Hi newb here, after a 1.8t(remapped) pushed me to the limit in my VR6 i now crave 200BHP+ with very little mods, hence i'm looking to buy a nice dolphin grey 1.8t at the weekend and was wondering if all A3 1.8t's have traction control(ESP) the car is on a 1999 on an s plate, any help would be much appreciated.
Do all A3 1.8t have ESP?
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if you're wanting 200bhp or more with few mods, what you'll be needing is a facelift car, post 2000 with 1 piece lights, which will have an AUM engine with the ko3S already fitted, these can see over 200bhp with just a remap, and should completely destroy a VR6 due to having much more torque!
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@tom nearly all the '99 1.8t's i've seen are advertised as having ESP though, so thought it may be standard, can anyone clear this up for me?
And even having to exchange the turbo is still cheaper than trying to tune the VR6, would a turbo from say a 225bhp CupraR, TT etc go straight on? if not what other parts would be needed?
And even having to exchange the turbo is still cheaper than trying to tune the VR6, would a turbo from say a 225bhp CupraR, TT etc go straight on? if not what other parts would be needed?
That's a K04 turbo, different fitment and you would need a lot of other parts. Doable, but not as easy as just buying an older S3.
Yeah looked around regarding this, 4 bolt fitting on the K04, 3 bolt fitment on K03 just the manifold for the K04 needed then i'd assume, not a big job if thats the case.
Anyone know about the ESP question?
Anyone know about the ESP question?
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
my car has some weird noise when you wheel spin it in the snow... the ABS thingy i was told. only does it under 5 deg C tho
definately not standard my x reg 1.8t didnt. if ur planing on a remap id try and get 1 with esp.
Mine makes the clicking etc under heavy throttle when you boot it but I didnt think that was ESP? (when the brakes jab at the spinning wheel). Mines a 2000 X reg 1.8t Sport and I've never seen anything to say its got it. I'll have a look in the owners book just to make sure though as I could be talking complete rubbish!.
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
yeh tom thats what mine does. some form of anti spit crud that dont work very well. surely ESP has a on off button?
Just looked, if its got it, it'll have a switch on the dash. That should be marked up as ASR or ESP and it should be located by the triangular hazard warning light switch. When you turn the ignition on a triangular orange light with a circle containing an exclamation mark in it will flash up for a couple of seconds before going out. If its switched off then the light should stay on.
So in short if it doesnt have the button it doesnt have it.....so I dont have it
....deffo looks like an option though so there will be A3's sporting this function knocking about.
So in short if it doesnt have the button it doesnt have it.....so I dont have it
....deffo looks like an option though so there will be A3's sporting this function knocking about.
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
dunno mate.... it stays off all the time until the little frost light comes up on the DIS. annoyed the fk out of me in the snow. cant see power having anything to do with it. a wheel spin ais a wheel spin if its from 30bhp or 600 bhp. either way its a loss of traction. i am a little concerned for when im mapped as i already spin up in the dry without dropping the clutch.
Mines on all the time, mainly as Im pulling away with a bit of steering lock on, I get the 'clickclickclickclick" when I pull away if I'm being heavy footed.
its never caused me any problems, especially when pulling off with the wheels pointing straight ahead. The only thing I can think is that when the wheels are locked around the contact patch of the tyre on the road is smaller so it doesnt have as much grip etc.
Its not caused me any annoyance and it certainly doesnt hinder any process I want to make which is the most important thing
its never caused me any problems, especially when pulling off with the wheels pointing straight ahead. The only thing I can think is that when the wheels are locked around the contact patch of the tyre on the road is smaller so it doesnt have as much grip etc.
Its not caused me any annoyance and it certainly doesnt hinder any process I want to make which is the most important thing
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
my T plate had this noise, the reason it come about when cold is due to one wheel slipping more than the other, it is a differential device which allows slip but also reduces it via what ever causes the grinding, otherwise you'd be making slower progress in slippery conditions
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
I bet alot of the one's ive seen havent actually got ESP then as 9 out of 10 of the ones ive been looking at say they have it, but seems most of you with 1.8t's on here dont have it, does it really make much of a difference? anyone drove one with and one without and noticed much benefit? And is it intended more to control wheelspin on acceleration or a slide when cornering? I'd be gratefull for any help as i may as well get one with it, if it makes much of a difference.
