Ive been watching dave and ...

[S3 Paul]

Today i was watching an old top gear on dave..
it was the one where they tested the TT and the 350z
Clarkson said that the early TT had to be recalled due to the reas suspension and stuff..
I think they revised the rear dampers and a spoiler, he also said they added traction control to stop them spinning out,
Did the early S3 have any of these revisions? I understand the spoiler isnt the same but just wondered ...

 

[1animal1]

the S3 had a recall on the rear suspension/linkage on pre facelifts i beleive.... thats all i know of mate

 

[MintyS3]

Yeh the TT owners didnt like the oversteer so Audi took it back and gave it monumental understeer lol.

 

[S3BLX]

oversteer is fun!!!!!!!

 

[S3 Paul]

So... i was thinking, these performance Haldex controlers... might just be using something like the old " dangerous" set up?
Was it all toned down to make it a softer more hair dresser freindly? or truely dangerous

 

[Ess_Three]

So... i was thinking, these performance Haldex controlers... might just be using something like the old " dangerous" set up?
Was it all toned down to make it a softer more hair dresser freindly? or truely dangerous

It was a two-fold change:
Anti roll bars revision.
Rear spoiler.

They went up 1mm or so on the front ARB and down 1mm or so on the rear to give terminal understeer so the hairdressers didn't get scared...
..and added a rear lip spoiler.

Both designed to stop the rear going light if you lifted off at 140+ MPH mid way round a corner...personally, a gun aimed at the terminally stupid driver would have done the job as anyone stupid enough to do that probably deserved to be shot on the grounds of stupidity.

The S3 has the 'old' TT ARBs anyway...

 

[S3 Paul]

Ah. thanks mate,
Is this why pre face lift S3 didnt have swichable ESP button thingy?

 

[Ess_Three]

I think the ESP was just a spec 'addition' as it was the thing to do at the time...
No ARB changes on the S3 as far as I know, during it's life.

 

[NHN]

I remember the rear track control arms if thats there name was a recall as they snapped on number of them & didnt the TT also use same ones as I heard they recalled TT on something similar, my S3 was recalled & done, then some time later maybe years the damn thing snapped anyway on a recall version, typical lol, so got new set of genuine of ebay anyway for £50 & did all 4, didnt have problem after.

I always wondered about the esp on pre & facelift ones as was some chatter years back about if had or not on earlier, so was the esp not on the prefacelift s3 at all then or just on all the time with no switch, if I'm making sense.

 

[Ess_Three]

I think ESP arrived with the facelift.
Earlier cars didn't have ESP fitted.
No switch on the dash...not fitted!

 

[Ian W]

My pre-facelift (2000) has ESP with a button to switch it off.

 

[s3_kev]

yep my 2000 s3 also has esp with a switchable button, think its down to what spec the car was when brought from new

 

[NHN]

Yeah from what I remember 2000 had some S3's with some pre & facelift features on them, always thought was weird, bit like my 04 car now, has 05 facelift wiring for some things but isnt using the extra wires for updated things.

 

[Ian W]

Ye, mines a bit of a mitch and match. It has the pre-facelift center console with the hole for the diagnostic plug but the plug is actually under the dash in the facelift location.

 

[Ess_Three]

Related, but different...
My Mk3 Golf has an O2A gearbox...so I buy an O2A Quaife for it. Only to find it had O2J internals and drive flanges...and only the 2nd one Quaife/TSR have ever come accross like that. Doh.

Why?

Why do these mix and match specials come up?
Nothing to do with A3/S3s...just wondered why we always find anomolies.

 

[NHN]

Ahhh memories of mk3 GTI's & VR6's, loved them cars, gone but not forgotten.

 

[Ess_Three]

The last of the 'simple' cars those...when you didn't need a laptop as part of your toolkit!

I don't suppose I'll ever sell mine...too many projects, too little time!

 

[NHN]

This is true, god they were fun, put your foot down & hold that wheel for dear life on my VR6's anyway, damn this was back in 97/98 now, time does fly

 

[Ess_Three]

I never liked the VR6...a big nose heavy, lazy revving beast of a thing (with a nice noise though!)
I built a decent spec 2.9 VR6 a few years ago...and couldn't bring myself to fit it as it crippled the handling...so I tuned the 16v instead, and sold the VR6 to a mate.

 

[MintyS3]

I was on the hunt many moons ago for a mk3 golf but couldnt find a decent one so ended up with a mk4 polo 16v. I loved it, little go cart it was. Managed to squeeze 130bhp from the 1.4, was going to fit 1600 internals and nitrous which would of seen 170bhp....but gave up and sold it...part of me wish I didnt.

My brother and a friend have had quite a few mk3's and to be fair they have all handled like frozen turds on ice but I think they had all be messed about with...badly. Hard to find a decent one these days I think.

 

[Ess_Three]

Yeah, they are all rusting away!
I'm on a mission to prove that they aren't all slow, heavy and ill-handling...as many TT/S3 drivers have found out when they've taken me on in mine!

A mate of mine had a stripped out Polo 1.4 16v...quick little cars those.

 

[MintyS3]

Yeah, they are all rusting away!
I'm on a mission to prove that they aren't all slow, heavy and ill-handling...as many TT/S3 drivers have found out when they've taken me on in mine!

A mate of mine had a stripped out Polo 1.4 16v...quick little cars those.

Dont suppose his name was Marty....Know he was Aberdeen way? lol

 

[Ess_Three]

Dont suppose his name was Marty....Know he was Aberdeen way? lol

Correct!

The very same person who now has my old 2.9 VR6 in a stupidly quick stripped out Mk3 Golf.

 

[MintyS3]

Correct!

The very same person who now has my old 2.9 VR6 in a stupidly quick stripped out Mk3 Golf.

Black thing? Sure I saw it raggin round Alford last year.

I had Marty's rear strut brace and spoiler after he smashed it so it did live on to an extent lol.

 

[Ess_Three]

Black thing? Sure I saw it raggin round Alford last year.

Yup...that's the one.
Revs like no other VR6 I know of...in a fully stripped Mk3 with perspex windows etc.
Quick car...
I have a video somewhere of it round Alford.

I had Marty's rear strut brace and spoiler after he smashed it so it did live on to an extent lol.

Sweet!

 

[MintyS3]

Yup...that's the one.
Revs like no other VR6 I know of...in a fully stripped Mk3 with perspex windows etc.
Quick car...
I have a video somewhere of it round Alford.




Sweet!

Oh yeh I was very impressed with it. Held its own against alot of the scooby/evo's.

 

[Ess_Three]

I can also verify that it holds it's own with 911s up to around 120 MPH...and only appears to be about 0.5 seconds slower up the quarter mile too.
Drat!

It's only getting quicker too...lighter, better gearing and more grip.