[BillTheButcher]

Sorry to post this on an RS3 forum...

 

IMO the 8P RS3 is a great car - fast, stealthy, practical - but I've always wanted a B7 RS4 and I think I might regret it if I don't own one, at least for a while. It looks like you can get a decent one for sub-£20k at the moment so it seems like a good time to change.

 

Has anyone made this change? Did you regret it? Was there anything you missed about the RS3?

[T-800]

I had a B8 RS4 for 3 weeks last year while mine was in at Audi.......
At first I wasn't really keen on it, power delivery is totally different to the RS3, interior felt like it was due an update, brakes squealed horrendously.
As the days went by though I actually grew to like it, which surprised me a little
Once I got the 3 back though I was reminded of how instant the power delivery is and how much quicker the 3 is by comparison.

[BillTheButcher]

Yes, I drove a standard B7 RS4 a while ago and it felt a bit lifeless at low revs. I'd need to mod one to try to overcome that a bit.

 

The biggest draw is the engine. As good as the inline-five in the 3 is I just absolutely love the roar and rumble of a V8, especially with a decent exhaust.

[T-800]

Yes, I drove a standard B7 RS4 a while ago and it felt a bit lifeless at low revs. I'd need to mod one to try to overcome that a bit.

The biggest draw is the engine. As good as the inline-five in the 3 is I just absolutely love the roar and rumble of a V8, especially with a decent exhaust.

I fully agree Bill....that V8 engine sounds fabulous, it drew attention wherever I went.
It's just a shame its performance doesn't match the sound
The RS 3 MK 2 setup though has the best of both worlds noise and the performance to back it up.

[BillTheButcher]

The RS 3 MK 2 setup though has the best of both worlds noise and the performance to back it up.

It sounds great but the inline-five is nowhere near as sonorous as the V8 IMO.

[MikeFish]

As I said before, you need the MRC remap to bring it to life. It might not make it much quicker or make a lot of power gains but it certainly makes the power delivery feel more turbo like.

[Mikers4]

I've went from b7 rs4 to 8p RS3

The v8 is a awesome sound track mine had a full Milltek system from manifolds back with de-cats and the sound was amazing mine was full stage 2 and my stage 2 RS3 would wipe the floor with it everyday

Only draw back is stopping them from building up carbon in the inlet manifold and around valves.

Some days I wish I hadn't sold it.

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[MikeFish]

Mike, I noticed you had Revo stickers on your old 4. Was your stage 2 carried out by MRC or another company? The MRC remap is very different to other companies stage 2s.

 

The 4 is a great all round car, there are others that might be quicker in a straight line, there are others that might corner quicker, but it does everything so well it is very hard to replace (hence why I have had mine since 2010). I still love it. When I get an empty road late a night and can really drive it, it really comes alive and handles / steers / rides / accelerates so well... and has a big boot and fits the family in comfortably.

 

But yes, in a straight line it will feel slow compared to an RS3, let alone a stage 2 one.

 

But when you supercharge it...

[scotexile]

I have a friend with a B7, yes it may feel slower (bear in mind it's naturally aspirated) but that high revving nature and sound of the V8 is glorious. He paid £20k on the nose for a 2006 car around 90k miles.

I think it's a great car - and hearing that engine (engine mind, not exhaust) scream over 8000rpm is a joy

[BillTheButcher]

As I said before, you need the MRC remap to bring it to life. It might not make it much quicker or make a lot of power gains but it certainly makes the power delivery feel more turbo like.

If I make the change to the B7 a trip to MRC is definitely on the cards.

 

I've went from b7 rs4 to 8p RS3

The v8 is a awesome sound track mine had a full Milltek system from manifolds back with de-cats and the sound was amazing mine was full stage 2 and my stage 2 RS3 would wipe the floor with it everyday

Only draw back is stopping them from building up carbon in the inlet manifold and around valves.

Some days I wish I hadn't sold it.

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Mike, I noticed you had Revo stickers on your old 4. Was your stage 2 carried out by MRC or another company? The MRC remap is very different to other companies stage 2s.

 

The 4 is a great all round car, there are others that might be quicker in a straight line, there are others that might corner quicker, but it does everything so well it is very hard to replace (hence why I have had mine since 2010). I still love it. When I get an empty road late a night and can really drive it, it really comes alive and handles / steers / rides / accelerates so well... and has a big boot and fits the family in comfortably.

 

But yes, in a straight line it will feel slow compared to an RS3, let alone a stage 2 one.

 

But when you supercharge it...

