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The RS3 had a lot of collaboration with the legendary Hans Stuck for handling, has 8 piston front brakes,and a brand new 5 cylinder engine with 100 hp more than the STI and accelerates to 60 almost 2 seconds faster. It should have walked all over the STI. The TT RS was faster due to stickier tires and lighter weight.
I guess it is odd. Why do you think RS3 was so much slower than expected?
I guess it is odd. Why do you think RS3 was so much slower than expected?
I think it is strange too and it makes me glad I did not get an RS3 as that was at the top of my list for quite some time. Here's my theory. As soon as I saw that their optional performance package included wider tires at the front of the car than the rear, I knew that they cheaped out on trying to get the handling balance right. This was confirmed when I saw the lackluster weight distribution for the car. All the reviews I read of the RS3 made it sound like it handled well, but I knew actual track driving would reveal any faults in the handling. And wow did it have faults! The other thing that affects the RS3's traction is that Audi uses open diffs compared to the STI that has LSD on both ends. It looks ok in a straight line and paired with the DCT the RS3 is fast in a straight line, but good luck putting the power down coming out of a corner.
The other issues that Car & Driver mentioned were cheap tires and they actually faded the Carbon Ceramic rotors?
Originally Posted by Rochester
Where does the front plate go?
Oh come on! You wouldn't dare do that to that car!!
In Texas you can get pulled over on interstates/highways for not having a front plate. It has happened to me about a hand full of times. I only ever got warnings and no actual tickets so I got lucky.
It's a law in 31 states. If you get pulled over for something else, this will get tacked on. And if a cop needs an excuse to pull you over, a missing front tag is as good as any.
I don't like it, but I also don't want to poke the bear.
Of course, that's the Giulia and not the Stelvio, but same components, same drive train. And that's the Quadrifoglio, not the 2.0T, but again... same car except for the drive train.
Perhaps owning an Italian import out-of-warranty isn't such a great idea, particularly for a company that's been selling cars in the States for only two years. (sigh)
But really, these things are absolutely insane. I like 'em more than the Macan turbo, but that reliability is definitely a concern.
Originally Posted by 4DRZ
I think it is strange too and it makes me glad I did not get an RS3 as that was at the top of my list for quite some time. Here's my theory. As soon as I saw that their optional performance package included wider tires at the front of the car than the rear, I knew that they cheaped out on trying to get the handling balance right. This was confirmed when I saw the lackluster weight distribution for the car. All the reviews I read of the RS3 made it sound like it handled well, but I knew actual track driving would reveal any faults in the handling. And wow did it have faults! The other thing that affects the RS3's traction is that Audi uses open diffs compared to the STI that has LSD on both ends. It looks ok in a straight line and paired with the DCT the RS3 is fast in a straight line, but good luck putting the power down coming out of a corner.
The other issues that Car & Driver mentioned were cheap tires and they actually faded the Carbon Ceramic rotors?
Well that sucks. I was obsessing about this car just last week and now I'm kind of disappointed. For my next daily driver, I just want something that's quicker than the G, AWD, DCT, and at least semi-reliable. The cars that fit these requirements have their own faults, which I guess is to be expected, but it'd be nice if I could find the perfect package.
LOL! And you even snagged a Seinfeld reference. Too funny.
I suspect the best plate mount would be offset on the tow-hook, instead of slapped against the bumper. Although that might conflict with that lower sensor. Either way, it still sucks... I hate offset license plates, and think they look stupid. A hide-away bracket would be nice, but I don't see how that would work either.
Clearly these cars aren't designed for the 31 states that require front tags.
The wheels on the Quadrifoglio... OMG, they're beautiful.
Well that sucks. I was obsessing about this car just last week and now I'm kind of disappointed. For my next daily driver, I just want something that's quicker than the G, AWD, DCT, and at least semi-reliable. The cars that fit these requirements have their own faults, which I guess is to be expected, but it'd be nice if I could find the perfect package.
The RS3 would murder the G37 in a straight line. It does 0-60 in the mid 3s and high 11s in the 1/4 mile.
I like C&Ds Lightening Lap, as it allows a relatively constant for comparison purposes. But I'm not one to track my car, so I wouldn't let the fact that the RS3 was 1 second slower than the STI RA be a deal killer. It's still a staggering 12 seconds faster than the G37S they tested back in 2008.
The RS3 would murder the G37 in a straight line. It does 0-60 in the mid 3s and high 11s in the 1/4 mile.
That really is mind-blowing performance. Doesn't seem that long ago when numbers like that were for bikes, certainly not for cars. And not for cars that anyone could afford.
The only recent personal point of reference I have to that is my friend's Tesla, and honest to God it makes me think there's such as thing as "too fast".
LOL! And you even snagged a Seinfeld reference. Too funny.
I suspect the best plate mount would be offset on the tow-hook, instead of slapped against the bumper. Although that might conflict with that lower sensor. Either way, it still sucks... I hate offset license plates, and think they look stupid. A hide-away bracket would be nice, but I don't see how that would work either.
Clearly these cars aren't designed for the 31 states that require front tags.
The wheels on the Quadrifoglio... OMG, they're beautiful.
There really doesn't seem to be a good place for it. I believe my state requires a front license plate as well, so to get around that I used to place it behind the windshield on the passenger's side. I have no clue if that was legal or not, but I never got pulled over for it!
I think Alfa Romeo has some of the best looking cars. The Giulia is one of the prettiest sports sedans ever IMO.
The RS3 would murder the G37 in a straight line. It does 0-60 in the mid 3s and high 11s in the 1/4 mile.
I like C&Ds Lightening Lap, as it allows a relatively constant for comparison purposes. But I'm not one to track my car, so I wouldn't let the fact that the RS3 was 1 second slower than the STI RA be a deal killer. It's still a staggering 12 seconds faster than the G37S they tested back in 2008.
I guess I'm more in your boat than in 4DRZ's. I don't track either but I do live on windy roads, so handling is quite important.
I'd say I'm jaded with this new era of sports cars. I realize most everything is significantly faster than the G, but I just want the most bang for my buck. I guess I shouldn't write it off because it doesn't do as well when pushing the limits, which is something I rarely do on public roads. I guarantee is still handles quite a bit better than the G.
In Texas you can get pulled over on interstates/highways for not having a front plate. It has happened to me about a hand full of times. I only ever got warnings and no actual tickets so I got lucky.
I never had front plates on my previous car and current car from 2011 to now and never got a citation or even a warning about not having one. I even got pulled over for speeding 3 times in the last 6 months and not a single mention about no front plates..
My brother has a Camry and never had a front license plate for the last 10 years of owning it and never got a citation.
I'll gladly risk running no plates rather than drilling holes into the front bumper.
09-25-2018, 07:15 PM
I guess it is odd. Why do you think RS3 was so much slower than expected?
Where does the front plate go?
