This is my S3 thread. There are many like it, but this one is mine.

[phillyquattro]

Finally took delivery of my S3 tonight. It was a bit dark by the time I left the dealership so I'll get some photos of it up here shortly. For now the packages:

2016 S3 Premium Plus
Mythos Black
Black Optics
LED Lighting
Super Sport Seats

I've got a pile of parts sitting in my house ready to be installed. Front and rear WeatherTech mats sitting under my desk at work. Wheels, coil overs, pulley, rear sway, and endlinks should be arriving very soon. Tint appointment on Friday. Opti-coating on Sunday. Let's get this started!

[Current mods: Updated 11/22/17]

• Rotiform KPS 19x9 ET42 in "Candy Black"
• Bilstein B14 Coilovers
• 034 dogbone insert
• 034 rear subframe mounts
• 034 carbon fiber engine bay collection
• APR CF air intake
• APR CF turbo inlet hose
• APR catch can
• APR intercooler
• APR turbo muffler delete
• APR boost pipe kit
• GFB diverter valve
• Fluidampr Internally Balanced Crankshaft Damper
• Neuspeed rear sway bar
• Eurocode rear chasis brace
• Eurocode rear endlinks
• Stoptech ST40 BBK
• ECS stainless rear brake lines
• 3M color stable 35% tint all around
• Smoked tail light tinting
• Custom painted badging
• Pure CF OEM style spoiler
• WeatherTech floor mats and trunk liner
• Dinan cat back exhaust

[Saifxnyc]

Congratulations on purchase of your new car. Can't wait to see it I love that color my self.


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[Primolak]

Congrats! Enjoy!


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[coolwater]

Congrats! It's going to be fun modding this one.
What wheels did you decide on?

-cW

[phillyquattro]

Congrats! It's going to be fun modding this one.
What wheels did you decide on?

-cW

I picked up the Rotiform DUS Mono2 demo set from Sean at Tag. Not sure if I'm going to put them on right away or wait till spring time. My original plan was to take the stock Conti summer tires and put them on the Rotiforms then buy a set of Conti DWSs for the winter trips to Tahoe and throw those on the OEM 19s. Maybe I'll just get the set of DWSs and run those full time. Not the best plan for future track days though. Decisions decisions.

[Benji00]

Awesome man!

[AwdOwns]

Welcome to the club. Have you made a decision on software as of yet or planning on holding off a little?

[phillyquattro]

Welcome to the club. Have you made a decision on software as of yet or planning on holding off a little?

Gonna hold off on software for a bit. At least give my warranty a chance. Haha. Pretty much all other mods will be done though and I'm sure before long I'll be itching to take it to stage 2.

Took a couple crappy cell phone pics. These will have to do for now. Couldn't properly capture the interior without a wide angle lens so I'll have to take some of those later when I can do it justice.

[coolwater]

Looking good! Good thing is this platform has so many more options to avoid TD1 with the piggybacks and Eurodyne/Unitronic flash from home.
I'm waiting a bit also to decide which way to go since still only 5k on the dial.

There were some rumors about Audi possibly offering their own performance brand, but who know if that will ever materialize.

-cW

[14S4GWM]

Looking good! Good thing is this platform has so many more options to avoid TD1 with the piggybacks and Eurodyne/Unitronic flash from home.
I'm waiting a bit also to decide which way to go since still only 5k on the dial.

There were some rumors about Audi possibly offering their own performance brand, but who know if that will ever materialize.

-cW

Those are the same options the S4 has. Not sure what else you could be referring to. Audi uses the same technique to find a TD1 on all of the newer platforms.

[coolwater]

Those are the same options the S4 has. Not sure what else you could be referring to. Audi uses the same technique to find a TD1 on all of the newer platforms.

There are a lot more options on the MQB platform for flashing from home and piggybacks. Eurodyne isn't even supported on the s4 b8 yet. Uniconnect is kool, but no flash counter reset.

Wasnt trying to make this a s3 vs s4 comment, but to make stage 2 power on the S4 you have to swap a pulley which audi has made it harder on the newer models.

Lots of folks have gone into dealer after piggyback removal/flash back to stock on eurodyne with no TD1 flag. So yeah this is a great platform for diy ecu tuning.

