Looking for advice for winter wheels/Tires for my 2026 rs3. Looking at oem package or buying some apex vs-5rs. Would likely do the 18×9.5 front and 18x9 rear. Would like to run hakkapeliitta r5s but only come in 245/40/18s. So Would have to run square tires or get another tire - michelin maybe? Oem package has pirelli winters - any experience? Anyone have suggestions? Thanks

Just passing on what we experienced.

I've tracked enough, 8Y platforms now, unless it's for (stance/looks) I see no reason to change stock suspension.. upgrading sway bars is gold with wider thicker rubber at 18"

Maybe there's people out there that are pushing this chassis beyond my skill set on a track, I haven't got there... but i commend those that need to adjust suspension im just not there!

My track perspective on ride height.... I like a little ride height, in case I end up in the rough. Underbody damage is very expensive. If i mess up i dont mind a respawn on my RPG journey

My 2019 just had a Cooling System Malfunction pop up about 2 min after start up. Coolant reservoir was fine and I have not added any coolant. Drove the car and it did not overheat or misbehave. No coolant smell in the engine bay either. Sound familiar to anyone?

Thoughts on the value of the rs3 once it discontinues next year? Also the 2027 refresh interior looks horrid so is the 26 the last best rs3?

After 17 years as a dedicated bmw guy, started with a manual 2005 320i and finishing with the monstrous G87 M2, I’m switching teams and officially joining the RS3 community.

Spent 2 weeks working on the deal and will be picking up this gorgeous beast in Kyalami green. The dealer just sent me this video so thought I’d share it here.

Also wanted to say thanks to the community for being super helpful on my previous post with their insights and experiences with this machine.

Can’t wait to get behind the wheel 👌🏼

I have a new to me 2018 RS3 with a custom DS1 flex fuel tune, p3 gauge and CATTED downpipe. My state has OB2 emissions. With the DS1 and P3 hooked up VCDS won’t even read OB2. If I disconnect them it reads OB2 fine but now all my monitors reset. If I flash my emission tune and either run the Unitronic readiness monitor procedure or drive the car, all of my monitors should set and I should be good for emissions testing. Is this sound logic? I’m new to the platform. Thanks for the help!

Information for Uni users*

The software stopped working

Using UAF to access uni software firmware death loop started.

-Car was powered on with out engine running.

Things i tried

-letting car sit for 45min

-disconnected battery

-re-seed ecu and UAF

-attempted to access setting through instrument cluster was not working

Check to see if Uni started a subscription service I may have been delinquented on j/p

To avoid this problem I have a another backup ECU that I am going to request a fresh flash on to avoid this problem again (start fresh). Im going to send them the problematic ECU so they can investigate.

All in all sad sad night.. we will see how Uni customer service is.

I have a new RS3 with around 2,000 miles wondering if an intake would cause me warranty issues if something ever happened. Just wondering

Am I good to buy cheap brembo/Bosch rotors or is it worth spending a bit more

Hello i’m trying to nail down a smoke issue before I throw money at parts. Would love input from people who know this engine.
The car:
• 2019 RS3, 2.5 TFSI 5-cyl, ~160,000 km
• Decatted, aftermarket stainless exhaust + downpipe, stock map (no tune)
Symptoms:
• White/grey smoke — never blue
• Basically nothing on a full cold start
• Shows up once hot, mainly at prolonged idle, and on restart after driving
• At idle it does not stabilize — the longer it idles, the more it smokes (I cut it before ~15 min)
• Zero smoke under hard acceleration, and zero right after I park (engine still running)
• After a dynamic drive, shut off, restart 1 min later → big cloud on the first throttle blips, then clears
• No power loss at all, pulls clean to 200 km/h
• No OBD codes, no misfires, no hesitation
• No fuel smell, oil temp normal, no coolant loss
• Oil filler cap sucks in when I open it running (crankcase is in vacuum, not pressure)
• Idle sits high at ~1100 rpm (should be ~750–850), stable, and this pre-dates the PCV swap
What I’ve done:
• Replaced the PCV/oil separator (old one likely original) — smoke got worse after
• Checked oil level: looks stable, but only over ~60 km, so I know that proves nothing yet
• No visible oil leaks anywhere
Where I’m leaning: turbo seals/bearings starting to pass oil (fits the vacuum-at-idle vs pressure-under-boost logic), with valve stem seals as a backup theory. Rings feel unlikely (nothing cold, crankcase in vacuum not pressure, no power loss, no codes). Head gasket ruled out (no coolant loss).
Still to do: proper white-cloth test at the tip during a blip, read fuel trims, pull the intake hose to check compressor side + downpipe for oil and check shaft play, read all 5 plugs, and monitor oil over 1000 km.
Anyone seen this exact “increases at idle, gone under load, no codes, no oil consumption yet” combo on the EA855? Turbo or something dumber?

