Kris Kross

I am looking at buying a 2018 RS3, and I am very conflicted over the Dynamic Plus package offered here in the US.
On one hand, I would love the Carbon Ceramic brakes and the direct TPMS. On the other, I'm not sure I want to trade the mag suspension to a fixed suspension.
I do plan on tracking the car 1-2 weekends each year, and even tho I plan on driving it around every now and then, it won't be my daily driver.
Has anyone had experiance with both the mag ride and the RS fixed suspension? I can't find a good comparrisonbetween the two.
I also can't find out how much it would be to swap out the brakes and the TPMS, so if anyone has done that, please let me know. Thank you!

tjacoby

I had mag on my '15 S3 and have fixed on my '18 RS3. I won't go back to mag until I get much older and softer (I'm 54). I never trusted the mag setup in spirited driving with the back-end hopping sideways in high speed corners, the car felt out of balance with the back-end softer, I always hit the bump stops over any speed bump in any setting, and Comfort was useless to me with the car undershocked and wallowing over imperfections imo. The fixed suspension hasn't surprised me at all yet and feels much more balanced. I'm sure the '18 mag setup is better, and like you, haven't seen an apples<->apples comparison. It helps that my family puts up with my preferences. I have the steel brakes and they stop amazingly well, although the rotors do show more wear than I was expecting, and will be expensive to replace. The rumour is the CCB's will last longer.

superswiss

I only have direct comparison between mag and fixed with the R8 V10 vs V10 Plus, but I have driven the RS3 and TTRS with mag on several canyon runs. Overall I find the mag suspension to be crap, regardless of the model. At least the Audi implementation. The fixed suspension in the R8 V10 Plus was definitely a lot less comfortable on rough roads, but dynamically it was just so much better. The only adaptive suspension I would not hesitate to get is the DRC in the new RS5 and if comfort was my top priority it would be a model with air suspension. The other adaptive damping suspensions Audi offers, including mag are kinda meh. I have fixed suspension in my current 2013 RS5 and have no regrets.

I find the current packaging Audi does with the Dynamic vs Dynamic Plus package absolute BS. The CCBs are mostly overkill. Some swear by them, but honestly it's a lot of bragging. You need very grippy tires such as Michelin Cup 2 to match the CCBs, otherwise you trigger ABS constantly and the tires become the limiting factor. CCBs do last a long time for normal driving, but can last as little as 2000 km when used on the track and very expensive to replace. Many recommend against CCBs even when tracking and just go with good steel rotors and some race pads. Much cheaper to replace. CCBs can be noisy, don't work as well in the cold and you still have steel brakes in the rear. I preferred the steel brakes in the R8 V10, over the CCBs in the V10 Plus. I had no issues with the steel brakes in the RS3 and TTRS, either. When it comes to replacing the original set, there are even better aftermarket rotors and pads that are cheaper and better than the OE. On my RS5 I've gone with ECS tru-float rotors and Hawk HPS 5.0 pads and now have Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires, which is pretty much as good as it gets for street performance tires. I had Hawk HPS pads before and until the other day was running OEM rotors on the rear, but now I have the ECS rotors and Hawk 5.0 all around. I also use upgraded race fluid and SS lines. I find the setup quite amazing. Stopping power is right up there with the CCBs and they are more pleasant to drive in normal day to day. CCBs do have their benefits and you can argue that they are better than steel brakes, but IMO not $6000 better and in some situations they are actually worse.

Whiteshadow89

I had a 15 S3 with MRC too. I 100% agree with you in regards to the 15 S3 MRC. My 18 RS3 has MRC, and the difference from 15-18 is not even close. Perhaps because the RS3 is more capable, but I also believe that Audi has made some noticeable improvements to their MRC as well. I can't say that my RS3 has surprised me with dangerous hop, or anything that was unsettling. Plus it is nice for me to have greater flexibility when it comes to how the car behaves.
EDIT:
OP, CCB isn't worth it. If you track all the time then sure, but given the price point and the amount you plan to track the standard brakes will serve you well.

Xenny

for the 2019's you can get the fixed suspension on it's own so I've also been really struggling on whether to go fixed or mag ride. I haven't been able to find an apples to apples comparison either.

does anyone know if the fixed suspension sits lower than the mag ride though?

Kris Kross

Thank you all for the great comments. I think I'll stay away from the Dynamic Plus package. Maybe if the mag ride ever breaks, I can switch it over to a fixed suspension?
The dealership I spoke to didn't have any information on when the 2019s will be coming out.