Audi S3 question 225bhp - 260+bhp

[sprinterVR6 0]

just toying with the idea an S3. Checking pisheads/autotrader lots seem to be re-mapped to 250 or 260bhp. Whats the deal. Anyone here tried both?? Is there any massive increase in power. And do the 0-60 times come down by much??

 

As a buyer, i'm thinking of staying away from re-maps, logic says they've most likely been driving like a getaway car

 

I'm sure there's pros & cons to this??

[herisites 0]

just toying with the idea an S3. Checking pisheads/autotrader lots seem to be re-mapped to 250 or 260bhp. Whats the deal. Anyone here tried both?? Is there any massive increase in power. And do the 0-60 times come down by much??

 

As a buyer, i'm thinking of staying away from re-maps, logic says they've most likely been driving like a getaway car

 

I'm sure there's pros & cons to this??

 

Well there would be a rise in power, 40bhp by the looks of it which would certainly feel quicker which in turn would bring the 0-60 times.

 

As for buying a remapped one its hard to tell. People always seem to think that buying a car from a single lady owner thats never been ragged is best but i dont believe that myself. I generally try to get an idea of the driver when i buy a car, if they are a litte chav saying "Its well rapid man innit!" then i wouldnt buy it. I myself would prefer to buy a car off of someone like myself who does give the car the beans but knows the limits, has looked after the car thoroughly etc rather than off of someone who drives it like an old person :lol:

 

Cars can have significant power increases and still be reliable and looked after well, just look at half the VR's with vortechs on and even the Turbo boys!

[sprinterVR6 0]

"Its well rapid man innit!" :lol: Quality.

Yeah, good point. Who's to know. Would be giving it the old AA or RAC check anyway, that should pick up any nasty business i hope. I drove my VR in the 'enjoyment zone' quite a bit, but knew when to back off, and when sold it I half expected the RAC guy to ruin the deal, instead he sealed it! said it was the best engine he'd come across in quite a while!! :notworthy:

 

Maybe I'll hire a private eye to follow the car round for a few weeks before I buy, see if he, or she, is a rev happy nut case :lol:

[Guest]

Its a buyers market for anything other than small & insipid or boring diesel cars at the moment!!

 

theres plenty of S3`s around, personally i would get a totally standard one that had been looked after and kept standard and get it chipped/re mapped myself

 

Bear in mind it wont be that likely you will find an S3 that has not been driven like a getaway car at some point in its life :lol: one thats been on a few ragged edge trips is good, at least you know it can take it :grin:

 

 

If its got any red dye on the seats dont buy it :wave: coz it really will have been used in a heist :lol:

[joby 0]

When i had my 225 bhp S3 i wish i had remapped mine but with it being low mileage and a late 03 one i chickend out as it owed me £13000! But believe me most S3 owners on the Audi forum have mapped there`s and you do get a reliable 265 bhp if you use custom code or the other top Mappers! And sometimes i think it needed it as it can feel a bit dull at times with the extra drag with 4wd! Nice car buy one and map it 8) You wont be dissapointed :D

[dub envy 0]

just toying with the idea an S3. Checking pisheads/autotrader lots seem to be re-mapped to 250 or 260bhp. Whats the deal. Anyone here tried both?? Is there any massive increase in power. And do the 0-60 times come down by much??

 

As a buyer, i'm thinking of staying away from re-maps, logic says they've most likely been driving like a getaway car

 

I'm sure there's pros & cons to this??

 

Early S3's were 210bhp, later ones 225. Have a look on the S3 forum on http://www.audi-sport.net as there is loads of info on remaps.

[tonedef 8]

just toying with the idea an S3. Checking pisheads/autotrader lots seem to be re-mapped to 250 or 260bhp. Whats the deal. Anyone here tried both?? Is there any massive increase in power. And do the 0-60 times come down by much??

 

As a buyer, i'm thinking of staying away from re-maps, logic says they've most likely been driving like a getaway car

 

I'm sure there's pros & cons to this??

 

Early S3's were 210bhp, later ones 225. Have a look on the S3 forum on http://www.audi-sport.net as there is loads of info on remaps.

