Weight reduction on S3.

S3KO4

S3KO4

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Ok people, as it this Sunday is Santa Pod, I would like to reduce the weight of the beast, I read somewhere here it is a bout 1450kg and the A3 is around 1150kg even less. I have good power low down but on the speed gears i.e. 4th 5th & 6th it doesn’t feel as powerful.

I want to remove the following:
  • Spare wheel with jack etc...
  • Back seat! How much does it weigh?
  • Is it worth removing the stereo along with changer & back box?
  • Anything else would be appreciating.
looking forward to hear your thoughts on this.
 
My a3 back seats weigh 17kg, then spare wheel is around 15kg so removing them isnt going to do much really. the main thing our your big old heated seats. comfy yes but weighing in at around 40kg+ there heavy!. Remove the passenger front seat then youd get a saving of around 90kg. go further and getting bucket seats and light weight alloys you could save in total around 130kg! bringing ya hp/weight up by around 15bhp.+
 
I would look to remove the passenger seat too. if your going all out. but to be honest... if its all got to be revearsable... i think your limited.
 
Is it easy to remove the front passenger seat? I don’t want to damage anything... and roughly how long would it take me to do it? I am not a total novice but not a mechanic either.
 
I wreckon it's just a few bolts on the subframe holding the front seat down as well as a plug for the wiring. It takes me about 5mins to remove the back seats and spare wheel, the only tricky part is getting the 60/40 back rests away from the middle bracket. I think there's some kind of knack to it but I just keep wriggling until it comes off lol.
 
Thank you all, I shall be removing everything saturday, ready for sunday.
 
Lets hope you dont get a puncture on the way!
 
I wouldn't waste time removing the stereo and changer either, the amount of weight you'd save would be minimal. You wouldn't even notice over a short quarter mile burst...

The S3 is just a heavy beast unfortunately...
 
Back box? Do you mean aftermarket sub woofer? leave that at home lol As for removing the passenger seat, your airbag light will come on, and you will need it reset with Vagcom or similar. Pump the tyres upto 50psi also, and take a dump before you go, that will shave a few hundrendths! lol :racer:
 
unless you going the whole hog mate( carpets, roof lining, dash etc etc)it totally isnt worth the hassle!!
 
Ive heard the internal sound proofing weighs 30kg, is this true and where the hell is it all located lol?
 
i ve read that using a ligther set of alloys is beneficial, the rotational weight of a wheel is far more than say its curb weight
 
Last edited:
ChriS3 did the weight reduction thing and never noticed much difference when we were duelling at Inters in 07.
 
IMO don't waste your time at all doing all the weight reduction, just so you have to waste your time putting it all back again. What are you going to gain 1/10th of a second? Dude, just do a few 1/4 miles and be happy with what you get, safe in the knowledge you dont have to spend hours putting it right again, and you have all the "luxury" items that makes your s3 awesome (like a spare wheel), and not just a dragster.

You are prob better off spending the time you would have spent on weight reduction, in learning the technique required to maximise acceleration while not killing your cars components.

Weight reduction only really comes into its own on the track where the you reap the benefits of the full dynamics of being lighter, not just acceleration, i.e. braking and cornering.
 
Kave said:
IMO don't waste your time at all doing all the weight reduction, just so you have to waste your time putting it all back again. What are you going to gain 1/10th of a second? Dude, just do a few 1/4 miles and be happy with what you get, safe in the knowledge you dont have to spend hours putting it right again, and you have all the "luxury" items that makes your s3 awesome (like a spare wheel), and not just a dragster.

You are prob better off spending the time you would have spent on weight reduction, in learning the technique required to maximise acceleration while not killing your cars components.

Weight reduction only really comes into its own on the track where the you reap the benefits of the full dynamics of being lighter, not just acceleration, i.e. braking and cornering.
Click to expand...

I could not have said that any better - in total agreement with kave.
 
jojo are you coming santa pod then! AMD vs REVO something we said a few months back.
 
Thank you all, I think I will just remove the back seats and the spare wheel I guess it's not worth removing the front seat as it looks long, and a friend wants to come with me. otherwise he would have no place to sit!! :laugh:
 
Oh well, good luck with that, I will try the spring one as well. in the mean time I hope I can have a run against a standard 8P S3 see how that goes, as mentioned above a few of them will be turning up.
 
I have removed over 100kg from my s3 (actually about 120kg)

light weight wheels
light weight exhaust system
light weight front seats
removed rear seats
smaller battery
removed air bags, tow hooks, air con, engine brackets, various other bits like the spare wheel side panels engine sound proofing


The difference is dramatic in every aspect i recommend it if your car is for fun.
 
ck6uk said:
I have removed over 100kg from my s3 (actually about 120kg)

light weight wheels
light weight exhaust system
light weight front seats
removed rear seats
smaller battery
removed air bags, tow hooks, air con, engine brackets, various other bits like the spare wheel side panels engine sound proofing


The difference is dramatic in every aspect i recommend it if your car is for fun.
Click to expand...

:sign_pics: of your car please? :thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the heads up Jim. I will check as id bebinterested in what ive lost.
 
Fooking millions Daz :laugh:

Anywhere from low 1400's for a basic spec pre facelift, up to ~1480 or so for a fully kitted out facelift with electric seats, sunroof and optional 18's
 
Just checked my S3, shows 1392KG on the sticker.

My Mk4 Golf (5 door) is 1278KG.
 
sorry for the late reply i have just seen this.

car is built by me and my friend turbotel

quite along spec too much to name but its quite powerful sitting on an r tech map 426bhp 390 tourque


pics of my car:







 
Do they include fuel or is it a dry weight?
 
You got pics of the inside up front ?
 
Hello mr prawn!!

yes its me and yes terry d :)

im new to this forum, i have signed up a while back but not been on it at all.

Will searching for a guide on what best meth kit to buy :)
 
Mines emptier. Although im not sure my unknown generic remap could compansate your bhp advantage lol
where are you from fella?
You track the car?
 
Hello daz, im from london, it was built to use on my cusons company "track and tour" but now hes closed the company down :(

so basically im up for a track day of any sort to get some real fun out the car!! oil cooler and big brakes are fitted but i still need meth to keep temps low as poss!

also has some other trick bits like ap coil overs, KW camber kit.

the car has proved itself on the road so far, i never thought it would be as fast as my old leon but its a hell of alot faster and corners alot better too!
 
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