# Monsoon S3 in Seattle



## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

Here are some views of Monsoon in various lighting. It's a shade darker than my Space Grey 135i.

I'm already thinking of customizing the door inserts to match the titanium seats. H&R springs and spacers will go on soon as well.


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## Nachtsturm (May 8, 2012)

Looks great. What options you get? How does it compare with your 135i?


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## trueunion (Apr 15, 2008)

congrats I have the same color on my A3 Enjoy your Audi S3!


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## cgpublic (Aug 8, 2014)

Enjoy every mile!


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## JOES1.8T (Sep 8, 2003)

Congrats on your new purchase... very nice looking Audi.


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## GTI-Speeder (Dec 19, 2010)

Hey Coulthard... I also have a Space Gray 135i and I am wondering how you think the S3 compares....
I love that the 135 is very tail happy and pulls strong across the revs. Does the S3 give you the same kick in the pants and fun factor?

I have been away from VAG for a couple of years...it may be time to come back.


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## OMGK20 (Mar 8, 2005)

Beautiful!


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## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

The options I chose are the performance and convenience packages, B&O sound, LED lights, and body-colored mirrors.

Comparisons to the 135i are interesting. The 135i is slightly smaller, and the heavy steering feel and handling were the reasons I originally chose it. Although I had to update the suspension with BMW performance springs, shocks, anti-roll bars, and the M3 control arms and bushings to achieve the balance I wanted. I like the S3's Mag-ride and handling so far, but will be adding H&R springs to tighten it up a bit. The 135i feels heavier but very planted in fast turns.

The two cars seem equivalent in terms of power, though I haven't pushed the S3 yet as it's still in the break-in period. The DSG on the S3 is crisper.

The S3 has clear advantages in design, materials, build quality, and tech features. I've enjoyed the 135i but I think overall I'll like the S3 more.


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## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

And here are some photos of my winter wheel package: Dunlop winter sport 4D tires on R8 replica wheels.


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## drober30 (Jan 5, 2015)

Looks real nice!

Can you share specifics on where you got the rims/tires and cost. I'm looking for a cheaper set of winter rims/tires for my S3 I'm picking up in March.


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## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

The tires are from Tire Rack, and the wheels are from here. They have a good selection of replicas at reasonable prices:

http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels_3/Wheels-for-Audi_3#.VKsT3cZGOiH

My original 19" wheels/tires are for sale as well.


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## Audimobile (Jan 5, 2015)

Those look great. I just picked up my Monsoon S3 this weekend in Bellevue, and am looking for some snow tires. Where do you get the Audi center caps?

Thanks!
Jason


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## drober30 (Jan 5, 2015)

coulthard said:


> The tires are from Tire Rack, and the wheels are from here. They have a good selection of replicas at reasonable prices:
> 
> http://www.oewheelsllc.com/Wheels_3/Wheels-for-Audi_3#.VKsT3cZGOiH
> 
> My original 19" wheels/tires are for sale as well.


Thanks for the info! This is perfect, looks like I can get a set of rims and tires for around $1500.


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## Audimobile (Jan 5, 2015)

Did you have to add tire pressure sensors to the wheels, or can you disable that when running your winter tires?

Thanks!
Jason


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## chenw87 (Nov 5, 2014)

There is no need to add sensors since the TMPS is ABS-based.


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## Audimobile (Jan 5, 2015)

Hey, got my winter wheels from Tire Rack yesterday, and put them on last night. I purchased the size recommended on Tire Rack for the 2015 S3, with optional 18" wheels, and got the 225/45R18 Dunlop SP Winter Sport 4D. However, now checking the manual, I see 225/40R18 is listed, which is also the size in coulthard's post of the same tire above.

Crap, did I just get the wrong tires? :banghead: Or is the difference from 40 to 45 profile small enough to not make a difference? So what, will my speedo be bit slow now?

Otherwise, I'm happy with the wheels and tires. Now I just need to find some snow! Ordered some of the stickers for the center cap mentioned above, and will wait and see if they look OK.


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## Audimobile (Jan 5, 2015)

Doing some internet searching, it doesn't look to be a big deal. The sidewall is about .45" taller, and my speedometer will read about 2 mph slow at highway speeds. Still seems wrong that Tire Rack would list the 45's by default on the S3. Even if the they are technically OK, I should have realized I was deviating from the Audi recommended 18" tire.

Here's a comparison photo to coulthard's tires. 225/40R18 on the left, 225/45R18 on the right.


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## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

Right, the only difference will be speedo accuracy as you said, and maybe clearance if you were to lower the car.

Did you happen to buy a car that was already ordered? I had two on order at Bellevue at one point, the other was exactly the same except for the full black interior. Hope you enjoy it!


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## Audimobile (Jan 5, 2015)

They had two cars that had just come in. Both Monsoon, one with all black interior, the other (now mine) with the red inlays. I really like how the red adds some contrast.  I'm not sure if they were customer orders or not? I was also considering Sepang, but they didn't have one due in until March. My sales rep said they could try to trade with another dealership and get one sooner, but after seeing the Monsoon in person I really liked the color. Plus I didn't really want to wait even another day to get one after a test drive!


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## VR6Nikopol (Jul 11, 2001)

I always buy my winters a tad bigger than OEM: makes it easier on those damn potholes !

Never noticed the in-dent around the fenders; not sure what to think of them without seeing the car in person. I don't think the A3 has those.

Forgot: Love the color !!!


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## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

Here are my new summer wheels, Hartmann replicas with Michelin PSS in 245-35/19. H&R Sport springs were installed as well. I may try 5 or 10mm spacers to finish the look.


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## michael-s3 (Mar 20, 2015)

I'm waiting for my s3 to be built and delivered, Monsoon gray + Blk/titanium interior just like the one pictured here. I've seen many more pics of the s3 in Dakota gray. Thnx for posting the pics. I'm glad to be able to ogle the Monsoon gray for a change while I wait


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## Chimera (Jul 6, 2002)

coulthard said:


> Here are my new summer wheels, Hartmann replicas with Michelin PSS in 245-35/19. H&R Sport springs were installed as well. I may try 5 or 10mm spacers to finish the look.


Did you have have 235s previously and, if so, any noticeable difference moving to a 245 with the same sidewall height that isn't due to the different tire make/model?


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## coulthard (Jun 2, 2011)

Regarding 235 vs. 245 tires, I only had the stock 235 ones on for a short time, so I didn't notice any difference. I can't imagine it would be very noticeable.

I've completed the update to the door panels. The contrasting tone that German cars receive looks much better, so I wanted to replicated it.

I replaced the speaker grills with platinum versions, then had an upholstery shop put Alcantara over the door pulls and center panel. The stock color from Alcantara is not a perfect match, but it's close.

Removing the panel was more complicated than I expected. It's attached with lots of plastic fasteners that are melted together, so they must be drilled out to remove the panel. They are reattached with specific screws from Audi. The factory service manual has detailed instructions that I followed.


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## 3Peat (Nov 19, 2014)

Looking good! The interior is a nice touch too!


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