S3 & Occasional Track use ?

[Spin140]

Does anyone on here attend the odd track day in their S3 ?

I'm particularly interested if you previously owned a fast BMW then changed to an S3 as I am about to px the BW 130i for an S3 Sportback.

The 130i has been excellent fun on and off track especially with its uprated brakes, ARB's etc but I now need an extra set of doors and fancy a return to the Audi brand for the 2nd car.

I'm really interested as to how the S3 will handle on track in comparison to a sorted rear wheel driver, performance I expect to be similar but with extra torque.

Any thoughts welcomed, thanks all.

 

[gixxer600k4]

ive never driven either car but of what i know the s3 is a great car on road and track, and if you want better handlin then there is something called a haldex which moves the power from 50/50 to 60/40 70/30 or what ever you want really! and this is a pricey upgrade but it is well worth it if you are a keen track go-er!

 

[julians]

I find my s3 pretty boring on track, its not very 'adjustable', you've got a choice of mild understeer, moderate understeer or serious understeer.

I've never driven a 130 BMW, but I have driven a lot of other fast'ish RWD cars on track, and I reckon the BMW is going to be more fun than the s3 , just by virtue of it being RWD.

Additionally, the brakes fade badly after a few laps, so if you're serious about track driving then these would need upgrading. Mind you I havent driven any stock road car whose brakes dont fade badly on track with the exception of a caterham 7.

 

[Iggu]

I've tracked mine quite a bit - here and in Germany.
I know what Julians means - it is "boring" in the sense that you cannot throw it off line or induce a powerslide: its very safe and very forgiving.
But it puts in a much much faster lap than the 130i (my mate used to have one).
Depends what you want. The 130i will give you a bigger grin (and eat your rear tyres for you) but the S3 will conquer any track you care to name. I've had mine round the Nurburgring a dozen times or so and its seriously capable - but not its not a massively oversteery/slidy kind of fun.

 

[warren_S5]

The S3 tends to make you feel like you're doing about 70 on the track, it is slightly inert, and as had been said above it provides a very safe drive (at the end of the Castle Combe start/finish straight I hit a huge pool of freshly spilled hot oil left by an S4 which had just blown its engine - 2007 Audi Driver International, I thought I was doomed to an incident, but I managed to get the car through the oil, back under control, and round the end of straight corner with nothing more than a required underwear change!)

It is incredibly competent, but whereas you can grow your skill in the 130i, you can drive the S3 within 95% as soon as you know the track, whereas there is much more development room in the 130i.

That said I can think of many worse cars to do it in.

 

[Jamiekip]

I think the S3 'out of the box' is designed to be safe, by that read 'understeer is designed in at the very limit'. In order to get the best out of the chassis and make it more involving, I think you need to consider upgrading the ARB's and suspension - if you realy want to to nail the chassis, as mentioned do the upgraded haldex controller (i've not gone to this length myself).
This, on my car at least, removed the understeer, provided a more 'pointy' front end and created a more involving drive.
However, and I've not tracked a BM, it is not going to start behaving like a rear driver on track, so in terms of driver development and challenge it will still fall short. But I wouldn't go as far as to say it is boring, I think it will require you driving style to adpat a little, consider it a new challnge to get the most out of it.