And anyone know if you just need the K04 manifold(4 bolt fitting) to put K04 turbo onto 150bhp 1.8t with(3 bolt turbo fitting)?
And anyone know if you just need the K04 manifold(4 bolt fitting) to put K04 turbo onto 150bhp 1.8t with(3 bolt turbo fitting)?
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
tbh mate if your going to go big power (as ar as a3s go) buy a quattro. In the wet my A3 spins up to 3rd. tho lowering, strut bracing Polybushes etc, my car is now very difficult to make understeer.
Yeah quattro's all well and good but the extra weight and price of the car to begin with just is'nt an option, i'm afraid. i just want about 220bhp a place i was working had a 225bhp cupraR company car we used to thrash, and it was awsome just right for a front wheel drive and i'm after similar power but without spending £5000 on a car made in spain(are they even still made in spain? lol)
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ARGH!!!!!!!
SO much misinformation in this thread.
the facts:
AGU cars DO NOT have ESP, none of them, it's not an option.
AUM cars, ALL have esp, again, it's not optional.
ARZ cars are very rare, and to be honest I couldn't care less if they have it or not, but potentially, being DBW, they COULD have it. ARZ cars will generally be mid 2000, as it was a crossover between the AGU and AUM
IT all goes on engine codes.
If you want 220bhp, get an AUM straight off, simple as that.
AGU AND ARZ have ko3 turbo's, and will need a turbo change, among other things to get above 200bhp.
If you have a choice now, buy a facelift car with an AUM engine, and be happy
NOISE IN THE SNOW:
The noise you hear in the snow pulling away is the ABS kicking in, as you get a difference in wheel speed front to rear, so as a very primative form of ASR it triggers the brakes on the front wheels.
You might find this happens frequently if you pull out of a junction with a severe camber change.
Tom: if yours is doing it all the time then you have a dodgy wheel speed sensor. Get it scanned on vagcom and it'll most likely show an intermittent fault on one corner. Mine ALWAYS throws a code for front right, always has. drives me mad.
SO much misinformation in this thread.
the facts:
AGU cars DO NOT have ESP, none of them, it's not an option.
AUM cars, ALL have esp, again, it's not optional.
ARZ cars are very rare, and to be honest I couldn't care less if they have it or not, but potentially, being DBW, they COULD have it. ARZ cars will generally be mid 2000, as it was a crossover between the AGU and AUM
IT all goes on engine codes.
If you want 220bhp, get an AUM straight off, simple as that.
AGU AND ARZ have ko3 turbo's, and will need a turbo change, among other things to get above 200bhp.
If you have a choice now, buy a facelift car with an AUM engine, and be happy
NOISE IN THE SNOW:
The noise you hear in the snow pulling away is the ABS kicking in, as you get a difference in wheel speed front to rear, so as a very primative form of ASR it triggers the brakes on the front wheels.
You might find this happens frequently if you pull out of a junction with a severe camber change.
Tom: if yours is doing it all the time then you have a dodgy wheel speed sensor. Get it scanned on vagcom and it'll most likely show an intermittent fault on one corner. Mine ALWAYS throws a code for front right, always has. drives me mad.
The car i'm looking at tho is a late '99, according to the 1.8t info sheet on this forum the car is code AQA? so whats with that regarding ESP? as i've seen loads advertised stating they have it, also AGU cars? Maybe its dealers and the like counting this primitive ASR as traction control.
And funds are £2000 for the car so no AUM engine for me, whats the shopping list for putting K04 on K03 engine then prawn as you obviously know youre A3's, Turbo(obviously), 4 bolt Manifold, what other bits are needed? as i can get these bit by bit over the next few months. Youre help is much appreciated.
And funds are £2000 for the car so no AUM engine for me, whats the shopping list for putting K04 on K03 engine then prawn as you obviously know youre A3's, Turbo(obviously), 4 bolt Manifold, what other bits are needed? as i can get these bit by bit over the next few months. Youre help is much appreciated.
if you wait you will find an AUM for £2k....trust me, we didnt pay that much more for our AUM car a month ago and that was us being picky about getting one with a certain service history and unscratched climate unit
Nick, spot on with the ABS..... i completely forgot about that as im sure i asked the question myself back in my AS net virgin days
Nick, spot on with the ABS..... i completely forgot about that as im sure i asked the question myself back in my AS net virgin days
I need a car in the next 2 weeks so i cant really wait around for a bargain AUM so i'm back to trying to get an AGU or according to the 1.8t info sheet on the forum an AQA('99-00) but i havent seen anyone mention AQA, only AGU-ARZ & AUM, and getting a K04 on it so whats the shopping list for that apart from the turbo and matching 4 bolt manifold? HELP IM CONFUSED!
