In the us it’s known as a station wagon but Audi labels them “Avant”. Whatever the name, American buyers aren’t keen: SUV popularity undermines the wagon market. So, knowing that, we weren’t surprised to learn that Audi has no plans to offer its all-new RS6 Avant in the The United States, putting all of its eggs into the beautiful RS7 basket instead.
For wagon fans in the usa with the methods to own this sort of machine, the RS6 has joined the ranks of European cars that got away. So it’s no consolation to know that in silhouette the RS6 Avant looks stunning. It’s both masculine and aggressive, being an Audi RS should be. Furthermore, it features squared-off, flared wheel arches that happen to be a distinctive nod to the first quattro. They’re filled with 20″””” wheels but it really appears Audi expects most buyers to opt for the 21″””” rims, since there area lot of optional extras to make it feel even more individual, most of which may be fitted towards the S6 (available as a sedan, and in the US) – and that’s not what makes the RS version so special anyway.
The engine is a good place to begin. The 4.-liter V8 twin-turbo is a lot the same as underneath the bonnet in the Bentley Continental GT, except the Audi has a lot more power. A maximum of 552hp is available over a 1000rpm band of the rev counter from 5700rpm, but it’s the torque that makes this 4266 lb behemoth astoundingly fast.
That it’s provided by 1750rpm entirely up to 5500rpm is staggering, even though as much as 516 lb-ft is produced, which is impressive enough. Which endows the auto with any-speed, any-gear performance that’ll put many sports cars to shame. Yet it can shut down the valves on four cylinders at low-speed until theTalking about gears, the RS6 gets ZF’s excellent eight-speed automatic, and the various modes give it time to both slip softly down the highway and ferociously engage gears together with the throttle wide open, dependant upon the driver’s mood.
You can take control of the transmission with the (annoyingly plastic) paddles behind the steering wheel and, if the car is in Dynamic mode, it gives wonderfully satisfying throttle blips on downshifts. bangs, crackles and Pops in the active exhaust further improve the experience in the over-run too.
Audi’s ‘drive select’ programs allow you to choose different pre-sets that vary throttle response, steering weight and damper control, all to good effect. In Comfort mode, the RS6 isn’t taxing to drive in the least, while the most extreme settings seem to goad the driver into pushing ever faster.
And also this car is fast… Cue disbelief when you spot -62mph in only 3.9sec. Top speed has limitations to 155mph, although this may be raised to 190mph in the event you tick the correct options box on the order form, and believe me by default: it can reach that speed on an alarmingly short component ofthe task of restoring normality. The standard steel rotors are huge and perfectly capable, although Audi will gladly take a few extra dollars from you for the carbon-ceramic option. If you are considering track days, the composites could be better, though we tried both and preferred the pedal feel of the regular steel.
There are many more tricks up the RS6’s sleeve. The quattro system normally sends 60% of output to the rear wheels (approximately 85% in extremis), and in conjunction with the rear sports diff, means the car will understeer a lot less than performance Audis of old.
It’s slightly strange to experience this kind of agile station wagon in a series of corners, where the grip levels are staggeringly high. Although there’s no real feel with the steering wheel, the eagerness to make-in can be relied upon, and the rear generally follows suit, even when trail-braking. Indeed, stability under braking was one of several RS6’s strongest suits.
This might be attributed, without doubt, to the standard adaptive air suspension system, which gives the RS such breadth of ability. Buyers can even go one further by opting for DRC (Dynamic Ride Control) and Dynamic Steering to achieve the car adjust togreatly an engine that should be heard. And with all of thatin the automotive industry these days. New companies emerge almost every month, and the performance wheel industry has become incredibly oversaturated. While there is plenty of room for everybody to get a component of that proverbial pie, the standard is quickly disappearing. Some wheel companies just aren’t true wheel manufacturers anymore; they’re merely placing their name on wheels made overseas and pushing them into the market without overseeing the manufacturing process. This creates an absence of quality control, and customers suffer by overpaying without ever considering quality. Most of these upstart companies often have their wheels manufactured at the same offshore site, so these wheels of questionable quality and construction spread rapidly throughout our community.
