MikeH

My wife, in a moment of weakness, has given me tentative permission to get an S4, rather than the A4 Avant which I had been considering. The A4 was to have been my stuck-in-traffic-commuter and would have had a Tip. I spend way too many hours in stop and go, and a stick makes things even more exhausting.

The S4, if I get it, will still be the daily commuter. But the perspective of the car changes. It's no longer a grocery getter that's sporty. It's a sports car that can be used to get groceries.

The question is: if I should go for an S4, would it be too dismal to get the Tip? Should I suffer a stick through the traffic jams so that the car rocks when the road is open? Or should I take the approach that a Tip suited my needs, and having it in an S4 rather than an A4 2.8 is still a big step up??

I am concerned that an S4/tip might not be notably quicker than a 2.8/stick. That would be a shame! Anyone know??

Comments requested....

johnj

Why don't you ask Jimmy Swaggert(sp.?)Just sin and buy an S4!!!!!!!

Scott D.

First, don't worry about what <b> we </b> think. You're not buying the car for us; you're buying it for yourself. So if you'd save that much commuting stress with the Tip, then it may be a better choice for you. Ignore all the airbags who trash the Tip. When it's <b>their </b> money, they can buy whatever they want.

Second, Audi rates the S4 Tip at 6.5 sec. for 0-60. The A4 2.8Q manual is rated at 7.1 sec. for 0-60. That 0.6 seconds will be noticably quicker (and even more so if you're not <b> highly </b> skilled at driving a stick).

AvramD

I spend a long time on the phone with a guy from APR, talking about chips. Plenty of people reading this forum know way more than me about chipping, but the short story is this: non-turbos generally can't get more than 10-15 hp from a chip alone. Turbos can get 40 hp easy.

APR guesses the S4 chip will add approx. 70 hp (that's SEVENTY, not a typo - disclaimer: This is NOT a promise, it's just a guess. Please don't bother to quote it).

Personally, I like driving enough, and hate commuting enough, that I *plan* my life around making sure I don't have a miserable commute. Currently, my commute is 50 minutes each 3 days a week, but it's 78 mph all the way there & back. (Oh, I'm sorry, that's a typo - it's actually 64.9 mph)

Since you're clearly not in the same position as me, look at it this way - I'm sure there are plenty of automatic Corvettes out there for you to surprise with your chipped S4 tip! You'll just have to leave the manual 'Vettes to me 8-)

Scot McKay

If you've got to have an automatic, THAT'S the one to have. My wife's A4Q has it, and I find it entertaining--much more so than a usual automatic. One can still cruise around town in 3rd and hear the motor a bit.

I think you'd be happier with the tip. I know I have a civil war of my own going on every time I have a cellular phone in one hand, the shifter in the other, and my knee on the wheel! DOH!

(Can you imagine if we had the 4" TFT screen also?!)

Reed Merritt

Mike:

I've had a Tiptronic S4 on order for several months now. Like you, after 15 years with my '84 4000 Quattro, I no longer want to hassle with a clutch in traffic. Also, I hear Garrett has a Tiptronic chip that makes it MUCH faster and firmer. I don't know if they have one for the S4 Tiptronic yet, but I gather they plan to. Properly set up, a Tiptronic should be almost as fast as a six speed, unless you're willing to rev it up and dump the clutch (which is EXACTLY what they do to get the much faster time for the manua)l. I love driving my wife's '95 A6 Quattro with the automatic, but dislike the shifter. I live the mountains west of Denver where downshifting is a necessity unless you want to replace brakes all the time. I wouldn't order my S4 any other way
than with a Tiptronic.

When I DO feel like driving a manual, I just jump in my '57 283/283 Fuelie Corvette or my '67 427/400 Tripower Corvette, both of which have close-ratio 4 speeds. Incidentally, I installed Centerforce clutches in both of them, unnecessary in the '57, but a GREAT help in the big block. I also have been autocrossing both of them, but will probably just run the '57 in the future, as I plan to try the S4 out on an autocross course as soon as it is broken in.

Regards,


Reed

DMoore

Make it a fair comparison. You're talking about an A4 Avant Q2.8 Tip. Audi, on their web pages, says 0-60 in 8.9 seconds. The S4 Tip claims 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. That's a huge improvement.

I'm going from a 2.8Q Tip (0-60 in 9.0, per Audi) to an S4 6 speed, which R&T claims will go 0-60 in 5.5 seconds, and C/D got 5.6. Now that should be a whole lotta fun.

I've driven my sister's Avant A4Q2.8M, and it's noticeably quicker (0-60 in 7.3) than my own car. A Tip S4 is almost a full second quicker than hers.

My vote... if you need the Tip, get it. It'll be the quickest awd automatic around.

Geza

Maybe, not off the line; but when your driving on the highway, and need to pass quickly, the automatic downshift and the fact that the turbo boost won't get recycled during WOT upshifts, may make the TIP S4 even faster (and smoother) than the manual.

I remember when, in the early '80's, Nissan introduced the turbo ZX as an automatic only. I was anxiously awaiting the release of the 5 speed (I was a Z fan at the time) figuring it would be a major improvement. Turns out it wasn't. Turbo's and automatics go well together. Get the TIP.

PeteW

Your cutting out a good part of the experience and control.

That is just my opinion. I love stick and have had an automatic for the last 5 years for just that reason. If I can avoid it, never purchasing automatic again.

-Pete

John Sargent

the tiptronic will be totally seamless. Right now, when you bring up that clutch peddle a tad, and it GRABS, you know what kind of car you are in. I suspect that the tiptronic will be quicker in "real world" situations, while the manual will be "track quicker".
For pleasure, pick the tiptronic if you have to deal with an unending stream of bumper to bumper cars in your daily commute. Otherwise, opt for the stick.