arU4ic

aj6 probably knows this too, but the S3 has a higher performance turbo, and significantly beefier engine upgrades, I looked heavily into this before deciding between an A3 and S3 (I've tuned at least 3 of my audis and 1 vw).

Evolvd, but there is simply no way that more turbo pressure and higher torque and horsepower ratings (31% more) will have no wear and tear implications on a factory spec motor and drivetrain and even brakes. ALL of my APR'd cars had wear issues, I wasn't a psycho when driving either.

If you don't plan on keeping your tuned car for long, you'll probably be fine, but don't expect a long life… I don't even expect a 10 year span on my S3… I think it's pushed a little too hard for a little 2.0 and a factory A3 will EASILY outlive it, even one driven 'hard'.

My 2 cents.

Evolvd

More turbo pressure? Unless they increased the boost on the stock turbo there is no more pressure than before, regardless of how more efficient the air/fuel mixture is. Boost response may increase but that just means your turbo is making that boost pressure slightly faster than before. And you're forgetting one key piece which I already mentioned...wear and tear is based on your right foot, not the ECU mapping (when properly tuned).

As for 2.0 liter motors, there are over a decades worth of Diamond Star motors (Eclipse, Talon, Evolution) that have been tuned and are still going strong. (minus the 6-bolt mistakes leading to crank walk...but that's a build issue)

Enough of the scare tactics...a properly tuned motor is in fact more reliable than factory and I will swear to it. Most of us don't drive everywhere with the go pedal to the floor. Once you start adding or replacing mechanical parts, that's when you increase the possibility of a failure.

Evolvd

They connect a computer to your car and upload the new program. So basically you're just saving a file to your ECU that is different than the one it had from the factory. A good tuner will save your stock tune and give it to you to hold onto in case you ever need/want to go back.

Fixeroh

Have been reading this thread with interest. Thinking of getting my S3 flashed at some point as well. Someone else posted a few weeks ago about REVO getting an additional 75 HP and 75 lb/ft over the S3 base numbers with a simple flash. Authorized dealer/tech would do the flash but the owner could get an module that plugs into the OBD port to switch back to stock numbers. Module would also have 3 performance modes for varying octane ratings of fuel. REVO is has been working with the 2.0 TFSI in Europe as well as the US and seems to have considerable knowledge and experience. Thought I would go through the winter months stock and in the spring/summer try the flash. Still want to read more however.

YuiS3

So is it like hand held tuner, laptop with software and cable or do I have to go to the shop??

aj6

You have to go to an authorized dealer, they take care of it from there.

Evolvd

It's usually a proprietary software program however eventually they become open-source and anyone can download it and tinker with the ECU maps. That's how it worked out for DSM cars at least....

arU4ic

Well, yes, point made on the right foot I completely agree, but who would do all these go-fast upgrades without enjoy them with their right foot?

Faster turbine speed=higher pressure, higher rate oil viscosity breakdown and more bearing wear. I'm not saying these are catastrophic wear issues, I'm merely stating that there is no way this leads to BETTER reliability. Just sayin'

If these were normally aspirated engines, I might agree.

(BTW, I do enjoy tech discussions, thanks for indulging Evolvd, even if I'm dead wrong, it's a fair and important discussion to have publicly IMHO.) Cheers.

arU4ic

I think APR and other underestimate the value of more moderate or variable performance increases, I would flash my S3 if I could get 10-20 more HP/ Torque but pushing it 75, only IMHO, pushes the HP too far passed the design specs for turbo, engine and (maybe) the tranny. (Although, I am curious to know if the RS3 has a beefier tranny).

aj6

From everything I gathered prior to the flash, APR has a reputation for relatively conservative programming, particularly with Stage 1 tunes. It's an anomaly among their tunes that the performance increase on the A3/S3 is so dramatic. If you look at other tunes they have available you'll see what I mean.

Assuming they didn't suddenly abandon their philosophy just for one platform, it demonstrates to me that the gains they made (crank numbers, remember) are just particularly good in this one instance, while not excessively pushing the motor beyond what it can reliably produce. Combined with this is the school of thought that Audi made the 2015 A3 intentionally de-tuned to some extent in order to balance the lineup with the S3.

I'm pretty fair in my judgements about purchases and can admit when I've made a mistake, but after a few days now running this software the car performs so much better all around that I don't think I'll be going back. The raw power is there when you want it, for sure, but there's an experience-defining improvement in the way the car moves, shifts, and accelerates during normal and easy operation that truly makes me satisfied with this upgrade. It's something that can be appreciated every mile, not just the fast ones.