# saxon's intro/build/update thread



## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

i thought i would finally make an intro post in this section. i picked up a 2016 s3 may 13th (friday the 13th!)
msrp: 48,800
premium plus
led package
tech package
B&O
sepang blue

purchase price - $41,000 before tax/tags

The only option i wanted but i couldnt find was a car with sports seats and no 19's (didnt want mag ride as i knew i would modify suspension)

20160513_102357 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr


To give a little history of myself, I have been a car nut for a long time and I used to only drive honda/acura until i bought a 2006 evo in 2010. Every since then i have had quite a few awd/performance cars

2006 evo IX MR, 2006 s2000, 2006 tsx, 2006 sti, 2007 335i, 2011 s4, 2015 m3 500whp, 2006 evo IX, 2003 evo 500whp
Untitled by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

Untitled by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

IMW-Dyno-Day5 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

front-passenger by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

20125225194_518cd5e47e_o by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

20151121_131403 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

FullSizeRender by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1461621490894 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

of those cars i had the S4 for the longest time (2 years and 50k miles) it was an overall great car and one of the few i had regrets of selling (sold to buy the m3)


I feel i am always in search of the perfect car, for most people who only drive 12k miles a year their perfect car could be much more performance (gas guzzling) oriented than mine since i typically drive 2500-3000 miles in a month and value a car that can get 30 mpg ( i also own a 2010 prius)


Review- So far with 2500 miles on the car i absolutely have fallen in love with the overall practicality, its not the fastest car, not the best handling, not the best at really anything but it does soo many things well enough that its really a great package for someone who is conscious of fuel economy yet want a car that looks nice and can get out of its own way. With that said i plan to modify the car to make it fit my needs and try not to go over board with modifications.

mods so far-
034 dog bone mount- i really havent noticed much of a difference with this mod besides a hard judder when starting the car

034 rear subframe inserts- this have stiffened up the rear end, but havent really impacted handling, id imagine once i start making more power these and the dogbone mount will be much more effective

bilstein b16/pss10 - i just got these in the mail and will update once installed

20160607_213111 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

eurocode end links- still in the mail, will update once installed

factory black optics grille- really love the black optics look but again i didnt want mag ride

carbon by design (aka aliexpress) rear carbon diffusor and carbon rear wing- still waiting on them to come in the mail

clear mounts phone mount- a great piece, i wish it worked with landscape mode but overall i cant complain

35% carbon 3m tint

audi r8 titanium split 5 spoke (4 front 19x8.5)- still waiting on getting all 4 refnished to oem spec 

20160531_161307 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

bull-x cat less downpipe- picked this up for a good price used and plan to go stage 2 at some point

the first thing i did when i picked up the car was dropped it off for tint and then took it home to correct any minor swirls and seal the car with cquartz ceramic coating

13323424_10100121683832144_6811280636398289069_o by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

20160528_232632 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

13327375_10100123941018724_1506473652948485041_n by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

i will update slowly with new mods and updates on the car, thanks for looking


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## anti suv (Sep 26, 2013)

Im looking forward to your review on the pss10 suspension. Im looking at that set for my TT.


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## 1998GTIVR6 (Nov 28, 2005)

Welcome aboard and congrats on your Blue S3. I have had a half of dozen of the cars that you mentioned on your profile but I purchased them new and a long time ago (I am a old timer evolutionm.net since 04', old timer on nasioc since 02', old timer on E90post since 07', old timer in many other car forums.

That M3 (500whp) that you just had is the heat!! Comparable to my C63AMG with MHP Stage II (tune and long tube headers and rated at 575hp). I don't know why in the hell you would go and change a 500whp M-3 for a Audi S3, were you smoking crack when you made that decision?:laugh: J/K. That is a beautiful M-3 to just let it go.