Early S3's are indeed 210 bhp but remap easily to 260/265 just as the later 225 models do. I had an early facelift model (there's a difference there too but only cosmetic) with a Revo map. Revo often don't get such a good press as the power is all made with sudden boost etc, I loved it, brilliant motor although a bit short on top end to be classed as a real sports car! Nowhere near as much fun as the VR6 Corrado on the twisties though, unless you spend lots more on suspension as they roll all over the place if thrown about. They are however a quality car, easy to live with and happy to sit on the motorway all day at big speeds, and you don't get out with a broken back as you do from a Corrado either.

 

Think I'll try another Audi S myself but maybe more along the RS4 lines, fancy a bigger engine this time :D

[coullstar 0]

I had one and drove it hard. It was a fair tool. The best you can do is sort out the suspension though as they understeer. I had Konis coilovers and got the car set up properly with some neuspeed ARBs and it would corner at amazing speeds. Still easily the fastest point to point car Ive had.

[bcstudent 0]

I wouldn't assume that a remapped car has been driven like it was stolen. I probably drive my remapped Leon slower since the remap. In fact, I drove a 220 mile round-trip to Stansted airport on Sunday with the cruise control set at 68mph. Obviously, it gets the taps opened from time to time but it's certainly not abused.

 

In conclusion: I'd forget about the remap (although I would make sure it was mapped by a reputable company and drives as if it left the factory) and judge the car based on its condition and history.

[g60greeny 0]

so whos he best in the business for remappin?

[joby 0]

so whos he best in the business for remappin?

 

That questions always getting asked on the Audi forum but custom code,Revo and APR are the big players but there are many others like awesome that do a good remap! Rule of thumb is make sure its mapped on the car as its rolling not one of the maps that just come out of a box :)

[bcstudent 0]

That questions always getting asked on the Audi forum but custom code,Revo and APR are the big players but there are many others like awesome that do a good remap! Rule of thumb is make sure its mapped on the car as its rolling not one of the maps that just come out of a box :)

Those are indeed the bigger players, although there are plenty of other companies that do a decent job of custom mapping...such as Jabbasport and (probably) Stealth.

 

I have to disagree with the comment about mapping on the move though. A generic map is perfectly safe for a standard, or lightly-modified, 1.8T engine. My Leon was mapped to stage two on my drive using Custom-Code's 'we come to you' service. It's not an absolutely 100% perfect map, but it's at least 99%. It also feels a lot more 'factory' than the factory management ever did!

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I agree with Aqua G60, get a standard one and get a proper road and dyno map done by Vince at Stealth. He is without doubt the best mapper in the country for VAG vehicles. Try the rest, then try one of his maps.

 

VAG-COM is a wise investment for any ME7 managed car. Take an alleged "standard" one for a test drive and whilst driving along, if the owner has nothing to hide, he won't mind you plugging the laptop in and comparing requested boost against actual boost :D Certain "trial" maps leave signatures behind :wink:

 

Revo maps are quite aggressive, but they find most of their customers like it that way. They can tailor maps to individual tastes.

 

Any good mapper will keep a copy of your standard software (there's 178 maps in ME7 managed 1.8Ts) and ensure the ECU is left in such a state that it can be 100% be returned back to stock afterwards, with standard checksum values.

 

I can think of a few "mappers" out there who don't do this and half of them haven't got a clue how to map the DBW throttle properly.

[coullstar 0]

Heres my old one to wet you appetite..

[sprinterVR6 0]

Heres my old one to wet you appetite..

 

that is one sweet looking S3. Thankfully your picture does prove you can get an S3 to look mean, moody & fast.

Correct me here, you've lowered it possibly with new front spoiler thingy?? and have the rear arches been 'increased'???

Interested to know, 'cus that's the look I'd be going for.

 

Back on the bhp thread, I guess I'm looking for someone to say, with most of use having driven 'quick' cars, will the S3 225bhp version gonna give me the same WOAH!! feeling as my old VR??? :shrug:

 

thanks for all previous reply :salute:

[boost monkey 0]

Back on the bhp thread, I guess I'm looking for someone to say, with most of use having driven 'quick' cars, will the S3 225bhp version gonna give me the same WOAH!! feeling as my old VR??? :shrug:

 

thanks for all previous reply :salute:

 

Power to weight ratio would tell me the VR6 will be more fun to drive, AFAIK the std S3 doesn't have much of a turbo kick and with the 4wd won't "feel" fast, but give one a drive and see how you get on.