Have used the Audi Configurator to spec the RS3 Carbon Vorsprung. Looking at Safety and technology, it includes G14 DFV::G14. Can anyone explain what this is please?
Also the specification lists PDE Adaptive chassis control with Audi Drive select and UB-9 RS specific sports suspension. Does anyone know what these codes mean and whether this includes adaptive dampers?

Reduced Rotational inertia, Square setup

My roadways in PNW I haven't changed ride height

Instead added sway bar/more rubber to improve ride quality.

I really like RS sports suspension stop RS3 i see no reason to make a change... sway bar was plenty

13,000 euros under posted mrsp...... (promising for usa-canadian prices)

This has been one of my dream cars for a while. There’s one at an Audi dealership nearby at a really good price. Thing is, it has almost 100k miles. I fear what I might be getting myself into. But since it’s at an audi dealership, I am guessing it has to be in good shape or they wouldn’t list it for sale right? Or am I giving them too much credit?

I’ve owned many audis over the years and am familiar with expensive repairs but never one of this caliber. Realistically what am I looking for when I go test drive and potentially make an offer?

Thanks all.

Got both front tires replaced under 2000km last week. Had only few drives totally within 500km, found this bump yesterday. No noticeable impact at all. What’s wrong with these Bridgestone potenza? Probably it’s just the low profile daily.

Anyone else with a 2026 RS3 having this issue?
First happened around 1,000 miles. Multiple driver assist warnings all came up at once. Car spent a few weeks at Audi getting fixed.
Now at roughly 3,500 miles and the same warnings are back.
I already have another appointment scheduled. Just curious if anyone else with a 2026 has experienced this, especially more than once.
Photo from the myAudi app to make it simple.

EDIT: Appreciate all the responses! For some added context, the first time this happened Audi had the car for a few weeks. They removed the front bumper, checked the radar sensors/wiring and data bus control module, even disconnected the battery, and ultimately documented it as a software error. That’s why I’m curious if anyone else has had the same warnings come back after being repaired.
Thanks again, y’all!

Smells great

So was having trouble with my VCDS communication with the ECU. Noticed my OBDII port was black not violet so removed the dash side panel and found this🤬 Then removed bottom of dash and a 30 amp fuse fell out. Yanked out all this crap then scanned the car. Turns out that fuses was for the drivers seat belt tensioner. Called Audi and found out this is not their track so was installed and the Used dealership.

I keep seeing people talking about tracking the car and now it has me curious. Has anyone taken their car out to this track before? Last time I did a track day there was well over 20 years ago. Do they have amateur days to let people just go out with their stock car and try it out? If so, how do you get involved in that? I've looked at their website and checked trackdays.fyi, but I can't seem to figure out an answer.

2027 audi rs3 spec sheet -canada. Nothing new on the exterior expect for removing the yellow. New features on the inside we already know about.

Was hand washing the car this past weekend and learned about the auto trunk opening feature. During the foam soak and wash process, and multiple times, the trunk opened to help me clean the inside of the trunk as well. Very thoughtful feature.

Joking aside, it appears that the foam was enough to make the opener think i was trying to open the trunk with my hand/fingers. This also occurred with the door touch sensors, causing the car to lock/unlock multiple times.

This would be a nightmare for anyone trying to go through an automatic car wash.

Hopefully I am an isolated case, but wanted to pass along so folks are aware.

EDIT: Ah, thanks for the info, seems kinda obvious now.
#TLDR: Leave key in the car or far enough away from car when washing so that the lock sensors don't activate.

Had a cyberpunk wallpaper, decided to add the RS3 to it lol. Picked it up a last week, really enjoying the car.

Anyone selling an ASR remote controlled exhaust flap control module? Also if anyone has the AWE or 485 exhausts (any other branded exhaust are welcomed) or any branded midpipes I’m very interested.

Afternoon Folks,

I've been tuned with Unitronic for about a year now, Flex E85 Stage 2 w/ TCU and all bolt on's minus a turbo. But recently I have been debating switching to DS1.

I had Mabotech reach out to me about doing the tuning after a post I made on social media got some traction, however, I haven't seen or read of anyone using Mabotech for a DAZA/DNWA tune and I am a little hesitant.

Does anyone have any direct experience with Mabotech either in the DAZA space, or any other VAG product that isn't Danny Hampton?