# First thoughts on my new TTRS



## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

So I've had the car for a couple of days now and have spent more time than is healthy lovingly detailing it in between a simply ridiculous number of thunderstorms. I dunno, we have none for months and then several in the space of a few hours, just to spite me.

So what do I think? On the whole - bloody hell what an absolutely stonking machine!

Looks-wise in the flesh and up close I really like it, makes the mk2 RS look a bit soft and - dare I say it - a little feminine. This incarnation is definitely a bit more butch, I think the front in particular is a big improvement with the wider grill combined with the bonnet lines and lower intakes looking particularly menacing.

Sound-wise... whey hey! Definitely more vocal than the mk2, the start-up lets you know it means business, sparking to life with an enthusiastic gurgle. Blip the throttle - particularly with the exhaust set to sport mode - and it rewards with an off-beat thrum, permutated with pops and bangs.

As anyone with a mk3 TT already knows, the interior is on the next level when compared to the mk2. Virtual cockpit aside, I love the little touches that move things on considerably with the feel-good factor and general upmarket feel. Things like the interior lighting that gently illuminates the door cards, foot well and central lower console, plus with the B&O speakers the upper curve of the door speakers glow. Then there's the reading lights that you just brush with your fingertips to operate and the pneumatic side bolsters in the seats. Oh - and the Audi rings door puddle lights - cute...?!

Virtual cockpit. Very well engineered, slick and intuitive - on the whole. I think it has lots of pros but a few cons as well - which may be just because I'm not used to it yet or I just don't know about features. Although it give me far more information than the DIS on my mk2, sometimes it seems a bit of a faff to get what you want quickly. I miss just the couple of buttons to scroll through information, such as quickly seeing your fuel economy, which you could do by feel alone. Maybe I'll get more adept at things in the mk3 as I grow more accustomed.

Confused at the way they've implemented the choice of layouts - I prefer the central tachometer/speedometer with the option of the smaller dials with larger map or central infotainment section - but you can't just have the traditional dials layout to choose as well, it's either the central one or traditional ones via a specific setting in the menus. Very odd and unintuitive - probably the result of design changes mid-way through it's development lifecycle most likely.

Still - I'm not fussed as the only one I need is the sporty version - love the way it angrily flashes red when you're about to hit the red line!

Not too interested in the Drive Select either if I'm honest. It hasn't taken me long to realise the only setting I need is "Individual" with everything set to dynamic. Why wouldn't you?!

Onto driving then. Again, an area that's another big step up from the mk2. It's now actually fun to drive slowly! Road-holding is phenomenal, turn is seems sharp, body roll is minimal, it feels so much more precise than the mk2 which had a tendency to wallow and want to push wide at times, even before you got near to actual under-steer. This one, to coin a cliche, feels like it's on rails.

The ride on the standard suspension (I don't think any coupes exist with mag ride?) is surprisingly compliant. Firm, but not overly so, in fact depending on the road surface it can seem slightly firmer than my mk2's "comfort" setting but also sometimes a bit softer; speed-bumps are now tolerable and don't dislodge my vertebrae. :lol:

Performance. Actually, pretty good. Damn fast actually, compared to the mk2 RS. Now I'm getting more accustomed to driving it I'm exploiting the performance more, it doesn't feel quite as down on my mapped mk2 as I initially thought. My APR'd TTRS felt faster, most notably in the mid-range pull, but not by a huge amount. Partly I think because of the throttle mapping, on the mk3 there seems to be a considerable amount of pedal travel before much actually happens. But it does happen, you just have to push a little further. The power delivery is way different also, with most of the ferocity happening mid to top end. In my previous TT it was pretty eager from very low revs in any gear with not a lot of turbo lag to speak of; turbo lag in the mk3 is definitely more apparent and i'm having to adapt my driving style a little. Hopefully a stage1 map once it is available will put this to rights.

Same goes for the gearbox too. There are improvements, but - and I never thought I'd say this - I prefer the behaviour of the box on my mk2, purely because it felt more responsive in manual mode. Gear selection in this seems a bit laid back, particularly on light throttle loads, with changes feeling slightly slurred and happening about a second after you click the button. And yes, I have everything in dynamic. Press foot to the floor and it does operate with a bit more haste, but I want it to change gear immediately I click the button; it keeps giving me the impression I'm being an annoyance and it's reluctantly doing it's job.

There are many plusses though - it seems to be less eager to interfere than before with what seems like a wider range of engine revs to use before it decides it really must intervene, and of course the long-overdue ability to slow to a crawl in 2nd gear and remain in 2nd and not be thrust unnecessarily into 1st. - another driving style adjustment required! :lol: Oh, and it's cool that you can press and hold the shift buttons and it will immediately jump to the highest or lowest gear permissible.

I'm a little confused by the auto stop-start feature. There's no place for this in an RS is my personal view (in fact I hate it no matter what) but it's really annoying that when it's deactivated it doesn't stay that way. Once or twice now I've turned it off and then for some reason it's turned itself back on again. No idea why. I'm also a little confused when stopping the car as sometimes I'll have forgotten to turn it off, come to a stop and put it in P and the engine will stop; other times it doesn't, so scratching my head on that one.

If anyone with more mk3 experience can clarify if it's possible to disable it permanently, that'd be marvellous!

Other little things I like are the fact the boot now has an actual button to open it, although I miss the button inside the door, plus the fuel cap being a manual push-click affair. Having said that I've found filling up a bit more of a faff and wish they'd not removed the inner cap, since I really struggled with the particular pump I used with the fuel filler nozzle clicking and cutting out with any more than the slightest squeeze of the handle, which I can usually resolve but gradually withdrawing the nozzle from the filler tube; it's much harder to do this now with the strongly sprung door.