I have a friend with a B7, yes it may feel slower (bear in mind it's naturally aspirated) but that high revving nature and sound of the V8 is glorious. He paid £20k on the nose for a 2006 car around 90k miles.

I think it's a great car - and hearing that engine (engine mind, not exhaust) scream over 8000rpm is a joy

I don't drive at sustained high speeds. I get my kicks from the noise and decent in-gear acceleration. I know that my (standard) 8P will have a much bigger slug of torque available at lower revs than a (standard) B7. But the character and soundtrack of the V8 are very, very attractive. If I can put a bit more spring in the 4's step with a few mods then it becomes a seriously tempting proposition.

[Suly]

Bill, one of the choices im still trying to make. I've never driven or been in a B7 but I just love them for the looks and sound. Defiantly on the list for me somewhere down the line


Audi RS3, Milltek, Stage 2, Loba500 soon

[81llyh]

I wouldn't mind one for a short period of time. Just can't live with that interior.

The carbon build up

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[Mikers4]

Mike, I noticed you had Revo stickers on your old 4. Was your stage 2 carried out by MRC or another company? The MRC remap is very different to other companies stage 2s.
 
The 4 is a great all round car, there are others that might be quicker in a straight line, there are others that might corner quicker, but it does everything so well it is very hard to replace (hence why I have had mine since 2010). I still love it. When I get an empty road late a night and can really drive it, it really comes alive and handles / steers / rides / accelerates so well... and has a big boot and fits the family in comfortably.
 
But yes, in a straight line it will feel slow compared to an RS3, let alone a stage 2 one.
 
But when you supercharge it...

My car was done by revo mate and it certainly changed how it drove and done away with the 155 limiter above 4500/5000 rpm it was just something else

I contemplated charging the apr stage 3+ kit I wanted was exactly the same price I paid for my car hence why it never got charged the 2 and 1/2 years I owned it.

  

I have a friend with a B7, yes it may feel slower (bear in mind it's naturally aspirated) but that high revving nature and sound of the V8 is glorious. He paid £20k on the nose for a 2006 car around 90k miles.
I think it's a great car - and hearing that engine (engine mind, not exhaust) scream over 8000rpm is a joy

I paid 18k for mine with 80k on it and it still looked amazing I do regret selling it. Just tried posting a sound clip but won't let me follow this link

http://s1146.photobu...30f8fa.mp4.html

[P_G]

I like a few on here went from B7 RS4 to 8P/V RS3. There is more room in it especially in an Avant like I had, the sound is glorious and the 5pot is not a patch on it and when DRC works it is sublime but now I have Bilsteins on the RS3 it probabaly handles better. The looks are great, it has a great ass and the sound is to die for and one you never get bored of. I haven't owned a car for as long as I did the B7 which was 5 happy years

 

Now for the bad points; it's thirsty especially when extracting the power out of the top end of the rev range, consumables wise it has more going wrong with it than the RS3 in terms of brakes (pad deposition 'warping' / poorly designed discs), DRC (great when it works, nightmare when it doesn't) clutch slave pipe and flywheel, blocked or leaking vacuum system which controls not only exhaust valves but also intake manifold flaps and then the infamous carbon build up but TBH the latter is not as big an issue as some tuners would have you believe if you run your car correctly. Mine drank as much oil sometimes as it did petrol with a 1 l top up every 900-1500 miles on a 9.6 litre sump, plugs are cheaper than an RS3 so there is a bonus. But to extract serious power is spending a whole heap more money than on an RS3 shy of charging it which is 12-15K.

 

I'm tempted by an RS4 cabby with full non res exhaust and Gruppe M carbon air intake for a summer play thing but as a daily car which mine has to be, I wouldn't go back to one. And people complain about the dated 8P interior, the B7 is worse IMO.

 

When I first had my RS3 mapped, I put it up against an MRC Stage II B7 Avant from 30-130 and it obliterated it with grunt and s-tronic vs manual, even the B7 owner was surprised.

Edited by P_G, 09 March 2016 - 11:56 PM.

[BillTheButcher]

Bill, one of the choices im still trying to make. I've never driven or been in a B7 but I just love them for the looks and sound. Defiantly on the list for me somewhere down the line


Audi RS3, Milltek, Stage 2, Loba500 soon

I've driven a standard one and, as nice as it sounded, the performance was a bit underwhelming.

 

Like you, it's a car I've always wanted to own. I keep coming back to them so I'm thinking I should just get it out of my system. 

