2020 A3 8V mod recommendations

[tibrahim95]

Hey all,

Just got myself a 2020 A3 and was looking for mod recommendations. I’m new to the brand and understand how much potential these cars have as far as power upgrades.

First question, regarding exhaust mods. Can I expect a fairly aggressive exhaust note from a catted high flow downpipe and resonator delete? Crackles and pops with an ecu tune? Not really looking to be obnoxiously loud and spent a grand on a full exhaust system.

Second question, air intake systems. I understand that the intakes on the market aren’t really all that great for power gains. The reason I’d look for one is to hear more of that sweet sweet spool. Any recommendations as far as intakes go? Not looking for anything overly fancy and wanted to be around a $250 budget.

Final question, tcu/ecu tune. After doing some research, I’ve found the Cobb is very user friendly and the most economical choice but the gains aren’t nearly as great as other companies. Any tuning companies that you believe can provide the best dollar per hp gains and also provide the ability to flash from home, etc.?

Sorry for the lengthy post! Thanks in advance!

[rodacollier]

If you remove the resonator you will join the hundreds who have created posts about awful drone noise in the cabin.

[tibrahim95]

Fair enough. Would a muffler delete be any better? Assuming it wouldn’t, do you think just a catted downpipe will give me the exhaust note I’m looking for?

[hev702]

I’d try just the downpipe first.

I started with the a resonator delete, and noticed basically no difference at all. Then I went catback and it was pretty good, not really unbearable. Then I went catted downpipe and now the car is just disgusting. Love the sound when I open it up but the cabin noise is constant and difficult to ignore. I put the resonator back in, but the noise was way too muffled, the crackles and pops didn’t sound too great so I ended up taking it back out for the louder noise. Soon I’ll be trying a vibrant resonator to hopefully keep a decent amount of the volume but get rid of the raspiness of no resonator at all.

[rodacollier]

Cold air intakes - I would just do a drop in performance filter and do the air box mod easily found on posts or YouTube. That will get you more cooler air when needed for < $75.

Tuners - you have lots of options for a stage 1 or even a stage 1+ for under a $1k. I would do this first - biggest bang. If you have a DSG you should consider the TCU tune as well.

I have used Unitronic, BMS JB4, GIAC - all from home with ability to flash a change.

Downpipe - IMO don’t do it. The tiny bit of extra power ( A3 - 25hp ? ) is not worth the $3,500-$4,000 extra dollars you have to spend on a dp, install, + all other required hardware ( CAI, Intercooler ) and labor to produce the extra hp shown on some stage 2 graph for an A3 engine. Also, if you have emissions testing in your state there is lots to consider on making sure you can pass readiness testing...

[tibrahim95]

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking about starting with the catted dp first and seeing how much I liked it. I hear good things about the vibrant resonator so I might look into that in the future.

[tibrahim95]

Will the drop in performance filter increase induction noise?? That’s the main reason I’d look for an intake, not really for the power gains since its negligible.

As far as tuning, I do have a DSG so I will eventually opt for a tcu tune as well. All of the ecu/tcu tunes are $1000+ anyway so I’m just looking for the best bang for my buck.

With a dp, I was aiming more for an increase in exhaust flow and more of a pronounced exhaust note. I realize that in order to reach peak power gains from a dp, I’d have to throw money out for an intercooler, etc. as you said. I live in NJ and the vehicle is a lease so I’m not worried about emissions testing. I’d also be able to install the dp myself.

[itsjru]

Get a downpipe and go stage 2. No sense in going stage 1 just a waste of money. Do the work yourself, just takes a buddy and some time. Get an accessport and do yourself a favor and buy a tune from eqt or other cobb platforms. The downpipe and intake will give you more headroom in case you want to go faster in the future


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[CavEsk1337]

Get a downpipe and go stage 2. No sense in going stage 1 just a waste of money. Do the work yourself, just takes a buddy and some time. Get an accessport and do yourself a favor and buy a tune from eqt or other cobb platforms. The downpipe and intake will give you more headroom in case you want to go faster in the future


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THIS THIS THIS

[tibrahim95]

Get a downpipe and go stage 2. No sense in going stage 1 just a waste of money. Do the work yourself, just takes a buddy and some time. Get an accessport and do yourself a favor and buy a tune from eqt or other cobb platforms. The downpipe and intake will give you more headroom in case you want to go faster in the future


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So Cobb recommends stock intake with an optional high flow filter replacement along with and intercooler and downpipe for stage 2. Do you think a cold air intake will be enough to bypass the recommendation for an intercooler for stage 2 (assuming I’d also have a dp)?

Thanks for the advice btw!


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[itsjru]

So Cobb recommends stock intake with an optional high flow filter replacement along with and intercooler and downpipe for stage 2. Do you think a cold air intake will be enough to bypass the recommendation for an intercooler for stage 2 (assuming I’d also have a dp)?

