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+1 As an CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) I *always* worry about things being hacked, especially given the last large DDOS (Distributed Denial Of Service) attack was made using refrigerators, etc that carelessly IMO use the Internet without the proper security precautions. I've also been watching the new "signal booster" attack that is occurring on some of these newer cars with keys like ours that allow thieves to boost the signal from your key (your car is parked outside, while you and your car key are inside) which allows them easy access to your car and drive it away.
Had to jump in for one, high five from another infosec professional, and secondly - loving your timeline of ownership. As someone gearing up to purchase one, and fond of carving mountain roads ( I'm north of Atlanta and frequent east TN/west NC ) it gives me some comfort knowing going into this that it can handle.
Had to jump in for one, high five from another infosec professional, and secondly - loving your timeline of ownership. As someone gearing up to purchase one, and fond of carving mountain roads ( I'm north of Atlanta and frequent east TN/west NC ) it gives me some comfort knowing going into this that it can handle.
+1 to a fellow CISSP! Yes, I haven't added much to this thread lately due to the tons of things going on in my life right now and August will be even worse. However, as the weather cools off in September and all of the kiddies are back in school (which is very soon around here) I plan on taking the RS3 on the Tail of the Dragon (ToD) and the Cherohala Skyway. I assume you are familiar with these two roads in TN/NC, correct?
I am very anxious now that I'm very comfortable with the RS3 to see how it handles the ToD's 318 curves in 11 miles. And while it's been almost a year since I drove the 911 Turbo on both of those roads (traded it), I'm sure the RS3 handling / understeer limitations compared to the 911 will still present themselves to the fore front of my memory quite quickly. My prediction is the RS3 will be more than adequate for the ToD but will feel quite limited based on my lowered 911 Turbo! However, the RS3 should be quite a bit of fun on the Cherohala Skyway as it climbs up to 6,000+ feet with its long, sweeping curves versus the near constant "salom run" of the ToD.
FYI, since I'm retired, and because those roads are now infamous with all of the media publicity, I always go during Tues-Thurs to avoid traffic and the TN/NC sheriff's and other LEO's (at least as much as possible).
Here is a fun example of the ToD; notice how the medallion moves at very sharp angles from the rear view mirror. The video still doesn't really give you a true idea of how sharp some of the curves really are (and it helps IMO to drive when the leaves are down like in this video to give you a better view of what's up ahead). I don't go over there very often anymore due to large amount of traffic, more cops and lower speed limits than when I started 15 years ago. The lowered speed limits and increase in police was due to a large number of injuries and several deaths on this road after a lot of novices came in and pushed it without really knowing the road very well.
Plus I have a LOT of FUN roads much closer to me that very few people really know about.
+1 to a fellow CISSP! Yes, I haven't added much to this thread lately due to the tons of things going on in my life right now and August will be even worse. However, as the weather cools off in September and all of the kiddies are back in school (which is very soon around here) I plan on taking the RS3 on the Tail of the Dragon (ToD) and the Cherohala Skyway. I assume you are familiar with these two roads in TN/NC, correct?
I am very anxious now that I'm very comfortable with the RS3 to see how it handles the ToD's 318 curves in 11 miles. And while it's been almost a year since I drove the 911 Turbo on both of those roads (traded it), I'm sure the RS3 handling / understeer limitations compared to the 911 will still present themselves to the fore front of my memory quite quickly. My prediction is the RS3 will be more than adequate for the ToD but will feel quite limited based on my lowered 911 Turbo! However, the RS3 should be quite a bit of fun on the Cherohala Skyway as it climbs up to 6,000+ feet with its long, sweeping curves versus the near constant "salom run" of the ToD.
FYI, since I'm retired, and because those roads are now infamous with all of the media publicity, I always go during Tues-Thurs to avoid traffic and the TN/NC sheriff's and other LEO's (at least as much as possible).
Here is a fun example of the ToD; notice how the medallion moves at very sharp angles from the rear view mirror. The video still doesn't really give you a true idea of how sharp some of the curves really are (and it helps IMO to drive when the leaves are down like in this video to give you a better view of what's up ahead). I don't go over there very often anymore due to large amount of traffic, more cops and lower speed limits than when I started 15 years ago. The lowered speed limits and increase in police was due to a large number of injuries and several deaths on this road after a lot of novices came in and pushed it without really knowing the road very well.