-cW

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[14S4GWM]

Cool, thanks for some clarification.

[ECP]

Gonna hold off on software for a bit. At least give my warranty a chance. Haha. Pretty much all other mods will be done though and I'm sure before long I'll be itching to take it to stage 2.

Took a couple crappy cell phone pics. These will have to do for now. Couldn't properly capture the interior without a wide angle lens so I'll have to take some of those later when I can do it justice.

Congrats! I purchased a twin. Identical options. I recently included homelink and power folding mirrors.

[phillyquattro]

Congrats! I purchased a twin. Identical options. I recently included homelink and power folding mirrors.

Looking good evil twin! I was interested in seeing if adding the folding mirrors was possible. Where did you source the parts from and if you don't mind what was the cost?

[ECP]

Looking good evil twin! I was interested in seeing if adding the folding mirrors was possible. Where did you source the parts from and if you don't mind what was the cost?

700 from europrice.com

Very simple install for the most part, changing out the trim in the door panel was a task. Overall couldn't be any happier. Folding in when I press lock

[[email protected]]

700 from europrice.us

Very simple install for the most part, changing out the trim in the door panel was a task. Overall couldn't be any happier. Folding in when I press lock

Glad to have helped, here's a link for anyone just so it's easy to find:

Folding Mirror Package | A3, S3

OP- Nice project!

Cheers,

[phillyquattro]

Awesome. Thanks for the resource! That goes on the future mods list for sure.

[phillyquattro]

Car is getting Opti-coated but while it's away some other toys showed up. Rear sway, pulley kit, and KW delete kit. Just waiting on the coil overs and end links now. Also decided I'd get a whole new detail kit for my whole new car. Always been a big fan of Adam's Polishes but over the last year I tried a few things from Chemical Guys and really liked them. Decided to go a bit nuts and buy a bunch of stuff from them.

[coolwater]

Lots of goodies there. Which coils are you planning to go with?

-cW

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[phillyquattro]

Lots of goodies there. Which coils are you planning to go with?

-cW

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Bilstein B14s. Same set up you have.

[coolwater]

Bilstein B14s. Same set up you have.

Nice! You are going to love them. Really nice setup for the price.

-cW

[phillyquattro]

Nice! You are going to love them. Really nice setup for the price.

-cW

Can hardly wait. Just waiting on a ship date so I can set up an appointment with 034.

[ECP]

Car is getting Opti-coated but while it's away some other toys showed up. Rear sway, pulley kit, and KW delete kit. Just waiting on the coil overs and end links now. Also decided I'd get a whole new detail kit for my whole new car. Always been a big fan of Adam's Polishes but over the last year I tried a few things from Chemical Guys and really liked them. Decided to go a bit nuts and buy a bunch of stuff from them.

Had my car opti coated and added the plus last weekend, I couldn't be any happier

Post pics of the car once you pick it up.

[phillyquattro]

Coils arrived today. Appointment at 034 made for the 30th. Can hardly wait.

[will13k7]

nice set of parts! sways and end-links are my next mods. interested in your impressions after you get them installed. being in CA sucks, I've been drooling over an AWE downpipe and thinking about stage2. it will be pretty painful to get the downpipe uninstalled and then re-installed when its time to smog.

[phillyquattro]

nice set of parts! sways and end-links are my next mods. interested in your impressions after you get them installed. being in CA sucks, I've been drooling over an AWE downpipe and thinking about stage2. it will be pretty painful to get the downpipe uninstalled and then re-installed when its time to smog.

Getting the sway and the rest of the parts installed tomorrow. Too much for one day. Haha.

Plenty of people in CA get their car smogged with a DP. Just run a spacer and take it to a slightly shadier/hole-in-the-wall type place where they likely won't do a visual inspection. The guy I sold my stage 2 B8 A4 to just had this exact thing done upon transfer. :-)

[Sales@DriveAuto]

Congrats - it's always nice stockpiling parts beforehand. You just need to toss a Wagner Intercooler on your list (shameless plug: I have them on sale) and you'll be all set.

[phillyquattro]

Congrats - it's always nice stockpiling parts beforehand. You just need to toss a Wagner Intercooler on your list (shameless plug: I have them on sale) and you'll be all set.

