New Order on Weekend ... But Mag ride?

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So on the weekend I placed my order after much deliberation on a S3 HB S-Tronic

Spec:
Glacier White
Comfort Pack
SSS
Black Styling Pack
B&O
ILP
Hold Assist
Mono.pur
Folding door mirrors
Front/back parking sensors
Reversing Camera
Privacy glass
Sat Nav

One thing been bugging me that I found very little info on this forum on is mag ride. Is it worth it or not? Please don't want lots of people bashing others on S3 typical ride handling, just want to know if I'm really missing out on this or not as dealer says no...
 
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Are you going/wanting to be driving it enthusiastically, fast everywhere, on B-roads? Or just motorway mile munching?
 
Just round town and stuff really. Some A road driving, but I don't do much motorway driving at present, though looking to do a few trips here and there when I get it...
 
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Thanks for the links but unfortunately read them before and still not enough of a response to gauge if its any good or not. I did ask my dealer on the weekend if it had any car with mag ride, and not a single one. Unfortunately it seems a real hard option to try and test drive.
 
I've mag on mine but it does not meet my expectations. I'dont have test non mag ride but for sure I'll not take this option if I could. Any improvement in mag ride is too expensive while in standard shock doesnt.
 
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Fiddie said:
I've mag on mine but it does not meet my expectations. I'dont have test non mag ride but for sure I'll not take this option if I could. Any improvement in mag ride is too expensive while in standard shock doesnt.
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Thank you for your response sir. Do you enjoy your car otherwise?
 
I have mag ride, came from s1 that was too harsh for most of the time even in auto with its adjustable shocks. My s3 is pretty good in comfort for ride and I have everything else set to dynamic. I think it's softer ride than standard s3 without mag ride. So if you want it comfortable i think you need it.
 
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I would go for the magnetic ride. I have it on mine and if you're doing a lot of town driving the comfort setting really is useful to have. The auto and dynamic settings are just too harsh for me around town. Usually use auto on the motorway and dynamic on a b road run. I know it's a lot but had it on my old car so specced it again and don't regret it.
 
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4K said:
Thank you for your response sir. Do you enjoy your car otherwise?
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Yes. I like the car. Its not aggressive I expected, but very useful on everyday. I think its easy to improve that feeling just with a little modifications like exhaust, roll bars and shocks.
I hope you enjoy your new car. :)
 
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Ignition1 said:
This forum thread looks useful - http://www.ttforum.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=117825

I've read up on Mag Ride in general as I find the technology behind it interesting. From what I gather - you won't notice it's there unless you take your car to a track day and hammer it.
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Thanks for your post. I have seen this quite a lot from the TT owners, which seems to conflict somewhat with what the S3 owners say about it. Maybe its a different set up / system? I have no interest in track days but do want it to be some what sporty around bends and not 'floaty/boaty' if you know what I mean.
 
I got magnetic ride because the standard suspension setup was neither too comfortable nor too sporty so now I use the car in comfort setting for regular driving and switch to dynamic for fast enthusiastic driving around corners so I vote yes since it allows the car to be comfortable or sporty when you want it to be.
 
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Ignition1 said:
From what I gather - you won't notice it's there unless you take your car to a track day and hammer it.
Click to expand...

No, there is a big difference between Comfort and Dynamic modes on regular roads.

I tested an S3 without mag ride and bought one with it. Like drummerdimitri I found the standard suspension too stiff for puddling around town.
 
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I have Mag and would spec it again but then I do 20,000 miles per year!

I found that in comfort (or floaty boaty mode) it is softer than an S3 with standard setup which is good for when I'm in town and/or I have to carry a passenger who is not a fan of enthusiastic driving. Dynamic is great on good roads.

PS: Audi forced me to have Mag as I spec'ed 19's on my 3dr
 
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I average 6k a year and would still spec mag ride all day every day ;)

Comfort is infinitely more backside friendly than dynamic on practically all road surfaces in my opinion :)
 
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Forbzeeee said:
I have Mag and would spec it again but then I do 20,000 miles per year!

I found that in comfort (or floaty boaty mode) it is softer than an S3 with standard setup which is good for when I'm in town and/or I have to carry a passenger who is not a fan of enthusiastic driving. Dynamic is great on good roads.

PS: Audi forced me to have Mag as I spec'ed 19's on my 3dr
Click to expand...

Interesting. Thanks for your input. What is auto mode then, is it a blend of the two? I wouldn't really want floaty round corners but wouldn't want back breaking either. How do you control it? Is it via a seperate button or is it all incorporated into the same button as drive select.
 
Auto basically lets the system decide for you based on the road conditions. Personally I can't see the point if you particularly prefer one over the other.

Yes, all modes are selected using the drive select button or through the MMI.
 
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Simon L said:
Auto basically lets the system decide for you based on the road conditions. Personally I can't see the point if you particularly prefer one over the other.

Yes, all modes are selected using the drive select button or through the MMI.
Click to expand...

Oh right. So would that be a balance between the two on auto then? And that means that if you have it in Comfort mode, yes you get a nice softer feeling on bad roads but you also get the trashy light steering wheel feel?
 
If the suspension was any stiffer in comfort mode it really shouldn't be called "comfort" since it barely bounces after going over a hump.

I found dynamic mode to be sporty but not as stiff as one may want it to be on really good roads so still very tolerable on crappy roads as well.
 
4K said:
Oh right. So would that be a balance between the two on auto then? And that means that if you have it in Comfort mode, yes you get a nice softer feeling on bad roads but you also get the trashy light steering wheel feel?
Click to expand...

I guess you could say auto is a compromise between the two although personally I haven't used it once so couldn't say for sure.

If you go into the 'individual' mode of drive select you can dial in all four components individually so no, you're not stuck with 'trashy light steering' !! - which just so happens to be my preferred steering, light when parking and gets progressively tighter the faster you go. To each their own though :)

See below for the 'individual' settings:

2016-Audi-S3-Model-Drive-Select-System.jpg
 
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Simon L said:
I guess you could say auto is a compromise between the two although personally I haven't used it once so couldn't say for sure.

If you go into the 'individual' mode of drive select you can dial in all four components individually so no, you're not stuck with 'trashy light steering' !! - which just so happens to be my preferred steering, light when parking and gets progressively tighter the faster you go. To each their own though :)

See below for the 'individual' settings:

2016-Audi-S3-Model-Drive-Select-System.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks man, that's really helped. Think I might have to put in some overtime now and spec it before I get a build week, lol...
 
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4K said:
Thanks man, that's really helped. Think I might have to put in some overtime now and spec it before I get a build week, lol...
Click to expand...

That's the trouble with this forum mate someone always twists your arm to spec something extra ;)

If you're still undecided check this video out. The bloke is a bit of a tool but the Review is one of the best I've seen :)

 
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