Audi RS 6 Avant: Chassis
Power means nothing if it cant be controlled and Audi engineers have followed precisely this motto in developing the chassis for the RS 6 Avant. The complex wheel suspensions, the high-tech Dynamic Ride Control shock absorber system and four brawny brakes form a package that is a worthy match for the engines tremendous power.
The chassis of the Audi RS 6 Avant unites the qualities of maximum dynamic performance, good road trip comfort and smooth straight-ahead stability. The combination of a host of advanced technologies produces a fascinating sports car-like driving experience. Its dynamic steering response, exact feedback, sporty precision and superior stability bridge the gap between racetrack and highway.
Most of the suspension components are manufactured of lightweight aluminum. This design reduces unsprung masses and lends an immediate and fascinating spontaneity to the cars handling just as in motor racing. In the front suspension system, the wheels are guided by four aluminum links. Their elastokinematics have been designed for highly dynamic performance. The front track is an impressive 1,614 mm. The self-tracking trapezoidal-link rear suspension system features a track of no less than 1,637 mm. The rear suspension kinematics have additionally been modified for sporty handling.
Special adjustments have also been made to the operating characteristics of the speed-dependent servotronic power steering. The steering box has a ratio of 12.5:1 for a direct, dynamic steering feel. The Audi RS 6 Avants steering works sensitively to impart a sense of close, positive contact with the road to the driver.
Purely mechanical Dynamic Ride Control
One of the major features that sets the new Audi RS 6 Avant apart from the competition is Dynamic Ride Control as a standard feature, which was used in similar form both in the predecessor model and in the current RS 4. This evolved high-tech system reduces the vehicles pitching and rolling movements in a particularly ingenious way by purely mechanical means, which makes it instantaneous.
In the compact, lightweight DRC system, each pair of diagonally opposite shock absorbers is interconnected by means of two oil lines and a central valve. When the car takes a bend, the valves reduce the oil flow at the shock absorber of the outer front wheel where the suspension spring is compressed. This improves support, reduces body roll and thus enhances handling dynamics.
If desired, Dynamic Ride Control in the new RS 6 Avant can be supplemented with optional three-stage shock absorption. This version is called sport suspension plus and allows drivers to individually adjust the driving experience to suit their own personal preferences or the route they are traveling. In the comfort setting, sport suspension plus provides remarkable ride comfort. In the dynamic mode it adjusts superbly to an enthusiastic driving style, and in the sport mode it delivers maximum driving precision.
The unique combination of sport suspension plus with DRC, the high-traction quattro driveline and the sporty axle layout lend unrivaled capabilities to the chassis of the new Audi RS 6 Avant. The high-performance Avant still handles safely within its dynamic limits under conditions that are well beyond the abilities of other concepts.
Pleasure and stability ESP
The ESP directional stabilization system rounds out this characteristic: It intervenes at a very late stage and affords maximum driving pleasure while ensuring excellent safety. By briefly pressing a button, the driver can select a sport mode the ESPs traction control function, i.e. engine torque intervention, is then largely deactivated and braking intervention takes place at a later stage. This enables skilled drivers to perform fantastic drifts on low-friction road surfaces. Holding the button down longer deactivates both functions.
The new Audi RS 6 Avant comes equipped standard with 9 J x 19 cast alloy wheels featuring a 10-spoke design. They mount 255/40 R 19 tires, which are equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system as a standard feature. Also optionally available are 20″ 9.5 J x 20 cast wheels featuring a five-segment spoke design in an aluminum-look or titanium-look finish. They are an impressive 275/35 R 20 in size and also feature pressure monitoring.
An automotive athlete of such exceptional caliber naturally also needs an extremely high-performance brake system. The standard steel discs on the Audi RS 6 Avant have been designed to withstand extremely high loads. They consist of an aluminum brake disc cover and a cast iron friction ring, joined by metal pins. This floating design increases thermal stability at high loads and reduces weight. The discs cooling channels and cross drillings both fulfill the same function.
The front brakes on the RS 6 Avant have a diameter of 390 mm and are gripped by six-piston fixed calipers made of aluminum. The discs mounted on the rear axle have a diameter of 356 mm and single-piston floating calipers. The brake calipers are painted black and adorned with RS emblems in front.
Audi can optionally supply ceramic brakes in conjunction with the 20″ wheels. The ventilated, cross-drilled discs consist of a special composite in which high-strength carbon fibers are embedded in hard, abrasion-resistant silicon carbide a material that has proven its effectiveness in aerospace engineering.
The discs offer the impressive diameters of 420 mm in front and 356 mm in the rear, but are nevertheless 12.2 kilograms lighter in total than steel discs. They thus reduce unsprung masses to enhance handling dynamics.
The ceramic brakes offer uncompromising performance. They have no trouble enduring even the most extreme loads, are not susceptible to corrosion and will normally last some 300,000 km. The brake calipers with eight pistons on the front brakes are painted Titanium Gray and have Audi ceramic lettering in front.
The equipment, specifications and prices stated herein refer to the model line offered for sale in Germany. Subject to change without notice, errors and omissions.
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