# birdseed404's Monsoon S3 Build Journal



## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Hi everybody, this past weekend I decided to take the plunge and purchase my first Audi. While this is my first Audi, this is my second MQB platform car, as I traded in my '15 Mk7 Golf R for the S3. I always thought the S3 was the better looking of the MQB twins, and looking back I should've waited and got the S3 from the beginning (hindsight is always 20/20). Since the facelifted model was announced without the 7-speed DSG or the revised Haldex tune, it no longer interested me and I started looking for any '15 or '16 models that met my requirements. After a month of searching this CPO '15 model with 16K miles popped up at my local dealership. A week later I decided to act on it, and traded in the R.

The end goal of the S3 will be to have a daily driven car that can be used for autocross and eventually track days/HPDEs, all the while focusing on OEM+ looks. In short, my idea of how the S3 should have come from Germany. Luckily some of my mods from the R will be carried over which will help out a bit. Below I'll have all mods broken down into their respective categories and any applicable part numbers/links for the harder to find parts. Comments and suggestions are welcome, and thanks for looking! :beer:


*Model:*
2015 Audi S3 Premium Plus
Monsoon Grey Metallic
Black/Magma Red Interior
MMI Navigation Plus Package
19" Performance Package
LED headlights
Bang & Olufson Sound System
Convenience Package

*Engine:*
APR Carbon Fiber Intake
APR Carbon Fiber Turbo Inlet Pipe
APR Intercooler
APR Silicone Boost Hoses
APR Boost Tap
Black Washer Fluid Tank Cap
ECS Tuning Billet Aluminum Oil Dipstick
OEM R8 Coolant Tank Cap
VWR Turbo Muffler Delete
VWR High-Flow Turbo 90


*Suspension/Drivetrain:*
SuperPro 24mm Rear Sway Bar

*Brakes:*

*Wheels & Tires:*
Enkei RPF1 18x8 ET35
BFGoodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S 235/40ZR18

*Exterior*
Front License Plate Holder Delete
Huper Optic Performa 35% Tint
OEM "Audi Sport" License Plate Fram

*Interior*
OEM Warning Triangle


Some pictures on the day I got her.







If anybody is interested in looking here is my build thread for my R, and some pictures before I traded it in.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Reserved.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

*Initial Impressions*

After having the car for 2 days now here's some of my initial impressions coming from the R.


The R is the more focused hot hatch/sporty subcompact vehicle. The DCC system feels a tad sharper than the Mag Ride system in the S3. Given that the S3 comes from a luxury brand it makes more sense. That being said I'm also coming from a car which was lowered on springs for the past 8 months so anything that's stock feels like a cloud. I'll know more when I begin autocrossing it in a few weeks.
I'll have to adjust my driving behavior because the S3 has some pretty large blind spots, but that's nothing some apsherical mirrors can't fix.
The Google Maps based navigation system is light years ahead of the MIB I system in the R, and a welcome breath of fresh air. The ability to right on the click wheel is also a nice parlor trick and pretty useful while driving somewhere.
The soundaktor system in the S3 is not as vocal as the R. The R in it's Race setting sound like a 5-cylinder engine, where as the Dynamic setting in the S3 is a more amplified 4-cylinder.
Oil temperature gauge...pretty sad that the S3 doesn't have this in the in-dash display.
The seats seem less bolstered so it should be fun when throwing in the corners, and is also a welcome relief as the R felt like it was hugging me. For reference I'm 6'1" 190lbs with an athletic build.
Reverse camera...not necessity but when the R has it on the base model and an Audi doesn't, again a bit of a let down (although I'm sure a retrofit is possible).
Syncing climate control for the driver and passenger, is this possible? I haven't found the controls for it if it's possible.
Auto-dimming driver side mirror...love this feature, makes driving in front of brodozers and 18-wheelers bearable.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the S3 and some of the tradeoffs are entirely worth it. The looks alone justify everything to me. It'll be interesting coming back to these when I get the car how I want.

Also I guess I can say I did my first mod an hour after I purchased it. Got rid of the ugly front license plate holder! I also swapped my BBS CH-R onto the car, but unfortunately it started pouring rain while doing so, so I don't have any pictures with them on yet.


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## drive90 (Aug 16, 2007)

Press and hold Auto to sync the climate control.

Cheers, and happy driving.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

drive90 said:


> Press and hold Auto to sync the climate control.
> 
> Cheers, and happy driving.


I appreciate it! I'm sure there's some other little quirks I'll have to adjust to. :beer:


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## Converted2VW (Apr 8, 2009)

Welcome Denton! I'll be following this one up! Though my S3 is my daily I'm looking forward to mild mods in the future! (ToplessTT here)


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Converted2VW said:


> Welcome Denton! I'll be following this one up! Though my S3 is my daily I'm looking forward to mild mods in the future! (ToplessTT here)
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


There will be some mild stuff first, but hopefully it'll be the full OEM+ treatment in the future.


