I started this thread asking for power module and downpipe options and recommendations and planned updating my original post with every finding. However it started becoming somewhat cluttered, thus I am replacing the entire post with a detailed feedback instead.
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I leased my S3 in January 2016: loved the car, but wanted to add a little punch and enhance the exhaust sound which would be reversible at the end of the lease and sold. I ended up going with JB1, Audi Sound Enhancing kit, Bull-X Catted DP, modified stock air intake, aFe dry drop-in filter and 034Motorsport Dogbone Mount. It's been around four months since all the above have been installed and I would like to share my experience.
The first and easiest modification was the Audi resonator delete kit. The sound was very good for a four-cylinder engine, a little raspy and brief buzzing noise around 3K RPM for several seconds, but I guess I was the only one to notice it :) From this point, I started searching for moderate performance gain options and after a couple weeks of research decided to buy a downpipe and JB1.
I ordered the JB1, but because of the back order, I first installed the downpipe for which the Bull-X was the obvious choice for me as Emmanuelle Design is around 30 miles away and the price was reasonable at $1.200 installed. I must say that the quality is exceptional, however the one I bought WILL throw error codes without full ECU flush. They have another one for sale that guarantees error free functionality, which wasn't available at the time of purchase.
With the DP installed along with the absence of resonator, the exhaust note became very loud at WOT, but I loved it and kept punching the throttle and enjoying the burble and farts. The raspiness still was there, but toned down. In terms of power gain with just the downpipe? I didn’t notice any. Most importantly, the exhaust note is very good. It's loud, but only at WOT, but it's very addictive and I love it as it became a little more refined probably because of carbon build up.
I was expecting to see engine light right after the DP installation and was very excited when nothing happened while driving back home from the shop, but the check engine went off after 100 miles or so with P0420 code. Fortunately my friend has a mechanic shop and he is always there to help. We first installed the medium size Vibrant O2 spacer provided by Emmanuele Design which just delayed, but eventually the check engine went off again after around 400 miles or so. We scanned and erased the code, but needless to say that the check engine kept coming back.
I finally received and installed the JB1 and was very pleased by the difference it made. The car became so responsive with dramatic power gain and much smoother acceleration even at lower RPMs – the hesitance is almost gone. I also was hoping it would help eliminate O2 error codes, but it didn’t. In fact, more codes started appearing. What was happening is that when I drove really hard without the traction control off, the car started behaving weirdly. The fuel cut off to the point that brought to limp mode with no boost at all. I even experienced abrupt power delivery with traction control completely off. On the other hand, everything was very smooth if the car wasn’t being pushed really hard.
During the first several weeks I was very weary because of error codes and fuel cut offs at WOT. I started questioning if the [moderate] modifications I wanted to have were worth to go through all those annoyances, but I really liked the power and sound and decided to do everything possible in finding a solution.
To get the O2 sensor related error code, we installed the largest spacer within the Vibrant kit and started monitoring the car’s overall behavior by scanning it regularly (you will find the history of the logs at the end of this post). It was apparent that the largest O2 spacer helped, but other codes, which I thought were related to JB1, made me worried. I switched to Map 6 on JB1, but it didn’t make much difference. I then asked for help on JB1 forums and George, at Burger Motorsports, suggested to lower the fuel loop to 25 with Map 1. I have access to 91 octane only, thus going above boost safety 4.8 is not recommended. After setting the FL to 25, everything is good now. I drove more than 1000 miles since the last scan without check engine light going off. Most probably, there are still pending codes, but the car defiantly behaves much smoother now. I only experienced one or two slight power disruptions at WOT, will scan the car in near future and update if anything.
I also went ahead and modified the stock air intake by opening the driver side slots in the front of the intake and blocked the opening on the back right side. I then replaced the stock air filter with aFe Power 31-10254 Magnum FLOW OER Pro DRY S Air Filter. With this, I did notice a slight improvement in throttle response, but nothing big. The addition of 034 dogbone mount also slightly helped with overall low-end responsiveness with much crispier DSG shifts. It added a slight vibration when the car is parked or about to shift to Drive, but nothing annoying. I think it’s a very good little improvement.
I cannot explain what has been happening with all the faults. Is everything caused by JB1, or the DP, or air intake modification, or the drop-in filter, or everything combined? I have no idea, but what I found out is that several of those faults might be thrown even on a stock car without any modifications and there are many factors and variables involved.
I haven’t tracked the car thus cannot comment on how the JB1 handles heavy load. What I can tell is that it’s not perfectly smooth, but definitely a great power module. What I suggest, if you have a similar setup as mine, is drive smoothly. You can push as hard as you want, but do it in a more smoother manner.
At the end, I really like the overall setup and definitely keeping everything. And I would like to ask you guys pitch in with your own input. Let me know if I missed anything or misrepresented something.
VCDS Logs
____________________________
Scanned March 28, 2016
Milage - 3316
2 Faults Found
15058 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [096] - Too Low
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 2
Mileage: 5112 km
Date: 2016.03.24
Time: 10:59:44
18931 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S2
P013E 00 [232] - Response too Slow Rich to Lean
MIL ON - Intermittent - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 3
Mileage: 4813 km
Date: 2016.03.18
Time: 23:46:51
____________________________
Scanned April 08, 2016
Milage - missing
3 Faults Found
15327 - Torque Management Request Input Signal A
P2545 00 [032] - Implausible
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 5877 km
Date: 2016.04.07
Time: 10:23:10
15058 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [040] - Too Low
Intermittent - Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 2
Mileage: 5880 km
Date: 2016.04.07
Time: 10:24:30
21406 - EVAP Emission Control Sys
P0441 00 [096] - Incorrect Flow
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 5531 km
Date: 2016.03.31
Time: 11:55:34
____________________________
Scanned April 15, 2016
Milage - 3833
1 Fault Found
18932 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S2
P013F 00 [096] - Response too Slow Lean to Rich
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 5999 km
Date: 2016.04.10
Time: 00:10:08
____________________________
Scanned April 18, 2016
Milage - 4041
1 Fault Found
18932 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S2
P013F 00 [096] - Response too Slow Lean to Rich
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 1
Mileage: 5999 km
Date: 2016.04.10
Time: 00:10:08
____________________________
Scanned April 29, 2016
Milage - 4430
3 Faults Found
3 Faults Found:
17178 - Databus
U1123 00 [032] - Received Error Message
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 6
Fault Frequency: 3
Mileage: 7024 km
Date: 2016.04.27
Time: 00:03:10
15058 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [096] - Too Low
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 3
Mileage: 6618 km
Date: 2016.04.19
Time: 17:36:22
18932 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S2
P013F 00 [096] - Response too Slow Lean to Rich
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 2
Mileage: 6725 km
Date: 2016.04.21
Time: 09:09:07
____________________________
Scanned May 28, 2016
Milage - 5571
2 Faults Found
15058 - Fuel Rail/System Pressure
P0087 00 [096] - Too Low
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
18932 - Oxygen (Lambda) Sensor B1 S2
P013F 00 [096] - Response too Slow Lean to Rich
Intermittent - Not Confirmed - Tested Since Memory Clear
Freeze Frame:
Fault Status: 00000001
Fault Priority: 2
Fault Frequency: 2
Mileage: 8019 km
Date: 2016.05.10
Time: 08:58:24
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Originally Posted by TWS3
For the price of the AWE DP your could buy the entire B & B Turbo back.... 
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