My S3 build Thread (help and input appreciated)

[Davjon747]

Hi I'm Dave and on the 8th August this year I picked up my nice and shinny S3 sportback (sprint blue) I then started to read nearly every post on this site to gain info on what I needed to do to make it how I want.
My first job was to order a Revo Cai from pat @LVS Racing on the group buy (thanks pat) .
I bad a friend (Andy) touch up some stone chips today ,and I thought whilst I got him doing this I would engage his help to fit the Revo Cai went really well very easy job apart from removing engine cover ,
Anyway it's now on and this is the only mod so far, but I swear it feels different more responsive already .
I then went for a pint and thought I need a exhaust was in to mind Bcs sport or miltek non res turbo back, I liked the power valve but thought if I'm paying a £1000+ I want to hear it a little more then when I hit 3,500k and over, so in the end I went for the Bcs sport turbo back (all payed for just got to wait 12-14 days for delivery) went for this over the miltek as I have heard they can drone a little at motorway speed.
Once I receive this it will be booked in to be fitted at the same time as having a APR stage 2 done.
Then it will be a little while why I get some penny's back into the piggy bank for HPFP and then APR stage 2+.
(Q1)So my first Question Loba or autotech HPFP I know on is of the shelf, the other is a swap of the fuel pump internals and common sense would say Autotech, but would this be the right choice.?
(Q2) Handling , I was going to go down the road of bilstein b8 sprint shocks £530 plus £50 to make them fit the eibach pro kit front springs plus the £135 for the springs them selves which brings them to over £700.
So I have decided to go for coilovers St x or St xa (Advice welcome) ori know I little bit more Kw v3 or are thet over kill, I want the better handling with less under steer but I don't want to sacrifice comfort to much if this makes sense.
Also when these are fitted I will also have some h&r anti-roll bars fitted at the same time.
If I am missing anything please let me know.

Also is there a how to for posting pics

Dave

 

[RS3dan]

Also is there a how to for posting pics

Dave

Hi mate; you posting from a computer or phone? Much easier on the computer just click upload file at the bottom and pick them - looking forward to some pics sound good!

 

[Davjon747]

Hi mate; you posting from a computer or phone? Much easier on the computer just click upload file at the bottom and pick them - looking forward to some pics sound good!

Yeah using Ipad but will dump pics onto laptop and upload , thanks

 

[S3_Mat]

The autotech HPFP internals have to fitted in a very clean enviroment or you risk causing damage to the pump. The safest option (and most popular off the shelf complete pump) is the Loba.

With regards to suspension in order to reduce understeer you have to correct the geometry that Audi set at the factory which gives the car its safe understeering drive. Front camber is fixed at -0.50 degrees on the A3 without ability to adjust it because you have no sliding ball joints. I would get the superpro ball joints and run equal camber front and rear (anything up to -1.5deg is fine for wear) and 0 toe all round or a touch of toe in. Anti lift kit helps keep things tight at the front and adds dynamic caster and reduces understeer. A stiffer rear ARB relative to the front will give a more positive front end and a looser rear end.

All the above combined with a modest drop and uprated dampers with more rebound damping would give a much sportier ride without effecting comfort too much. Stay away from adjustable top mounts as they will introduce NVH and coilovers can be fussy to set them up to get the balance right if you have comfort at the top of your list of priorities.

My personal opinion is that the stiff rear ARB and the ball joints to increase camber at the front has made the understeer disappear completely in my car. I can get on the power much earlier and the front just bites harder and pulls the car into the bend it's a fantastic mod. I did see the STX coilovers when i was looking and nearly bought them but there was a limited amount of people who had purchased them and i got a great deal on Bilsteins - they are firm even on low settings but the control when pressing on is awesome.

 

[S3Alex]

I'd say much the same as S3_Mat.

The Loba is the best off-the-shelf option currently,and avoids any mucking around with pump parts.

