8V S3 Tuning Thread

Spin140 said:
Anyone considered or tried GIAC on the 8V ?

I'm considering a map so as ever looking at all options..
Click to expand...
Good question. Also what are peoples thoughts on the ABT Stage 1 and 2 packages? Has anyone got any experience of them?
 
Picking S3 up Friday and booked map in for Sat. Will report back when I've given it a good test.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Forbzeeee
audi upgrades
Na, ****** it. For the last 3 years I've been driving a 1.2 16v Clio that now has 190k miles, so all of about 50bhp. Never know what's round the corner so don't see the point in waiting.

I had a S3 8L years ago and didn't wait long to tune the **** out of that.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Andru8 and PanamaS3
JordanQuattro said:
Both APR and Revo said they can't do anything with it just yet.

APR say they have software as a beta but it's not for the general public yet
Click to expand...

Any updates on this ? My local Revo dealer only shows 2.0 TSI 220 for the 8V. From the Revo site looks like Stage 1 SPS setting #3 would do the job as always ran on Tesco Momentum 99.
 
halegavin said:
Na, ****** it. For the last 3 years I've been driving a 1.2 16v Clio that now has 190k miles, so all of about 50bhp. Never know what's round the corner so don't see the point in waiting.

I had a S3 8L years ago and didn't wait long to tune the **** out of that.
Click to expand...
hahaha....fair play to you....after what you've been driving its going to blow your socks off after the remap :) just be careful!!
 
Going to be awesome (long as the turbo doesn't go pop) Time is ticking very slowly. Two more sleeps!! :racer:
 
Forbzeeee said:
Good question. Also what are peoples thoughts on the ABT Stage 1 and 2 packages? Has anyone got any experience of them?
Click to expand...

Hi, new here. Recently acquired my new S3 8V in black and had the milltek catback non-res fitted with polished chrome oval quad pipes. I remember someone here asking what they look like. Just like OEM except bigger. In fact my wifes just bought a new TTS and the miltek pipes in oval are exaclty the same size as on the new TTS. To give you an idea a credit card will fit exact in both examples. I can post pictues but don't know how to blank out my reg plate for security reasons.

Tomorrow I'm getting the ABT stage 1 tune done by the official suppliers (Richter Sport) in Milton Keynes. Been told no DSG problems with this therefore no requirement for separate tune.

Cost wise...Milltek set me back £1700, and tomorrow it will be £2,000 for the ABT tune.
 

Attachments

  • IMG-20150522-00531.jpg
    IMG-20150522-00531.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 274
  • Like
Reactions: Forbzeeee
audi upgrades
£2000 for the ABT tune!!!!!

Crikey, that must be some tune. What performance gains are you expecting, say compared to a REVO/APR Map at third of the cost???
 
jimbojet said:
£2000 for the ABT tune!!!!!

Crikey, that must be some tune. What performance gains are you expecting, say compared to a REVO/APR Map at third of the cost???
Click to expand...

They quoted me usual expected gains, 80bhp plus loads of torques. They supply a new ECU and warrantee the car for 2 yrs
 
Spin140 said:
Blimey how quick did you just spend £3,700 !
Click to expand...
I know! I'm usually quite sensible but my excuse is that I'm going through a mid-life! I just hope the car performs ok with the higher power and won't need to make any more adjustments, otherwise I will be looking at a divorce! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: sjbarneS3
^^ then a down pipe, new brakes, suspension...........
 
  • Like
Reactions: sjbarneS3 and Forbzeeee
Berniemaps said:
^^ then a down pipe, new brakes, suspension...........
Click to expand...
Well...here I am at richtersport getting the tune done. Hopefully, the engineers will call me mid-way to show me what there're doing so I can take pics of the install.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150904_084728.jpg
    IMG_20150904_084728.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 241
  • IMG_20150904_085038.jpg
    IMG_20150904_085038.jpg
    1.3 MB · Views: 240
Zeb358 said:
Well...here I am at richtersport getting the tune done. Hopefully, the engineers will call me mid-way to show me what there're doing so I can take pics of the install.
Click to expand...

Spoke to the experts here about getting another mods such as the induction kit, turbo delete valve, air filter etc... to further improve performance. They reccomended against this as it would affect their warranty terms on the car they offer. He also said that there is no clutch slipping going on per se as ABT in Germany as aware of the anecdotal experiences of this from other users of other tunes. What he said is really going on is the haldex process is working more than if the standard set up is in play. This gives the feeling of the clutch slipping and all that is happening is that the car is reducing revs to allow power to distribute amongst the wheels. I'm paraphrasing here and the ABT guys have already tested for actual clutch slippage and say it is not happening. In other words they said do not get any other additional tunes done as it will interfere with the ABT box.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150904_090843.jpg
    IMG_20150904_090843.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 237
  • IMG_20150904_090837.jpg
    IMG_20150904_090837.jpg
    981.7 KB · Views: 226
  • IMG_20150904_090811.jpg
    IMG_20150904_090811.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 239
  • Like
Reactions: Rob2k68
The ABT tune sounds way to overpriced. If i convert the price to what I'd pay in South Africa it would still be cheaper to get a full APR Stage 1 tune and pay for the turbo if it did go pop. Although as far as I know nobody seems to have tested the ABT warranty. If your turbo blows due to a manufacturing fault rather than a tune I can see them denying it the same way Audi would deny someone if they had a Stage 1 tune but a faulty turbo.
 
