some other assembly. It comes with all the necessary brackets, so its no biggie. Im actually glad it came that way, because I left the emblem removed until I decide if I like it or not. Also, GM's list price on this grill kit (upper and lower together) is 595$. I only payed about 400$ for mine, but you should be able to find it readily for 500$. I will get some pictures up today of how it looks installed on my car. Maybe get some opinions on the emblem. (on or off)

Not the best picture, I can get more if someone needs them. This was not a bad install, I made it more difficult because I wasn't happy with some of the factory fitment, but all in all, Im very happy with how it all worked out. Looks years better to my eyes!

Are you going for looks or overall performance? If looks the black bowtie looks best performance leave it empty for marginally more airflow cooling the engine compartment.

Nice rims! Just be careful because those vette wheels don't have a lot of spacing. You might need to push them out with some wheel spacers.

Managed to get a couple small things done recently. I added the black bowtie from GM to the upper grill by suggestion. I think it helps the symmetry of the front end. Also added front and rear GM Clear side markers. These are super cheap, like 8$ a piece straight from GM. Gm part # 23169179 x2 & 23169180 x2. They are european spec, and will have to be modified to accept your factory sockets. The process was super easy and quick with a dremel and a steady hand. The factory bulbs had a yellowish tint, so I replaced them with Hp3 led replacement bulbs from Bigwormgraphics. All 4 bulbs cost $34.45 after shipping. Very pleased with the look, fit and color of the lamp/bulb combo now. Its a perfect match to the front factory led DRL strips as far as bulb color, and the clear lenses look great on the white. Here is a few pics of what I'm talking about, and some finished product shots.

Started trimming and test fitting some side splitters. I will be doing a rear splitter as well, still kinda on the fence about a front splitter. I like how non intrusive these look so far, but I want them tucked a bit more.

Here is a pick of Beauty and the Beast.
Wifes main rig. 2012 Ram on 37x12.50's. Tire sits as high as the hood, lol..

I just realized after posting in another thread, I skipped over a few lighting details, and a lit-up pick. These are the headlight bulbs, and side markers I used to try and match the factory DRL led strips. Installing the headlight bulbs was a bit tight, but I went through the wheel wells after removing just 3 T15 screws. Same with the side markers. Did not need to remove the wheels or the bumper.

Looking good.

Wanted to document my best bone-stock 0-60 time to date, before I start making some changes shortly. Also, special thanks to Jason@JacFab for a killer deal on my new P3 gauge. The colors are almost an identical match to the OE cluster colors!

Great stock 0-60 time, and the gauge looks cutting edge :thumb: If I didn't know the car, you could talk me into believing it's an OEM part :clap2:

Thank you Arpad, much appreciated brother!! Trying to keep things as clean as I can, haha!
Hoping to take care of that +5 second 0-60 soon too !!

Coming along nicely. Sold me on the headlight bulbs, no issues with them as far as heat or wiring? I ask because I put brighter lights in another vehicle and the wires started to melt drawing too much power for the wire.

Yeah, I know what you mean about the heat. I thought long and hard about going to full LED's. Even to the point arpad_m was gracious enough to send me a conversion set to try. But I decided not to do it.
So I found the optilux bulbs, and they arn't exactly the same color as the LED's, but darn close. They are 12v 55w bulbs just like the factory H11's, so I dont anticipate any problems what so ever. Here is the back of a stock H11.

And so it begins...... Not quite 6000 miles on the clock... LOL
It has been a long, thought out decision, but in the end I went with Brian@Vermont tuning. He is the only one capable of functioning Flex Fuel for the LTG.

Everything looks great. Nice little touch here with the correct packard connector already included. Now I won't have to source one on the day of install!!!

For my own future reference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYyQ...ature=youtu.be

Here is a little sneak peak at EFI Live's new beta software required to edit my OS


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6H_...ature=youtu.be

Here is the MASSIVE amount of loggable PID's.. Could you imagine having a gauge for all of these !!! :lol:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL9A...ature=youtu.be

Does you 0-60 timer start before the car actually moves like mine does?

Compare the 0-60 on the p3 to the dash, and see if there is a difference.

No. They changed that in late? 17 I believe. Mine doesn't start until I move. I can brake boost, and it will not start the timer as long as the wheel doesn't move. There is a trick you can use to stop it from starting, I can't remember what it is though :(

Just watched your vid and have a question. I noticed your throttle percentage was around 85%. Whys is that we can command a 100% throttle but it only opens so far? I noticed my data said the same thing.

Its a GM thing. Been that way for years. GM interprets the SAE TPS PID as absolute voltage % (ie. the % of 5V on the TPS sensor, which at WOT is something like 4.39V or 88%). (courtesy of HPt board)
If you log the ETC or Pedal PIDs you will see they go to 100% as expected. If the TPS were to show 100%, it would set a code.

Good explanation. I feel like I've learned more about this car in the last 2 weeks than the last 2 years of ownership. Keep us posted on the tuning results.