I'm not so keen on how flimsy some things now seem - the spoiler is not as rigid as the mk2 and the body panels seem more flexible and less substantial than my mk2. Probably a good thing for weight saving but overall it feels a little less "solid" - ie open the bonnet and look at the gap in front of the driver's door, it's massive! Probably the same with the mk2, but you couldn't see all the way down inside the wing! Not really a gripe or annoyance, just something that "is".

So that's my initial thoughts, I wonder how they compare to others'?


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## mikef4uk (Jan 15, 2006)

Start/Stop thing, I can only compare it to our Golf GTD, If I press the deactivate button it stays deactivated until the next start up unless I change the driver mode which reinstates the start/stop, when activated it will only stop if I put the car in neutral and take my foot off the clutch.

A sales man collected us when we picked the GTD up in a DSG GTD, it stopped the engine every time the car stopped, in the space of 100m through a busy road it must have stopped about 10 times, very annoying!


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## ReTTro fit (Nov 9, 2014)

It can be deactivated with vcds

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

powerplay said:


> Not too interested in the Drive Select either if I'm honest. It hasn't taken me long to realise the only setting I need is "Individual" with everything set to dynamic. Why wouldn't you?!


Because thats exactly the same as just choosing the Dynamic drive select mode  Individual is for when you want a mixture.


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## GrantTTS (Mar 18, 2016)

Looks good, see you take it top my favourite spot for car photos maybe we should get a group of local Mk3 s up there for a shoot as the sun goes down. I know a photographer who would do it proud


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Rev said:


> powerplay said:
> 
> 
> > Not too interested in the Drive Select either if I'm honest. It hasn't taken me long to realise the only setting I need is "Individual" with everything set to dynamic. Why wouldn't you?!
> ...


Indeed. I need to experiment I think! The handbook doesn't really explain the actual differences. I can feel the steering tighten up in dynamic but tbh I can't tell any difference between comfort and dynamic for the Engine/gearbox options! What is it supposed to do?


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

powerplay said:


> Indeed. I need to experiment I think! The handbook doesn't really explain the actual differences. I can feel the steering tighten up in dynamic but tbh I can't tell any difference between comfort and dynamic for the Engine/gearbox options! What is it supposed to do?


The Auto setting for the steering is quite nice, if you haven't tried it yet. Its like comfort at low speeds and at higher speeds its more like dynamic.

Engine/gearbox: If you set it to dynamic, it'll put the gearbox in S when you use drive select to change to individual (eg if you're in comfort and change to individual, it'll change the gearbox to S). But it won't put it in S when you start the car. So mostly, this setting doesn't seem to do anything if you never change your drive select mode. I don't really know what "auto" means on this setting, since it doesn't seem to behave any differently to D, maybe its a subtle thing.

I think maybe the engine is a bit more responsive, like the throttle response, if you put engine/gearbox in dynamic, even if you're in D... but its hard to tell, again it must be pretty subtle if there is a difference.

TBH if you like the dynamic settings, you might as well just leave it in dynamic mode. The only reason I use individual is for the auto steering and auto suspension mode, I have everything else set to dynamic and never change it.

Apparently quattro in comfort mode is best in bad conditions like snow, since its more progressive/gentle/smooth, other than that dynamic is best IMO


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## tt3600 (Apr 8, 2006)

Manual mode sounds disappointing l thought it was snappier due to improvements.


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Tips I found.
When in Radio press the right button on the MMI and it brings up Treble, Bass, were you want the sound to be within the car , other settings also. 
But I found that you need to set these up also for media. So just a warning they can be set differently.

The overhead cabin lights, you press the glass for them to come on, but also if you keep pressing your finger on it, becomes a dimmer control. :wink:

Interior light pack. Also in the setting, forgot where, you can set all the lights to different levels to suit.

You can also set the * (star) button on the right on the steering wheel to bring a setting you like to have handy access to.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

tt3600 said:


> Manual mode sounds disappointing l thought it was snappier due to improvements.


Yes in all honesty it's the one thing that I'm a little disappointed with. Selecting Dynamic mode doesn't make it any snappier, there is a very obvious delay between selecting a gear and it actually changing, more so on upshift than downshift. I don't know why as it wasn't like it in my mk2.

There are so many good things about this car it's a real shame, Porsche's PDK is far superior. I just hope in time somewhere like MRC will offer some tweakage :lol:


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Nyxx said:


> Tips I found.
> When in Radio press the right button on the MMI and it brings up Treble, Bass, were you want the sound to be within the car , other settings also.
> But I found that you need to set these up also for media. So just a warning they can be set differently.
> 
> ...


Good tips! I've come across most of those, but not the dimming lights, will try that later this evening


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Some good thoughts there Mr Play.

I had the Mk2 and Mk3 RSs in the garage for a week or so and that close comparison in their looks confirmed more agressive looks of the Mk3; especially from the front but less so from the rear.

On sound, I've said before it's more vocal than the Mk2. Cold start gives that warm-up-the-cat-quickly rattle noise from the cat while on hot start there's the auto throttle blip to attract attention. I wonder if there's a way to get the exhaust to default to 'Sport' setting on start, rather than 'Standard'?

The interior is miles better and I have a similar opinion on the VC - good bits and frustrating bits. Once upon a time it was simple to twiddle the bass/treble knobs for the sound system. Now it's in the VC somewhere and since mine isn't a daily driver I forget where I found it previously and you can't search for it on the move. 
On the layout choice I prefer the classic layout with the large speedo/tacho. I agree it's odd that that you can't simply scroll through all the layouts in one place ie classic/sport/small dials.

