- Joined
- Aug 17, 2015
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I've been meaning to put up a thread for my S3 for over a year so here it is. I bought my S3 off a member on here about a year and a half ago @S3_Mitch who owned it for a few years and did most of the modifications. He did poured a lot of time and effort into it. I bought it sight unseen, but Mitch sent me plenty photos/videos to give me an idea about it. I had it collected from him and transported from the UK to Ireland. Getting Irish plates on it was a ball ache and a wallet ache, but its done now. I suppose I'll list of a few of the mods that Mitch did to it.
-IE Rifle drilled forged conrods with ARP bolts (stock pistons with new OEM rings)
-Calico coated big end bearing
-Supertech inconel exhaust valves
-BeachBuggyTurbo's k418t k04 hybrid turbo
-Bosche 550cc injectors
-DA-31 inline fuel pump
-R8 coil packs
-AEM Progressive water methanol injection
-Relentless V4 exhaust manifold
-XS Power downpipe
-Trackslag charge pipe
-Forge 008p DV
-Badger5 heatshield with cone filter
-Badger5 turbo intake pipe with billet aluminum adapter
-Toyosport FMIC with custom pipework
-N249 bypass and PVC delete
-Loads of pipwork replaced with silicon pipes
-Powerflex dogbone
-CG Motorsport Stage 3 clutch kit
-Porsche 996 Turbo monoblock 4-pot calipers with 993 two-piece discs
-Probably plenty other stuff I've forgotten
Badger5 mapped the car and it made 302bhp. Mitch said it was later found that the wastegate actuator was loose at the time of mapping (now sorted). Hopefully that means there is some more power to be had out of it yet. I want to sort a few things before I take it in to get it mapped again.
It pulls like a freight train on boost and I reckon it gives my B5 S4 (Revo stage 2) a good run for its money.
The only thing that really lets the car down is the paintwork and stock suspension. All things I plan to sort out over time. The paint isn't something that bothers me too much as its a car that gets driven, but the roof is rusting away quite a bit so that will need attention soon. It needs a set of coilovers in the future and I'd like to get all the subframes etc blasted, powdercoated and polybushed soon enough.
As for things I've changed/upgraded on it, I may as well list those too:
-DW65 in-tank fuel pump (DA-31 was SUPER loud)
-New refubished rear brake calipers and hardlines
-Reconditioned steering rack
-Full custom 3 inch turbo-back exhaust (more info below)
-MK4 GTI Rear Recaro seats
-S3 8P gearknob and B7 RS4 steering wheel (Also have an S3 8P one to reupholster and fit)
-Chrome mirror caps
Here are a few pics of my S3
Shortly after arriving in Ireland
Next to my S4
Dirty engine bay (Looks great when its cleaned and has the battery cover on)
Next to the whole fleet
More recent photo of it
MK4 Rear Recaros
The exhaust was something that bothered me a bit on the car. It was never a great fit. The downpipe was actually rubbing in two places (one was the prop shaft wearing through the flexi) and the catback was literally a homemade job by a friend of Mitchs that was probably only for the sake of making it sound better. It was loud, but had a nice rally-esq sound to it. Too loud for around town though. It ended up failing its NCT (MOT) for being too loud (despite passing the same test when it was imported), so it had to get sorted. Finding someone in Ireland to do good exhaust work is difficult. I had loads of trouble getting my S4s exhaust to be done right, so I asked everywhere I could until I found someone who was able to produce the good. It took some time to get made, but it was worth it. I gave the poor lad a very over the top wish list of specs and he pulled off every one of them. The quality of his work can only be described as art. I'm no welder, but I think most of you will agree, he did one hell of a savage job on it.
The specs of the exhaust us that its a full 3 inch exhaust. It has a removable 200 cell cat and a removable resonator (with straight pipe replacements), twin mufflers at the rear where the stock backbox used to be and an electric cut-out/bypass valve to bypass the two rear mufflers. Everything except the Turbo flange is joined with quick release V-band clamps. Its way overkill for an old "**** heap" of a car like this, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've currently got it with the cat fitted and resonator removed (so straight pipe except for the cat when the valve is open). Is really loud with the valve open, but fairly quiet with it closed. Not stock quiet, but quiet enough not to bother most people. I must stick in the resonator and see what its like with it. I might get more opportunities to open the valve if its not as loud lol. Heres a load of pics of it.
