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When equipped with Quattro and the seven-speed S-Tronic, the 252-horsepower model of the 2017 Audi A4 sprints from 0 to 60 mph in about 5.6 seconds onto a top speed of 155 mph.
Aren't German cars often electronically limited to 155 in Europe? Or has that gone by the wayside?
About 165 mph. You can plug in some numbers at the following website to see how much horsepower is needed to sustain a certain speed. With a typical 20% drivetrain loss, the A4 has rougly about 200 whp. The front area is around 22 square feet, that's based on what I roughly found for A4s. A bit older models, though, so for the B9 it might be slightly more or less. Weight of the car 3626 lbs and the Cw is 0.27. So if you plug in those numbers you need about 203 whp to sustain a speed of 165 mph.
A likely limiting factor on A4s is the tire speed rating.
I ordered my S4 with summers, but I know that in the US at least, S4 buyers who specify all-seasons will receive H-rated tires which are rated for 130mph only, and while it is silly that Audi doesn't ship an S4 with a better performing a/s tire, that is a different discussion and the point here today is that I can't imagine that an A4 would receive a better a/s tire than an S4.
Overdriving a tire's speed rating is unbelievably unsafe, so before you guys go flashing your cars to remove the limiter, be sure to peek at your tire sidewalls for the speed rating and fit some proper performance rubber up first if needed. If you want to stick with all-seasons, Pirelli, Michelin, and Continental all makes performance all-seasons with a Y rating. I can vouch for the Continental option (DWS06... had them on a previous car and they were legit) but all are pretty comparable.
Thanks for that tire information. I was aware that the limiter is in place because the tires can't handle speeds in excess of 130. I made the post just out of curiosity and have no interest in removing the limiter. Hell, I got cold feet after just a few seconds of 100 a couple of weeks ago.
I briefly, just for a few seconds in Germany, drove 100 in a crap full size rental Renault 9 passenger van with reciprocating ball steering with a dead spot with my entire family inside. I will probably never bring my Audi to a track where I can drive over 130.
Last edited by rsilvers129; 11-22-2017 at 11:09 AM.
It all depends on the car and whether it actually has the aerodynamics and downforce to maintain stability at high speeds. I regularly drove the top speed of 174 mph on the German Autobahn in my RS5 no problem during the month I spent in Europe. Rock stable at those speeds. However, I've also had rental cars that were way less stable at 130 mph than the RS5 was at 174 mph.
On the first run i manage to get to 225 km/h (about 140 mph), and i think i could get a little higher. I found that strange since on the manual the maximum top speed for my engine (2.0 TDI @ 150 HP) is @ 219 kph
11-20-2017, 01:09 PM
Top Speed Without Limiter?
