APR Stage 3 ECU (IS38) + P&B
APR DSG TCU for the IS38 turbo
New IS38 turbocharger
do88 intercooler
do88 boost pipes
APR coils
Colder spark plugs

For what is effectively the top upgrade, unless we are talking about bigger aftermarket turbos, a pumped-up RS230 came to us looking standard at first glance. Under the bonnet it now has 400 hp and over 550 Nm, achieved by fitting the larger IS38 turbocharger found, for example, in the Golf 7 R. To make sure the turbo still gets enough air, we added a do88 intercooler with a complete set of boost pipes to the Racingline intake fitted earlier.

Racingline sports dampers
034M rear top mounts
SuperPro rear trailing arm bushes
Racingline sport springs -20 mm
Racingline subframe locating spacers
SuperPro front bush set
Sachs top strut mounts
Front strut brace
APR dogbone mount insert

The original suspension was replaced with Racingline sports dampers combined with their lowering springs, and we replaced the top mounts with ones from 034 Motorsport. We replaced the bushes with solid ones from a SuperPro kit.

A Hardrace brace went in between the front struts.

Milltek 76 mm cat-back exhaust
Milltek sports downpipe

The original catalytic converter was replaced with a freer-flowing Milltek downpipe with a sports cat, and the rest of the system with a Milltek exhaust without the centre resonator, with 76 mm piping and rear silencers. The result is a pleasant but not annoying sound across the whole rev range, rounded off by short pops and bangs on the overrun and stronger DSG farts on upshifts.

Rear brake calipers for 310 mm discs
Braided brake hoses
Racing brake fluid @millersoilscz
Ferodo DS2500 front brake pads
OEM RS3 front brake air ducts

We replaced the inadequate rear brakes with a vented version with 310 mm discs, at the front we replaced the standard pads with Ferodos and the brake hoses with braided ones. The brake fluid was replaced with racing fluid from Millers Oils.

Maxton Design rear diffuser
Maxton Design front splitter
LED number plate lights fitted
Comfort function coding
Wheel spacers
Milotec boot sill protector
Racingline rear wiper delete plug

Although on this car we were mainly dealing with functional upgrades, you also have to like the way it looks. So we replaced the original fake diffuser with a large Maxton Design diffuser and removed the rear wiper.

Millers Oils 5W-40 NT+ engine oil
Air conditioning evaporator
Air conditioning service
Scheduled service
Magnets replaced
DSG oil and filter
Limited-slip differential oil + cleaning
Water pump
Cooling system flush
Silicate-free expansion tank
G12 Evo coolant

The owner bought the RS on our recommendation, and we also recommended what servicing to treat it to, from replacing the problematic G13 coolant to a preventive water pump replacement. It has run on Millers Oils 5W-40 NT+ the whole time.

The owner actively races the car in amateur events, where the car regularly finishes near the top and beats cars that are faster on paper.

High temperatures, full load and a fierce pace test the upgrade at every race. On top of that the owner uses the car as a daily driver: driving to the race, racing and driving home again. All without any loss of power or reliability.