3" downpipe questions

[Bigandbald]

I have just sourced a relentless 3" downpipe and 200 cell sportscat, I just need to get the relevant gaskets and then on to fit them.

i have access to a ramp which is handy.

my question is...is this really a pig of a job? it looks like a royal pain in the ***?? any advice.

my car is standard at the mo, what gains should i expect?

 

[Tim_Attard]

its not that fun on an s3, a3 is a peace of **** but its do-able yourself and with a ramp should be alright

 

[S321BAM]

Took the Sub frame off when I did my s3

 

[Bigandbald]

Took the Sub frame off when I did my s3

did you take it off or lower the back down?

 

[superkarl]

Lower subframe on its bolts.
Remove drivers side wheel and arch lining
Remove charge pipe, charge pipe bracket and strut brace if you have one.

bolts can be reached from above, below and side. Make sure you can crack them off before you go further.
Hack dp at flexi, cut it in half. Remove lower section, you now have better access to upper section and the bolts.
Getting upper section out requires wiggling.

Fitting new on is just a patient wiggling game with lots of swearing, fastening studs n nuts is same as undoing

 

[Tim_Attard]

Lower subframe on its bolts.
Remove drivers side wheel and arch lining
Remove charge pipe, charge pipe bracket and strut brace if you have one.

bolts can be reached from above, below and side. Make sure you can crack them off before you go further.
Hack dp at flexi, cut it in half. Remove lower section, you now have better access to upper section and the bolts.
Getting upper section out requires wiggling.

Fitting new on is just a patient wiggling game with lots of swearing, fastening studs n nuts is same as undoing

this makes me happy i have an a3

 

[slowcoach3]

Undoing the prop shaft gives a bit more space too

 

[Bigandbald]

jeeeeeeesus, this sounds like a right mission!!!!!!!! fingers crossed.

im not a BHP junky but what difference will the downpipe and cat make?

 

[JUS3IN]

not that much imo, i have the mods in my sig and gained 25 bhp over a stock remapped s3.... i think i'd leave mine stock with a map if i done it all again.. my 2 pence worth, unless your planning on big turbo or hybrid, rods, big port head ect i.e the full works i wouldnt bother... s3's are slow and heavy anyway, more like a gt car than a hot hatch... sorry to be a downer but why you think bills in a ibiza, jardo an a3 and jojo's building a fwd s3, s3's weigh between 1430 and 1480 kg! i read a newage ford mustang is only 1700 and something and they are massive lol! a classic impreza sti is 1200!!! rant over lol!-)

 

[Bigandbald]

i bought the downpipe and cat pretty cheaply, i dont want mega HP, id be happy with 250 to be fair which is obviously within easy reach once mapped.

if you are saying the gains arent worth the hassle of fitting etc then i probably wont bother, anyone else got 2p to put in????

 

[JUS3IN]

if ya cars healthy you will see 250 from just the remap, i fitted all my mods before the map and made 214bhp (was a small airleak on the turbo elbow)
from what i understand the turbo will spool quicker than stock but mine was overboosting due to a turbo problem before (the reason i had it all off and done all the work then) so after 1k on exhaust and tip ect the car felt slower lol...

i fitted my own theres and in depth how too in my old posts, its a right **** to fit mate.... for the cost and effort what you gonna gain a few tenths on the quarter mile maybe...

 

[superkarl]

Undoing the prop shaft gives a bit more space too

ahh yes, this too!

jeeeeeeesus, this sounds like a right mission!!!!!!!! fingers crossed.

im not a BHP junky but what difference will the downpipe and cat make?

Its not just about headline figures.
Whilst justarn might have made 'only' 25hp over a basic mapped s3, you are making more power tgroughout the rev range, even if the car made 0 peak over just a map, the gains midrange would be worth it. A downpipe, and an intercooler, will make power more consistent too

An old downpipe and cat thats 10+ years old will only cause probs eventually, either splitting, leaking, or cats failing, so its worth doing it for those reasons.

Oh and stubby spanners will be very helpful! Infact it was a must for me im sure. Id grind some spanners down nice and compact at the head too, little things like that could half the time of the job.

 

[jojo]

if ya cars healthy you will see 250 from just the remap, i fitted all my mods before the map and made 214bhp (was a small airleak on the turbo elbow)
from what i understand the turbo will spool quicker than stock but mine was overboosting due to a turbo problem before (the reason i had it all off and done all the work then) so after 1k on exhaust and tip ect the car felt slower lol...

i fitted my own theres and in depth how too in my old posts, its a right **** to fit mate.... for the cost and effort what you gonna gain a few tenths on the quarter mile maybe...