I too moved from Mk2 RS with mag ride to Mk3 without MR; and that was after test driving one and being quite surprised at how supple and composed the sport suspension was, without being too soft and giving too much roll. 
Yes, the power delivery is different. Both cams have variable timing and there is variable lift on the exhaust valves hence the way it wakes up in the upper part of the rev band. 
The S-Tronic box in my first TT, some some 7 years ago, seemed simpler and less burdened with 'clever' stuff like changing down the gears to maintain the speed at which you lift off the throttle going down a hill. It's like some sort of nag mode. I'll have to check the laid back change in M, haven't really noticed that up till now but changed themselves are less snappy, more slurrred. Glad I was right about the crawl speed in 2nd though. 

Hmmm, stop/start. It defaults to ON at every start but you can disable it via VCDS. It's there just to meet emissions targets. If you use the foot brake at a stop you can choose whether or not it operates - light brake pressure, just enough to combat the creep, and it won't stop the engine: heavier pressure and it does.

I agree that the boot button is a useful change. Maybe its' me but quite often I seem to be pressing in slightly the wrong place and it won't open.

I also agree ref the apparent flimsyness of some parts of the car. A combination of weight and cost saving no doubt.

Tyres: mine came on Hankook tyres - in the dry they hang on at corners at least equal to my bravery or stupidity; I haven't tried that much in the wet. However they are disturbingly noisy, far more so than the Michelins that my Mk2 had from new. The noise is worse on wet roads and at one point I thought a wheel bearing was on the way out! Only on that very smoooooth tarmac do they go quiet. Not sure how long it will be before I ditch them for Michelin PS4S.

I usually find that after driving the car for a while it's a good idea to (at least try) to read the handbook for all the little options and functions that you've forgotten or not even noticed. You can also put the disc in the MMI so that the handbook is available in the VC.

Finally - who thought putting the fuse box behind the glove box was a good idea? Poking about with that is like doing key-hole surgery!


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

brittan said:


> Finally - who thought putting the fuse box behind the glove box was a good idea? Poking about with that is like doing key-hole surgery!


Yeah. Obviously designed by a gynocologist.


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## TFP (May 29, 2010)

powerplay said:


> tt3600 said:
> 
> 
> > Manual mode sounds disappointing l thought it was snappier due to improvements.
> ...


I'm guessing this is the real reason they closed the order books, along with the exhaust rattle on cold start up that the parts are on order for.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

TFP said:


> along with the exhaust rattle on cold start up that the parts are on order for.


From where does your cold start rattle appear to originate?

What parts are on order to fix it?


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Brittan,
The VC is a mind field in some ways, but like any tech the more you use it the easier it becomes.
Like bass,treble.
MMI wheel, when on radio or media press the button on the right + of it and all option are there, simply but very frustrating when you get lost for forget.
The one I forget is the option for satnav, took me ages to set a home address.


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

The few RS Audis I've heard have this, including the RS5 I park near every day. I've heard some people on forums comment they don't have it, but I've personally heard it enough to think it must be somewhat wide spread, and it definitely isn't a TT RS only thing. It sure sounds like the exhaust, but I've read it's further upstream too; the general consensus is it's cold start/emissions related. I wouldn't keep your hopes up it's on a short list to fix with it affecting multiple models over time.


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## TFP (May 29, 2010)

brittan said:


> TFP said:
> 
> 
> > along with the exhaust rattle on cold start up that the parts are on order for.
> ...


My local dealer has flaps on order, they say they're demonstrator is worse.

The noise sounds like it's coming from the front end of the exhaust to me.

The salesman who sold me the car said it was normal.

So I asked him if he thought Audi sport would have designed it to make this noise?


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Hmmm - I was just going to ask about an exhaust rattle... seems I have one!

Rattle on startup seems to come from offside somewhere, also audible as a fainter noise on acceleration when driving.

I take it this is common - do I need to go to my local Audi to get it sorted?


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## TFP (May 29, 2010)

powerplay said:


> Hmmm - I was just going to ask about an exhaust rattle... seems I have one!
> 
> Rattle on startup seems to come from offside somewhere, also audible as a fainter noise on acceleration when driving.
> 
> I take it this is common - do I need to go to my local Audi to get it sorted?


You most certainly do, even if it's just logged as a fault/complaint.

When they do release the car again for sale they may have modified it to eliminate the rattle.

You don't want to be stuck with a car that rattles when the new ones don't.


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## Alex_S (Sep 4, 2011)

powerplay said:


> Hmmm - I was just going to ask about an exhaust rattle... seems I have one!
> 
> Rattle on startup seems to come from offside somewhere, also audible as a fainter noise on acceleration when driving.
> 
> I take it this is common - do I need to go to my local Audi to get it sorted?


Mine also has the cold start rattle and when driving in Standard mode between 1500-2500 rpm. In sports mode its fine. Its booked in with Audi next week.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Just a general question - and if anyone has done it perhaps you could let me know - what's the process for me, as the new owner of a 5 month old vehicle, to transfer and make use of the existing warranty?

Also, is the Audi Roadside Assistance transferred with it too or is this done seperately?

TIA!


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

The warranty is attached to the car so you should be able to use it straight away. Check with dealer or Audi CS.

On the exhaust rattle at cold start: Check for the noise coming from the area of the catalytic converter at the back of the engine. Raise bonnet, start the car from cold and you then have 30 seconds to lean over the engine and listen to the cat. The rattle should stop after the 30 secs at the same time as the fast idle speed starts to reduce.

