DaveA3
Audi A-Trizzle!
Hi All,
As we see at least 500 posts a week from new A3 and some S3 owners asking how to get more power i thought i would make this post for a sticky.
Here is a list of engine mods with approximate prices:
---------------------------------------
Remap - £200-£400 30-40 BHP increase
Some remaps are harsher with their power delivery, others are smoother and progressive (preferred by most) Below is a list with a rough guide to the type of map.
List of recommended remaps:
As of05/08/2010
# Custom Code (Smooth) £300 or £380
# AMD (Smooth) £339.57
# Revo (Fast low end RPM eases off high rpm) £410.08
# R-Tech (Smooth) £200-250 Free rolling road
# APR (Unknown) £375
# Jabba (Unknown) £295
# ChippedUK (Smooth) £275 often does cheaper remap days £200 and free rolling road
If you have a diesel engined A3 or any other VAG diesel you can opt for an economy map which will sometimes see between 7-10 extra MPG. You can still get a power map which will see 170bhp and 270 lb/ft of torque on the PD130 versions.
---------------------------------------
Air Filters/Induction Kits £40-200 1-5 bhp
There are a few options here also. You may have heard of K&N induction kits etc from the past but VAG engines dont seem to agree with them (MAF's tend to fail from oily air filters i.e. the protection grease on K&N and some pipercross).
Here are the recommendations:
# Replacement Air filter Element (Green Cotton is recommended, replaces your standard paper filter). £40-50
# In Addition to the above you can do the Wak Box mod which entailes drilling lots of holes on the cold side of your air filter box which gives suprisingly a nice sound. Best part its free!
£ Free
# Carbonio CAI (Cold Air Intake). This is a full carbon intake which makes an awesome sound and gives maybe 2-3bhp but improves throttle response.
£190 http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=3682&xSec=382
There are others similar to the Carbonio, like the Forge version and also APR did one but not sure if its still around.
---------------------------------------
Exhausts £200-380 5-15 BHP
Exhaust are often purchased for their sound and power increases. Although the increase isnt massive every little helps and as we all know breathing mods are essential to squeezing power out of any turbo'd car. You can go from the Cat back or the whole way through with an upgraded sports cat (£300+) and a larger bore downpipe.
Options:
# Custom. You can get a custom stainless steel exhaust from LOADS of places your literally best phoning around your local area for the best price. You can pay anything from £150-300 for one of these.
# Miltek. Miltek are extremely popular accross the VAG scene and offer nice exhausts with plenty of styles. Although they perform well they are a tad over priced in my opinion. If you have the money then go for it! http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=5615&xSec=383
# Blueflame are also popular and are like the above in many ways.
# Downpipe/Sports cats for the A3 & S3 models can be found all over the net and have proven results adding 5-10bhp in some cases.
# Downpipe & Sports Cat
http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=10701&xSec=383
---------------------------------------
FMIC (Front Mounted Intercooler £250+ BHP depends on other mods
FMIC is another popular mod adding that much need cooling to replace the insuffcient standard SMIC (side mounted intercooler). Once you start remapping adding boost etc its recommended to keep the temperatures down. Its a relatively cheap mod all things considered and looks great behind the grill. There are a few options from Forge etc but you can get decent kits on ebay with all the extras you need. It can be fitted by the average Joe with some pretty normal tools on a saturday afternoon.
The most popular for the A3 with proven results is the Turborevs kit for A3s @ ~£200 on ebay.
---------------------------------------
Other mods £Vary BHP Vary
Those are the basics anyway. Now there are a few small things and a hell of a lot of other stuff you can look at for big power but thats a whole new can of beans your opening. Below is a rough list of other stuff you can do.
# Forge 007P Diverter Valve- Doesnt increase performance by itself but is recommended when you buy a remap as the standard diverter valves crack all the time and can screw up your turbo. They also make a nice noise when paired with an induction kit. Some companies do a remap, 007p and green cotton air filter for a nice price of £350. Check out the website sponsors for the latest remap deals.