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

anti suv said:


> Im looking forward to your review on the pss10 suspension. Im looking at that set for my TT.


thanks, i plan on getting them installed tomorrow



1998GTIVR6 said:


> Welcome aboard and congrats on your Blue S3. I have had a half of dozen of the cars that you mentioned on your profile but I purchased them new and a long time ago (I am a old timer evolutionm.net since 04', old timer on nasioc since 02', old timer on E90post since 07', old timer in many other car forums.
> 
> That M3 (500whp) that you just had is the heat!! Comparable to my C63AMG with MHP Stage II (tune and long tube headers and rated at 575hp). I don't know why in the hell you would go and change a 500whp M-3 for a Audi S3, were you smoking crack when you made that decision?:laugh: J/K. That is a beautiful M-3 to just let it go.


the bmw was a fun car, but it was horrible in the rain, traction limited and ultimately sold it to buy a 2nd house


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## slushii (Jun 8, 2016)

Quick question - where did you purchase the black optics grille and for how much (if you don't mind revealing)


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## Kamil Pawlak (Apr 26, 2013)

Car looks great, let me know how the carbon by design from ali express fits looking to get one!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## [email protected] (Jun 26, 2013)

What a great looking S3. Great choice on the suspension too. Bilstein PSS10s are comfy, yet super sporty. One of our employees has them on his GTI and it rides like it's on rails.

Can't wait to see what else you do. Keep up the good work! :beer::beer:


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

slushii said:


> Quick question - where did you purchase the black optics grille and for how much (if you don't mind revealing)


I originally ordered from black Forrest industries for 400 shipped, they then said they couldn't fulfill the order so I had to cancel (& mysteriously their price went to 460 shipped) 
I then called my local audi dealer and they price matched at 400 plus taxes and I had it 2 days later aka today


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

Kamil Pawlak said:


> Car looks great, let me know how the carbon by design from ali express fits looking to get one!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Will do, I received them today and plan on installing shortly


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## slushii (Jun 8, 2016)

saxonbrian said:


> I originally ordered from black Forrest industries for 400 shipped, they then said they couldn't fulfill the order so I had to cancel (& mysteriously their price went to 460 shipped)
> I then called my local audi dealer and they price matched at 400 plus taxes and I had it 2 days later aka today


Oh nice. Thanks for the response! Did you get the black park assist sensors with that price? Sorry. I am planning to order it as well soon.


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

slushii said:


> Oh nice. Thanks for the response! Did you get the black park assist sensors with that price? Sorry. I am planning to order it as well soon.


i didnt even realize they were black, i will install and see if they are necessary or i can paint with trim paint


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## slushii (Jun 8, 2016)

saxonbrian said:


> i didnt even realize they were black, i will install and see if they are necessary or i can paint with trim paint


Cool keep me updated. Thanks for being so helpful!


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

slushii said:


> Cool keep me updated. Thanks for being so helpful!


Well it turns it the grille I bought was fit the a3 black optics which is different than the s3, the parking sensors don't fit. I'll update this thread later with the correct part numbers for each car


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## slushii (Jun 8, 2016)

saxonbrian said:


> Well it turns it the grille I bought was fit the a3 black optics which is different than the s3, the parking sensors don't fit. I'll update this thread later with the correct part numbers for each car


Sorry to hear that! Hope it all works out quickly


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

installed the pss10 today, i still need to play around with the ride height and the settings for dampening. right now i have them at 3 and honestly believe it rides "better" than the stock suspension.

once i get an alignment and have more than 100 miles i will give a thorough review

20160609_182736 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr


I also recieved a 2nd hand Bull-x catless downpipe that will be installed at 5000 miles with most likely a stage 2 tune

20160608_223203 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

so i took the stock wing off by heating it up with a heat gun and a plastic pry tool, and i also took off the stock diffuser. the diffuser was a total pita that i thought i was going to rip!
i then installed the carbon wing and diffuser. the wing fits great and only has a couple very very minor defects in the gel coat, and the diffuser looked perfect but one tab was a bit short however fit great with 2 screws