Plus I have a LOT of FUN roads much closer to me that very few people really know about.
Fantastic video! I couldn't drive that, I hate heights, and those cliffs on the right side were scary. Nice sounding Camaro, and nice Shelby by the way. Thanks for posting.
Man that interior is really nice with the red accents. I had white accents on my RS3 and was not nearly as nice.
So how do you feel about the low end lag in the RS3? It was too much for me in normal daily driving scenarios so I ended up selling it. But I'm getting another S3 here any day now as a daily driver.
Originally Posted by russbert
Well I promised you some interior shots so here are a few I took today after driving it. Getting close to 600 miles so 5K RPM will soon be in my consistent reach I hope you enjoy (excuse my coat in the front passenger seat). Really like the 20% Tint. Audi techs loved the license plate! No one else gets it. LOL I really glad I listened to my wife re: the RS Design Package. I really like the Red Accents and Stitching, along with the RS floor mats. I also like the seat belts with the red edges. The package also comes with two (2) additional USB ports (charge only) behind the center console along with a 12V outlet in the left side of the trunk.
I read here that one needs to break in the engine and start slow.
during todays test drive salesman tells me that is not neccessary and that i can pretty much floor it!
what is the verdict by this group?
+1 to a fellow CISSP! Yes, I haven't added much to this thread lately due to the tons of things going on in my life right now and August will be even worse. However, as the weather cools off in September and all of the kiddies are back in school (which is very soon around here) I plan on taking the RS3 on the Tail of the Dragon (ToD) and the Cherohala Skyway. I assume you are familiar with these two roads in TN/NC, correct?
I am very anxious now that I'm very comfortable with the RS3 to see how it handles the ToD's 318 curves in 11 miles. And while it's been almost a year since I drove the 911 Turbo on both of those roads (traded it), I'm sure the RS3 handling / understeer limitations compared to the 911 will still present themselves to the fore front of my memory quite quickly. My prediction is the RS3 will be more than adequate for the ToD but will feel quite limited based on my lowered 911 Turbo! However, the RS3 should be quite a bit of fun on the Cherohala Skyway as it climbs up to 6,000+ feet with its long, sweeping curves versus the near constant "salom run" of the ToD.
FYI, since I'm retired, and because those roads are now infamous with all of the media publicity, I always go during Tues-Thurs to avoid traffic and the TN/NC sheriff's and other LEO's (at least as much as possible).
Here is a fun example of the ToD; notice how the medallion moves at very sharp angles from the rear view mirror. The video still doesn't really give you a true idea of how sharp some of the curves really are (and it helps IMO to drive when the leaves are down like in this video to give you a better view of what's up ahead). I don't go over there very often anymore due to large amount of traffic, more cops and lower speed limits than when I started 15 years ago. The lowered speed limits and increase in police was due to a large number of injuries and several deaths on this road after a lot of novices came in and pushed it without really knowing the road very well.
Plus I have a LOT of FUN roads much closer to me that very few people really know about.
It's also been a while since I posted here but I enjoyed the video - nice driving. As for me, while I love my RS3, I have decided to sell it in the spring and go back to Porsche. The RS3 is more than adequate for my use, but I miss the Porsche and will pick up a Cayman GTS after the winter. The RS3 is a beauty, I recently did a drive with the Porsche club in West Virginia and the Audi could keep up with everything there, even on the most twisty roads (one with almost as many curves as ToD). It also could match the majority on high speed runs at a track, certainly faster than the Boxster and Caymans and most of the 911's. However, I am not getting any younger and wanted one last Porsche and thought a mid-engine might be a blast. I'll check in here in the meantime and probably put the car up for sale come January or so. In the meantime, I'll be putting the winter wheels back on come November and get through one more wine with Audi before saying goodbye to this low mileage beauty. Enjoy the car and the drives.
Man that interior is really nice with the red accents. I had white accents on my RS3 and was not nearly as nice.
