QuattroRocket

Man I am loving Audi right now!!! Saturday morning my dad (2000 A6 2.7t Q Tip), buddy (2000 A4 1.8tqms), and myself (2000 A4 1.8tqm) set out for Performance Driving School with the BWM Car Club of BC. For anyone who hasn't done one of these courses, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? I will never get a chance to take my car to those limits on the streets but it is amazing to know what you and your car are capable of! The morning session consisted of seating, hand, and mirror position discussion then driving skills. We started w/ slalom runs through cones. Followed by ABS testing (damn these cars can stop!) and a high speed lane change maneuver. Then we drove straight at an instructor (Ross Bentley from the CART racing series) and he gave us stop/left/ right hand signals and we tested response time and car control. The final morning session was 'heel & toe' shifting exercises around an oval track (a race for those of us who already practiced it daily). Then lunch. After lunch we entered the 'slime pit' and worked with simulated icy conditions, both maneuvering and braking. Then the fun really got started as we started runs through a cone race track. Turns, switch backs, slalom, 's' curves, right angle turns and ABS test finish. All in all a very educational day. I love to drive and couldn't believe how many bad habits I had developed over the years. WOrking with race car drivers I learned the limits of my abilities, started to improve my driving habits and most importantly learned the limits of my car. My car performed better than expected. 323 and 328's were hard pressed to shake me all day long, even a VR6 Golf with many mods was working to shake me off, not always successfully. I ran a couple runs in my friends sport suspension equipped A4 and am now completely convinced to look at upgrading the suspension as the body roll difference was more than I had suspected. I also developed a great appreciation for my tires as his car has stock tire/wheel set-up. While may car 'rolled' through hard cornering all day, his was prone to 4 wheel slides through the smae corners that my tires held. What an education! Best $140 (Cdn) I have spent on a car!

To top it all off Sunday I was running in a charity car rally and convinced the great people at Richmond Audi to sponsor a car for me to drive. To my delight i was provided a 2000 silver S4!! OH BABY! Now don't get me wrong this is an amazin peice of machenery but I am more convinced that my 1.8 is a superior daily driver than ever. At 6'5" the motorized seats left me cramped as compared to my car, and I much prefer my gauges. The clutch is responsive but tight (as it should be), the shifter however is less than perfect. I dispise the down and up for reverse! And the long throw between the gears is awkward in such a high performance auto (would have to get a shift kit for it). And finally the suspension, while I am searching for a stiffer ride in my car the sharp ride in the S4 is a bit much for every day use. Those are my gripes! TO drive the car every day would be more work than I would like, especially in heavy traffic. But for a day, OH BABY!! This 'silver bullet', as it became know over the course of the day was a treat to drive. I would be in jail after a month of this as a daily drive though. The engine pulls hard from every gear, and what a rush! I rarely found a use for 5th and 6th gear. The suspension is responsive under tight cornering and you get a great feel for the road! I will be grinning for the whole week from this!

I am so sore from 12 hours of hard driving but what a great weekend! I had to share because most of my local friends just don't get my fetish for Audi's but I know you all do! Thanks for listening.

QuattroRocket

When I have done some suspension work (now a necesity) and a chip I will, without a doubt, be going back to run some track events here and on the Portland Speedway.

If you aren't living on the edge you are taking up too much space!!

Steve Means

I used to live in Portland. Would love to take my A4 up to PIR some time and try it out!

QuattroRocket

Vancouver Canada, the program runs a Portland Speedway day, next in the Spring I think.