20160610_153944 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

20160611_072400 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr

a picture from cars and coffee

20160611_091239 by saxonbrian2, on Flickr


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

An updated picture, i finally got my wheels back from being refinished, went with the oem titanium color. I love these wheels as its an oem+ look and weigh just under 21lbs


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## -LoneStar- (Aug 5, 2015)

saxonbrian said:


> An updated picture, i finally got my wheels back from being refinished, went with the oem titanium color. I love these wheels as its an oem+ look and weigh just under 21lbs


Hands down some of the, if not the, best looking wheels I've seen on a S3. Investigated the specs and its spot on for what we need. 19" X 8.5" with and ET of 42 and a center bore of 57.1. They are also super light weight. Where did you source them from and how much did they set you back if you don't mind me asking


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

-LoneStar- said:


> Hands down some of the, if not the, best looking wheels I've seen on a S3. Investigated the specs and its spot on for what we need. 19" X 8.5" with and ET of 42 and a center bore of 57.1. They are also super light weight. Where did you source them from and how much did they set you back if you don't mind me asking


Thanks!

I bought a set of 4, sold the rears and bought 2 new fronts from ebay. I then had them all professionally refinished so that they all matched. 

They are a very nice looking wheel imo and can't beat the oem look with a lightweight forged wheel


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## will13k7 (Aug 30, 2015)

I agree, great looking OEM++ wheels, and no stretch! :thumbup:


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

will13k7 said:


> I agree, great looking OEM++ wheels, and no stretch! :thumbup:


thanks!


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## -LoneStar- (Aug 5, 2015)

saxonbrian said:


> Thanks!
> 
> I bought a set of 4, sold the rears and bought 2 new fronts from ebay. I then had them all professionally refinished so that they all matched.
> 
> They are a very nice looking wheel imo and can't beat the oem look with a lightweight forged wheel


Very nice. Looks like I will be on the hunt to hopefully do the same


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## Saxons3 (Jun 29, 2016)

since i lost my older account, this is my new acct


a couple updates

hit 4,000 miles this past week and have first 5,000 maintenance scheduled, after that the guys at cbtuning will be working on the car to unlock some of its potential and installing the bull-x downpipe

installed the black optics grille (this one was meant for the s3, unlike the a3 one i had previously recieved)










installed the eurocode front and rear end links and had an alignment done










bought some 3m gloss black vinyl and wrapped my trim
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P6RWDU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

what a pain in the butt to get logged back in!!!

a couple updates

hit 4,000 miles this past week and have first 5,000 maintenance scheduled, after that the guys at cbtuning will be working on the car to unlock some of its potential and installing the bull-x downpipe

installed the black optics grille (this one was meant for the s3, unlike the a3 one i had previously recieved)










installed the eurocode front and rear end links and had an alignment done










bought some 3m gloss black vinyl and wrapped my trim
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007P6RWDU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## LangsamKafer (Jul 17, 2001)

Saxons3 said:


> since i lost my older account, this is my new acct


http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...og-into-your-old-account-Please-check-in-here


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

cleaned the car up this weekend and took some pictures with my note 5 (cant find my charger for my dslr


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

update: ordered the unitronic intercooler and stage 2 ecu/tcu software


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## India Whiskey Charlie (Feb 15, 2006)

saxonbrian said:


>


Now you need bigger brakes...


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

went to the track last night to get some baseline runs in

da was 3266 so i was pretty happy with the times considering, id imagine it would be a high 12' with better weather


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

went and had my 5000 mile service done today!

afterwards i went to a local dyno that i have had almost all of my cars on

3rd gear i made 244/248 and then found out it should have been 4th gear which made 259/263

i also then had them compare the graph to my stock tuned with Injen intake 2011 b8 s4 (301/314)

as you can see the s4 dominates all around, more tq and faster, more power everywhere. it will be interesting to see how this car performs with stage 2 against the s4 stage 2 (apr)


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## will13k7 (Aug 30, 2015)

I think the added weight on the S4 is the equalizer. your butt dyno will be pleasantly surprised when you go stage2.