TFP: Your dealer doesn't have flaps on order. The flaps are not separately replaceable and come with the rear 60% or so of the exhaust system.

More: I noticed the cold start rattle straight away on mine. I checked and the noise came from the LH flap; there was play in the spindle. Dealer checked and the rear part of the exhaust was changed. The car was warm when I collected it but on the next cold start the noise was still there. Exhaust was replaced a second time and the noise was still there at cold start.

I did further checks, getting under the car and listening to the engine at cold starts. The flaps were fine, the noise came from the cat area. The dealer demo car made the same noise at cold start. 
Some research found that many Audi engines make a similar noise on cold start. The noise is a product of the strategy used to bring the cat up to working temperature more quickly. The engine is over fuelled and extra air is injected into the exhaust ports by the Secondary Air Injection System. When the extra fuel and extra air meet there is a secondary burn and that heats up the cat and causes the rattle noise.

Our 5 cylinder engine does not have Secondary Air Injection. Audi are phasing out that system. On ours, a combination of extra fuel being injected and a change in cam timing conspire to create the condition for a secondary burn in the cat. 
I suspect that the exhaust cam timing is altered such that the valves open early, while cylinder combustion is still in progress but I have yet to confirm that point.

To sum up: 
1. If the exhaust flaps rattle, get it to the dealer to fix.
2. If the noise comes from the catalytic converter area, it's normal, its' supposed to do that - even, "It's a characteristic of the car, Sir."


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Alex_S said:


> Mine also has the cold start rattle and when driving in Standard mode between 1500-2500 rpm. In sports mode its fine. Its booked in with Audi next week.


On my first exhaust system which did have the flap rattle, I could make it happen with the car at rest by revving to just over 2000rpm and then lifting off.


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## Drof (May 30, 2017)

Question regarding the transmission

Whats the procedure for dropping to the lowest available gear? do you press the throttle down past the kickdown then pull the downshift paddle and it skips to the lowest? do you hold the paddle until it downshifts to the lowest gear?


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Drof said:


> Question regarding the transmission
> 
> Whats the procedure for dropping to the lowest available gear? do you press the throttle down past the kickdown then pull the downshift paddle and it skips to the lowest? do you hold the paddle until it downshifts to the lowest gear?


You just click and hold the paddle, it will then shift straight to the lowest possible gear.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

brittan said:


> The warranty is attached to the car so you should be able to use it straight away. Check with dealer or Audi CS.
> 
> On the exhaust rattle at cold start:
> .
> ...


Very detailed, thanks for that.


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

TT-RS 8s tune is available. Stage1 at 511hp / 650nm. Good luck 

https://www.facebook.com/vagtechniek/vi ... 784819284/


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Joerek said:


> TT-RS 8s tune is available. Stage1 at 511hp / 650nm. Good luck
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/vagtechniek/vi ... 784819284/


That says stage2, no cat :?


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## Koimlg (Dec 1, 2016)

I love it, warts and all...
8)


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

Eeuh, thats what I've meant 
But anyway, it's available


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Joerek said:


> Eeuh, thats what I've meant
> But anyway, it's available


I got quite excited for a moment at the thought of 500+hp for next to nothing lol


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## Joerek (Oct 24, 2008)

Same way to tune the mk2. Remove the cat stuff from the downpipe and an easy tune gets you 25-30% more power


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I've decided I want to experiment fitting some spacers to bring the wheels out further, hopefully that will improve the look of the wheels a little. Thinking 15-20mm rear and 5-10mm front.

Never done this before (never needed to) so can anyone recommend what to buy and do I need to also get new longer bolts? Are there any factors that affect what can and can't be done - within reason?


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Use hub centric spacers which retain the centre spigot and 10mm spacers need 10mm longer bolts etc.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

On the Mk2, 10mm on the rear was about the max, above that and there was some tyre rubbing.


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## datamonkey (Jan 23, 2012)

powerplay said:


> I've decided I want to experiment fitting some spacers to bring the wheels out further, hopefully that will improve the look of the wheels a little. Thinking 15-20mm rear and 5-10mm front.
> 
> Never done this before (never needed to) so can anyone recommend what to buy and do I need to also get new longer bolts? Are there any factors that affect what can and can't be done - within reason?


Remember the bigger the spacer the bigger your scrub radius, the more load you put on bearings plus can negatively effect suspension geometry.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Understood, thanks for the info.

Looking at the rears it would "visually appear" there wouldn't be any rubbing if they were 15mm further out but 10mm would be ok.

Regarding scrub radius, I wasn't familiar with this so have had a Google :lol:

Would even 5mm have a negative effect and is this only relevant to the front, ie, just doing the rear would be ok?


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## datamonkey (Jan 23, 2012)

powerplay said:


> Understood, thanks for the info.
> 
> Looking at the rears it would "visually appear" there wouldn't be any rubbing if they were 15mm further out but 10mm would be ok.
> 
> ...


In all honesty it's hard to say but just 5mm at the rear would have less effect than 20mm/10mm, rear/front.

Remember though that while we don't like the stance Audi have given the car, it's been designed exactly that way for their reasons and so as it is, it's the best balance with everything taken into consideration - steering stability, suspension, fender clearance, spring rate, load balance, tyre wear etc...

When you move the wheels in or out, they take on different characteristics.


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

All you need is a killer set of wheels. Then enjoy the best TT you can buy 
Something like this would be stunning


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## jhoneyman (Aug 8, 2012)

Nyxx said:


> All you need is a killer set of wheels. Then enjoy the best TT you can buy
> Something like this would be stunning


Look like OEM MK1 votex wheels


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Agreed, however if I do change the wheels I will be sticking with oem.

