Initial impressions of Ruf exhaust, Techart coilovers and K40 (w/photos)

My car had a busy week. Wed: Took delivery in Redwood City and drove to Los Angeles Thurs: HRE 540R wheels installed at Wheel Enhancement; windows tinted (20%) by Duane Fri: Techart coilovers and silver hood badge installed at By Design Tues: K40 radar detector and laser diffuser, Motorola hands free kit, and garage door switch installed at Paris Audio Wed: Ruf exhaust, Ruf aluminum pedals and Bailey DVs installed at By Design The Techart sway bars are supposed to arrive next week. IMHO, the X50 exhaust sounds a tad louder and throatier than the standard TT exhaust. The Ruf exhaust may actually be slightly quieter than the X50 exhaust (e.g., similar in volume to the standard TT exhaust). That�s fine by me. I didn�t want to make my car louder, and one of the reasons I selected Ruf is because it is among the quieter exhausts (in addition to providing the greatest hp/torque gains). Thus, I am very happy with the Ruf sound. I am also very pleased with the look -- I love the dual tips. I have posted a few photos below (I didn�t get home until after dark and, therefore, the post-install photos are of poor quality -- I�ll post better photos shortly). The Techart coilovers are very firm and you really feel the road under you -- definitely firmer than stock. Handling is markedly improved. The car is unbelievably planted -- it is glued to the road. It feels like a roller coaster ride -- like you are attached to the track. I am very happy with the handling characteristics of the Techart coilovers. I am also very pleased with improved aesthetics resulting from the lower ride height. However, anyone considering this mod should be aware that the front lip will scrap much more frequently than at the stock height. I have not yet taken any photos of the new ride height because the car is filthy and I want to wash it before taking photos. I promise I�ll have additional photos shortly. So far, the K40 has performed admirably. It accurately detected a fixed radar gun (on a sign altering drivers of their speed) well in advance of the radar gun, with ample opportunity to slow down. Additionally, it has only had a couple of false alarms. For the most part, it has remained quiet (as it should). Below are a few photos of my new Ruf exhaust, both before and after installation. As noted above, the post-install photos are poor because it was dark. I will post better photos later. Craig (L.A.)

Beautiful car! I bet you can't wait to really drive it.

Please post some more pics of the car after you clean it. I want to see how the 20% tint and ride height look. Thanks

Craig, It looks awesome! <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" /> I am so envious! Hope to see you around on the streets sometime. It's hard with all these Porsches around!

Dave, I live in the SFV, 25 mins from you. We should meet half way, at either Kanan or Malibu Canyon, for a canyon drive. A few other Rennlist members meet for weekend canyon drives. Craig (L.A.)

[quote]Originally posted by Craig in LA: <strong>Dave, I live in the SFV, 25 mins from you. We should meet half way, at either Kanan or Malibu Canyon, for a canyon drive. A few other Rennlist members meet for weekend canyon drives. Craig (L.A.)</strong><hr></blockquote> Craig, where in SFV are you? I'm out in Woodland Hills (De Soto, south of Ventura Blvd.) and would love to do a cyn drive with some local rennlisters. I have a lowly 911SC that's down for rebuild right now, when I get it back I'd like to organize something.....possibly taking Mulholland to Stunt Rd. and doing some fun stuff, maybe take Piuma to the beach, eat at Neptunes and head back.....something along those lines. Anyway, beautiful car, great exhaust. 1 question though, can you hear the RUF system open up the second set of tips? I've heard that only two of the tips work under a certain rpm and a butterfly tips the other two to open up for maximum airflow. regards, amir

Craig, A canyon run sounds great, but it'll have to wait until I get the new tranny installed. I found out earlier this week that I'm on the recall list! I'll keep you posted!

[quote]Originally posted by ZAMIRZ: <strong> Craig, where in SFV are you? I'm out in Woodland Hills (De Soto, south of Ventura Blvd.) and would love to do a cyn drive with some local rennlisters. I have a lowly 911SC that's down for rebuild right now, when I get it back I'd like to organize something.....possibly taking Mulholland to Stunt Rd. and doing some fun stuff, maybe take Piuma to the beach, eat at Neptunes and head back.....something along those lines. Anyway, beautiful car, great exhaust. </strong><hr></blockquote> Amir, If you organize it, people will come. There is a So Cal Audi TT club that organizes frequent canyon drives -- these drives are well attended and, according to the attendees, loads of fun. They even venture into the local mountains for drives. There is no reason why we can't do the same thing. All we need is for someone to take the lead. Organize it and they will come. BTW, I live one town to the east of you (5 mins away). Craig (L.A.)