Thanks for the advice btw!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Intakes mean almost nothing to these cars. Do whatever you want on that end. An intercooler would be more optimal for you. Get a turbo inlet pipe as well.

[spacecase]

I just bought a similar car. So far I've lowered my car, added rear sway bar, added spacers, modified my stock airbox and added a turbo inlet pipe. The best mod to do first is lower your car and swap the rear swaybar. I highly recommend Eibach springs and any solid rear sway bar will do. It will make the car handle like it was suppose to from the lot. This alone made the car 2x more enjoyable to drive. If you want an aggressive exhaust I found Borla seems to sound the loudest. Just need to pick a non-res catback. I plan on getting AWE in the future, but resonated as I only want the sound when I want it and don't want to be obnoxious. Most tuner's stage 2 maps can have the cackle and pop you want..I've heard it and hated it. Just my personal opinion.

You can modify your airbox. Remove the snowgrate and open up the other side of your air intake channel that sits on top of your radiator. Replace your super thick stock filter with an aFe high flow DRY filter. Don't do oiled..I forgot what I read but people recommended against it. I felt the top end open up more and the engine sounded a little deeper and louder. I researched through http://mygolfmk7.com/ which is pretty much the same platform and he did a flow test of a lot of different airboxes, CAI, and turbo inlet pipes. Using his research I went with 034 turbo inlet pipe and modified stock airbox as the biggest restriction is from the turbo inlet pipe itself. You can also add a Racingline Silicone Piping to improve your airflow and sound.

Do you plan on immediately tuning your car? This will make it so that if your engine or tranny runs into any issues between now and 35k miles you will be footing the bill as they'll void your warranty through a TD1. I recommend waiting until after warranty as you never know what can happen and something that would have happened regardless of a tune will make it so that you'll foot the bill. I intend on going Integrated Engineering. They seem very reliable and from reviewers their customer service is excellent. They also have an IS38 tune that doesn't require a downpipe that I plan on doing in the future. I can go from Stage 1 to IS38 tune with them. I want to keep stock downpipe for a bit cause I don't want to deal with the hassle of smogging in the future (screw cali).

*edit* I don't get why going stage 1 is a waste of money. Most companies will just have you pay the difference between the cost when you want to upgrade. IE does this for sure.

[brian23A3]

Eurodyne is a nice do it at home yourself tune as well. They include all the tunes(stage 1, 2, etc.) Also some pro tuners use this for custom tunes. They also have a TCU tune.

A good option for the $1000 ballpark range (That includes the flashing cable, ecu and tcu tune, wait for the sale if you can)

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[RN35AUDI]

Do you know any good tutorials for the airbox mod?

[spacecase]

Do you know any good tutorials for the airbox mod?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7C0zHx2iWM

[RedToaster]

I just bought a similar car. So far I've lowered my car, added rear sway bar, added spacers, modified my stock airbox and added a turbo inlet pipe. The best mod to do first is lower your car and swap the rear swaybar. I highly recommend Eibach springs and any solid rear sway bar will do. It will make the car handle like it was suppose to from the lot. This alone made the car 2x more enjoyable to drive. If you want an aggressive exhaust I found Borla seems to sound the loudest. Just need to pick a non-res catback. I plan on getting AWE in the future, but resonated as I only want the sound when I want it and don't want to be obnoxious. Most tuner's stage 2 maps can have the cackle and pop you want..I've heard it and hated it. Just my personal opinion.

You can modify your airbox. Remove the snowgrate and open up the other side of your air intake channel that sits on top of your radiator. Replace your super thick stock filter with an aFe high flow DRY filter. Don't do oiled..I forgot what I read but people recommended against it. I felt the top end open up more and the engine sounded a little deeper and louder. I researched through http://mygolfmk7.com/ which is pretty much the same platform and he did a flow test of a lot of different airboxes, CAI, and turbo inlet pipes. Using his research I went with 034 turbo inlet pipe and modified stock airbox as the biggest restriction is from the turbo inlet pipe itself. You can also add a Racingline Silicone Piping to improve your airflow and sound.

Do you plan on immediately tuning your car? This will make it so that if your engine or tranny runs into any issues between now and 35k miles you will be footing the bill as they'll void your warranty through a TD1. I recommend waiting until after warranty as you never know what can happen and something that would have happened regardless of a tune will make it so that you'll foot the bill. I intend on going Integrated Engineering. They seem very reliable and from reviewers their customer service is excellent. They also have an IS38 tune that doesn't require a downpipe that I plan on doing in the future. I can go from Stage 1 to IS38 tune with them. I want to keep stock downpipe for a bit cause I don't want to deal with the hassle of smogging in the future (screw cali).

*edit* I don't get why going stage 1 is a waste of money. Most companies will just have you pay the difference between the cost when you want to upgrade. IE does this for sure.

I agree you a hundred percent about voiding warranty just not worth it this early on with a regular tune I went with JB4 and absolutely love it. It’s great power for the money and I can easily take it off if I have to.