So I need to find some other Audi wheels that I a) like b) fit and c) match the existing offset, otherwise I'll have the same potential scrub radius issues.

Criteria is really anything in 19 or 20 (prefer 20) that are 5-arm...

In the meantime I've just ordered an official Rosstech VCDS kit so I can have a proper play :lol:


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## psglas (Dec 16, 2016)

I've swapped my wheels with four OEM fronts from an R8. 19 inch, 8.5J rather than 9J but similar offset.


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## psglas (Dec 16, 2016)




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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

psglas said:


> I've swapped my wheels with four OEM fronts from an R8. 19 inch, 8.5J rather than 9J but similar offset


Yes, there's more inside clearance and they sit 4mm further out. Not that I've been looking at the same wheels . . . no, definitely not, no :roll:


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

They look great on the RS


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

I've been looking for the OEM wheel info, thank you so much for this! Do you happen to have the 20" info as well?


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

psglas said:


> I've swapped my wheels with four OEM fronts from an R8. 19 inch, 8.5J rather than 9J but similar offset.


That looks wonderful, shot PM asking for more pictures/higher resolution, you've tempted me to go the same direction. Just curious to see what the fitment looks like from different angles/up close/more clear pictures in general.

What size tires did you use, the 245x35r-19 or did you go to 255s?


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## psglas (Dec 16, 2016)

I went with the standard 245/35/19 tyres but switched to Goodyear Eagle F1s rather than the Hankooks. I've used the F1s on my RS4 for years and read they were also recommended for the TT.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I've just noticed I have a bit of plastic trim sticking up below the windscreen on the passenger side. I can push it flush but it doesn't stay flush.

Any idea why this would be and how to fix?


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

Mine is perfectly flush all the way across.

Maybe there's some stress in the plastic part along its length causing it to bulge out. You could try finding the fasteners, loosen them off push it flush and then do up the fasteners.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Ok relief, have sorted it. Was easier to do with bonnet up, prised it off at one end then pushed it back down, needed a bit of a thump but that fixed it!


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

Good, nice easy fix


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Well I've had a chance to load some tunes on an SD card and get a feel for the B&O.

It's a good bit of kit, sounding powerful and clean at decent volumes. I've got the focus on front, the spatial thingy at about 20% and the balance/fader central.

Bass it good and tight but, and here's there surprise, has not got quite as good low-end as the Bose in my previous TT 

Using my reference track Lil John Get low, the majority of bass transients are lost. A good system can twiddle your insides but there's not a lot going on here unfortunately.

Still, it would be lost once on the move anyway so no big deal - but a proper sub is most definitely needed for the 600 asking price imho :?


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

powerplay said:


> Well I've had a chance to load some tunes on an SD card and get a feel for the B&O.
> 
> It's a good bit of kit, sounding powerful and clean at decent volumes. I've got the focus on front, the spatial thingy at about 20% and the balance/fader central.
> 
> ...


At the end of the day, physics wins. Those little dual coil woofers do a remarkable job for what they are, but you need at least an 8" cone, if not 10" to get good bass. It's unfortunate they didn't find a place to put that without impacting interior storage room dramatically. The good news being this is an RS, so there's a solution to the problem under the right foot.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I bought the Rosstech VCDS kit recently and after playing around with stuff I've set the high-level light to be on permanently with the DRLs at 4% brightness.

Is it a yay or nay?


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

Nay, not a fan of the look. Also think the stock function is better for other-car-awareness which is more important than anything anymore with the number of goobers on the road tailgating while texting. Having it cycle from off to on seems a little bit more jarring. All personal opinion though!

I do like how your car looks, I'm normally not a fan of white, but that looks great on the TT RS.


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## TerryCTR (Nov 12, 2009)

+1 better off and functioning as intended


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## Omychron (Sep 9, 2016)

I activated the light on mine too.
I quite like it.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

I looked at changing that too but decided to leave it purely as the third brake light.

I like how it looks but think it's better to have it illuminate only on braking.


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## bainsyboy (Dec 5, 2004)

Looks good, but as others have said too many idiot drivers texting whilst driving that might not realise that you have come to stand as light has been on all the time they have been following you


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I think this is something I might revert then.

Was surprised at how bright it is even at just 4% - gets a whole lot brighter when you actually brake!


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## R_TTS (Mar 16, 2016)

I'd hold back on that look till Decemeber, then you could put some tinsel round your spoiler too.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

R_TTS said:


> I'd hold back on that look till Decemeber, then you could put some tinsel round your spoiler too.


What a cool idea :lol:

Or I could do it to coincide with the shops' start of xmas at the beginning of October


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## TerryCTR (Nov 12, 2009)

If you can make the leds flash independently a la Christmas tree style you could be onto a winner :lol:


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

TerryCTR said:


> If you can make the leds flash independently a la Christmas tree style you could be onto a winner :lol:


All the cool kids have it setup Knight Rider style:










Or perhaps cylon style:


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Audi definitely missed a trick there...


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## Drof (May 30, 2017)

Question regarding the launch control

I know you have to be in dynamic. For the traction control does it just have to have the TC off/sport (one press of the button) or does the whole ESC have to be off (hold the button until everything is turned off)

Also can you engage launch control in manual mode? or do you have to be in sport?


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## Rev (Nov 17, 2015)

Drof said:


> Question regarding the launch control
> 
> I know you have to be in dynamic. For the traction control does it just have to have the TC off/sport (one press of the button) or does the whole ESC have to be off (hold the button until everything is turned off)
> 
> Also can you engage launch control in manual mode? or do you have to be in sport?


