Ok, i've been doing abit of thinking, I love my S3 to bits (ok the Misses drives it most days and i get the company tax dodger special) but was having a good think out taking it straight to stage 2.5 (it's a dsg so no clutch worries) which got me thinking more lol, the S4 puts out 333BHP standard, is it worth changing to the larger beast and maybe playing with that?
S3 Stage 2 or S4
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PaulAr
S3 (8P)
Had the B8 S4 before the S3, and they are very different animals....S3 is good, but the S4 was the best car I have ever owned ( and I've owned a few ..!!.).
With companies like Stasis providing kits to get over 400 easy bhp from the V6 in the S4, it would easily show a clean pair of heels to a tuned S3, but as I say it is a totally different animal to drive....Heavier but with a much more sophisticated 4wd system and the option of the sports diff making it pretty nimble... power everywhere due to the Supercharger and a wonderful noise from the V6......I miss mine every day !!
With companies like Stasis providing kits to get over 400 easy bhp from the V6 in the S4, it would easily show a clean pair of heels to a tuned S3, but as I say it is a totally different animal to drive....Heavier but with a much more sophisticated 4wd system and the option of the sports diff making it pretty nimble... power everywhere due to the Supercharger and a wonderful noise from the V6......I miss mine every day !!
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A 360 bhp S3 would easily be on equal terms with a 400bhp S4 or RS4 on power/weight alone.
Mine certainly had no problems when it was at that level.
It depends on what you want and what budget you have as the two cars are very different.
Mine certainly had no problems when it was at that level.
It depends on what you want and what budget you have as the two cars are very different.
I had a 'play' with an RS4 a little while ago. I'm stage 2....he was standard. (I know him)
it went round a massive roundabout like you could never imagine. So fast!!! it was amazing to watch. it was the estate aswell.
i was having to create lift over steer as the under steer was unimaginable.
Its fair to say that i lost...he was definitely faster on the straights too.
So I think it would have to be 2+ with suspension upgrades to be on level terms.
it went round a massive roundabout like you could never imagine. So fast!!! it was amazing to watch. it was the estate aswell.
i was having to create lift over steer as the under steer was unimaginable.
Its fair to say that i lost...he was definitely faster on the straights too.
So I think it would have to be 2+ with suspension upgrades to be on level terms.
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I'd say the same.
With the suspension and brakes uprated and equivalent power/weight it's an equal playing field.
At Stg4 those don't really get a look in!
An S3 on stock suspension understeers like mad and is also way short on power,but properly modified becomes a very quick car and capable of giving some very expensive cars a nasty shock.
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Two weeks ago I drove an S5 sportback with the 3.0V6T engine that is in the latest S4. Engine was a masterpiece, made the EA888 feel a bit crude to be honest.
Did drink fuel, but then with the performance you'd expect that. In the S5 sportback the car didn't feel as nimble as the S3, but it had fully Billy's on the one I drove so far less understeer.
Here are my thoughts on it as a package: S5 3.0V6T review
Did drink fuel, but then with the performance you'd expect that. In the S5 sportback the car didn't feel as nimble as the S3, but it had fully Billy's on the one I drove so far less understeer.
Here are my thoughts on it as a package: S5 3.0V6T review
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Andrew has owned his 3 month old S4 for 7 weeks and we are in the process of just selling not because there is anything wrong - the opposite in fact as it's the first car Andrew has owned and really wanted to drive everyday, not bothered about it being in the rain etc. If you know our history then we don't hold on to cars long and they are more ornaments than anything unfortunately.
However we tuned the S4 and I'd had have to say against my stage 1 S3 there wasnt alot in it apart from the fact the S4 is DSG and mines manual so this makes a different from a stop start position. With it being the avant version you do notice the weight difference and its just unbelieveably smooth much nicer than the RS3 we had.....but I'd still personally go for a mapped up S3 just my opinon.
Nice new kiddy carrier on the way arriving saturday to get the two girls in and new born at the beginning of 2013 - Q7 3 litre 245.....and of course with something a little extra
However we tuned the S4 and I'd had have to say against my stage 1 S3 there wasnt alot in it apart from the fact the S4 is DSG and mines manual so this makes a different from a stop start position. With it being the avant version you do notice the weight difference and its just unbelieveably smooth much nicer than the RS3 we had.....but I'd still personally go for a mapped up S3 just my opinon.
Nice new kiddy carrier on the way arriving saturday to get the two girls in and new born at the beginning of 2013 - Q7 3 litre 245.....and of course with something a little extra
Nice write up Warren, as usual.
I think the biggest difference for me was the instant shove the supercharger gave against the turbocharged S3....any revs, any gear, any time, it just picked up really strongly and was never caught in a dip in the power curve....the engine really was sublime as you yourself found.