Just FYI Justarn, where your car falls short without a custom remap, my car, 1999 APY(same as yours) running an ancient AmD stage1 remap done some 10 years ago, supporting mods, AmD 'viper' divertor valve, Samco boost hoses, Badger5 3" TIP version 1.1 and a decat pipe, no custom exhaust manifold or 3" down pipe and still running the original side mount intercoolers and original exhaust from the cats back. It made a credible 275bhp and 283lb/ft of torque on RTech's rollers last Sunday at a charity RR event. Your car should be making a silly amount of torque with stage2 based on your spec, I would have expected to see near 300bl/ft to be honest!

 

[Bigandbald]

Karl, i was beginning to think that maybe i had wasted by money!

ive always had turbo cars and remember doing a downpipe on my subaru and it made a difference and sounded cool too. screw it ill go through the grief and fit the ******!!

cheers chaps

 

[superkarl]

Karl, i was beginning to think that maybe i had wasted by money!

ive always had turbo cars and remember doing a downpipe on my subaru and it made a difference and sounded cool too. screw it ill go through the grief and fit the ******!!

cheers chaps

i was on a stock map and fitted the dp and decat, and fmic in the same week pretty much. Even without a map the car felt great, engine felt free, it felt happier and power was consistent, no more heat soaking sapping the power that was there

 

[russwuss]

+1 for fitting, Karl describes it as 'free' and that's exactly how I would describe it. Can't wait to find out what mine makes after a custom stage 2 map!

 

[superkarl]

And one day it might sound like this:

Audi S3 8L 3" Downpipe & Decat + Miltek Box Sound - YouTube

Which was mine after the non res miltek.

 

[JUS3IN]

Just FYI Justarn, where your car falls short without a custom remap, my car, 1999 APY(same as yours) running an ancient AmD stage1 remap done some 10 years ago, supporting mods, AmD 'viper' divertor valve, Samco boost hoses, Badger5 3" TIP version 1.1 and a decat pipe, no custom exhaust manifold or 3" down pipe and still running the original side mount intercoolers and original exhaust from the cats back. It made a credible 275bhp and 283lb/ft of torque on RTech's rollers last Sunday at a charity RR event. Your car should be making a silly amount of torque with stage2 based on your spec, I would have expected to see near 300bl/ft to be honest!

maybe mines bit ****** then... dunno or if after all the amd dispute on here they made it super safe to avoid any come back! it got a nice power curve as you know, i'm happy with the car dont get me wrong but for the cost, im not so sure. think a trip to badger 5 or r-tec would reveal all.

not trying ta put you off bigand bald, just sharing my experience!-)

 

[jojo]

maybe mines bit ****** then... dunno or if after all the amd dispute on here they made it super safe to avoid any come back! it got a nice power curve as you know, i'm happy with the car dont get me wrong but for the cost, im not so sure. think a trip to badger 5 or r-tec would reveal all.

I'm not suggesting the AmD stage2 map is bad, but it's mapped with certain criteria which your car exceeds in my opinon. The game has moved on, Custom maps that make use of your supporting mods, and the introduction of TiV will release the power your car should make. There's always a market for generic stuff, especially for people who know nothing about cars, they want a drive in and out conversion, one that should deliver the goods not pushing the cars limit.

not trying ta put you off bigand bald, just sharing my experience!-)

Same here, not trying to put you off fitting the 3" dp and cats, it's just one of those mods that's needed to reach today's stage2 level of tune. I don;t plan to go that route, I'm happy with stage 1.5. Stage2 doesn't appeal to me with the minimal gains for the cost, especially when my car is actually not far from stage2 power in it's currently form, to my own surprise! I'm either gonna go the whole hog and tfsi or big turbo my S3, or stick with what I have.

 

[Bigandbald]

Cheers chaps, im going to go ahead and fit them and see how she goes. this is my daily driver so i never wanted to go too mental but for £90 i thought a downpipe and cat was too good to turn down.

the only things left to do now are badger5 TIP and RTech remap then im done for the time being!

thanks for your thoughts.

 

[dancuz]

Cheers chaps, im going to go ahead and fit them and see how she goes. this is my daily driver so i never wanted to go too mental but for £90 i thought a downpipe and cat was too good to turn down.

the only things left to do now are badger5 TIP and RTech remap then im done for the time being!

thanks for your thoughts.

That's exactly what I have done. I posted in the TIV thread below the results....

 

[Prawn]

I've never known why people say you need to remove the drivers wheel and arch liner?

What exactly can you access from in there?

I've always managed from above and below on these. Stilla ****** nightmare job.

Made easier by air chiseling the old DP in half through the flexi if you don't want to keep it.