BayAreaQ7

I purchased my 2008 s-line Q7 new in Oct 2008 and have enjoyed this SUV. No issues with the Q7, except for the center console sticking and making a loud snapping noise when you open or close it (the internal hinge seems to stick).

So, at 23,000 miles I was due for new brakes and tires. I had the stock S-line 21” wheels and Dunlap tires along with stock OEM brakes. I decided to upgrade my rims along with lowering the Q7 at the same time. Below is a break down of the work:

Brakes:
• Replaced at 23,000 miles
• Hawk performance ceramic pads (tirerack.com - front $130, rear $105, total: $257.70)
• Brake dust has been reduced drastically
• Stopping power has been reduced by about 20%, but the trade off has been worth it for the reduced brake dust
• Installation: $175
• New S-line brake decals $15 on ebay.co.uk

Lowering:
• H&R springs ($330)
• H&R 18mm spacers ($240)
• H&R Lug nuts – required for the spacers: ($110)
• Installation at a local Audi performance shop: $480
• Audi dealer alignment: $300
• If I did it again, I would use 18mm spacers on the rear and maybe something a little less in the front (10mm?).
• The ride is fine with the stock shocks and struts. I lowered my S-line A4 with out replacing the stock shocks & struts and it was very bouncy. So I ended up purchasing Bilstien shocks & struts and had them installed on the A4. Luckily, the stock Q7 shocks can handle the tighter springs, the ride is rougher as expected, but not bouncy or anything like my A4 was with out new shocks/struts.

Wheels & Tires ($2,400)
• Eurotech Rinspeed replica’s in Hyper silver 22”x10” ($250 for each rim)
• Nitto NT555 tires 285x35x22 (tires were about $300 each)
• No issues with vibrations or wheel balance as I’ve heard some people complain with these knock off wheels and the Nitto tires are quiet. Over all I’m very happy with the package.
• I’m still waiting for the replacement center caps as shown in the Euro tech ad that are similar to the stock center caps. I don’t like the cheap ones they sent me which you can see in the pictures and they’re replacing them for free.
• I don’t have the TPMS installed on the new wheels/tires since they installed and balanced them before shipping the wheel set to me. And since you can’t Vagcom the TPMS in dash warning, I’m building a $25 TPMS canister/pipe to put in under the seat which contains the sensors and will have the in dash warning removed. I have an air compressor at home and check my tires frequently and did not want to pay another $100+ to unmount, remount, balance, etc and install the TPMS. When I get new tires I’ll have them reinstalled.


For sales:
• OEM S-Line 21" wheels, two of the rims do have minor curb rash and I’ll be listing these on eBay and Craig’s List shortly, asking about $1,300

I had many questions about lowering and now that I’ve completed it maybe this will be useful information to others in the group. Below are some pictures of the project:

Additional pictures here: http://s290.photobucket.com/albums/l...Q7%20Upgrades/

Before lowering & with stock OEM 21" wheels:






With new wheels & tires before lowering:




After pictures: new tires, spacers and lowered














I like the color of these darker gray wheels against the silver SUV, I may powder coat mine a light charcoal gray.


TPMS Warning:


Tip: I use Plexis on all the exterior plastic. It's also what's recommended to clean & protect care for my Ventureshield clear bra. It works great and keeps the plastic looking dark with out the Armor all type shine.

adriangroom

Nice... smart ride and tasteful mods!

scotskier

I like the brake decals. Nice touch. Got a link to the vendor?

BayAreaQ7

The auction is for 3 sizes, 75, 90, and 110mm. The 110mm were too big for the front caliper and the 90mm is what I ended up using on the front calipers. Since the auction comes with 6 decals, I would request 4 of the 90mm and two of the 75mm. I did not put any decals on the rear calipers.

Here's the link:

(ebay.co.uk seller name: ginaswin2010)

http://cgi.ebay.com/6x-Audi-S-Line-B...item27b6424409

arU4ic

Wow, I really like those wheels... Nice, (classy) work!

IAS5

Really?

BayAreaQ7

Yeah, I would say that. To be specific, I don't have the sharp braking stopping power I had before. It was much more crisp with the OEM pads, now I have to apply more power to the brake pedal to get the same stopping force.

There is a clear difference compared to OEM brake pads, I'll be curious to see how they perform when they get hot while driving/descending in the hills...

IAS5

i guess my "really?" can be read two ways. My inquiry, although, not intentionally being a smarky, was why you would trade braking performance for a little bit of brake dust.

these 5500lb beasts should have all the braking power readily available. perhaps spending $8 every so often to buy ArmourAll Wheel protectant to keep the wheels protected would fight the dust.

I use it on mine- the stuff is fantastic.

BayAreaQ7

You make a very valid point. During my initial inquiry about ceramic pads, I read on here the the braking power was equal to stock. But with my own experience I learned that was not true. Would I do it again, probably so since my M-F driving is to and from work/gym and is an easy 3-4mile commute. If I had to commute here on the SF Bay area highways to and from work which has stop and go traffic, I would probably stick with the crisp OEM brake pads.

I'm going to try out the Armour all wheel stuff you mentioned... BTW, that's a sweet S5!

IAS5

thanks- got confused for a moment, but realized you saw my S5 in my profile. I traded that in 1.5 yrs ago for a C6 Z06; had it for 6 months, went back to a 2010 S4. Never updated my pic, nor my screen name.

I'm in this thread alot because i have an 07 Q7 also.

You can find the ArmourAll in Target, Walmart, or any of the car stores.