So despite the cruise control being kind of a pain to set this car was amazing on the long drive to Omaha. I put a little over 1,200 miles on my car this weekend and I've never been more comfortable.
Since my mom moved out there I've driven an 84 S10 2wd, 98 S10 2wd, 2001 GTI VR6, 1984 VW GTI, 2000 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder (my wife's previous car), 1999 Jeep XJ (lifted), and a 2000 S4 (wife's current car) to Omaha from Denver. Never have been as comfortable as I was in my 1993 S4.
It was absolutely perfect. Roomy, quiet, smooth (without being "floaty"), and comfortable. I've never been able to sit in a car for as long without severe back pain as I was in this car. Actually this was the first time since Iraq that I didn't need to take pain killers or stop and stretch during the trip.
The new "baby black" boxster brake setup is definately the way to go. It gives my car the dame brake feel and response as my wife's B5 S4, which in my opinion is the perfect balance of instant response and daily driver ease of modulation. I'm definately glad I went this route.
The Eibach springs w/ Bilsteins (installed by previous owner) did a great job of absorbing all the bumps along I-76 and I-80. I was planning on swapping these out for H&R Race Springs and a matched dampner but I don't want to lose the comfort on long journeys.
The Stromung exhaust never got annoying, even after 8hrs on the road. I had cut out the resonator to get more volume from it and am glad it didn't make a negative impact on long drive comfort.
Overall I don't think I could be happier with this car. My only complaint is that cruising at 80mph I'm sitting at around 3400rpm. Thats a bit high for my taste. I kind of wish the previous owner had gone with a 6spd instead of a 95.5+ 5spd when the transmission went out. Although I'm not sure the 6spd would of made much of a difference there either as my wife's B5 sits up ther in the 3000+rpm range too. I think when this transmission goes out I'm going to build a custom 6spd. I want 1st - 5th to be exactly what I have now, and I want 6th to be even higher. I'm thinking a ratio that'll keep my rpm at around 2500 @ 75mph is what would be almost perfect.
All in all though this an amazing car, makes me want a C5 chassis S6 or A6 V8 to compare it too. My wife also agrees that it was an very comfortable ride, and even more comfortable than her car for the long journey. I'd owe that mainly to the larger cabin. You just don't feel as wedged into my car with the rear facing baby seat as you do in her B5.
The only downside to all this comfort is that I don't want to lose it with continued mods. Maybe I can convince her to let me buy the 93 Audi V8 I saw on CraigsList. I want something just as comfortable as the UrS4 thats not as expensive to buy. That way I can modify mine without having to worry about making sacrifices.
I also hit 220,000 miles while on my trip home. Time for another oil change. Thats the expensive part there too, I just did one at 215,000 miles last month. I drive an average of 350miles every week in my car.