Traction control: just one press of the button, don't need to hold it down.

I don't think you have to be in dynamic, just sport on the gearbox, pretty sure I've done it in individual mode.

Haven't tried it in manual but I guess it'll work.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

It's fine to be in either Sport or Manual mode.


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

Hi powerplay.

Could I please ask you what are your thoughts are with regards to the handling of your TTRS without the Mag Ride?

Any feed back would be much appreciated.

Cheers Robbie.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

ROBH49 said:


> Hi powerplay.
> 
> Could I please ask you what are your thoughts are with regards to the handling of your TTRS without the Mag Ride?
> 
> ...


Obviously I can't make any comparison to a TTRS with magride, all I can compare to is the mk2 RS with magride - where I'd say this one feels a whole lot more tighter, steering feels more direct and the car turns much more sharply, with far less tendency to push wide when cornering at speed. Ride quality seems overall to be very good, things like speed-bumps feel a lot firmer and more stable but more general road imperfections seem to be damped as good as, if not better than my mk2.


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

powerplay said:


> ROBH49 said:
> 
> 
> > Hi powerplay.
> ...


Thanks very much for your input its much appreciated, my MK2 TTRS Plus didn`t have the Mag Ride but my MK3 TTS has it and I was just wanting your opinion on the MK3 TTRS without it.

So things look to be fine, so happy days, I will post my comparisons re TTS with and TTRS without after I pick the car up on Saturday. :wink:

Cheers Robbie.


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

ROBH49 said:


> powerplay said:
> 
> 
> > ROBH49 said:
> ...


Looking forward to this, as we don't have the TTRS but do have TTS here and this we've only test driven the latter.


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

So picked the car up on Saturday afternoon, first impressions where oh my god this thing looks so menacing and aggressive.
Then when I sat in it for the first time and started the engine up in the post delivery room, all`s I can say is I fell in love right there and then.

The sound this thing makes is just on another level, when compared to my MK2 TTRS Plus and the MK3 TTS its just sublime.

So now to the point in hand no Mag Ride ( NO WORRIES) this car is buy far better at handling the twisty`s than the TTS its just so much more planted and direct, turn in is on point with not much body roll at all if I`m being honest. The suspension doesn`t feel anywhere near as hard or as thud laden as the TTS even when the TTS`s suspension was set to the comfort setting which it was at all times while I owned the car.

So over all one very happy man,  I just hope that Audi have got the Mag Ride right on the new TTRS for those people who will order it when the books open, but for me I won`t be missing it any time soon and nor will my back. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Sounds like you're giddy with excitement.

Would be interesting to read your thoughts on how it compares to your previous mk2 RS - better, worse etc, and how anything may have been improved or not mk3-wise compared to your TTS.

Oh, and pics


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

powerplay said:


> Sounds like you're giddy with excitement.
> 
> Would be interesting to read your thoughts on how it compares to your previous mk2 RS - better, worse etc, and how anything may have been improved or not mk3-wise compared to your TTS.
> 
> Oh, and pics


Hi Powerplay.

Will do as soon as I can get some time, right up the wall at work at present other team member off on holiday for three weeks and all that. [smiley=bigcry.gif]


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## leopard (May 1, 2015)

I've somehow missed the latest on this thread,congrats ROB and nice first impressions 8)


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

leopard said:


> I've somehow missed the latest on this thread,congrats ROB and nice first impressions 8)


Thanks Leopard much appreciated.

This car for me I can honestly say hand on heart is the best I`ve ever owned, far superior to the MK2 in every way possible and a massive step up from the MK3 TTS and that's saying something as that car was FAB.

Mag Ride on the TTS was a little hard when set to comfort but the RS specific Suspension on this car for me is a winner, Audi in my eyes have got this just right. I will go and test drive a MK3 TTRS with it when they appear just to compare like for like.

The only thing I will say about the MK3 that I`m finding hard getting use to is excelorator travel, you need to push it down quite far before it kicks you in the head, no such problems with the MK2 or MK3 TTS which where instantaneous.

I must say thou when it does kick down this thing is F**K**G fast,  the fastest car I have ever owned and the noise it makes is addictive. Don`t think I`ll have my licence very long lets put it that way. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Just wanted to add this even thou its not relevant the car returned 41mpg on the trip back from Norwich this was at motorway speeds 70mph and 50mph in some areas where average speed cameras are present. I only got 38.5mpg on the way down in the TTS go figure.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

ROBH49 said:


> This car for me I can honestly say hand on heart is the best I`ve ever owned, far superior to the MK2 in every way possible and a massive step up from the MK3 TTS and that's saying something as that car was FAB.
> 
> Mag Ride on the TTS was a little hard when set to comfort but the RS specific Suspension on this car for me is a winner, Audi in my eyes have got this just right. I will go and test drive a MK3 TTRS with it when they appear just to compare like for like.
> 
> ...


I noticed the same thing re accelerator travel too.

At first I was driving it like my old mk2 RS where you only needed a small dab to get quite a bit of performance and in comparison I initially thought the mk3 RS felt a bit lifeless and unresponsive. It's not until experimenting further you find that the bulk of the power is in the top 25% of throttle travel. The power is there, you just have to want it more!

Hopefully when the opportunity arises to get it mapped that's something that can be addressed.