[Walesy 0]

Spot on, I remember following Trigger driving his S3 up to RKE in St Agnes from Wadebridge, I was driving his his VR6. It's a good 30 mile run with some awesome driving roads, when we'd got to St Aggy I had a blart in his S3 and it was completely dull compared to the VR6 (OBD2), standard S3's are a bit pooh tbh!

 

I've also had a good spirited drive in Simon from RKE's S3 that he re-mapped (they're a Custom Code dealer), its also had a fair bit done to the suspension - needless to say the difference between driving that and a standard S3 is enormous, with a few choice modifications they're a totally different beast, when it comes on boost it's awesome :nuts:

[coullstar 0]

Yep I had the Revo remap and it was fairly agressive but you get used to it. Mine was lowered about 50mm (wouldnt go anymore than that) with adjustable tie bars. Rear wheels were spaced out to fill the arches. Front is a Leon Cupra R spoiler.

 

If you get one go on Audisport.net and looks for the settings that EssThree put on his car. It doesnt completely get rid of the understeer but helps alot. They dont have the soul that the VR does but there a lot quicker.

[sprinterVR6 0]

cheers guys, obviously it's a big financial outlay for me to get an S3. So wanna make sure I get plenty of bang for my buck. Sounds like a re-map is the way to go. As some of you mentioned, the re-mapped cars for sale may well be in perfectly good order, as most S3 drivers would be of 'relatively' ! sound mind.

 

Basically looking for the sort of pace you'd get from a scooby or evo, but as never really been a fan of either (huge respect though) I'm hopeing Germany might have something for me :wink:

Can I break the 6sec barrier with Budget of £7,500??!!

[coullstar 0]

Can I break the 6sec barrier with Budget of £7,500??!!

 

Hell yeah, buy my Aprilla (0-60 3sec) and you'll still have enough cash left for VR as well!!!!

[sprinterVR6 0]

Can I break the 6sec barrier with Budget of £7,500??!!

 

Hell yeah, buy my Aprilla (0-60 3sec) and you'll still have enough cash left for VR as well!!!!

 

LOL, good call! Yeah, watching fast Bikes off the lights is nuts. Their just gone in 2secs :notworthy:

 

To pop a cap in this thread - I'm thinking it'll be a re-mapped S3 with ideas on the set-up/stance as per above replies.

 

Mucho thanks lads :salute:

[tonedef 8]

................Basically looking for the sort of pace you'd get from a scooby or evo.............................

Then honestly you're better buying a scooby or an evo because unless you spend lots of extra cash on an S3 it's never going to compare. I'm a big fan of the evo having done engineering work on the Grp N ones for Ralliart, I've also driven a lot of road going ones too. A standard evo starts at over 280 bhp (even the evo 260) in a car built like a rattly tin can, the S3 is a solid well built motor with a turbo capable of deliering 265 at most, they simply cannot breathe any more than that.

 

Buy an S3 for what it is and you'll be more than happy, buy one to keep up with your mate's evo and you'll have to spend the same again in my opinion.

[joby 0]

As tonedef says ! Youl never keep up with your mates evo in an s3 unlles its been heavily modified! Its just not the same sort of car, The evo is Rally car for the road and the S3 is an expensive executive luxury fast hatch! I have driven my mates evo 4 many times and its really capable on the twisties, endless power and feels at home on fast windy roads but isn`t as comfortable and uses a lot more fuel! You can drive forever in the S3 and still feel fresh when you get out it! Horses for courses as they say!! I loved mine :)

[A20 LEE 0]

The S3 is a bit underwhelming out of the box but if your prepared to treat it to a few bits theres a cracking car in there. The standard suspension is sh*te ARB's transform them and I can't tell you how much these improve the car. You must fit them!!! No roll and they add feel to the steering. Add springs and dampers and its a ridicious how much speed you can carry through a corner. You'll get thrown out of the window before the car lets go. Map wise i've driven quite a few now and love Revo, yes its aggressive but feels how a mapped turbo car should. Tap the throttle in any gear from 2000+ rpm and it pins you to the seat. APR/CC maps are smoother but don't feel fast to me after driving Revo. When i can afford to get the RS4 mapped i want it to deliver the power like the Revo map on the S3. I never really loved my S3 when i had it, but now its gone i do miss it. Its was one hell of a package, if only it sounded like an R32.

 

HTH