# N75J - Some say you can get extra boost from your turbo by replacing your standard N75 valve. Other say the boost fluctuates too much can cause an unnecessary boost spike which forces your car into limp mode (car gets restricted in power to prevent damage)
# Turbo Upgrade - On the A3 some with have a K03 turbo and some the K03s turbo. Most have the k03 and often get the k03s as an upgrade. The turbo bolts straight on but you will need a TIP (see below) the k03s can produce up to 230+ on with supporting mods from a remap. K03 often up to 190-195. You can also get hybrid turbos, larger manifolds to free up more power but i wont go into specifics. You can find lots of big power threads on the forum by doing a search.
# Silicone TIP (Turbo Inlet Pipe) can be found in many places adding a few BHP allowing the Turbo to breath better supplying more air efficiently. (standard is restricted). http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=3720&xSec=382 Others available cheaper a good search will provide more info.
# N75H is also an option for upgrade. Same principle as the J.
# Manual Boost Controllers - £20 - £80. Control turbo boost production manually.
# Silicone hoses - no performance increase, but reliability improved and dresses up the engine nicely.
# Uprated Haldex controller units for the S3 and 1.8TQ.
---------------------------------------
Other little bits to prevent more questions! lol
A3 wheel size - is 5x100 with an offset of ET35 anything up to 19's will fit comfortably (if 8J ET35 if 8.5J ET30 will be needed to clear the shocks). 18's often recommended with a ET35 offset either 8J or 8.5J.
Lowering - You can get JOM coilovers for £180 from DPM. Other popular brands are KW, Weitec, AP and FK. Lots of info again can be found on here.
Brakes - We can get S3 brakes on the A3 fairly easily just need discs, pads, calipers and carriers.
Boost gauges - no power gain, but a better overall understanding of engine performance.
Liquid Gauge - no power gain, but a better overall understanding of engine performance, and also ability to log fault codes, BHP etc etc etc. ~ £220
---------------------------------------
FAQ
Below is for the S3 but most applies to the A3 also:
1.What is a 007p Forge? - Aftermarket diverter valve used in place of the OEM one for bling and improved reliability
2.What does a MAF sensor do? - measure the air entering the engine so the ECU knows how much fuel to use with it
3.What does a Lambda Sensor do? - tells the ECU the air/fuel mixture ratio.
4.How would you know if an S3 is in limp mode if there is no boost gauge?Is it easy to fit on a boost gauge? - Car would feel slow in limp mode. Boost gauge is easy enough to fit, plenty of threads so have a search
5.If you had around 2K to spend on engine and interior mods what would you spend it on?Im not looking to race my S3 I just want to improve its reliability im looking to keep it for another 80000 miles then get the 8P S3. - Remap and suspension would essentially sort you out... Go for Bilstien B8 dampers and H&R -25mm springs. Remap wise, there are loads of discussions about this everyone has a preference but personally I would stick to Revo or Custom Code as they are tried and tested. Revo gives a more spiky boost delivery and feels really strong, Custom Code is a more OEM like progressive map... personal choice really but you can get a Revo trial for free to see for yourself..
6.What oil is the best for the S3? - fully synthetic 5w30 or 5w40. I use Fuchs Titan Super Syn available from GSF at £20ish for 5 litres and change my oil every 5 or 6 k.
7.Ive noticed some S3's have a console which can take a Double Din what model is this?The ones I have seen have like a ashtray/little cubby thing under the climate control. - Double din Symphony was an option and is an indash 6 disc changer too.
8.also read in one of the threads that the BAM S3 has a different suspension is this suspension more stiffer or does it have a smoother ride? - There is a different suspension pack that was an option IIRC but just get Bilstiens with the 2k you plan to spend...