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## Thudux (Jul 27, 2016)

Sweet ride brotha! :wave: from Houston myself so see you around


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## Converted2VW (Apr 8, 2009)

birdseed404 said:


> There will be some mild stuff first, but hopefully it'll be the full OEM+ treatment in the future.


Sorry I meant Hunter!!! See you around in Houston!


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Thudux said:


> Sweet ride brotha! :wave: from Houston myself so see you around


I'll keep an eye out! I'm on the west side of town towards 6. Are you apart of EACH?



Converted2VW said:


> Sorry I meant Hunter!!! See you around in Houston!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Haha no big deal! I know he got a new car around the same time too.


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## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

To the OP,

The S3 does come with a oil temp digital gauge. It is located on the on board computer menu under lap timer. As far is the handling, everythings favorable to the S3 given equal hardware. The S3 has done consistent better road course times. It has slightly wider track at front, better weight distribution, better tires and lower center of gravity(win-win-win-win). 

S3 are discounted better than the Rs, S3 comes with one extra year warranty and it has additional equipment (DSG, large size glass panoramic moonroof, adjustable center console, boost gauge and premium quality interior which is a trademark of Audi.)


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## Thudux (Jul 27, 2016)

birdseed404 said:


> I'll keep an eye out! I'm on the west side of town towards 6. Are you apart of EACH?
> 
> 
> 
> Haha no big deal! I know he got a new car around the same time too.




Yes sir Im on Hwy 6 and FM529 myself?


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

27turbocars said:


> To the OP,
> 
> The S3 does come with a oil temp digital gauge. It is located on the on board computer menu under lap timer. As far is the handling, everythings favorable to the S3 given equal hardware. The S3 has done consistent better road course times. It has slightly wider track at front, better weight distribution, better tires and lower center of gravity(win-win-win-win).
> 
> S3 are discounted better than the Rs, S3 comes with one extra year warranty and it has additional equipment (DSG, large size glass panoramic moonroof, adjustable center console, boost gauge and premium quality interior which is a trademark of Audi.)


I actually looked up the VAGCOM list for the A3/S3 and found it after I posted about it. I need to stop being lazy and do that. The R felt more agile than the S3, but then again I had VWR springs and F/R sway bars for the past 8 months so it's a big change. The extra warranty and CPO warranty were huge pluses for me since I'll be keeping this one for a while...or until CPO RS3's come down in price :laugh:. The sunroof was also missed from my Mk6 GTI in college, being in Texas I like to use it any chance I get or at least have the sun shine in. Interior wise, I think they're equal as far as looks. The materials are better in the S though, everything has a nice "premium" feel or a nice solid sound behind it.



Thudux said:


> Yes sir Im on Hwy 6 and FM529 myself?


I'll keep a look out! What wheels are you running if you don't mind me asking? They look pretty aggressive.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Not sure if it classifies as a mod, but I ordered my first "new" parts for the S3. An "Audi Sport" license plate frame to get rid of the dealer plate frame as well as some Weather Tech floor mats. I had the Weather Techs on the R and they were good at keeping everything clean and easy to clean out.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Got the Weather Tech floormats in today, and needless to say the fit is perfect. Should make cleaning the interior a whole lot easier.

A local friend of mine is selling some Konig Hypergrams from his Mk7 R after they didn't fit over his StopTech 355mm 6-pot BBK. I've been looking for a lightweight set to serve my AutoX needs and these have been at the top of my list along with the Enkei RPF1 (18x8 ET35). Decided to stop by after work and do a test fit to see how they'd look. I'm not sure why Konig states these are BBK friendly because they squeak over the stock brakes (maybe for smaller cars?). 

Specs: 18x8.5 ET43 and weigh 17.4lbs/wheel





























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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Decided to hold off on the Konig Hypergrams. I really liked the look of them, but knowing they wouldn't clear a BBK down the road ended up being a deal break for me. Instead I went ahead and ordered a set of Enkei RPF1s (18x8 ET35 in silver) courtesy of Mops @ Supreme Power. Always a pleasure dealing with him and the guys out there. Hopefully I can get these in and mounted by Sunday for the Houston SCCA Solo Event #9.











I also went ahead ordered the remaining parts I wanted for the intake. Since I have the full APR Carbon Fiber Intake from the Golf R I decided to finish it off with the VWR Turbo Muffler Delete and the VWR High-Flow Turbo 90. I had the APR TMD on the R, but couldn't find the stock part when parting the car out so I left it on. Not too big of a deal considering the part isn't too expensive in the scheme of things. Both of these combined should give some more sound and increase the turbo spool. Once they arrive I'll install everything and report back with some butt dyno results.