Suspension and brakes are two of the S3's weaker areas......the stock brakes are heavy and prone to fade on prolonged heavy use,but the suspension is likely to cause problems first.

As Mat says,the front geometry is pretty much fixed unless you go for a fully adjustable(for which read expensive) setup,but uprating the ARB's and moving to a decent set of coilovers will go a long way to reducing much of the car's inherent understeer.

I had kW v3's initially,and my only complaint would be the amount of time needed to get the setup right for an individual driver,as the range of adjustments is so wide.

 

[S3_Mat]

Ball joints from super pro are £150 and, depending on the amount you are lowered, you should be able to get -1.5deg camber at the front any more and you will need top mounts - you shouldn't need top mounts unless you want to run a race car or you need to cram super wide wheels in the arches to cope with the power like Alex!

ST XA have solid top mounts so this option may end up being harsher than you think. Your best bet if you can stretch to it would be KW v2 if you want a comfy yet sporty ride with KW's recommended rebound settings, yet still being able to determine what drop you want - just bear in mind the rear shock rebound adjusters cannot be reached without removing the shocks.

 

[S3Alex]

Ball joints from super pro are £150 and, depending on the amount you are lowered, you should be able to get -1.5deg camber at the front any more and you will need top mounts - you shouldn't need top mounts unless you want to run a race car or you need to cram super wide wheels in the arches to cope with the power like Alex!

ST XA have solid top mounts so this option may end up being harsher than you think. Your best bet if you can stretch to it would be KW v2 if you want a comfy yet sporty ride with KW's recommended rebound settings, yet still being able to determine what drop you want - just bear in mind the rear shock rebound adjusters cannot be reached without removing the shocks.

I ended up with the Superpro bushes all round,plus Supaloy anti-lift kit,and then the kW Clubsport suspension.

The ALK I'd say didn't make anywhere near as much difference as say the ARB's and initial coilovers did,and likewise the Haldex controller wasn't a huge impact,unless the car was being used pretty hard.
One thing that did make a big difference was the Quaife diff.....that really does help get the power down,but with a couple of provisos......firstly it can be a bit grabby,and secondly it will fight with Audi's ESP/TC system,if that's left engaged and especially on wet or iffy surfaces.

 

[Morells]

Have you looked at AP Coilovers? I fitted them to mine the ride is better that standard (more comfortable) and now the back end wants to play more I fully recommend them.

 

[Davjon747]

I'd say much the same as S3_Mat.

The Loba is the best off-the-shelf option currently,and avoids any mucking around with pump parts.

Suspension and brakes are two of the S3's weaker areas......the stock brakes are heavy and prone to fade on prolonged heavy use,but the suspension is likely to cause problems first.

As Mat says,the front geometry is pretty much fixed unless you go for a fully adjustable(for which read expensive) setup,but uprating the ARB's and moving to a decent set of coilovers will go a long way to reducing much of the car's inherent understeer.

I had kW v3's initially,and my only complaint would be the amount of time needed to get the setup right for an individual driver,as the range of adjustments is so wide.

Alex what do you think of the St-x coilovers by kw and front and back h&r anti roll bars, or would you spend the extra and go kw v1 or v2 I don't want go to much lower than stock but at the same time be nice leveled out and a touch lower, need to be able to clear speed bumps still without having to crawl over them, and get rid of some of the under steer and bounce, and just have a nicer handling car.

 

[S3Alex]

Alex what do you think of the St-x coilovers by kw and front and back h&r anti roll bars, or would you spend the extra and go kw v1 or v2 I don't want go to much lower than stock but at the same time be nice leveled out and a touch lower, need to be able to clear speed bumps still without having to crawl over them, and get rid of some of the under steer and bounce, and just have a nicer handling car.

I don't know the ST coilovers,and only really know the kW V3 and Clubsport gear......I think that the v£ is about the limit of what most people would want for a road setup,and the v2 or even v1 would suit most of us in terms of results,and adjustability.
Mine is about 20mm lower than stock,and clears bumps easily,but with much better control,and rides even quite decent bumps without crashing over them,better than my DS3 for instance,which is way softer.