9.With regards to wear and tear of the seats is the Alcantara more durable than the Nappa leather?Do all S3's have a storage compartment in the front seats? - Alcantara does wear if not maintained, the drivers seat on mine was a mess when I bought my car (got me some cash off the price too) but can be brought up nice with a bit of effort using a debobbling thingy and careful cleaning. Both leather and alcantara seats will need a certain amount of looking after if you want to keep them at their best. I have a silver alcantara interior and I think it looks classier than plain black leather...
10.Is it possible to change the LCD display in the speedo to the LCD you get in the 8P A3?Just a thought
- Good luck with that ;P
11.What is a decat exhaust system?does fitting a branch make any difference performance wise?I know it sounds much better. - Don't bother with decat, the restriction in the exhaust on an S3 is the downpipe and potentially the system itself (I managed 383bhp on a std system but it was being restrictive by then). Go for 3" downpipe, sports CAT (keeps the car legal) and a Miltek (or orther) exhaust
12.Is a bigger intercooler necessary for a stock S3? - IMO yes... there is a thread about FMIC's in the stickies in this forum....
13.If an S3 is remapped is there a significant difference in the performance? - yarp...
14.Was cruise control an option on the S3? - yes but easy and pretty cheap to fit with original parts... I did this to mine and use it all the time... brilliant mod...
15.What does a N75 valve/sensor do? - N75 valve controls the boost by operating the turbo's wastgate actuator
16.Common problems with the S3? - Boost leaks, vacuum leaks (lots of pipes to split... and they do), depends on how well the car has been looked after but essestially the car is typically fine, engines probs are more or less the same for any 1.8t engined VAG car... sensors such as the MAF sensor go frequently, coil packs and clutches.
17.If I had to replace the turbo with a bigger one do I have to change any of the engine internals? - Yes... See Tufty's build thread.
---------------------------------------
Thats it so far please post any other questions and helpful tips below. Please let me know if i have missed something or something is wrong.
Thanks Welly for you contributions also!
And Matt82 for his enlightenment - "If youve got a stupid question. Use the search button!"
Cheers
Dave :thumbsup:
As we see at least 500 posts a week from new A3 and some S3 owners asking how to get more power i thought i would make this post for a sticky.
Here is a list of engine mods with approximate prices:
---------------------------------------
Remap - £200-£400 30-40 BHP increase
Some remaps are harsher with their power delivery, others are smoother and progressive (preferred by most) Below is a list with a rough guide to the type of map.
List of recommended remaps:
As of05/08/2010
# Custom Code (Smooth) £300 or £380
# AMD (Smooth) £339.57
# Revo (Fast low end RPM eases off high rpm) £410.08
# R-Tech (Smooth) £200-250 Free rolling road
# APR (Unknown) £375
# Jabba (Unknown) £295
# ChippedUK (Smooth) £275 often does cheaper remap days £200 and free rolling road
If you have a diesel engined A3 or any other VAG diesel you can opt for an economy map which will sometimes see between 7-10 extra MPG. You can still get a power map which will see 170bhp and 270 lb/ft of torque on the PD130 versions.
---------------------------------------
Air Filters/Induction Kits £40-200 1-5 bhp
There are a few options here also. You may have heard of K&N induction kits etc from the past but VAG engines dont seem to agree with them (MAF's tend to fail from oily air filters i.e. the protection grease on K&N and some pipercross).
Here are the recommendations:
# Replacement Air filter Element (Green Cotton is recommended, replaces your standard paper filter). £40-50
# In Addition to the above you can do the Wak Box mod which entailes drilling lots of holes on the cold side of your air filter box which gives suprisingly a nice sound. Best part its free!
£ Free
# Carbonio CAI (Cold Air Intake). This is a full carbon intake which makes an awesome sound and gives maybe 2-3bhp but improves throttle response.
£190 http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=3682&xSec=382
There are others similar to the Carbonio, like the Forge version and also APR did one but not sure if its still around.