*VWR High-Flow Turbo 90*










*VWR Turbo Muffler Delete*


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

This past Sunday I went out and took the S3 to it's first autocross even at the Houston SCCA Regional Event #9. I ran the car in the B-Street class which was full of S2K's so right away I knew my chances were slim to none at even placing for a trophy. This was my third event overall so the lines are a little sloppy through the course.

Overall I was happy with the car and how it did in essentially stock form. The brakes were solid and the power was definitely enough for the course. However, even in the "Dynamic" setting the car felt a little too bouncy during some parts of the course, so it wasn't exactly confidence inspiring. For my first ever autoX my R was already lowered on springs and had a rear sway bar, and it felt really well composed. I could lower the S3 on springs (probably ED down the road), but for now where I live the roads are so terrible I don't want to compromise my ride quality. Before my next event however I'll my rear sway bar put on as well some lightweight RPF1s, so it'll be interesting to see how those factor in.

*Times*

Run #1: 58.392
Run #2: 56.852+DNF
Run #3: *54.748*
Run #4: 54.834


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Got the RPF1s delivered yesterday and got the wheels mounted on today after work. Really loving how they look on the car with the wheels matching the trim pieces and the extra offset (albeit 5mm or so compared to the CH-Rs) helps fill the fender a little bit. I only drove it two blocks back to my apartment (living across the street from a Discount Tire has it's perks), but I could immediately feel the weight savings. The CH-Rs weigh 23lbs vs the RPF1s 17.8lbs for comparison. Despite rocking the 4x4 stance due to terrible roads where I live, I couldn't be happier with them. For now I will use these as a daily/lightweight setup until I can afford some nicer 19" wheels...I'm thinking some BBS LM-Rs or Rays G25s could do the trick.

Enough talking though here's some pictures (or at least decent ones):
















iPhone pictures of the car with CH-Rs:


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## Diztek (May 27, 2004)

idk. kinda just like the stock rims better.


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## 27turbocars (Jun 26, 2016)

^^ I like the stock rims too but the ones that he got are much lighter and he is a driver oriented on performance so that is paramount for him. Another thing that I always tell everyone is that the taste is subjective to each individual, you don't like it but he does.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Diztek said:


> idk. kinda just like the stock rims better.





27turbocars said:


> ^^ I like the stock rims too but the ones that he got are much lighter and he is a driver oriented on performance so that is paramount for him. Another thing that I always tell everyone is that the taste is subjective to each individual, you don't like it but he does.


The 19s that came with it are one of the better VAG OEM wheels out there that aren't on a $100K car. So I completely agree there. However I didn't have my stock 19" Cadiz wheels for my R during trade in so I made a deal with a friend to have his Austins from his GTI, and in exchange he got the 19" wheels off the S3. The BBS CH-Rs I had obviously carried over from the R to the S3.

Like 27turbocars mentioned these are purely for function over form. I looked at Neuspeed but I'm pretty there are more cars running RSe10s than stock wheels, so I wanted something off the beaten path. Eventually I'm going to go with a 19" forged option to run every day and then the RPF1s will be for autox/track use only. Currently thinking of the BBB LM-Rs or the Rays G25s. Either way it'll be while before I can get them.



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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Finally got the windows tinted this past weekend. I originally planned on going with 3M, but at the recommendation of a friend I ended up going with Hüper Optik Performa 35% tint all the way around. I'm pretty happy with how it turned and definitely gets rid of the fishbowl look the car had before. It's also nice having the thermal insulation considering it's still 90 degrees in the middle of October .


Here's a terrible iPhone picture for now:











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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Forgo to post this up last week before I headed out of town for the F1 race at COTA, but one of the local VW/Audi shops held a customer appreciation get together last Sunday. Big thanks to my coworker (IG: @wheels_of_texas) who made it out there and grabbed these sweet pictures.


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## HBird (Jul 9, 2013)

Ordered a few misc. items last week. They aren't anything huge but they give the engine bay a nice OEM+ appearance. Also decided to stop being lazy and put the ECS dipstick in. 




After waiting a few weeks I got the last few pieces for the intake system in. The APR intake combined with the VWR Turbo Muffler Delete should help improve flow and slightly better throttle response. When I had the APR one on my R, I felt a slight improvement in response and sound. For the price you can't go wrong. The quality of the products themselves are excellent, better than the APR piece I had. I'm also anxious to see how the Turbo-90 Elbow acts as well. I'm not expecting much, but smooth metal versus plastic should help improve air flow. I'll probably wait until my 20K service hits to put these all in as I want to get my Haldex system looked at...


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