To elaborate, the new wheels were nearly half the weight of the stock S-line 18" my car came with. This and the better brakes dropped rotational mass probably 30% and unsprung mass around 15%.
Some work on my A3
- Thread starter ddrueding
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To elaborate, the new wheels were nearly half the weight of the stock S-line 18" my car came with. This and the better brakes dropped rotational mass probably 30% and unsprung mass around 15%.
Stereodude
Not really a
You've got an A3, clearly the question wasn't directed to you.
I was assuming an oversight 
And I suspect your car came with the same wheels (potentially slightly wider).
And I suspect your car came with the same wheels (potentially slightly wider).
My Forgestar wheels are going to good use while the new one is built....
Still driving it, still awesome. Though with the bigger turbo the power doesn't really come on until the speed is....uncomfortable.
(not warmed up, poor surface, usual excuses)
The car feels much faster than that, but there was wheelspin to about 35mph (all 4; was slipping down the crown of the road a bit).
Got the CEL fixed, but it still won't pass the "visual inspection", or the fact that the 2nd O2 sensor is bypassed, or some other stuff. Kinda gave up on that. I'll just drive it until they either take it from me or make the penalties too significant.
Currently 120,000 miles, and doing pretty well. Hoping it holds out at least until the Model 3 gets delivered (another 6 months? I am near the front of the line). At that point we can sell the wife's 2013 allroad and this thing, then I'll get something else. Perhaps I'll rinse and repeat with a Golf R, but I am looking at a Kia Stinger GT.
Got the CEL fixed, but it still won't pass the "visual inspection", or the fact that the 2nd O2 sensor is bypassed, or some other stuff. Kinda gave up on that. I'll just drive it until they either take it from me or make the penalties too significant.
Currently 120,000 miles, and doing pretty well. Hoping it holds out at least until the Model 3 gets delivered (another 6 months? I am near the front of the line). At that point we can sell the wife's 2013 allroad and this thing, then I'll get something else. Perhaps I'll rinse and repeat with a Golf R, but I am looking at a Kia Stinger GT.
Do they actually inspect the car for a CA emissions test? Perhaps take it to an 'authorized testing facility' and grease the tech?!? Here in AZ they simply plug into the OBDII port and ensure all the readiness monitors are set and that there are no error codes. Then they connect a hose to the gas cap to check it's function. If all the monitors are set + no error codes + working gas cap = emissions pass. You could be pumping tons of crap out the tail pipe and they don't check or care. Just pay the $17 fee and GTFO. Fee was $27 last time, I was surprised they actually lowered the fee. Two year registration fee for my 2002 car was $35.
$115 for 2 years rego on the 5500 lb truck here.
Maybe you could reach out to Jehu Garcia and see if he could fabricate you a battery setup to go with that. He converted a VW bus to EV.
Yup, I watch him. The shop I've been looking at seems to work with him.
Still working on convincing the Mrs, but it is looking good so far. At the moment I'm just wondering if the controller supports dual-motor operation; the suspension/chassis seems to have room for one front and rear. As far as battery goes, there is certainly enough room to add what I'd like. I'm just tempted to keep the capacity/weight a bit lower for a sportier ride. At that point the question is how many batteries do I need to be able to feed the full draw of the motor(s) without damaging them or causing a voltage sag.
Battery module here, considering 5-10 of them.
Battery module here, considering 5-10 of them.
I can see this as being an interesting a fun project but given the possible financial cost I wonder if it makes sense vs getting a used EV vehicle? I realize there are a lot of factors in qualifying the value in doing this, many of which only you can answer. The parts you've mentioned alone might be in the $19K -> $26.5K range before having custom integration work done. Is that $5-$10K amount of work?
From a safety perspective I find it difficult to answer how retrofitting electric drive and the large quantity of potential energy into a car not initially designed to manage that environment in a crash situation would leave me concerned.
From a safety perspective I find it difficult to answer how retrofitting electric drive and the large quantity of potential energy into a car not initially designed to manage that environment in a crash situation would leave me concerned.
Is that a track day car? It's not so great to daily drive a custom vehicle that is not street legal or safe.
Check with your insurer.
For parts it looks like about $20k, the labor is a bit of a question. I'm fortunate enough to have friends who are retired professional fabricators and race car engineers, who have the facilities, tools, and skills to do that part of the job well and for beer money. The electrical is pretty straightforward, as all this has been done many times before and is well documented. The big questions are around the brakes and HVAC. Brakes are currently vacuum assisted and will need some figuring out. Heat and AC are an open question.
With just a single power unit it will only be a 15-20% increase over current power levels, and the total weight and distribution won't be too far from what it is now. Of course, fast car crashes hurt more than slow ones, but that is a different discussion.
Legal? The only thing CA cares about is windows, blinkers, registration, and emissions. Starting with a legal car and making it emit nothing will keep them off my back.
Insurance? Quite possibly more, possibly make it be liability only, but I'm OK with that.
With just a single power unit it will only be a 15-20% increase over current power levels, and the total weight and distribution won't be too far from what it is now. Of course, fast car crashes hurt more than slow ones, but that is a different discussion.
Legal? The only thing CA cares about is windows, blinkers, registration, and emissions. Starting with a legal car and making it emit nothing will keep them off my back.
Insurance? Quite possibly more, possibly make it be liability only, but I'm OK with that.
Whelp, the A3 was cited for no reg (can't be registered in CA). I've now registered for non-operation, and it is for sale if anyone is interested.
New car is a '16 VW GTI Autobahn with DSG and an APR Stage 1 ECU and TCU tune.
Yes, all this happened today.
New car is a '16 VW GTI Autobahn with DSG and an APR Stage 1 ECU and TCU tune.
Yes, all this happened today.
I don't imagine I'm the only one that always does a bit of research and has the options front of mind. For the last few months the car hasn't been registered, so I knew it would be time soon. The three options I had on my short list were a lightly-used 2017 S3 for $41k, a moderately used 2015 Golf R for $$33k, or this one. I gave up the all-wheel-drive, but only spend $24k. I then drove straight to the local APR shop and had the car flashed before I went home.
I'll take out the Racelogic gear this afternoon, but I can already tell that it is faster than the A3 above about 50mph, but FWD traction issues make it not so good off the line.
I'll take out the Racelogic gear this afternoon, but I can already tell that it is faster than the A3 above about 50mph, but FWD traction issues make it not so good off the line.