Ha, the guys at 034 tried talking me into one yesterday while at the shop. It's on the short list of upgrades. Either intercooler or turbo back exhaust is next....or maybe intercooler AND turbo back. Haha.

[DarkSideGTI]

Car is getting Opti-coated but while it's away some other toys showed up. Rear sway, pulley kit, and KW delete kit. Just waiting on the coil overs and end links now. Also decided I'd get a whole new detail kit for my whole new car. Always been a big fan of Adam's Polishes but over the last year I tried a few things from Chemical Guys and really liked them. Decided to go a bit nuts and buy a bunch of stuff from them.

I would highly recommend not installing the crankshaft pulley. The stock damper absorbs vibrations from the crankshaft and reduces stresses on your motor. The Neuspeed pulley does not have the damper and will actually cause harmonic vibrations in your motor and can cause issues down the road. If anything I would do a Fluidampr, but I don't believe they are available for our cars yet.

[phillyquattro]

I would highly recommend not installing the crankshaft pulley. The stock damper absorbs vibrations from the crankshaft and reduces stresses on your motor. The Neuspeed pulley does not have the damper and will actually cause harmonic vibrations in your motor and can cause issues down the road. If anything I would do a Fluidampr, but I don't believe they are available for our cars yet.

Interesting. I had the Eurocode pulley installed for 40,000+ miles on my B8 A4 with no issues nor have I seen anyone with any, at least not on that platform. The only way you should end up having problems is if you let the crankshaft move out of TDC during the removal/installation. From Eurocode's introduction of the pulley:

There is a common misconception that the factory crank pulley is a harmonic balancer which is not the case. The Volkswagen/Audi TSI engine's rotating section is fully balanced from the factory prior to the accessory drive pulley being installed.

I realize it's a different platform and technically different engine but the install process is very similar to the Eurocode one and neither mention anything about dampers.

[DarkSideGTI]

The stock crank pulley is an elastomer style crank pulley, not the same as the viscous style Fluidampr. the stock pulley is tuned for the harmonics of the stock motor. When you increase power enough, the pulley is no longer tuned properly to the motor and this is where you benefit from the Fluidampr. A lightweight billet pulley will never be tuned properly and will always increase vibrations. Vibrations rob power as well. I have seen increases in the 5whp to 28whp range depending on the car using the Fluidampr. Obviously higher HP cars are going to benefit more.

[phillyquattro]

The stock crank pulley is an elastomer style crank pulley, not the same as the viscous style Fluidampr. the stock pulley is tuned for the harmonics of the stock motor. When you increase power enough, the pulley is no longer tuned properly to the motor and this is where you benefit from the Fluidampr. A lightweight billet pulley will never be tuned properly and will always increase vibrations. Vibrations rob power as well. I have seen increases in the 5whp to 28whp range depending on the car using the Fluidampr. Obviously higher HP cars are going to benefit more.

I'll take my chances as I've had this type of pulley installed on my previous 2 cars without any issue and I don't know anyone that's had any issues with these types of pulleys. Once I decide to flash the ECU and start to significantly increase power I'll look back into it, especially if there is a Fluidampr solution available at that point. Till then I'll just go with my previous experience on two stage 2 cars.

Definitely appreciate the info though as it's something I had never thought of before.

[phillyquattro]

Day 2 at 034 wrapped up and everything is installed now. New wheels with tires will be here tomorrow and they'll be installed by my alignment shop on Thursday/Friday along with a 4 wheel alignment and corner balancing. Can't wash the car until after the detail shop checks that the Opti-coating cured correctly on Saturday so you'll just have to wait for pics. Reviews below but keep in mind I've had the coil overs on the car for 60ish miles and the remaining parts on the car for about 20ish miles. So these are VERY preliminary thoughts.

Bilstein B14s and KW delete kit:
The car looks fantastic sitting at the height it's currently set for (just a hair over 25" road to fender). I suspect however that it will be a bit too low once the new wheels go on as they'll be flush as opposed to sunk in like the OEM ones. Also it's winter so I'll likely be raising the car a bit. The drive however is fantastic. It's a just a touch bouncier than I figured it would be but still very close to Dynamic mode dampening. The car felt much more firm through turns than it did on the OEM suspension in Dynamic mode.