Tbh I've not noticed anything different about the throttle, or gear changes, regardless of which "mode" you have it in, comfort or dynamic, throttle response is pretty lack lustre and gear changes slow - unless throttle pressed reasonably hard in which case upshifts are fine, but they seem unaffected by drive select; it all seems pretty pointless to me I just leave it in Dynamic, for all the good it does :lol:


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

Hi Powerplay.

I totally agree with all your above comments, i haven`t spent a lot of time going through all the drive select modes apart from individual which i have set up the same as i had it on the TTS, apart from the suspension setting which you don`t get without Mag Ride.

More time required behind the wheel and lots of tests with different modes and the manual gear leavers on the steering wheel forth coming me thinks. Its quite a nice predicament i find myself in, as i feel very lucky to be the proud owner of one, i`m still pinching myself, looking back when i park her up and saying to myself is that my car (HELL YEAH).

Anybody who orders one won`t be disappoint that`s for sure, what a fantastic machine with an awesome sound track, enough said just my honest opinion. [smiley=drummer.gif]


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## tt3600 (Apr 8, 2006)

So in comfort is the ride on the RS better than the TTS as i'm thinking of speccing it on the RS?


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## migzy (Apr 17, 2007)

get yaself odbeleven for android phone and enable disable a load of features.

few thread on it,

ta

migzy


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

tt3600 said:


> So in comfort is the ride on the RS better than the TTS as i'm thinking of speccing it on the RS?


Speccing what?

Assume you mean Magride - no coupe in the UK has it as far as I'm aware.

The ride on normal suspension with 20" wheels is as good as, if not better than the mk2, but I couldn't comment on how it compares to a mk3 TTS - better though is what I've read.


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## TerryCTR (Nov 12, 2009)

Not the same brand but my M135 had the passive suspension and ignoring the fact the M235 had a stiffer chassis I opted for the adaptive suspension. The passive was softer than the comfort setting in the 235 but as a result it didn't work as well when caning it down a B road.

I think the mag ride on my TTS is firmer but still more than acceptable and if I was speccing an RS I would now include mag ride


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

In the US spec cars, it is a PAID option to ditch the magride in favour of the standard sports suspension - so what does this do for the "value" of the magride suspension? :lol:


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## ormandj (Mar 27, 2017)

powerplay said:


> In the US spec cars, it is a PAID option to ditch the magride in favour of the standard sports suspension - so what does this do for the "value" of the magride suspension? :lol:


It's paid ($$$) because the carbon ceramic brakes are included, along with the other stuff (like direct TPMS/etc). It's the "track" package essentially, supposedly the fixed suspension is well matched to track use. I would have liked some of the options in that package, but specifically avoided it due to the inclusion of the fixed suspension, which I did not want on a DD with the road conditions that exist in rural areas in the states.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

for anyone who might be wondering - I've now finally had the chance to drive my RS as nature intended and not stuck in the workday commute.

Once you get used to the throttle mapping it is every bit as quick as my APR stage1 mk2 RS.

Just sayin'


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## willsavage (Jun 14, 2017)

powerplay said:


> for anyone who might be wondering - I've now finally had the chance to drive my RS as nature intended and not stuck in the workday commute.
> 
> Once you get used to the throttle mapping it is every bit as quick as my APR stage1 mk2 RS.
> 
> Just sayin'


just asking the dealer to see if they have one i can drive when i go to collect my new car. ive driven the mk2 before around a track and the old R8 (v8 version) so what to know how it compares


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## Nyxx (May 1, 2012)

powerplay said:


> for anyone who might be wondering - I've now finally had the chance to drive my RS as nature intended and not stuck in the workday commute.
> 
> Once you get used to the throttle mapping it is every bit as quick as my APR stage1 mk2 RS.
> 
> Just sayin'


 :lol: 
Well after all your fears it's good to hear, happy for you.


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## Koimlg (Dec 1, 2016)

ROBH49 said:


> leopard said:
> 
> 
> > I've somehow missed the latest on this thread,congrats ROB and nice first impressions 8)
> ...


Nice to hear people are realising just how good this car is 8)


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Koimlg said:


> Nice to hear people are realising just how good this car is 8)


Getting used to it more now and yes it really is a very good bit of kit, minor annoyances etc not withstanding; for 55-65k in value I should bloody hope so too 

Now that I'm learning how it handles and how to push it I must say I am surprised, particularly being a long-time previous gen owner, how utterly two-faced and contradictory the motoring press is.

The car actually handles and drives so much better than the mk2 TTRS it's like a 911 compared to a mk2 TT. Yet in certainly many of the reviews I've seen that go "head to head" they almost seem to go out of their way to play down its actual strengths. You really have to take many "professional" opinions with a pinch of salt :lol:

Oh and my RS is booked in soon to have a new exhaust fitted under warranty to fix the bag of bolts rattling - Koimlg how is yours holding up I wonder?


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## TFP (May 29, 2010)

powerplay said:


> Oh and my RS is booked in soon to have a new exhaust fitted under warranty to fix the bag of bolts rattling - Koimlg how is yours holding up I wonder?


My dealer says they are awaiting parts, can you keep us updated with how it goes please.

Interesting that I started the car up the other day when the weather was really hot and it didn't make the noise.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

TFP said:


> My dealer says they are awaiting parts, can you keep us updated with how it goes please.
> 
> Interesting that I started the car up the other day when the weather was really hot and it didn't make the noise.


If the car makes the rattle noise on cold start and it lasts for 30 seconds, then that would seem like the noise created by the cat heating strategy.

See my thread: viewtopic.php?f=98&t=1473938&hilit=exhaust

A very similar rattle can come from one of the exhaust flaps so it's important to differentiate between them. Flap rattle needs a new back box; the cat rattle just needs putting up with.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

brittan said:


> TFP said:
> 
> 
> > My dealer says they are awaiting parts, can you keep us updated with how it goes please.
> ...