Nightmare1708 said:
The ABT tune sounds way to overpriced. If i convert the price to what I'd pay in South Africa it would still be cheaper to get a full APR Stage 1 tune and pay for the turbo if it did go pop. Although as far as I know nobody seems to have tested the ABT warranty. If your turbo blows due to a manufacturing fault rather than a tune I can see them denying it the same way Audi would deny someone if they had a Stage 1 tune but a faulty turbo.
Click to expand...
 
yes good point...life's full of ifs and buts and should haves and should've haves. We have our own tolerances for risk and for me this is the best calucalted risk I can take and afford. Suffice to say, I'm more than happy to go with ABT
 
Zeb358 said:
Spoke to the experts here about getting another mods such as the induction kit, turbo delete valve, air filter etc... to further improve performance. They reccomended against this as it would affect their warranty terms on the car they offer. He also said that there is no clutch slipping going on per se as ABT in Germany as aware of the anecdotal experiences of this from other users of other tunes. What he said is really going on is the haldex process is working more than if the standard set up is in play. This gives the feeling of the clutch slipping and all that is happening is that the car is reducing revs to allow power to distribute amongst the wheels. I'm paraphrasing here and the ABT guys have already tested for actual clutch slippage and say it is not happening. In other words they said do not get any other additional tunes done as it will interfere with the ABT box.
Click to expand...

Zeb358 said:
yes good point...life's full of ifs and buts and should haves and should've haves. We have our own tolerances for risk and for me this is the best calucalted risk I can take and afford. Suffice to say, I'm more than happy to go with ABT
Click to expand...

I understand, but in all honesty I think you should inquire more about that clutch slip. I have the APR Stage 1 tune and knowing what clutch slip feels like I can tell that it is clutch slip due to the torque since it is quite an increase over stock. After I got the APR TCU tune it is all gone, no clutch slip at all. The TCU tune doesn't affect the Haldex at all yet it eliminated it and from what I understand the Haldex in our cars basically make it a front wheel drive unless it needs to send power to the back. In fact I sometimes even get wheel spin in the front tyres when changing from 1st to 2nd with WOT. Launch control at 4000rpm even causes a bit of wheel spin. Why don't you inquire about maybe getting a TCU tune such as the APR TCU tune. I know that the TCU tune doesn't flag TD1 for Audi's warranty purpose. The only problem I see is that the ABT tune might not rev to the maximum shift points of the APR TCU tune although I did see that APR is going to release a TCU tune for those with a stock setup.
 
The APR TCU map is a real step up, and one I'd highly recommend to anyone that's running stage 1 or higher. It's about lots more than clutch slip (that I didn't suffer from) and I find it a massive improvement.

I didn't expect that much from it but with their standard 30 day no quibble refund, I thought there was nothing to lose. It's just better in every mode, and in manual it does what it's told. It's pricey, but I find myself thinking it's worth it given the results. If you're mapping, it's the icing on the cake.
 
Thanks for the heads up on the TCU tune. Testing it out the ABT now
 
I think I'll stick with revo I can still afford a clutch at hit 400 plus for the same lay out , very expensive and limited

But if your happy that's all that maters and it's going to be a very quick car either way
 
You should create a thread with a review, I'm sure a lot of people would be interested. Could you post pics of the exhaust tips. I wanna do a Milltek cat back but I'm quite conflicted between the oval and round tips and haven't seen any picture of the oval tips
 
  • Like
Reactions: illingworth22
So drove it back in E mode as I wanted to ensure there wasn't any of the jerkiness reported on some who had the APR tune. Please to say - it was smooth as silk just like stock with a smattering more urgency and responsiveness. So very pleased with that so far. In comfort mode I managed to find myself at the front of the lights so I gave it some wellie and it kicked off! Didn't notice any gear slippage. I would need to test it out a bit more particularly in Dynamic mode to see if this happens. So far so great! But will keep in mind the TCU tune as long as it doesn't effect the ABT tune I would go for it too.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150904_095804.jpg
    IMG_20150904_095804.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 235
  • IMG_20150904_095810.jpg
    IMG_20150904_095810.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 231
  • IMG_20150904_095815.jpg
    IMG_20150904_095815.jpg
    1.2 MB · Views: 234
  • IMG_20150904_095834.jpg
    IMG_20150904_095834.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 232
Zeb358 said:
So drove it back in E mode as I wanted to ensure there wasn't any of the jerkiness reported on some who had the APR tune. Please to say - it was smooth as silk just like stock with a smattering more urgency and responsiveness. So very pleased with that so far. In comfort mode I managed to find myself at the front of the lights so I gave it some wellie and it kicked off! Didn't notice any gear slippage. I would need to test it out a bit more particularly in Dynamic mode to see if this happens. So far so great! But will keep in mind the TCU tune as long as it doesn't effect the ABT tune I would go for it too.
Click to expand...

