S3 no TPMS?

ptf

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Disappointed to note that the S3 (Vorsprung) doesn't have tyre temp/pressure readout.

Only available as part of the "RS monitor" so I guess I should have forked out for the RS3.

I'm assuming Audi cheaped out on the sensors and just use the ABS to compare rotation speeds - a common approach but disappointing on a £50k car.

At least I got puddle lights.
 
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I have a local shop in Sweden which will retrofit these for just under 650 euro so if you really want them its not that expensive. But yeah I agree its a bit disappointing on such an expensive car.
 
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they never have been available on s3 anyway only rs3 has them
 
Kufatec list the retrofit kit for €350 - anyone any experience with them?
 
How's your appetite for risk?


Or, possibly


I guess it would need coding as well (actually, just noticed, the values seem to be in the listing).
 
Complete this retrofit all the time Fire over a message if you would like an official quote.
I don't think I can send a PM on this forum. Can you ping me the price?
 
The ABS based TPMS has worked perfectly for me over my last 15 years of owning Audis with such systems, warning me of both slow and much quicker punctures in time to get to a safe refuge.

Why replace it with one with potentially 400% more unreliability of all the wheel sensors and batteries within plus their incumbent pickups?

As for temperature monitoring, unless you're an F1 car the only way a tyre will overheat to excess is when it's got a puncture!
 
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OK, fair enough my wife's Mazda has the system and, as you say, it does work. Annoying that it just gives you a "one of your tyres might be a bit low" without being able to say which one but it does at least provide an indication that you need to check.

But you could say something similar about a lot of stuff - why buy a potentially more unreliable performance car when a much cheaper alternative will get you about town. Why buy an S3 or RS3 when an A3 will do - or a Toyota Aygo for that matter. Yet people do because they *want* to. At the end of the day if you're not hurting anyone else and can afford it why not?

On a £50k car, especially when ticking the "OK, give me all the toys you have for this platform" option I was disappointed to find it did not have actual pressure and temperature measurement.

As for reliability - I appreciate it adds extra hardware and therefore possibilities for failure but I had it on my BMW 4 series and had no problems and Audi clearly consider it appropriate for the RS3.

Yes, I probably will get it retrofitted at some point, the 360 camera as well (but that's a much bigger project) - £450 isn't a small amount of money but it strikes me as reasonable having seen some notes and photos covering the work that needs to be done, but it's not an immediate priority.
 
I’ve had TPMS as standard on my last three cars, a B8.5 S4, a Cupra Formentor and current SQ5. Frankly, I don’t rate it. I don’t see the point of something that needs a 20% loss of pressure before it sends an alert. That‘s around 7PSI, and I want to know when I’ve lost 2PSI, so I continue to check them myself regularly.
 
I’ve had TPMS as standard on my last three cars, a B8.5 S4, a Cupra Formentor and current SQ5. Frankly, I don’t rate it. I don’t see the point of something that needs a 20% loss of pressure before it sends an alert. That‘s around 7PSI, and I want to know when I’ve lost 2PSI, so I continue to check them myself regularly.
If you are worried about 2psi (slightly over 0.1bar) then you will also want to know what temperature your tyres are when you take the measurement - because the difference between a tyre at 15° and one at 40° will be about 10% (comes from the ideal gas equation PV = nRT) - or 3.4PSI if you start out at 34PSI.

Also you'll need an accurate gauge - forget supermarket air hoses or Halfords foot pumps, neither of which I'd trust to be much closer than 2-5PSI.
 
If you are worried about 2psi (slightly over 0.1bar) then you will also want to know what temperature your tyres are when you take the measurement - because the difference between a tyre at 15° and one at 40° will be about 10% (comes from the ideal gas equation PV = nRT) - or 3.4PSI if you start out at 34PSI.

Also you'll need an accurate gauge - forget supermarket air hoses or Halfords foot pumps, neither of which I'd trust to be much closer than 2-5PSI.
Yes; that’s why I always measure my pressures on the drive, cold, before driving it anywhere.
 
Just had it added it to my S5 - well worth the relatively small outlay.

No longer need to get down in all weathers to check the pressures and then have to go and clean up afterwards.

System is no more unreliable than one using the abs sensors. Yes the batteries will need changing periodically but the rest of the system is fully protected from the elements unlike the abs sensors which are not unknown to fail
 
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Yes; that’s why I always measure my pressures on the drive, cold, before driving it anywhere.

Fair enough - just as long as you realise that 2PSI is smaller than the increase in pressure caused by increase in temperature due to use, close to the difference a warm vs cold day might yield and about the same order of magnitude as the error in the reading given by most gauges sold at retail.

Talking of tyres, mine has Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport fitted - which I guess is OK.

What do other people run? For the S3 I might consider P Zero PZ4's but my go to tyres have been things like the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2, or Falkens - though not sure they are quite in the car's league.

Continental Sport Contact 7's might be OK if I don't want to go to PZ4 money, never tried those being fairly new to the market, but they seem to be the darling of the press at the moment.

By the way - to get it in context £450 is half the price of a set of PZ4's :)


Yes the batteries will need changing periodically

Do you know how long they last . TBH I'm not sure why they don't pick up energy from the tyre rotation.
 
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Fair enough - just as long as you realise that 2PSI is smaller than the increase in pressure caused by increase in temperature due to use, close to the difference a warm vs cold day might yield and about the same order of magnitude as the error in the reading given by most gauges sold at retail.

Talking of tyres, mine has Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport fitted - which I guess is OK.

What do other people run? For the S3 I might consider P Zero PZ4's but my go to tyres have been things like the Hankook Ventus V12 evo2, or Falkens - though not sure they are quite in the car's league.

Continental Sport Contact 7's might be OK if I don't want to go to PZ4 money, never tried those, but hey seem to be the darling of the press at the moment.

By the way - to get it in context £450 is half the price of a set of PZ4's :)




Do you know how long they last . TBH I'm not sure why they don't pick up energy from the tyre rotation.
Depends on how often / far the car is driven but was advised min 5 years and likely a lot longer
 
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