Kriminalpolizei

The kid knows he can drive my low miles S3 into redline in M mode accelerating. How confident should I be that the car will self-shift away not too far into red before redlining damages the engine?

jyges

all modern engines have rev limiters.The only time to be worried is if car has manual transmission, and driver downshifts in error , then rev limiter can be defeated . Audi's have rev limiters.

DrGP

As jyges says, I would be only be slightly worried if the car had a 6MT, which it does not. The transmission shift point is programmed such that you will not ever be able to get over the redline even if you wanted to. You can take a 6MT S4 to 7200 rpms or so and the rev limiter will cut off fuel. A DSG S4 will only get to 6500 rpms before it will shift. No way to get the rpms higher UNLESS you have a tune. BTW, do you know what happens when you take a 6MT S4 to 7200 rpms? It just runs there with no issue. Not that I recommend doing it too often. But I have on occasion.

Kriminalpolizei

Much thanks jyges andDrGP setting the old man's mind at ease. And double thanks for entertaining the newcomer's misplaced S3 question in the elite S4 club :-). As a former Porsche 911 fanatic I never thought I would say this but I absolutely love what Audi has done with the 2014+ S3 and S4s.
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2015 S3 Daytona 1 Magnetic ride Sport MMI Nav+package, S-Tronic