Yeah I think my exhaust rattle drowns out any other rattle there might be :lol:

In fact it gets worse the hotter it gets, was doing some spirited driving a couple of days ago and after things calmed down I noticed it was rattling under light acceleration around 1.5-2.5krpm regardless of valve open/closed setting.


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## Koimlg (Dec 1, 2016)

powerplay said:



> Koimlg said:
> 
> 
> > Nice to hear people are realising just how good this car is 8)
> ...


Hi
I guess I have been lucky as not had any noticeable rattle from the exhaust. Do get an occasional buzzy rattle from the dashboard area but then it disappears next time I drive it. Generally been great


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## psglas (Dec 16, 2016)

I've had a new backbox fitted under warranty a couple of weeks ago and the rattle isn't as bad but still noticeable. You can hear it at 1500rpm even after the startup period. The dealer has sent the old one back to the factory for testing. Just waiting to find out what happens next.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I don't see why it has to be rocket science. On fast-idle I can stop the rattle by just placing my finger on the valve spindle under the rear left exhaust.

Maybe a bit of blue-tack will fix it :lol:


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

powerplay said:


> I don't see why it has to be rocket science. On fast-idle I can stop the rattle by just placing my finger on the valve spindle under the rear left exhaust.
> 
> Maybe a bit of blue-tack will fix it :lol:


A bit of *weld*-tack could fix the flaps permanently in the open position. 8)


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

So a couple of observations.

After 500 miles I can now say with confidence that the mk3 RS seems to enjoy visiting the pumps more frequently than my mk2 RS did.

And I've been driving conservatively for the most part lately too!

The long-term average is 24.9mpg, but that's also with a corresponding average speed of 16.5mph. Thanks, school-run traffic :roll:

Something else I definitely find different to the mk2 is engine braking. Lifting off the throttle doesn't seem to give any where near as much deceleration as I'm used to in the mk2, in fact sometimes lifting off feels more like coasting than engine braking.

Any other ex-mk2 owners agree?


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## tt3600 (Apr 8, 2006)

Is that because of comfort mode?

Also tank is 5l smaller


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

tt3600 said:


> Is that because of comfort mode?
> 
> Also tank is 5l smaller


I have it generally in either dynamic, or individual with engine/gearbox & steering in dynamic and engine sound/haldex in comfort. Not had it in comfort or auto for more than a few minutes I don't think!

I never tank it, at least not unless planning a 200+ mile journey, always fill up when about <40 miles range remaining and put about 30l in at a time - no point dragging around extra weight if I don't have to 

Same in previous RS, so all being equal I'd estimate I'm seeing 2-3mpg less.

Sound alone is worth it though :lol:


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

I`m finding that my MK3 TTRS is slightly better on juice than my MK3 TTS  and even the MK2 TTRS plus doing the same journey everyday at roughly the same speeds.

The MK3 TTS would return around 28/29 mpg the MK2 TTRS plus would return 30/31 mpg and the MK3 TTRS will return 31/32 mpg this is a mixture of 30 limits 50 limits and 70 limits on the duel carriageway on a 6.5 mile commute each way.

Like Powerplay has stated the MK3 TTRS sounds a lot better than the latter two. :wink: :wink:


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

I had a mk2 TTS which returned consistently worse mpg than both my mk2 and mk3 RS :lol:


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

I must say thou Powerplay I`m still getting use to the accelerator travel on my RS, there's so much of it and then all of a sudden your dead. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

Sometimes it requires losing something to realise how good it was :lol:


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## ROBH49 (Jun 13, 2013)

powerplay said:


> Sometimes it requires losing something to realise how good it was :lol:


I know right, what an awesome machine so glad I made the jump when I did don`t think I could have waited another 6 to 8 months. :wink:

Then there would have been that stupid TAX hike as well to much for me to swallow if I`m being honest.


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## brittan (May 18, 2007)

powerplay said:


> So a couple of observations.
> 
> After 500 miles I can now say with confidence that the mk3 RS seems to enjoy visiting the pumps more frequently than my mk2 RS did.
> 
> ...


After 6 months or so I have the opposite opinion on fuel consumption with the Mk3 being noticeably more frugal than the Mk2. My long term average is 32 and on a long (250 miles) mainly M/Way journey and not going over 7? mph it will return 39mpg. I don't use it for commuting and it's never been in a school run. Note that my Mk2 was manual and so lacked the longer 7th gear.

I briefly tried 'coasting' this morning, lifting off at 40mph on a level road and noted that the revs only seemed to fall relevant to the fall in speed. If there was a coast mode I would expect the revs to drop to idle. Does the Eco mode on other models let them coast?

I'll try to remember to test this again in S&M.


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## powerplay (Feb 8, 2008)

My main experience with the mk3 so far is about 95% commuting, 4-5 mile congested journeys hence my 500-mile 16.5mph average speed (would be considerably faster to have cycled :lol: )

It seems to "coast" more when speeds are low such as when lifted off and slowing in 2nd - although I haven't analysed in detail, just more casual observation.

For example in my mk2 after reversing out of my driveway of a morning I would turn out of my road and accelerate gently just enough to get into 3rd gear (2000rpm) and then lift off, the momentum/engine braking would see the car slow enough to the next T-junction, about 150m, that I barely had to touch the brake; the exact same style of driving in the mk3, after lifting off the car's speed doesn't drop as fast and I always have to brake, which is a noticeable difference between the two cars.


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