Audi S3 - does it get any better?

[Fidgits]

The argument is somewhat redundant.

No, you dont need 4WD... I ran rear wheel drive cars for 6 years in all weathers (including a 911) including doing the entire length of the M6 in snow so heavy you couldn't see the actual carrigeways, just the mounds at the edges..

As welshbeef says, the driver has a lot more to do with it than the drivetrain.


However, I will say 4WD does make a difference, even the Haldex system in the S3 - In the summer I was touring the Continent and was caught in a very heavy rainstorm on the Autobahns - and there was a lot of standing water - now i probably would have been fine in most cars, adjusting my driving for the conditions - but the S3 made it easy, as it was much more sure-footed.

As for on the track, again of course RWD is the fastest way around, but I enjoyed taking the S3 around the ring, and wouldnt hesitate to hit a UK track with it - again it probably wouldnt be the fastest thing out there, but the system gives you a little help should the unexpected happen - which a good driver doesnt need, but it doesnt mean you dont appreciate it!

[phlap]

Welshbeef said:

No I have not driven a high powered 4wd.
However I do drive a high powered Fwd and I do not suffer the under steer you mention on roundabouts etc.

Looking at the profiles of contributors on this thread most have owned high powered front drive cars and are making comments on that basis. There's nowt wrong with FWD but you have surely got to accept that there are some advantages with 4wd.

Show me a production fwd car with more than 300bhp? Once you start getting serious power through the the fronts you are relying on some sophisticated traction control, diffs or other trickery to keep things civilised.

BTW, I prefer rwd for entertainment and am not saying that 4wd is essential or more fun. I also test drove a Fiat Coupe Turbo 20V a few years ago and really liked it (loved the 5 pot lump). At the same time Ive always retained one 4wd car in the stable for the reasons mentioned.

[LeoSayer]

The 4WD hardware probably adds 50-100kg to the weight of an Audi is necessary purely because Audi don’t do RWD. How many BMWs, Lexii, Mercs are 4WD saloons, estates or hatches are 4WD? Hardly any because for 99% of driving it would do nothing except add weight and blunt performance and mpg.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my A6 quattro and the 4WD has helped me out on a few occasions, but I managed perfectly well in the same conditions with less powerful FWD Audis in the past without getting stuck or crashing.

I understand there was a push to change Audi to RWD platforms a few years ago which failed, not sure why. Perhaps they didn’t want to lose the beloved ‘quattro’ tag, or perhaps loss of platform sharing in the VAG group would have proved too costly.

Quite honestly, I think my A6 quattro would be a much better car to own and drive if it was designed and built to be RWD.

[boy1ndr]

just traded my edtion 30 in for a s3 reason being to much power not enough grip i live in a small town in scotland so rains a lot and the rouds get rel greasy just could not get the power down fast enough took the s3 out ticked all the boxes so if its got a big price tag these guys reviewing it are comparing it to focus st and meganes come on have you looked in a focus even the build qaulity of the golf lets it down compared to my mk4 gti yes the car is faster and handles better but got to say never realy felt as pashoinet about the edition 30, and gti gt all look the same not enought diferenc when your spending that kind of dosh. wish i bought the audi last year instead of the golf

[coolcatmaz]

I've had my A3 for about a month now and very pleased with it(even if it has taken a bit of time to gel with it )

nice comfortable drive, plenty of performance and gives a really good return on mpg

[S3]

I've got a 1999 Audi S3 with Revo re-map, air filter and Milltek cat back exhaust. Probably running at 265bhp. Want to get a little bit more performance from the car so am thinking of a further re-map (stage 2 Revo calls it) and replacing the cat with a Milltek hi-flow version. This gives only 15-20 extra bhp and only when running on 98 ron fuel apparently?

My other alternative is to go for a bigger, front mounted intercooler. Both options would cost about the same but which would give me the bigger performance boost? Or does anybody have any other bright / different ideas? I'd be pleased to hear from you.

[The Walrus]

The exhaust will give you the biggest bang for your buck, the intercooler will give a small increase not noticeable but it will keep your inlet temps down in the summer months.

hth

[Welshbeef]

Chop it in for a Nice XJR 370bhp std and derestrict that with Arden and that = 185mph .... nice.

[S3]

The Walrus said:

The exhaust will give you the biggest bang for your buck, the intercooler will give a small increase not noticeable but it will keep your inlet temps down in the summer months.

I thought as much. 800 quid for 15 / 20 bhp increase is still quite a lot of dough though. I wonder if such a little power rise is noticeable? The original remap was - 210 bhp to 260ish (stage 1) but not so sure what to expect from stage 2. Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

Edited by S3 on Tuesday 1st April 20:44

[The Walrus]

S3 said:

The Walrus said:

The exhaust will give you the biggest bang for your buck, the intercooler will give a small increase not noticeable but it will keep your inlet temps down in the summer months.

I thought as much. 800 quid for 15 / 20 bhp increase is still quite a lot of dough though. I wonder if such a little power rise is noticeable? The original remap was - 210 bhp to 260ish (stage 1) but not so sure what to expect from stage 2. Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

Edited by S3 on Tuesday 1st April 20:44

Expect better spool up / less lag and better top end if you stick with a 2.5 inch go for a 3 inch and expect even better spool up but slightly less top end.

HTH And trust me it is worth it as the car sounds soooooooo much better.

Also I thought you already had a cat back ? so it should only be 400 - 500 notes ?

You can see in this picture the madness of the design just before it spilts into two pipe's with how restrictive it is, you should see the 150 bhp 1.8 t lumps they are even worse.

Edited by The Walrus on Wednesday 2nd April 10:17

[S3]

That's tremendously helpful - thanks! Yeah got cat back already - 800 includes an additional remap and possibly a 4 bar fuel pressure regulator. What mods have you done to your GTI?

Edited by S3 on Wednesday 2nd April 20:22

[The Walrus]

No worries fella a pleasure to be of help.

My motor is an AUM 1.8T usual stuff,

Engine - 227 BHP and depending on the rolling road between 240 and 260 LBFT of torque
APR 98 ron map the old chip rather than obd flash
Dynatwist CAI
Samco TIP
Forge FMIC
Milltek custom 3 inch decat and straight through system (not on at the moment as the down pipe split !!!)

Chassis
TT 312 discs
Bilstein PSS9 coilovers
H&R 28mm anti roll bar

And that's about it apart from some other styling bits, used to be big into looks now prefer function over form, which does not help when a friend has a lot more money than you and an appetite for silly power from a 1.8 T !!!

[S3]

nice 1! sounds like a good motor. i think you're right - spending money on performance rather than looks is the way to go. there's something about fast cars that are understated - i guess it's shock value. you can completely obliterate other drivers when they least expect it. haha, great fun! take it easy.