The stock handling is pretty poor,and the car simply wants to go straight on around most corners,or wallows like a pig when pushed.

 

[Davjon747]

I don't know the ST coilovers,and only really know the kW V3 and Clubsport gear......I think that the v£ is about the limit of what most people would want for a road setup,and the v2 or even v1 would suit most of us in terms of results,and adjustability.
Mine is about 20mm lower than stock,and clears bumps easily,but with much better control,and rides even quite decent bumps without crashing over them,better than my DS3 for instance,which is way softer.

The stock handling is pretty poor,and the car simply wants to go straight on around most corners,or wallows like a pig when pushed.

So your money would be on the v1 or v2 coilovers for my needs then.

 

[S3Alex]

So your money would be on the v1 or v2 coilovers for my needs then.

I think so.

The Bilsteins are also v good but in the same price league as the V3s if I remember.

 

[Davjon747]

i thought id share a pic of my 3.2 dsg however it had to go as the dsg was playing up.

 

[Davjon747]

so it was replaced with my s3

 

[Davjon747]

A

my fist mod to be finished of with tts engine cover and r8 oil cap

 

[S3Alex]

I loved the sound of my old 3.2 but the thirst and lack of grunt meant I chopped it in for an A4 3.0 TDi Avant which was at least as fast on the road.
Pretty good for a big car.......then came the S3.

 

[Davjon747]

seem to have doubled up on these pics not sure how to remove the duplicates

 

[Davjon747]

I loved the sound of my old 3.2 but the thirst and lack of grunt meant I chopped it in for an A4 3.0 TDi Avant which was at least as fast on the road.
Pretty good for a big car.......then came the S3.

Yep I loved my 3.2 and the sound of that engine was the nuts however it developed a fault on the dsg and would get stuck sometimes in 2nd and some times in 3rd and the only way to over ride it was to flick into manual and change up past it then it would be all good for a while,
I took to a vag specialist and they plugged it in to read the fault. And said I would get rid of it sooner then later so a couple of months later I took it into an audi dealer and part x it for the s3 ,the sales guy asked was there any faults with the dsg, of course I said no and thank god for the 5 mins we was out in it she didn't play up and I ended up getting near on what I payed for it 2 years before,
Did feel a little bad because the guy turned round and said he'd been burned once already with a E55 amg that he didn't test drive and turned out that needed a new gearbox.
I did love the dsg but burned once I was not going to get burned again, Hence I went with a manual which I think I prefer.

 

[S3Alex]

I like the manual which is just as well because the DSG wasn't an option when I bought it in 08.

Both have their good and bad sides but I'm OK with what I've got.

 

[Paul-RS6]

Good to see the Sprint blue flag still flying.

I was 100% manual gearbox owner, until I bought the RS3. Just like the Sportback body only, its also only available in 7 speed S-Tronic.

I thought I'd miss stirring the gears ,
but now after a few months, I think I would miss the S-Tronic more if I went back.

 

[Davjon747]

Does my car have a catch can as standard as there is a black container that is just behind where you fill the washer bottle up with two tubes coming out of it one I think is a breather pipe the other I think is going back into the engine, you can just see a little part of it in the pic posted above showing the revo cai.

 

[Paul-RS6]

No catch can,it burns off the oil fumes in the engine.

The black canister will be the charcoal filter for fuel vapours.

 

[Davjon747]

No catch can,it burns off the oil fumes in the engine.

The black canister will be the charcoal filter for fuel vapours.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, so is the charcoal filter to do with emissions, or ?????? I've never heard of these before.

 

[Paul-RS6]

Vapors from the fuel tank are collected in the charcoal filter.
The N80 valve is used to regulate the flow of fuel vapors that are drawn into the intake manifold from the filter, and burnt off safely.