ALPINE
Yes its diesel, now cry u lost
i think yu should just go buy somthing else. by the time you got ya car 2k is, fixed what evers wrong with it, got ya turbo, ya front mount, ya mani, ya injectors, ya maf, ya remap and any other bits, you have spunked loads! why not just buy a faster car to start off with??
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AQA wasn't an engine fitted to any UK spec 1.8T's at all, if it's an import perhaps then god knows.....
UK cars pre 2000 will all be AGU, 2001 onwards should all be AUM
2000-early 2001 seem to be AGU, ARZ, or AUM depending on how soon they were registered after production.
To fit a ko4, in theory you just need the turbo, manifold,TIP, oil and water lines, and downpipe, although you wouldn't get any more than a ko3S from that setup, as the standard MAF and injectors both max out around the same point as the ko3S rather conviniently.
To make it worth while, you will need bigger injectors, and a 3'' maf housing like the S3/TT/LCR, and of course, a proper custom remap. you'd also need a front mount intercooler, and a decent exhaust system.
Tim: I'm about to join your ranks mate, I'm going to look at an AUM facelift car on Monday!
UK cars pre 2000 will all be AGU, 2001 onwards should all be AUM
2000-early 2001 seem to be AGU, ARZ, or AUM depending on how soon they were registered after production.
To fit a ko4, in theory you just need the turbo, manifold,TIP, oil and water lines, and downpipe, although you wouldn't get any more than a ko3S from that setup, as the standard MAF and injectors both max out around the same point as the ko3S rather conviniently.
To make it worth while, you will need bigger injectors, and a 3'' maf housing like the S3/TT/LCR, and of course, a proper custom remap. you'd also need a front mount intercooler, and a decent exhaust system.
Tim: I'm about to join your ranks mate, I'm going to look at an AUM facelift car on Monday!
The K03S is a much more bang for buck upgrade than the K04 upgrade.
The K03S is an easy, direct replacement. Couple of new gaskets and seals and you're done. The K04 will require MUCH more work - including removing the head realistically.
K04 vs K03S upgrade on 150 1.8T pros and cons IMO:
Pros:
K04 is a bigger turbo and more capable.
K04 turbos are easy to get hold of.
Cons:
K04 has slightly more lag.
K04 Manifold is crap, and the K03 manifold flows much better meaning less heat.
Head removal to fit K04, not to fit K03S.
K04 requires new downpipe, K03S doesn't. (Although I would still recommend it)
K04 requires injectors, MAF, fuel pump. K03S doesn't require anything.
There are many more items that could be discussed here, but these are the main ones I think.
An AGU with a K03S, with supporting mods, can be mapped up to around 240 BHP. R Tech do a special custom map for this (and a K04 as well) which can be found here: http://www.r-techpower.co.uk/r-tech-producs.php.
I just sold a K03S AGU A3 myself matey, and believe me that went well. With FWD, traction was ALWAYS an issue, in the wet and dry. If I had put a K04 on that, it would simply of been uindrivable.
The K03S is an easy, direct replacement. Couple of new gaskets and seals and you're done. The K04 will require MUCH more work - including removing the head realistically.
K04 vs K03S upgrade on 150 1.8T pros and cons IMO:
Pros:
K04 is a bigger turbo and more capable.
K04 turbos are easy to get hold of.
Cons:
K04 has slightly more lag.
K04 Manifold is crap, and the K03 manifold flows much better meaning less heat.
Head removal to fit K04, not to fit K03S.
K04 requires new downpipe, K03S doesn't. (Although I would still recommend it)
K04 requires injectors, MAF, fuel pump. K03S doesn't require anything.
There are many more items that could be discussed here, but these are the main ones I think.
An AGU with a K03S, with supporting mods, can be mapped up to around 240 BHP. R Tech do a special custom map for this (and a K04 as well) which can be found here: http://www.r-techpower.co.uk/r-tech-producs.php.
I just sold a K03S AGU A3 myself matey, and believe me that went well. With FWD, traction was ALWAYS an issue, in the wet and dry. If I had put a K04 on that, it would simply of been uindrivable.
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