gtikid98

You mentioned in a few threads below that the RS4 and S4 are similar upto about 5k rpms. I have been truely dissapointed with the 4.2 in this car and have always had the "should i have waited for the rs4" thoughts lurking.
I have yet to ride/drive one and your comments on the car being close to S4 perfomance(down low), makes me doubt i would enjoy it.
I rarely go beyond 5k rpms ever(albeit the car doesnt inspire me to do so), but then again, living in a small town in NH there really isnt a need to run through the gears.
I am just not sure if there is a justifiable reason to switch, or is this engine platform not for me? Any helpfull info about the +/-'s between these two would be great. I know the mag #'s and such but the real world avrg's always differ.


Thanks!

NJRickD

if you rarely go above 5k rpms, I'm not sure why you would want either one.

Bob W.

the RS4 motor at 5k feels like the S4 motor at 3k. it's SO much more smooth, torquey, and generally happy at higher rpms, you'll find yourself spending more time there than in the S4. you really should try to test drive one, which is the only way to fully understand what i'm saying.

dxben

but I guess if you have a tip and you just want the power on reserve there's nothing wrong with keeping it.

try test driving the RS4 but be prepared to pony up.

sillyboy

Drove the RS4...holy smokes...Bob W is right. I cruise at 4k often since I have had the RS4(350 miles). It is SOOOOO much smoother than the S4 4.2, as Bob says. It is very comfortable at 4k rpm, whereas even 3.5k is not that comfortable for the S4. %k in the RS4 feels sort of like 3k in the S4. I have yet to bust 6k rpm, but I am sure an animal is waiting to be let loose. It is already WAY more fun than the S4. The handling, the feel of the transmission. THe clutch, and yes, first gear...The car feels lighter than the S4 did, as I think I can feel that it is not as nose heavy.. Where in NH are you located??? I travel up to ME and VT a bit....perhaps you'd like to find out????/

gtikid98

was going to buy the RS4 but couldnt wait for the release of it. I live on the seacoast if your ever in the area, but i am heading to framingham for the gtg on wed., you should check it out!

RI A6

I had a B6 S4, and quite frankly i really didn't like winding the engine out to 7 grand very often. Above about 5K, it just seemed pretty stressed and power was dropping off fast. The engine was just not smooth up there, which meant that I usually kept her around 3000-4000 rpm, and that happened to be at the top of the torque curve.

With the RS4 engine, the feel is like night and day.How about a show of hands of RS4 drivers who have inadvertently shifted late in 1st or 2nd gear and hit the rev limiter ... not because you were trying to, but because the engine is just so smooth that you didn't notice?

This engine is silky smooth and never feels stressed at all when wound tight. So, what happens is that I'm always at least 1 or 2 gears below where I would have driven the S4. On the highway, 4th gear is sweet. In the local neighborhood, it's 2nd or 3rd gear. Hell, 2nd gear gets you to 60 mph, and 3rd gear gets you to 100. As a result, I tend to keep the engine between 4500 and 5500 rpm most of the time. Here the engine is as smooth as silk, with no annoying noises.

Silver Fun

If you dont look at the tach you'll hit the limiter all the time because the way the motor pulls it feels like it could go to 9000 RPM with ease.

Sia Bani

<img src="http://siabani.com/s4/dyno/stage2+.jpg">


I, too, find driving the S more enjoyable from 3k-5.5 rpm or so, because of the torque feeling esp on the hwy, with our gearing, just letting it stay in 6th etc.

I don't have an rs4 chart handy...how does your torque graph compare?

RI A6

and starts to level off in an S4. The RS4 curve keeps climbing out to almost 8K. It is this power that provides additional acceleration.

Now power and torque are related, so you can say that torque begets HP, but a better way of saying this is that torque and rpm create HP together.