---------------------------------------
Exhausts £200-380 5-15 BHP
Exhaust are often purchased for their sound and power increases. Although the increase isnt massive every little helps and as we all know breathing mods are essential to squeezing power out of any turbo'd car. You can go from the Cat back or the whole way through with an upgraded sports cat (£300+) and a larger bore downpipe.
Options:
# Custom. You can get a custom stainless steel exhaust from LOADS of places your literally best phoning around your local area for the best price. You can pay anything from £150-300 for one of these.
# Miltek. Miltek are extremely popular accross the VAG scene and offer nice exhausts with plenty of styles. Although they perform well they are a tad over priced in my opinion. If you have the money then go for it! http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=5615&xSec=383
# Blueflame are also popular and are like the above in many ways.
# Downpipe/Sports cats for the A3 & S3 models can be found all over the net and have proven results adding 5-10bhp in some cases.
# Downpipe & Sports Cat
http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=10701&xSec=383
---------------------------------------
FMIC (Front Mounted Intercooler £250+ BHP depends on other mods
FMIC is another popular mod adding that much need cooling to replace the insuffcient standard SMIC (side mounted intercooler). Once you start remapping adding boost etc its recommended to keep the temperatures down. Its a relatively cheap mod all things considered and looks great behind the grill. There are a few options from Forge etc but you can get decent kits on ebay with all the extras you need. It can be fitted by the average Joe with some pretty normal tools on a saturday afternoon.
The most popular for the A3 with proven results is the Turborevs kit for A3s @ ~£200 on ebay.
---------------------------------------
Other mods £Vary BHP Vary
Those are the basics anyway. Now there are a few small things and a hell of a lot of other stuff you can look at for big power but thats a whole new can of beans your opening. Below is a rough list of other stuff you can do.
# Forge 007P Diverter Valve- Doesnt increase performance by itself but is recommended when you buy a remap as the standard diverter valves crack all the time and can screw up your turbo. They also make a nice noise when paired with an induction kit. Some companies do a remap, 007p and green cotton air filter for a nice price of £350. Check out the website sponsors for the latest remap deals.
# N75J - Some say you can get extra boost from your turbo by replacing your standard N75 valve. Other say the boost fluctuates too much can cause an unnecessary boost spike which forces your car into limp mode (car gets restricted in power to prevent damage)
# Turbo Upgrade - On the A3 some with have a K03 turbo and some the K03s turbo. Most have the k03 and often get the k03s as an upgrade. The turbo bolts straight on but you will need a TIP (see below) the k03s can produce up to 230+ on with supporting mods from a remap. K03 often up to 190-195. You can also get hybrid turbos, larger manifolds to free up more power but i wont go into specifics. You can find lots of big power threads on the forum by doing a search.
# Silicone TIP (Turbo Inlet Pipe) can be found in many places adding a few BHP allowing the Turbo to breath better supplying more air efficiently. (standard is restricted). http://www.awesome-gti.co.uk/product.php?xProd=3720&xSec=382 Others available cheaper a good search will provide more info.
# N75H is also an option for upgrade. Same principle as the J.
# Manual Boost Controllers - £20 - £80. Control turbo boost production manually.
# Silicone hoses - no performance increase, but reliability improved and dresses up the engine nicely.
# Uprated Haldex controller units for the S3 and 1.8TQ.
---------------------------------------
Other little bits to prevent more questions! lol
A3 wheel size - is 5x100 with an offset of ET35 anything up to 19's will fit comfortably (if 8J ET35 if 8.5J ET30 will be needed to clear the shocks). 18's often recommended with a ET35 offset either 8J or 8.5J.
Lowering - You can get JOM coilovers for £180 from DPM. Other popular brands are KW, Weitec, AP and FK. Lots of info again can be found on here.
Brakes - We can get S3 brakes on the A3 fairly easily just need discs, pads, calipers and carriers.
Boost gauges - no power gain, but a better overall understanding of engine performance.
