I am in the middle of a crazy project. My goal is to get the steering wheel audio controls to work with the OEM radio. Not an easy task!
Why the OEM instead of something newer? Call me weird but I’d like to keep it as close to original as possible. Even though the exterior shows it’s been modified, my goal is to keep all mods in tune with Audi’s original design. So I’ll give it a go and let you know how I do.
In the mean time, I wanted to show you how easy it is to get comfort blinkers on your TT. I ordered a Komfortblinker from cum-cartec in Germany. It’s really easy! Just take the radio out and… that’s it. Images below.
It’s been a while since I wrote on this blog! I will soon keep you all up to date with my latest mods. (hint: radio + steering controls)
I just flew back home from San Diego and on the last night before coming back, I saw this MK1 parked on 5th avenue, downtown SD (pics below). I immediately thought about you guys and how I could write a post on this blog on… Pimp My Ride ideas your should avoid doing on your MK1 TT. 🙂
Not that I want to be rude to its owner: At least he made a statement somewhere in his life but just at the wrong place.
Based on this guy’s MK1 TT, if you own one don’t…
Think you own an R8 or worse disguise your TT into one!
Color match your windshield wipers
Change the headlight washer nozzle covers to another color
Add simili-carbon fiber stickers on your front & rear bumper for protection
Make sur you have at least 10 Audi / TT logos so everyone can see what you’re driving from all possible angles
Color match your windshield wipers (just to make sure)
Change your wheels for some… ah what the heck do I need to continue?
You get my point. Less is more, it’s just a question of balance.
Balance? Speaking of which, here are a few pics I’d like to share, also taken in SD. Maybe this helps understanding the TT owner’s state of mind… lol
I was at Eurokracy 2015, just North of Montreal earlier this summer but never got the chance to post my pics, mostly TTs but also other interesting stuff. So here they are! 🙂
It’s time to bust a myth! I read a short article on AudiWorld.com announcing “spy pics” of the new generation of TT RS. Yeah Right! Don’t believe what you read. This is solely to gain readership on their site.
It appears the writer didn’t know the TTs has minor modifications to its look (or did he?) and is convinced it’s an unseen before 2015 TT RS.
Oh and by the way, when manufacturers run their new project cars on open streets, they are always well-polished for the “unseen before, spy shots”. It’s a marketing stunt! So when you get pics taken 2 feet away on a parking lot of a dirty road car, no, it’s not a TT mule AudiWorld!
Now here’s a premiere, the next TT RS will be as close as possible to the Audi TT Quattro Sport Concept. (Yeah that’s the one with a 420 hp 2l engine)
I thought I’d be a good idea to show small changes that were made to the “TTs” when compared to the regular TT. This way Spy Photographers could stop wasting our time. 🙂
The purpose of this short text is to show the difference between the 2016 Audi TT and TTs using images. The reason why I’m doing this is that I have seen people mixing the two versions because of their different wheels, front lights, bumpers and so on.
Depending on your country, the TTs has at least 2 color options that aren’t available to the regular version. It also comes with easy to spot exterior modifications: Highly distinctive bumpers and rear diffuser, Grey “Audi S-series” mirrors, chrome-plated quad exhaust tailpipes, 19″ 5-arm alloy wheels and black painted calipers.
Here are side by side pictures. In blue, the TT and in red, the TTs.
There are many options when choosing wheels, again depending on your country of origin. Here’s what available in Germany. (Note that the blue TT has optional 20″ wheels)
Finally, TT or TTs headlights may look different or exactly the same! Both TT versions offer two choices: One with distinctive vertical lines (those are the LED) and the other with a round Xenon beam.
Dear TT enthusiasts, our friend and blog follower Lloyd Fields (USA) needs our help! How? Like his TT pic on Facebook! He entered Euro Hangar’s contest and need all the support he can get! Click HERE to help Llyod! Let’s help one another 🙂
See his TT below. Whether it’s your cup of tea or not, Lloyd needs your support. 🙂 Find the contest here.
Austria’s annual Wörthersee Tour tuning fest was on again last week, and Audi was set to be one of the stars thanks to its 600-horsepower TT Clubsport Turbo concept. (See the videos at the end of this post) The track-tuned concept looks similar to Audi’s TT Cup racer but it sports a larger 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine which thanks to some innovative technologies produces a supercar-like 600 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Incredibly, Audi R&D chief Ulrich Hackenberg says much of the technology in the concept is “close to production readiness.”
But how can Audi extract so much power from an engine with just 2.5 liters of swept capacity? The key is a combination of technologies that are all aimed at boosting power. Direct fuel injection and a larger turbocharger have been added, but to ensure the engine is also responsive—something that’s hard to achieve with a big turbo—Audi engineers added an electric motor system to help provide boost at lower revs. Several automakers are working on the technology and Audi plans to start offering it as early as next year.
