SP Rides: In The Passing Lane
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Year, make, model: 2012 Audi TT RS
Owner: Cody Schiedler
Age: 25
Occupation: Army
Hobbies: Acting as OECC VP, snowboarding, fast cars
Color: Hexis Grey with purple/blue color shift vinyl wrap
Engine/transmission: APR stage 2 tune, APR downpipe, APR exhaust, BMC custom made intake, carbon fiber coolant cover, carbon fiber mirrors caps, carbon fiber hydrodip engine piece and rear diffuser, Southbend Stage 3 daily clutch with pressure plate
Exterior: Maxton Design front and side splitters, Vivid headlight and taillight tint custom wood
Interior: Red and black diamond stitch leather floor mats, custom red Alcantara and leather stitch seat covers front and back
Suspension: Airlift Performance Series air suspension with Accuair e-level, tank box and trunk set up
Wheels: VMR v710FF 19-by-9.5 and Bridgestone Potenza 245/35R19s all around
Living in Germany is a good way to pick up an appreciation for European stuff. For Cody Schiedler, it introduced him to taking a quick car and making it faster. It was his first taste, in this case it was an Audi A4, which he ended up making track ready — resulting in a Euro addiction that he can’t shake. Enter the TT RS.
While he was ripping up the Nürburgring in his A4, you can’t miss the fact that it was a big, heavy sedan. This 2012 Audi TT RS is a beast of a totally different sort — lighter, smaller, less doors. This allows it to be nimbler and quicker comparatively. With this Audi’s sleek profile, it’s definitely more racy. Throw in the fact that it’s a manual and the experience is even more involving, thanks to being able to slam through the gears and whip through the corners.
Rides can almost become collaborative efforts as they’re passed onto friends and acquaintances throughout their lifetimes, resulting in an evolution of sorts. Schiedler’s favorite part is the wrap, which was hand-wrapped by the previous owner, Shane Placke.
Placke did quite a job on it and the color is incredibly different. Imagine a color-shift grey that shifts from blue to purple with only the slightest change. It absolutely pops and turns heads wherever it goes to include the fresh tinting on the headlights and tails.
The car is modified to an APR Stage 2 level, which provides a good kick in the pants that the original manufacturer left out. So much has been done with the additional APR bolt-ons, that the car is incomparable to its OEM version. This ride was picked up pre-tuned but it already fits Schiedler like a glove.
“It’s awesome. I love hearing the turbos spool, the 5-cylinder coming out of the exhaust. It sounds so great,” said Schiedler.
Yeah, this car is a 2.5L 5-cylinder, which is a bit of a strange breed. However, Audi is known for taking the extra cylinder into some extra dimensions of performance. It’s a great turbo engine with a 6800 RPM redline — which is quite a screamer when the correct amount of force is applied to the gas pedal.
The car is equipped with an Airlift Performance series air suspension which allows the ride to sit pretty over the VMR v710FF 19-by-9.5 wheels that go right around. The entire air setup is installed in a freshly lacquered glossy wooden installation in the rear trunk. Red and diamond floor mats have been included to spice up the interior.
This car is essentially a starting point for Schiedler. He’s aiming to get back to Germany for some Nurb’ loving, which means that the immediate future is all performance mods to include bigger turbos, possibly a suspension switch, as well as items such as a rear seat delete.
For Schiedler, this experience is about taking a ride that has already had some blood, sweat and tears poured into it and making it a platform to build from. This is something that’s memorable not only for him, but for anyone else who sees it tearing up the track.
