Tuning
Swift and Swiss: Sportec Audi RS3
The Swiss performance specialists at Sportec now present their take on the all-wheel-drive speedster, the Audi RS3. At first glance it seems to be nothing really special, but then the Swiss are famed for their discretion. (Stefan Wagner , 18.01.2012)
From 408 to 500 horsepower
The five-cylinder turbo engine of the Audi A3 has become a real favourite of tuners, all intent on getting the maximum out of this power plant. The latest to try their hand with the swift 4x4 are the engineers at the Swiss performance shop, Sportec. Their first step has been to tinker with the electronics and fit a stainless steel exhaust system with controllable flaps… measures which raise the output from 340 to 408 horsepower and from 450 to 550 Nm of torque. Then further delving in to the depths of the 2.5 litre motor and its peripherals can give the RS3 driver a massive 500 horsepower, not that this level of potency will be looked upon kindly… as street-legal… by all vehicle registration authorities.
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- There is a coil-over suspension by Bilstein and the car runs of Sportec ‘Mono/10’ wheels in 20 inch format… both measures beneficial to the driving dynamics of the RS3. The wider wheel arches and modified bumpers will be seen when the car goes on show at the salon in Geneva.
Soon even wider
In order to get this enhanced power effectively onto the asphalt the tuner based quite close to Zurich has come up with a range of solutions. A Bilstein coil-over suspension lowers the Audi by 4 centimetres. Then there are the timeless Sportec wheel is 20 inch format with Movit brake units on both front and rear axles. The client wanting these wheels to have more room can request widened wheel arches from Sportec and suitably modified bumpers… an option which can be seen on our photos. However patience will be called for since the extra-wide option will not be available until after the salon in Geneva at the beginning of March.
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- All of this is controlled remotely with a choice of three drive modes… ‘Eco’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Sport’. ABS, traction control and fault diagnosis are not affected by this modification.
More oomph at the back
But there is one further enhancement which is already to be had, a Haldex performance kit. By replacing the electronic controls of the Haldex multi-plate clutch Sportec have compensated for the RS3 tendency to be front loaded and to understeer by giving more of the power output to the back axle. This means that as the car approaches its limits the inclination will be to oversteer. All of this is controlled remotely with a choice of three drive modes… ‘Eco’, ‘Standard’ and ‘Sport’. ABS, traction control and fault diagnosis are not affected by this modification.
Your opinion of the Sportec RS3?
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Well, just another pimped RS3!40%
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Cool! Sportec delivers the goods!40 %
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Performance for sure, but the Haldex unit is excellent!20 %
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