So Audi has basically designed the perfect turbo; one with no lag at all. By using this new e-turbo, Audi can then incorporate a traditional turbo to focus on high rpm power only, thus making use of the entire rev range. Pretty neat right?
Called an E-Turbo, the technology uses an electric motor to spool up the smaller of two turbos rapidly and without any perceptible delay at low engine revs, and it allows the turbo to continue to boost charge pressure when too little energy is left in the exhaust gas spinning the larger turbo in a conventional manner. This operating principle makes it possible to design the turbocharging system more specifically for high charge pressures and consequently for high engine power, with the E-Turbo assuring spontaneous response and powerful sprints from low engine speeds at all times.
Audi boasts that the engine builds up power without any perceptible delay, and that the power is available in any situation—whenever the driver hits the gas pedal. Given those attributes, don’t be surprised if the technology ends up in the next-generation TT RS, which is expected to stick with a turbocharged 2.5-liter mill.
“The electric biturbo signifies a new dimension in driving enjoyment; it boosts sprinting ability and torque and enables high peak power,” Hackenberg explains. “In our TDI [diesel] engines, we are close to production readiness with this technology; we are now presenting it in a [gasoline-powered] TFSI.”
The concept needs just 3.6 seconds to sprint to 62 mph (100km/h), and its top speed is approximately 192 mph (310km/h). Thanks to the E-Turbo, the concept covers over 50 feet within the first 2.5 seconds of acceleration, which is almost 20 feet further than the concept would have got without the technology. That is a difference of around one and one-half car lengths. Helping that 0-62 mph figure is a lightweight body — Audi put the TT on a diet, resulting in a 3,078-pound dry weight.
To handle all of the power, Audi also added its Quattro all-wheel-drive system, whose multi-plate clutch is mounted on the rear axle for better weight distribution. The concept also features a conventional six-speed manual transmission and a series of weight-saving mods.
In addition, a dedicated 48‑volt electrical sub-system—another key future technology from Audi—supplies electrical energy to the E-Turbo system. This energy is stored in a small lithium-ion battery, which is stored in the trunk and charged via regenerative forces. Thanks to a converter, this system can also be used to power all the conventional 12‑volt electrical ancillary features.
Looks
The TT Clubsport Turbo concept has been widened by just 14 cm (5.5 in), but that’s enough to allow for a visibly more aggressive stance that also permits resculpted fenders aimed at channeling air to cool the brakes. The overall length is 4.33 meters (14.2 ft) and the width, including mirrors, is 1.97 meters (6.5 ft). Of course, there’s the massive wing, made from carbon-fiber reinforced polymer just like all the other aerodynamic improvements on the car. The exterior upgrades are rounded out by the rear diffuser, side sill trims, air inlets and a large splitter up front.
Inside, the TT Clubsport Turbo is fitted with a titanium roll cage and racing seats with four-point belts. The dash carries over largely unchanged, but the steering wheel, with its buttons for starting the engine, adjusting the driving mode, the stability control system, and setting the pit-lane speed, is taken from the new R8.
Ultrawide 275/30R-20 tires put the power to the pavement, and the TT concept also includes carbon-ceramic brakes and an adjustable carbon coil-over suspension.
I like! However, if the TT clubsport is just a dream at least we can look forward to the new technology being used elsewhere in the Audi family. A lag-free turbo? That’s fine by me. In the meantime, let’s ask DMC or others to create a custom widebody kit that looks just like it!
It has been a while since I posted on this blog. Here, in Quebec, Canada, our winter has been longer than usual and my TT still awaits nice, clean roads to shine under the sun.
The wait is long and I found myself looking for TT videos on youtube. I stumbled on old original reviews from Top Gear and others. I really enjoyed them so I thought I’d share them with you guys!
So here they are, for you to enjoy! (Just love Jeremy Clarkson). Oh, give me your impressions on how the TT was perceived at the time. Look forward to your comments.
Old Top Gear from 1998
Jeremy Clarkson roadtests the Audi TT
Richard Hammond test drives and reviews the awesome 1999 Audi TT – he talks about it’s beautiful styling as well as testing it’s handling and performance.
Tiff Needell reviews the newer TT version (revised MK1 that is…)
Audi TT car review – Top Gear – BBC
Jeremy takes the Audi TT out for a spin, that is if he can first decide on what to wear.
I was in Amsterdam not so long ago and as I was cruising down a street, an Mk1 TT got all my attention. Somehow, someone had baptised a TT as a “TTB”. Curious enough! I tried to figure out if it meant something by trying to find a detail, something that would give me a clue.
Audi TTB front
Audi TTB rear
The car looks pretty standard to me, so WTF? Why would someone add a second TT badge with a B added? I guess it’s not significant and purely a loss of time… but I need to know! Since I have many international readers, if anyone has an idea of what this means please post your idea.
Audi TT Mk1 8n Tuning - Parts & Accessories 