There have been a couple of Japanese wheel manufacturers dominating the current market, as long as the tuning community has been around. Companies such as Rays Engineering, Work Wheels and SSR, to name a few, have stood the test of your energy and are a staple in your tuning world. Though their wheels are already replicated an immeasurable number of times, they remain just because a strong faction of enthusiasts believes in quality. They realize that these companies have a rigid standard of quality control. Therefore, they hold their devote America due to their belief in creating nothing but the best. Inside the U.S., one wheel company that’s held strong in excess of 20 years now is a brand you ought to all be aware of: HRE Performance Wheels. Its original founder, Gene Howald (HRE=Howald Racing Enterprises), was a motorsports lover who launched the company over two decades ago. He catered to high-performance customers by manufacturing custom racing wheels in the U.S. and holds seven patents for wheel production and design. Howald sold HRE to its present owners and decided to venture off into other endeavors before going back to the industry in 2007 in 1999. He noticed that the landscape of the performance wheel industry had changed dramatically; manufacturers had become nearly obsolete, with a lot of production having moved to China. He envisioned a company that was completely customer-oriented and that produced custom-made wheels of the best in America, and consequentlyBecause of its owner’s rich knowledge and history, Nutek continues to grow quickly within its six years of business. Though its customer base consists mostly of those from the high-end luxury performance market, Nutek believes in serving all enthusiasts. During the SEMA Show just last year, the company presented show-goers by using a vehicle that was a little unexpected. And we, in addition to many others, quickly took notice. From the outside, it was actually just a very clean S14 Nissan 240SX. Adorning the body and glass were a variety of company logos from various sponsors-nothing unusual. About this particular S14, the gold graphics brought about a nice transition on the Jet Black paint, but what really captured our attention were the five-spoke Nutek Forged Series 625 wheels. Admittedly, Nutek was an unfamiliar name to us at that time, but we enjoyed the sizing and finish on the wheels. Each side of the S14 featured another finish of the same wheel, using the driver side done in a textured/gloss black finish and the passenger side with a high polish. The vehicle, as many fan boys would say, was “proper.”
We eventually caught up with the owner from the Nissan and got a complete look at his build. It turns out that Eddie Kumchumroon’s S14 was wearing Nutek shoes for a reason, since he is the marketing director for Nutek Forged Wheels. He educated us on all things Nutek, and oh yeah, he also showed us the 2JZ-GTE swap we had heard is in the engine bay. Eddie’s was fully built inside and outside to the tune of 773hp, although not only is the Supra motor plenty potent from your factory! It was easy to understand why Nutek chose to use its marketing guy’s car to help make an instant impact in the import community.
One would suppose that Nutek will have final say as to how this 240SX came together, but which had been far from the truth, as a company representative. The truth is, this build is a production of Eddie and performance tuning shop FX Autodesign. He worked closely using the crew from FX to complete a vision he’d had since he first attended a D1GP years before. “I’ve been fixing up every car I’ve ever owned for about 10 years now,” Eddie explains. “I just can’t seem to drive a car that may be stock. I purchased this 240SX a few years back after drifting became big in the usa. The car really captivated me. I had totaled my ’95 Acura Integra at the time and decided to see what I could do with an S14 chassis. I was really inspired by all the mind-boggling engine conversions others were doing for their 240s and wanted to go all-out with no limitations.”
1995 nissan 240SX pioneer amplifier
1995 nissan 240SX sard fuel rail
1995 nissan 240SX AEM boost gauge
FX Autodesign was responsible for all of the legwork with this Supra swap, from creating the custom motor mounts to all the plumbing necessary to get it fired up. Inside the guts from the 2JZ are CP pistons, a rebalanced crankshaft, and Brian Crower valvetrain upgrades, just to name a few. The stock turbine has become upgraded using a larger Turbonetics GTK650 unit mounted to a custom turbo manifold fabricated by FX Autodesign. A GReddy intake manifold and 90mm throttle-body combo breathe high volumes of air into the Toyota engine, while exhaust fumes pass through an A’PEXi GT-spec muffler. A dependable R154 transmission from a JZA70 Supra also makes the transition over to ensure all that power makes it on the tarmac.
Drawing the forged Nutek wheels ever so close to the custom-massaged wheelwells of the S14 coupe are Function & Form Type 2.5 dampers. The entire suspension and chassis have been refreshed, methodically utilizing new components from Circuit Sport. A master bushing kit from Energy Suspension keeps the automobile riding stiff and nice with the help of front and rear sway bars from Tanabe USA. To make sure this 700hp beast has plenty of stopping force, Eddie went with aYou’ll realize it’s quite simple should you train your eyesight to see past the gold accents of the exterior. The rich black paint disguises the lines from the Extreme Dimension aero kit, and Eddie has even gone up to now as to paint the carbon hood and trunk. Keeping the entire body clean will be the objective here, to draw more attention to the graphical representations of all the companies involved in his build. Inside you’ll locate a full catalog of race equipment from Italian parts manufacturer OMP Racing. Everything from the seats, steering wheel, safety harnesses, and pedals is actually all high-grade Italian. The rear seats have been eliminated altogether, but Eddie continues to be mindful to take minor styling cues into mind. The dashboard and associated panels of his interior have been rewrapped in suede, while accent pieces have been overlaid in carbon-fiber.
As soon as the intention is usually to draw attention to a lovely set of wheels, perhaps there is no better vehicle. Eddie as well as the FX Autodesign team did a stellar job of producing this vehicle formidable in each and every aspect. From looks to performance to even custom audio, this 240SX has everything covered. It may be hard to get a good look at the Nutek forged wheels because they are spinning tirelessly in an attempt to deliver 700-plus horses to the ground, just make sure catch a glimpse of it at a standstill, it’s simple to recognize the task that has gone into creating this magnificent machine. Above all else, Eddie Kumchumroon’s Nissan serves as a perfect complement to a wheel company that is centered on quality.