As for the KW kit...well it took me all of 10 miles to throw my first suspension error yesterday. Error on the dash went away over night and it took me all of 10 miles to throw another one today. will13k7 has had similar issues and been able to reproduce the error on demand on banked turns at speed...which is exactly where I threw both my errors. So at the moment I'm pretty disappointed in KW as their delete kit doesn't appear to be deleting shit. $400 so that I can still get errors thrown. Awesome. Hoping this can get sorted out by adjusting the ride height and the height of the sensors.

Neuspeed Rear Sway and Eurocode Rear Chasis Brace:
Say good bye to the body roll in turns. The car feels way more planted/firm through fast cornering now, much more balanced. I have the sway bar set on the "softer" setting which is only 102% increase over stock as opposed to the stiffer setting which is 128% increase over stock. I think that's probably where I'll leave it but I'm going to try to get a few more miles in before taking it to the alignment shop as maybe I'll get them to configure it for the stiffest setting.

Upgraded front and rear endlinks were also installed. Emmanuele Design for the rears, Spulen for the fronts. The OEM front end links look paltry by comparison. Just some twisted stamped metal. Garbage...but I guess Audi has to save money somewhere.

Neuspeed Power Pulley and 034 Dogbone Mount:
Car seems to respond a bit quicker to throttle, revs a bit more freely, and has a bit less lag to it. Pretty much exactly what I expected from this mod as that's been my experience with my previous 2 cars.

After the dogbone insert shifting definitely felt smoother and didn't have as much jerk to it, especially in Sport mode. Didn't notice any added vibration or noise either. Highly recommend this little mod as this is how the car should shift from the factory.

APR Intake and Catch Can:
Looks great! I was too busy rocking out and focusing on the handling of the car to listen and see if I could hear the intake at all. Catch can system looks great, hopefully it's as functional as it is pretty. Curious how often I need to drain it as I've never run a catch can system before. Will need to check the instructions.

APR Turbo Muffler Delete and GFB DV+ Diverter Valve:
Like I said above, I was too busy rocking out to notice any sound difference from the APR bit. No comment performance wise on the DV+ as I don't think it'll make a noticeable impact. That being said it's a quality piece of hardware. You can see and feel the difference between this and the stock version. The stock one looks and feels like a Happy Meal toy, the DV+ is a beautiful, solid machined piece. It's supposed to increase throttle response a bit but I did too many things at once to be able to single it out. Regardless it gets two thumbs up because I know it's not going to break on me.

[phillyquattro]

Wheels showed up yesterday. Getting the opti-coat follow up appointment done this weekend then mounting the wheels, alignment, and corner balance on Monday. Psyched!

Thanks to Sean at Tag for the great deal and great service on this setup.

[phillyquattro]

Ride height adjusted. Alignment in check. Corner balancing done. Wheels look and fit fantastic. Overall the car is looking and feeling great now. The ride height is touch higher than I would want, but heading into winter I have to keep it realistic for trips to the mountains. Interested to see if the new height helps eliminate the suspension errors from getting thrown every time I take a high speed curve.

Quick cellphone snap of the car this morning after I picked it up. I'll get her cleaned up this weekend and try to take some better photos.

[Tripe46]

Ride height adjusted. Alignment in check. Corner balancing done. Wheels look and fit fantastic. Overall the car is looking and feeling great now. The ride height is touch higher than I would want, but heading into winter I have to keep it realistic for trips to the mountains. Interested to see if the new height helps eliminate the suspension errors from getting thrown every time I take a high speed curve.

Quick cellphone snap of the car this morning after I picked it up. I'll get her cleaned up this weekend and try to take some better photos.

Dayum! Looks amazing!

[phillyquattro]

Dayum! Looks amazing!

Thanks! I'm super excited with how the car has turned out thus far. Really looking forward to the spring time and the next round of upgrades now.

[onequick4door]

Very nice

[will13k7]

Interested to see if the new height helps eliminate the suspension errors from getting thrown every time I take a high speed curve.

Me too! Car's looking good man.

[Alloy07]

Looks great ! love the stance and those wheels ! are you considering black emblems to match the wheels ? but maybe some contrast is better .