Just bought a 1.8 t sport quattro 2001

[jpholroyd]

Just bought this car and want to improve it
It has had a remap,by QRSport, not sure of new bhp, but it feels s3 quick
So i want to make it into an S3,and this is where my questions begin:
Braking- was thinking grooved discs and greenstuff pads, or is it just as easy to put s3 brakes on?
Suspension- it feels ok, but should i lower or change?
Body- ideally i'd get s3 bumpers, but after a quick look on here there seems to be devided opinion Do i buy a kit, off ebay, or just wait for an actual s3 bumper? Is this a hard job? Looks like i need a front and rear, side skirts and a tiny roof spoiler?
Wheels- this will be the last of the jobs. What look the best anything i should avoid?
I know all these questions have been covered, but there are so many opinions on each

[20vtel]

Brakes: I have S3 brakes on my A3 and they do work alot better than the standard A3 brakes. Less fade and that.

Suspension: Depends how comfortable you like your car tbh! Lowering it will give it a much better stance and will take corners better but at the cost of a bumpier ride.

Body: The s3 front bumper will also need the s3 wings as the have wider arches. Probably work out quite expensive after you have had them sprayed. Bodykits are ok but most of them are made from fibreglass which crack quite easily and you'll then need the whole panel sprayed.

Wheels: This is all about opinion. Whatever you like the best will be the best for your car. 18's sit well on a slightly lowered A3 in my opinion.

[jpholroyd]

Thanks 20vtel, few more questions tho:
What's involved in shanging brakes to s3? Do the calipers need changing too?
Suspension is quite tough, so going to leave that.
Bumpers: is there any way of making it look more s3? I was thinking of colour coding the black trim, anyone done this?

[20vtel]

to change to the s3 brake setup all you need is the s3 brake disks and the caliper carriers. brake pads and calipers do not need to be changed as the s3 uses the A3 ones.

suspension is actually quite easy with the right tools and can be done in about 2 hours if your good. rear suspension is especially easy as the springs and shocks are seperate from eachother.

its funny you mention the colour coding as i did mine this weekend and i have to say it looks so much better and would recommend you did yours. i suppose that does make it look more like an s3 but changing to the s3 bumpers an wings is still the better way to do it if you want to pay the money.

[jpholroyd]

Do you have any pics of your newly colour coded car?
An tips on the coding?
I think due to the amount of speed bumps near me i'll leave the suspension!

[20vtel]

i will get some pics up for you soon.
tips, yeah sure. preperation is the key. make sure the part being sprayed is free from grease and silicone. give the parts a good wash. cant remember the name of the stuff i used but its good for degreasing.
I used a 120grade sandpaper to give the bumpers a key for the paint to take to. use only plastic primer for bumpers as its flexible when dry so it wont crack. spray from about 8cm away with nice, even, thin coats until the whole part is covered allowing about 15 mins between each coat.
When the primer was fully dry i used 2000grade wet and dry paper. this is too ensure the surface is nice and smooth. when you have done this you are ready for the base coat.
Again, spray nice, even, thin coats until the whole part is covered. dont worry if its not very shiny at this point as the laquer will give it a nice shine. allow the base coat to go tacky and then spray the laquer with a nice thick coat (not to thick because you will have a bad case of the runs lol) And then wallah! allow to dry overnight and then refit to your car.

[jpholroyd]

I think the key thing there is the removal of the black trim, i was going to spray it in in situ. Does all black trim come off?
Look forward to the pics

[20vtel]

yes definately remove the bumpers and then the trim comes off quite easily. i havent sprayed the side skirts yet, i think im going to do them on the car tbh and just mask off the doors and that. will upload some pics sometime tomorrow.

[jpholroyd]

where are the pics