 

My car was done by revo mate and it certainly changed how it drove and done away with the 155 limiter above 4500/5000 rpm it was just something else

I contemplated charging the apr stage 3+ kit I wanted was exactly the same price I paid for my car hence why it never got charged the 2 and 1/2 years I owned it.

  
I paid 18k for mine with 80k on it and it still looked amazing I do regret selling it. Just tried posting a sound clip but won't let me follow this link

http://s1146.photobu...30f8fa.mp4.html

That's what I'm talking about: that noise is 

 

I like a few on here went from B7 RS4 to 8P/V RS3. There is more room in it especially in an Avant like I had, the sound is glorious and the 5pot is not a patch on it and when DRC works it is sublime but now I have Bilsteins on the RS3 it probabaly handles better. The looks are great, it has a great ass and the sound is to die for and one you never get bored of. I haven't owned a car for as long as I did the B7 which was 5 happy years

 

Now for the bad points; it's thirsty especially when extracting the power out of the top end of the rev range, consumables wise it has more going wrong with it than the RS3 in terms of brakes (pad deposition 'warping' / poorly designed discs), DRC (great when it works, nightmare when it doesn't) clutch slave pipe and flywheel, blocked or leaking vacuum system which controls not only exhaust valves but also intake manifold flaps and then the infamous carbon build up but TBH the latter is not as big an issue as some tuners would have you believe if you run your car correctly. Mine drank as much oil sometimes as it did petrol with a 1 l top up every 900-1500 miles on a 9.6 litre sump, plugs are cheaper than an RS3 so there is a bonus. But to extract serious power is spending a whole heap more money than on an RS3 shy of charging it which is 12-15K.

 

I'm tempted by an RS4 cabby with full non res exhaust and Gruppe M carbon air intake for a summer play thing but as a daily car which mine has to be, I wouldn't go back to one. And people complain about the dated 8P interior, the B7 is worse IMO.

 

When I first had my RS3 mapped, I put it up against an MRC Stage II B7 Avant from 30-130 and it obliterated it with grunt and s-tronic vs manual, even the B7 owner was surprised.

Great write-up. Thanks.

 

I would either buy one with the DRC already removed or have it removed myself shortly after purchase.

 

I only do about 6,000 miles a year; fuel consumption isn't really a concern for me. I used to own a C5 RS6 so I'm used to a thirsty Audi V8.

 

My biggest concern is highlighted in your last paragraph. As I said above, I don't drive around at high speed. I get my kicks in the 30-80 range. From everything I've heard the RS4 is only just getting going when I'd usually be lifting off.

Edited by BillTheButcher, 10 March 2016 - 09:07 AM.

[P_G]

Not at all Bill, you just find yourself driving around in 2nd and 3rd! Personally I would advise sticking with the DRC as haven been driven in some cars with aftermarket suspension, once you have had a DRC car the others feel crashy and coarse. You just need to make sure your dealer or independent has the DRC II pressurization tool which is where most of the DRC issues start from.

[T-800]

I must agree the noise from that N/A V8 is fantastic.

Especially on the downshifts

[BillTheButcher]

Not at all Bill, you just find yourself driving around in 2nd and 3rd! Personally I would advise sticking with the DRC as haven been driven in some cars with aftermarket suspension, once you have had a DRC car the others feel crashy and coarse. You just need to make sure your dealer or independent has the DRC II pressurization tool which is where most of the DRC issues start from.

My old C5 RS6 had coilovers (I can't remember the brand). It was firm but still very easy to live with. The only reason I got rid of it was because I was terrified of the gearbox exploding.

 

I must agree the noise from that N/A V8 is fantastic.

Especially on the downshifts

I know it's only a phone recording but that clip posted above sounds even better than my RS6, and that had a Milltek too. Do the turbos on the '6 mute the V8's voice a little bit?

 

I'd need to learn to heel-and-toe, something I've never been able to do. The RS3 does the downshift blips for me.

Edited by BillTheButcher, 10 March 2016 - 10:47 AM.

[P_G]

DRC Gen II on the RS4 is less problematic than Gen I on the C5's and I recall the Tiptronic and turbo woes on the C5s which is what put me off a Plus variant and into an RS4 instead. I have some sound clips of my old RS4 with non res custom exhaust on somewhere on this forum, it was always the best bit about the car but the wife hated it for the exact same reason....

[BillTheButcher]

I thought your username was familiar. I had a B6 S4 and a B5 RS4 before the C5 RS6 so I've been around the Audi forums for a while.

 

I'll have a hunt for your sound clips.