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The 2014-2016 Audi 8V A3/S3 is a pretty decent daily driver and when modded right it can also be very fun to drive. This is the first iteration of Audi switching from a hatchback to a small sedan on the A3 platform, some people like it, others don't.
Today we will be featuring some of our best products to mod your A3/S3. The reality is, any car built on the MQB platform is not meant to sound super loud or be as aggressive as we want it to be. This is why we bring products to your doorstep to make your Audi a masterpiece.
On the intake side of things we have worked hard to bring the best bang for your buck mod to you. As a first mod for your A3/S3 8V we recommend going without CAP Velocity Cold Air Intake. Not only does it look cool under the hood but it's also a must if you're planning to do more mods down the line.
Our cold air intake is not restrictive, allows a greater amount of air to enter your intake, enables all the cool turbo noises and it's pretty easy to install. On top of everything the filter lasts longer than conventional air filters.
Now if you want your intake to be complete you gotta have the turbo inlet pipe. We have talked about turbo inlet pipes and all of its benefits, but just as a quick reminder, it helps your turbo get more air because it's wider in diameter and it allows the air to flow much easier.
For 79$ this is a small little upgrade that makes your turbo spool faster, sound cooler, suck more air, make more power and not restrict any future mods for your A3/S3 8V.
Related: Why You Need To Get Rid Of Your Gutted Cats On Audi's 3.0T?
Ever thought about all the extra horsepower your A3/S3 will gain? Where is all that boost flowing? Stock charge pipes are built to last long, under normal driving conditions, and let's be real, more than often we see leaking intercooler pipes causing diesels to burn diesel like a choo-choo train and gas cars have significant power loss. A small leak in the intercooler pipes causes significant power loss and you don't want that when running your car on extra boost.
Our charge pipe kit is built purposely to fit the A3/S3 and generally all models built on the MQB platform like the Golf MK7.5 GTI and R. So if you want to tune your A3/S3 further down the line it's always a good option to upgrade your charge pipe kit. Our materials are made to handle more boost, tried and tested on setups producing upwards of 400 horsepower.
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Another great mod for your A/S3 8V is an intercooler upgrade. The stock intercooler does just fine but as we have mentioned previously it's not ideal if you're running other mods at the same time. This is one of those mods where you will not gain any horsepower but a bigger intercooler will help you maintain cooler temperatures at peak. You can read more about how intercoolers work and if it's beneficial to upgrade yours.
Side Note: A bigger intercooler looks freaking cool on the front end too.
To put everything to the test, we tuned one of our CAP cars here at Canadian Auto Performance. Stock everything and a stage 1 software tune. The stock internals will handle the software tune but it felt like the car was missing something, as if something was restricting power.
On our second take we had the same car, running on the same software tune but this time installed the cold air intake, turbo inlet pipe, charge pipes and the bigger intercooler. Was there a huge step up in power? Hell yes. The car feels a lot better, sucks air and pushes down a lot harder and it sounds way better than before, but it's still not perfect. Why would you wonder?
You heard it right. We believe stock A3/S3's sound a little bit like a tractor when you push them a little too hard, partially because of the direct fuel injection system and partially because of the exhaust system. As you might have guessed by now, our most favorite mod, exhaust system.
Here at Canadian Auto Performance we have all sorts of exhaust systems, our brand was born from crafting a perfect test pipe for the 3.0T platform. As per the Audi A3/S3 we recommend you go with a high-flow 3" downpipe. For people who want to get a quieter ride there are other aftermarket suppliers that offer all kinds of exhaust mods, from X Pipes to Mid Pipes, Resonator deletes and more.
In our opinion and experience the downpipe upgrade is the sweet spot between power and sound. If you want the A3/S3 to sound even louder or crazier you should upgrade to the RS3 or S4,S5.
Now, a very important mod to do, software tunes. Currently we don't offer any software tune chips as we believe that should be done at a dyno and be matched with the correct DSG tune for your transmission. The end result is peak horsepower and DSG farts everyone loves. For those looking to get the maximum out of their downpipe upgrade, a good software tune can control the burble and our downpipe allows a greater depth.
One important note here is that you should tune your ECU together with your DSG because you don't want your clutches to slip, which is an expensive repair on VW-Audi cars.
Some people think this is controversial but we love this mod. The Audi A3/S3 8V conversion to RS3 is one of the best exterior mods you can do. The car looks more aggressive, sits lower, you can install more aggressive front lips and honeycomb grille and generally make up for a more aggressive front end.
Our front bumper kit includes all necessary parts to complete the RS3 front facia, including a honeycomb grille and side grilles.
Related: Audi Blogs | All Things Related Audi
This is the one cosmetic mod that's so easy to install, never goes out of style and adds aggression to your ride. Shop your A3/S3 side skirts today.
Another great mod for your A3/S3 is the carbon fiber front lip. We got a wide selection of front lips/ splitters depending on the type of bumper and model year you’re running.
When it comes to diffusers there is no better way to upgrade your rear end than choosing our diffusers. We have different choices, from carbon fiber diffusers that feature a Ferrari, F1 like brake light as well as other models depending on the pipe setup you got.
Here at Canadian Auto Performance we love the dual pipe exhaust system paired with our carbon fiber diffuser, but the choice is yours. All products are linked below.
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One of the most popular products in our store. The Audi A3/S3 carbon fiber mirrors. These are not just cover ups but actual carbon fiber mirrors for your A3/S3. They simply look stunning when paired with our RS3 bumper, front lip and diffuser combo.
When it comes to suspension you got 3 options: coilovers, springs or expensive air suspension. The suspension mod for the A3/S3 8V would be to go with a good brand of coilovers. Air suspension is too expensive to maintain and not as good in taking quick and fast corners.
If you want a stiff ride that handles corners well, coilovers are the best option. If you’re here just for the looks you can simply lower your A3/S3 with lower springs but depending on how the road conditions are where you drive you can alter this mod.
Another super important mod for your A3/S3 8V are breaks. Depending on the model year you will handle different brake discs which do an OK job when it comes to daily driving but we don’t like stock.
First recommended mod would be to go to a local Porsche junkyard and find a pair of brake calipers. You can also opt to get brand new calipers from a Porsche dealership but they will be 3 times more expensive.
As crazy as it sounds this does work and people have installed these on their stock brake discs. You will have to change the brake pads as they must be bigger but the Porsche breaks are huge in comparison to your stock A3/S3 breaks.
You can pair that with a good pair of air vented brake discs but this all depends on your current state of wear and tear of the current brake discs. If it's nearly time to do both it's better off to get everything in line at the same time so there wouldn;t be uneven wear.
Common Issues With The 3.0T Engine | B8 S4,S5,B8.5 S4,S5,A6,A7,Q5,SQ5
Introduced by Audi in 2009 with the B8 S4, the 3.0T engine has become a symbol of strength and innovation in the automotive world. This engine, famous for its 333 horsepower output right out of the...
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downpipe is a key piece that links the turbocharger to the exhaust setup, usually found between the turbo and the main muffler. This tube helps guide exhaust gasses from the car's turbine section i...
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