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

saxonbrian said:


> cleaned the car up this weekend and took some pictures with my note 5 (cant find my charger for my dslr


 Car looks fantastic! With the ti finish on the wheels, have you considered changing up the mirror caps to match them? The blacked out trim is a small detail that transforms the car :thumbup:


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

will13k7 said:


> I think the added weight on the S4 is the equalizer. your butt dyno will be pleasantly surprised when you go stage2.


ya, the weight difference is pretty drastic, 1/4 times between the 2 were pretty close as well. if i can run high 11's with the s3 like i did with the s4 i'll be happy.... for now 



TBomb said:


> Car looks fantastic! With the ti finish on the wheels, have you considered changing up the mirror caps to match them? The blacked out trim is a small detail that transforms the car :thumbup:


mirror caps will eventually be carbon and i'll black out the front lower splitter at that time as well


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## TBomb (Sep 23, 2009)

saxonbrian said:


> ya, the weight difference is pretty drastic, 1/4 times between the 2 were pretty close as well. if i can run high 11's with the s3 like i did with the s4 i'll be happy.... for now
> 
> 
> 
> mirror caps will eventually be carbon and i'll black out the front lower splitter at that time as well


Nice. In for updates


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## ctAL (Mar 7, 2013)

magnetic ride is great, no regrets

LOVE your color

i got Monsoon Grey


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

ctAL said:


> magnetic ride is great, no regrets
> 
> LOVE your color
> 
> i got Monsoon Grey


if you never plan on lowering the car i think magnetic ride is worth it with the black optics since the wheels/tires/trim is worth the asking price

monsoon is also a great color!


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

installed the unitronic intercooler and unitronic stage 2


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## Slo.Mo.Shun (Jan 13, 2010)

Sweet, time for some more track time.


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## Kamil Pawlak (Apr 26, 2013)

saxonbrian said:


> installed the unitronic intercooler and unitronic stage 2


How hard was the intercooler install?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

Kamil Pawlak said:


> How hard was the intercooler install?
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


harder than it should have been imo

i ended up draining the ac as it was near impossible to seperate the ac from the intercooler with the 2 hoses still installed.

if you can do a front bumper its only about an hours more work


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## jiannu (Jun 10, 2015)

saxonbrian said:


> installed the unitronic intercooler and unitronic stage 2


Hey..... Nice CAR!!!!! Love the color on the rims! You definitely need to get carbon on the mirrors!

How was it with Uni stage 2? Did you have to get the DSG stage 2 as well? I just got the uni stage 2 and they told me I HAD to get stage 2 dsg. anyhow.......after spending $1400 I don't think its that much quicker than before I had the JB1......just saying.... I might ask for a refund and wait for the JB4 to be released.... 

oh I don't even see the gear #'s next to the D or S. I thought the DSG tune would allow that....?!?!?


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

jiannu said:


> Hey..... Nice CAR!!!!! Love the color on the rims! You definitely need to get carbon on the mirrors!
> 
> How was it with Uni stage 2? Did you have to get the DSG stage 2 as well? I just got the uni stage 2 and they told me I HAD to get stage 2 dsg. anyhow.......after spending $1400 I don't think its that much quicker than before I had the JB1......just saying.... I might ask for a refund and wait for the JB4 to be released....
> 
> oh I don't even see the gear #'s next to the D or S. I thought the DSG tune would allow that....?!?!?


thanks

so far no issues with the uni stage 2, i just hope they come out with a turbo upgrade down the road like a lot of the other tuners have.

im sure the jb1 is a good solution but it doesnt give you a dsg tune and to me the jb1's main advantage is for meth/boost control but not for timing etc


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## saxonbrian (Apr 23, 2010)

some updates:

ordered 034 intake
7mm spacer up front
5mm spacer in rear
finally transferred over my plate from my past cars since i feel its deserving now
ttrs front brakes

the ttrs brakes save about 8 lbs per corner which i am very happy with, i chose stoptech pads from a 2010 STI and will update with results of pad/rotor wear


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