 

[dandav1985]

Another sprint blue owner...., welcome to the forum. I love mine on a stage 2.

As PaulRS3 says I don't think I could go back to manual after having a s-tronic. Fantastic gearbox but when they gan wrong it cost an arm and a leg. One of the reasons why we got rig of my lasses old 2.0tdi 170 8p2 as it kept staying in 2nd and 3rd. Resetting the DSG seem'd to help out for a while lol.

Cheers Dan

 

[Davjon747]

Another sprint blue owner...., welcome to the forum. I love mine on a stage 2.

As PaulRS3 says I don't think I could go back to manual after having a s-tronic. Fantastic gearbox but when they gan wrong it cost an arm and a leg. One of the reasons why we got rig of my lasses old 2.0tdi 170 8p2 as it kept staying in 2nd and 3rd. Resetting the DSG seem'd to help out for a while lol.

Cheers Dan

Are the new dsg boxes more reliable now?

 

[dandav1985]

Are the new dsg boxes more reliable now?

Not 100% sure mate, you'd think they would iron out all the faults.

I think it mainy the metatronics that gan wrong, but then again not to sure.

Cheers Dan

 

[Davjon747]

Not 100% sure mate, you'd think they would iron out all the faults.

I think it mainy the metatronics that gan wrong, but then again not to sure.

Cheers Dan

Fingers crossed then ( both hands)

 

[Paul-RS6]

If I understand correctly the TTRS and RS3 use a stronger 7 speed DQ500 version of the S-tronic box.

Having said that, a 5year warranty does give peace of mind.

 

[Davjon747]

If I understand correctly the TTRS and RS3 use a stronger 7 speed DQ500 version of the S-tronic box.

Having said that, a 5year warranty does give peace of mind.

Yeah nice to have in the back pocket if needed. But I'd be scared stiff to mod it in anyway with the way things are now with audi and there td1 flag, or is it not as bad as I think.

 

[Paul-RS6]

One of the reasons I'm staying standard.
I didn't modify my 2011 S3 either.

It was a bit more relaxed with my 8L S3's. Some dealers actively encouraged modifications.

 

[Davjon747]

One of the reasons I'm staying standard.
I didn't modify my 2011 S3 either.

It was a bit more relaxed with my 8L S3's. Some dealers actively encouraged modifications.

Well with the rs3 power it's not really needed is it, or is it lol.
I test drove the audi ttrs 6 speed manual that was nice (real nice) and that five pot lump mmmmmm . However I just would not get my carp fishing gear in it . Had to be a sportback and funds did not cover rs3 maybe next time

 

[Paul-RS6]

Indeed. I've no need for more.

I gave up fishing when I started getting decent motors.
I can't take a low slung turbocharged car across a stubble field, it will either set it on fire, or not be there 8 hours later, not to mention low ground clearance, muddy gear, and stinking nets.

All my gear is gathering dust in parents garage.
Ready, if/when I have a Defender or Wrangler in the garage too.

 

[Davjon747]

I've never had had any mud or smells in my car from fishing I could not bear that, and my favourite place ( furnace lakes) near dorking has great security used to be the old W H Smiths Estate, they even come and meet you with a quad with trailer to take you and your gear to your your chosen swim and lake. Got some great carp in there close to 50lb and some bigger cat fish 140lb and it's got some great roads on the way to play.

 

[Davjon747]

just been down to tesco to do some shopping and collected this free of charge parked away from everyone as did not want to collect any dings in my doors as well. so much for nice day of going to a mate see if he can sort it for me, hate damage on my cars even light scratches i must have a touch of ocd.

 

[Davjon747]

Well i have left it with my mate so to go back at 5pm and see what magic hes done cant believe people can just damage your car and just drive away, i remember when caught a parked car years ago i left my name and number on a piece of paper under his window wiper the guy called later that night and i gave him my insurance detail and was sorted, guess that dont happen these days.

 

[Davjon747]

well £125 lighter but all solrted