Having had my 2014 1.8tfsi a3 sline (with sports suspension) for over a month now it is no where near as fun to drive as my older 2011 1.4tfsi a3 sline, with goodyear eagle f1 tyres and the sline suspension it felt glued to the road and could throw it into corners easily yet with my newer a3 with conti premium contact 6 tyres i dont feel as confident in wet conditions or even taking corners in the dry dont seem as in control as much, could this be down to the different tyres or is it more to do with my newer a3 just doesnt have the sline suspension like my older a3, as much as i like the faster speeds in the 1.8 it just feels like something is missing i am considering putting the eagle f1 asy 5s on even though the conti 6s are only a few weeks old
Why was my old a3 8p more fun than my new a3 8v?
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How long did you have the old car for? Maybe you were just more confident in it.
I had more fun driving my 2.0 TDI black edition 8P than I do driving my new S5 but that’s probably down to being able to get more out of it.
I had my older a3 for just under 5 years, the steering just felt more precise and the gear changes felt smoother and quicker but could all just be in my head lol, it felt more involving to drive as had to get the most out of every gear with only having 122bhp, really do miss the sline suspension but it was hard enough trying to find an a3 sline in daytona grey with a 1.8 manual engine nevermind getting it with the sline suspension aswell which would have been a bonus
Khufu
Registered User
I had similar feelings about my old 8V 1.8 with Sport Suspension - car felt a bit wallowy and light at the rear at times. I found a few things that helped which may or may not work for you.
I don’t want to get into the tyre debate as that’s been done to death many times but assume you have checked your pressures, and shock absorbers are not on their way out (earliest reports of them leaking seem to start around 50-60k)
This is going to sound a bit cliche (no french accented e on my keyboard) but car seemed more balanced when I was carrying a spare alloy and tyre in the boot ie decent amount of extra weight at the back.
The 8V seats don’t hug you much as 8P or 8L seats but there isn’t really an easy way around that.
I never went to coilovers but that’s a relatively popular option and people who did it seemed to think it made quite a difference.
I don’t want to get into the tyre debate as that’s been done to death many times but assume you have checked your pressures, and shock absorbers are not on their way out (earliest reports of them leaking seem to start around 50-60k)
This is going to sound a bit cliche (no french accented e on my keyboard) but car seemed more balanced when I was carrying a spare alloy and tyre in the boot ie decent amount of extra weight at the back.
The 8V seats don’t hug you much as 8P or 8L seats but there isn’t really an easy way around that.
I never went to coilovers but that’s a relatively popular option and people who did it seemed to think it made quite a difference.
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In sure you need tae pay extra for s line suspension on an s line model as they come with sport as standard now but not sure if they still come with s line springs as mentioned above.
Yes i have played about with different tyre pressures but still can get that glued to the road feeling im used to. Is there anyway i can check the shock absorbers to see if ther are ok my car is on 31k miles but is a 2014 plate.
The car just feels a bit floaty and feels like it wobbles slighty.
Yes the old 8p sline seats where rather good i thought
What would coil overs to do the car ? Dont know much mechanic stuff to be honest
Yes i have played about with different tyre pressures but still can get that glued to the road feeling im used to. Is there anyway i can check the shock absorbers to see if ther are ok my car is on 31k miles but is a 2014 plate.
The car just feels a bit floaty and feels like it wobbles slighty.
Yes the old 8p sline seats where rather good i thought
What would coil overs to do the car ? Dont know much mechanic stuff to be honest
The sline comes with sports suspension and sports springs, you could opt for the sline or comfort suspension as an option.
Most reviews of the 8p I've read state the suspension is too harsh for uk roads, but then, like many things, it's all marmite...
Most reviews of the 8p I've read state the suspension is too harsh for uk roads, but then, like many things, it's all marmite...
Yes it can be harsh if you are one of the many people i see driving straight towards the massive pothole on the road that has been there for ages lol... but coming from a fiesta i felt the sline suspension was fine as it was the 1st audi i had owned and was dissapointed when the 8v a3 went a lot softer, so now an s line model is practically the same as the sport model apart from a flat bottom steering wheel and fancier headlights there is not much point buying an sline these days
The sline isn't entirely the same as the sport model as the suspension is 15mm lower, plus it has led headlights and rear lights with led interior lighting, 18" wheels, audi sound system, sline exterior body styling, stainless steel pedals and illuminated door sill trims...
Yes that is true but is it only 15mm lower if the 1st owner has paid the extra for sline suspension as it now comes with sport suspension as standard which mines has on an sline model, i also dont have stainless steel pedals on my 2014 sline or 2011 sline i previously had i thought that was standard on S models only
You are incorrect, the sline sport suspension is 15mm lower, as it is with all current Audi models including my A4:
From the configurator for the A3:
Khufu
Registered User
they may have changed it with facelift as mine never had led interior lights, illuminated sills nor metal pedals.
My 2013 sline A3 with sports suspension was lower too, the rest, possibly yes. However I can dig out an old brochure if you like....
Im a little confused as to what suspension i actual have then, this is a pic of my car at the wheels and it says sports suspension on the my audi app, do i have the proper sline or the standard sport suspension ?
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Check the sticker in the boot, or within the cars documentation, and compare it with this http://vag-codes.info/vag-option-codes