So how do you feel about the low end lag in the RS3? It was too much for me in normal daily driving scenarios so I ended up selling it. But I'm getting another S3 here any day now as a daily driver.
Yes, my wife (who has a degree in interior design) convinced me to go with that combination and I really, really like it as well so thanks.
Your next question (re: low end lag) has a multipart answer: in (D)og / (D)ocile / (D)rag / you get the idea, I find it barely acceptable for this time of car and I only use it in heavy traffic where I am not going to get anywhere fast anyway. While Stage 1+ ECU tune may help some, I have to agree with others that a DCU tune would probably be extremely beneficial once it becomes available. This will have to be a personal financial decision for me since the dealership is VERY non-friendly or understanding when it comes to mods.
Putting the car into (S)port / (S)weet / (S)upercharged mode, is much, much better but then my only first world complaint / concern is how long it holds the gears before shifting (especially 3rd). I absolutely love and have NO low end lag when using the car in (S) mode and using Manual (DSG). That's when I get the best of both worlds and really love the car a LOT!
I read here that one needs to break in the engine and start slow.
During todays test drive salesman tells me that is not neccessary and that i can pretty much floor it!
what is the verdict by this group?
Oh, that's an easy answer. You DEFINITELY MUST break it in first ***OR*** you should DEFINITELY NOT break it in!!
The group is very split on this answer as it's been discussed previously. I basically followed the break-in plan with some higher RPMs periodically later in the break-in period and ONLY AFTER thoroughly warming up the engine, oil, etc first. So far .... so good!
Yes, my wife (who has a degree in interior design) convinced me to go with that combination and I really, really like it as well so thanks.
Putting the car into (S)port / (S)weet / (S)upercharged mode, is much, much better but then my only first world complaint / concern is how long it holds the gears before shifting (especially 3rd). I absolutely love and have NO low end lag when using the car in (S) mode and using Manual (DSG). That's when I get the best of both worlds and really love the car a LOT!
That's all that matters at the end of the day! Glad you're enjoying it. I'm looking forward to having an S3 as a daily again. The looks are killer, gas mileage decent, and performance is great for a daily.
It's also been a while since I posted here but I enjoyed the video - nice driving. As for me, while I love my RS3, I have decided to sell it in the spring and go back to Porsche. The RS3 is more than adequate for my use, but I miss the Porsche and will pick up a Cayman GTS after the winter. The RS3 is a beauty, I recently did a drive with the Porsche club in West Virginia and the Audi could keep up with everything there, even on the most twisty roads (one with almost as many curves as ToD). It also could match the majority on high speed runs at a track, certainly faster than the Boxster and Caymans and most of the 911's. However, I am not getting any younger and wanted one last Porsche and thought a mid-engine might be a blast. I'll check in here in the meantime and probably put the car up for sale come January or so. In the meantime, I'll be putting the winter wheels back on come November and get through one more wine with Audi before saying goodbye to this low mileage beauty. Enjoy the car and the drives.
Sorry I've taken so long to reply to everyone but I had cataract surgery yesterday for the left eye and the right is scheduled in a couple of weeks so hopefully my spelling is OK.
Michael818, please keep in touch as I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. As I'm getting older too and my eyes are now being worked on, I was seriously considering one last Porsche fling myself ... possibly, so I will be very anxious to hear about your experiences in the Cayman GTS as it was on my list as well. Which Porsche forum do you usually frequent as I used to follow them all.
The Porsche's were absolutely awesome on those mountain drives. Basically my wife and I preferred her Boxster S on the Tail of the Dragon and the Turbo on the Cherohala Skyway with its sweeping curves and high elevation (over 6,000 ft, well that is for us). Hope to hear from you soon.
08-01-2018, 11:04 PM
As an CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) I *always* worry about things being hacked, especially given the last large DDOS (Distributed Denial Of Service) attack was made using refrigerators, etc that carelessly IMO use the Internet without the proper security precautions. I've also been watching the new "signal booster" attack that is occurring on some of these newer cars with keys like ours that allow thieves to boost the signal from your key (your car is parked outside, while you and your car key are inside) which allows them easy access to your car and drive it away.