Mine had the Dynamic ride control and the sports Diff, with the Comfort suspension/diff setting making cruising much more serene than it is in the S3, and improving the handling dramatically in the Dynamic setting, although this also artificially weights the steering too much ( I set the 'Individual' setting on mine to be Dynamic in everything except the steering which felt more natural in 'Comfort' setting )....however, you couldn't disguise the fact that it was still a heavy car and it simply isn't as nimble as an S3.
Mine was also manual, which hit me hard come resale time as everyone wants flappy paddles these days ( playstation generation ) but for me it really added to the experience.
The tuning options weren't available when I had mine as it had only recently been released, but to my mind the car never needed more power as standard, so with a little bit of money spent wisely, it will be an absolute rocketship and be quite capable in the right hands of frightening far more serious machinery.
In summary, the two cars are so different that it is very difficult to compare them....if you were doing a comparison test in a magazine, you simply wouldn't put them any where near each other !
You really need to drive both and then decide what you want from your car, but from personal experience and simply on a personal level, the S4 is the better car and if I could justify it, I would buy one again in a heartbeat ( although I don't think they offer the manual gearbox anymore ) !!
I think the biggest difference for me was the instant shove the supercharger gave against the turbocharged S3....any revs, any gear, any time, it just picked up really strongly and was never caught in a dip in the power curve....the engine really was sublime as you yourself found.
Mine had the Dynamic ride control and the sports Diff, with the Comfort suspension/diff setting making cruising much more serene than it is in the S3, and improving the handling dramatically in the Dynamic setting, although this also artificially weights the steering too much ( I set the 'Individual' setting on mine to be Dynamic in everything except the steering which felt more natural in 'Comfort' setting )....however, you couldn't disguise the fact that it was still a heavy car and it simply isn't as nimble as an S3.
Mine was also manual, which hit me hard come resale time as everyone wants flappy paddles these days ( playstation generation ) but for me it really added to the experience.
The tuning options weren't available when I had mine as it had only recently been released, but to my mind the car never needed more power as standard, so with a little bit of money spent wisely, it will be an absolute rocketship and be quite capable in the right hands of frightening far more serious machinery.
In summary, the two cars are so different that it is very difficult to compare them....if you were doing a comparison test in a magazine, you simply wouldn't put them any where near each other !
You really need to drive both and then decide what you want from your car, but from personal experience and simply on a personal level, the S4 is the better car and if I could justify it, I would buy one again in a heartbeat ( although I don't think they offer the manual gearbox anymore ) !!
A very interesting read, I'm on my 2nd S3. The first one had a Revo stage 2+ upgrade and my current one has a Shark Stage 2.
Due to my wife expecting our baby early next year, I decided I needed a bigger boot and have just ordered an S4 Avant BE.
The car is due in November, so I'll report back once it arrives.
Due to my wife expecting our baby early next year, I decided I needed a bigger boot and have just ordered an S4 Avant BE.
The car is due in November, so I'll report back once it arrives.
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I sort of went the other way.
I had an A4 3.0TDi Avant just before the S3 and once I'd given up hauling kids around it meant I could have something less practical again.
So the longer I own it,the faster it gets!
if your car is stage 2 with dsg i would say get the hpfp internals, sort the pump and go for a stage2+ and do the dsg remap too and you'll see a big difference!
better yet find someone who has done those mods and ask him to take you for a spin..
but then again if you can afford s4 and prefer a change then why not
better yet find someone who has done those mods and ask him to take you for a spin..
but then again if you can afford s4 and prefer a change then why not
S4 is a very nice piece of kit, but it'd be more of a sideways step rather than an upgrade. Doesn't seem worth the extra money when I could make the S3 faster for less. Also don't want a bigger car, I like the 3dr size. My brother is after an S4, so maybe once he gets his it'll change my mind. I think I'd rather jump to an RS4, or just hold out for another year to go one better and get a GT-R like my original plan.
Would be good to see how a mapped S4 fares against the RS though. Blown V6 vs V8... note a-plenty!
Would be good to see how a mapped S4 fares against the RS though. Blown V6 vs V8... note a-plenty!
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That's it....it's all about personal preferences.
I don't want another bigger saloon or estate right now and when it came to the RS3 I didn't want 5 doors.
So the S3 stayed and now it's quicker than all of them.
The GTR is a technical tour-de-force but a big car and in stock form not as fast as this.
I wouldn't say no to an R8 in a few years but I'd need a supercharger kit then!
I don't want another bigger saloon or estate right now and when it came to the RS3 I didn't want 5 doors.
So the S3 stayed and now it's quicker than all of them.
The GTR is a technical tour-de-force but a big car and in stock form not as fast as this.
I wouldn't say no to an R8 in a few years but I'd need a supercharger kit then!
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There are a few companies offering kits for the V8 and the V10 now.
I know AMD have supercharged RS4s but can't remember which they used.
Very different delivery from mine although similar on power/weight with boost from just above idle which I could never do.
The supercharger is almost linear in delivery whereas the 3071 is huge when it hits the boost.