I have a few future plans for the car that I'd like to get done, but for now its going to get driven and maybe get the rusty roof sorted while I get my S4 back in order to go back on the road for summer. I'd love to get some decent coilovers with adjustable rear arms (already has some camber on the rear with stock suspension), polybushes etc as I already said earlier, a map to see if anything is left in it, some new wheels, bigger rear brakes and maybe some Brembo 18Zs on the front just because I am used to them from having them on my S4. Only thing planned for the near future is some new bi-xenons from T8ups once the group buy is finished.
-IE Rifle drilled forged conrods with ARP bolts (stock pistons with new OEM rings)
-Calico coated big end bearing
-Supertech inconel exhaust valves
-BeachBuggyTurbo's k418t k04 hybrid turbo
-Bosche 550cc injectors
-DA-31 inline fuel pump
-R8 coil packs
-AEM Progressive water methanol injection
-Relentless V4 exhaust manifold
-XS Power downpipe
-Trackslag charge pipe
-Forge 008p DV
-Badger5 heatshield with cone filter
-Badger5 turbo intake pipe with billet aluminum adapter
-Toyosport FMIC with custom pipework
-N249 bypass and PVC delete
-Loads of pipwork replaced with silicon pipes
-Powerflex dogbone
-CG Motorsport Stage 3 clutch kit
-Porsche 996 Turbo monoblock 4-pot calipers with 993 two-piece discs
-Probably plenty other stuff I've forgotten
Badger5 mapped the car and it made 302bhp. Mitch said it was later found that the wastegate actuator was loose at the time of mapping (now sorted). Hopefully that means there is some more power to be had out of it yet. I want to sort a few things before I take it in to get it mapped again.
It pulls like a freight train on boost and I reckon it gives my B5 S4 (Revo stage 2) a good run for its money.
The only thing that really lets the car down is the paintwork and stock suspension. All things I plan to sort out over time. The paint isn't something that bothers me too much as its a car that gets driven, but the roof is rusting away quite a bit so that will need attention soon. It needs a set of coilovers in the future and I'd like to get all the subframes etc blasted, powdercoated and polybushed soon enough.
As for things I've changed/upgraded on it, I may as well list those too:
-DW65 in-tank fuel pump (DA-31 was SUPER loud)
-New refubished rear brake calipers and hardlines
-Reconditioned steering rack
-Full custom 3 inch turbo-back exhaust (more info below)
-MK4 GTI Rear Recaro seats
-S3 8P gearknob and B7 RS4 steering wheel (Also have an S3 8P one to reupholster and fit)
-Chrome mirror caps
Here are a few pics of my S3
Shortly after arriving in Ireland
Next to my S4
Dirty engine bay (Looks great when its cleaned and has the battery cover on)
Next to the whole fleet
More recent photo of it
MK4 Rear Recaros
The exhaust was something that bothered me a bit on the car. It was never a great fit. The downpipe was actually rubbing in two places (one was the prop shaft wearing through the flexi) and the catback was literally a homemade job by a friend of Mitchs that was probably only for the sake of making it sound better. It was loud, but had a nice rally-esq sound to it. Too loud for around town though. It ended up failing its NCT (MOT) for being too loud (despite passing the same test when it was imported), so it had to get sorted. Finding someone in Ireland to do good exhaust work is difficult. I had loads of trouble getting my S4s exhaust to be done right, so I asked everywhere I could until I found someone who was able to produce the good. It took some time to get made, but it was worth it. I gave the poor lad a very over the top wish list of specs and he pulled off every one of them. The quality of his work can only be described as art. I'm no welder, but I think most of you will agree, he did one hell of a savage job on it.
The specs of the exhaust us that its a full 3 inch exhaust. It has a removable 200 cell cat and a removable resonator (with straight pipe replacements), twin mufflers at the rear where the stock backbox used to be and an electric cut-out/bypass valve to bypass the two rear mufflers. Everything except the Turbo flange is joined with quick release V-band clamps. Its way overkill for an old "**** heap" of a car like this, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I've currently got it with the cat fitted and resonator removed (so straight pipe except for the cat when the valve is open). Is really loud with the valve open, but fairly quiet with it closed. Not stock quiet, but quiet enough not to bother most people. I must stick in the resonator and see what its like with it. I might get more opportunities to open the valve if its not as loud lol. Heres a load of pics of it.
I have a few future plans for the car that I'd like to get done, but for now its going to get driven and maybe get the rusty roof sorted while I get my S4 back in order to go back on the road for summer. I'd love to get some decent coilovers with adjustable rear arms (already has some camber on the rear with stock suspension), polybushes etc as I already said earlier, a map to see if anything is left in it, some new wheels, bigger rear brakes and maybe some Brembo 18Zs on the front just because I am used to them from having them on my S4. Only thing planned for the near future is some new bi-xenons from T8ups once the group buy is finished.