Liquid Gauge - no power gain, but a better overall understanding of engine performance, and also ability to log fault codes, BHP etc etc etc. ~ £220
---------------------------------------
FAQ
Below is for the S3 but most applies to the A3 also:
1.What is a 007p Forge? - Aftermarket diverter valve used in place of the OEM one for bling and improved reliability
2.What does a MAF sensor do? - measure the air entering the engine so the ECU knows how much fuel to use with it
3.What does a Lambda Sensor do? - tells the ECU the air/fuel mixture ratio.
4.How would you know if an S3 is in limp mode if there is no boost gauge?Is it easy to fit on a boost gauge? - Car would feel slow in limp mode. Boost gauge is easy enough to fit, plenty of threads so have a search
5.If you had around 2K to spend on engine and interior mods what would you spend it on?Im not looking to race my S3 I just want to improve its reliability im looking to keep it for another 80000 miles then get the 8P S3. - Remap and suspension would essentially sort you out... Go for Bilstien B8 dampers and H&R -25mm springs. Remap wise, there are loads of discussions about this everyone has a preference but personally I would stick to Revo or Custom Code as they are tried and tested. Revo gives a more spiky boost delivery and feels really strong, Custom Code is a more OEM like progressive map... personal choice really but you can get a Revo trial for free to see for yourself..
6.What oil is the best for the S3? - fully synthetic 5w30 or 5w40. I use Fuchs Titan Super Syn available from GSF at £20ish for 5 litres and change my oil every 5 or 6 k.
7.Ive noticed some S3's have a console which can take a Double Din what model is this?The ones I have seen have like a ashtray/little cubby thing under the climate control. - Double din Symphony was an option and is an indash 6 disc changer too.
8.also read in one of the threads that the BAM S3 has a different suspension is this suspension more stiffer or does it have a smoother ride? - There is a different suspension pack that was an option IIRC but just get Bilstiens with the 2k you plan to spend...
9.With regards to wear and tear of the seats is the Alcantara more durable than the Nappa leather?Do all S3's have a storage compartment in the front seats? - Alcantara does wear if not maintained, the drivers seat on mine was a mess when I bought my car (got me some cash off the price too) but can be brought up nice with a bit of effort using a debobbling thingy and careful cleaning. Both leather and alcantara seats will need a certain amount of looking after if you want to keep them at their best. I have a silver alcantara interior and I think it looks classier than plain black leather...
10.Is it possible to change the LCD display in the speedo to the LCD you get in the 8P A3?Just a thought
- Good luck with that ;P11.What is a decat exhaust system?does fitting a branch make any difference performance wise?I know it sounds much better. - Don't bother with decat, the restriction in the exhaust on an S3 is the downpipe and potentially the system itself (I managed 383bhp on a std system but it was being restrictive by then). Go for 3" downpipe, sports CAT (keeps the car legal) and a Miltek (or orther) exhaust
12.Is a bigger intercooler necessary for a stock S3? - IMO yes... there is a thread about FMIC's in the stickies in this forum....
13.If an S3 is remapped is there a significant difference in the performance? - yarp...
14.Was cruise control an option on the S3? - yes but easy and pretty cheap to fit with original parts... I did this to mine and use it all the time... brilliant mod...
15.What does a N75 valve/sensor do? - N75 valve controls the boost by operating the turbo's wastgate actuator
16.Common problems with the S3? - Boost leaks, vacuum leaks (lots of pipes to split... and they do), depends on how well the car has been looked after but essestially the car is typically fine, engines probs are more or less the same for any 1.8t engined VAG car... sensors such as the MAF sensor go frequently, coil packs and clutches.
17.If I had to replace the turbo with a bigger one do I have to change any of the engine internals? - Yes... See Tufty's build thread.
---------------------------------------
Thats it so far please post any other questions and helpful tips below. Please let me know if i have missed something or something is wrong.
Thanks Welly for you contributions also!
And Matt82 for his enlightenment - "If youve got a stupid question. Use the search button!"
Cheers
Dave :thumbsup:
Last edited:
what crawled up ur ****?