I just wanted to be clear about what I meant when I tested in E mode. This is the mode when you let the foot off the throttle and the car drives in neutral or coasts. And when you re-apply pressure on the throttle the car resumes. I remember someone reporting a kind of jerky engagement happening with the APR tune...

Anyway...here is the milltek oval (not so polished!) tips.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20150904_125445.jpg
    IMG_20150904_125445.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 235
  • IMG_20150904_095834.jpg
    IMG_20150904_095834.jpg
    1.8 MB · Views: 220
I should also add something about insurance. I'm with Aviva and there was no increase in my annual premium for the exhaust change and only a £70 increase for the ABT tune. Aviva's Underwriters wanted to know the product name/details etc...and then came back with their decision. Took about an hour to hear back from them! So all in all good result from an insurance perspective. Could it be that some insurers are particular about the which tuning product is used...? I was dreading either they saying no can do or slapping a massive premium on me!
 
@Zeb358 Thanks for the updates and your feedback. What made you go with the ABT over the likes of Revo? Also will you be getting this on a Dyno at all?
 
Forbzeeee said:
@Zeb358 Thanks for the updates and your feedback. What made you go with the ABT over the likes of Revo? Also will you be getting this on a Dyno at all?
Click to expand...
I guess I'm the kinda guy who likes to feel he is getting the best of the best and if a product is well established and expensive I'm a bit of a sucker for this sort of thing! I'm sure there are products out there that are comparable but I really wanted to feel that association of a tuning company with a manufacturer like AMG is to Merc, ABT is to Audi. I would be cumos
rious to do a Dyno actually...dont know where there is one local to me. But ABT quote 370bhp on their state of the art dyno (a £13m facility) in Germany. Knowing this is fine with me...Most of all I feel safe in the knowledge that their product will keep my car safe and there is warranty for the entire drivetrain.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Forbzeeee
Today when I went full throttle again in Comfort mode I felt a significant jerk in the gear change from 4th to 5th. Is this the clutch slip that people are talking about? I think not... Only happened once though and maybe the tune needs to settle down or something? Or is it that the DSG/Haldex is being stressed under the extra torque? Only second day I suppose with the new ABT tune but other than that little upset, the car is lunatic fast and responsive...Will keep testing but in the meantime I've contacted RichterSport for their thoughts and would like to consider a TCU tune but ABT don't do it. It could be that the ABT unit already incorporates a tune to include the TCU? Otherwise I would be looking into APR but concerned that this won't be compatible with the ABT tune?
 
Thanks and do Revo offer this as well as APR ? I'm still undecided which way to go, nearly bought a TMC box last week but can't make my mind up...
 
Spin140 said:
Thanks and do Revo offer this as well as APR ? I'm still undecided which way to go, nearly bought a TMC box last week but can't make my mind up...
Click to expand...
Yes they do. I think the APR marketing info is quite extensive about their DSG tune offering. I would personally go with them but I've got the ABT tune and there will be compatibility issues I reckon...
 
£758 for APR stage 1, hard to find discounts. Circa £650 for their DDG software.

Not sure about the DSG upgrade compatibility with other ECU tunes, you can pm Evan at APR through the site for confirmation, he's always been helpful when I've had questions.
 
APR ECU stage 1 cost is similar to Revo, but seems occasional discounts can be found for Revo's. The APR and Revo software are both full files though, when most other 'custom' tunes only alter fewer variables. That's what swung it for me.

Also, doesn't look too bad when you consider you could do both ECU and DSG for £600 less than an ABT ECU tune, albeit that does come with a warranty for peace of mind.
 
Last edited:
Got quoted £625 + VAT by my local APR dealer for a stage 1 tune. Offered a discount on the intake if I bought it at the same time but have the warranty issue to consider.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

U
Tuning 8V S3
Replies
4
Views
964
Timi8888
Timi8888
Q5 TRS
Audi S3 8V Wheels Thread
Replies
93
Views
64K
dp_motley
dp_motley
the_lecht_rocks
The Complete Composite 8V S3 Thread
Replies
22
Views
2K
cemerson
C
Brodster
8V S3 DTUK FSR+ Tuning Box
Replies
35
Views
11K
Dt_racing
Dt_racing
RedRS3Reilly
Started the tuning on my 8v s3
Replies
26
Views
3K
Nawaid
Nawaid
Top
Back